If I told you I knew what Eric Carter’s film “A Very Sunny Morning” was about, I’d be lying through my teeth. Carter’s surrealist comedy is probably one of the weirdest and unusual short films I’ve seen since Sundance, with a plot that’s almost nonsensical. I say nonsensical in the sense that I really couldn’t understand what the hell was going on in front of me. But surprisingly enough, Carter’s film is not completely meant to be understood. He goes for the more dream vs. reality, and our consciousness hook that folks like Charlie Kaufman have in their films. And Carter succeeds with his experiment. A couple sits down to breakfast, goofing around, and is suddenly called to attention by a floating head in an old television.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
Creepshow III (2006)
Just so you know, Stephen King and George Romero had as much to do with this as Romero did with “Day of the Dead: Contagium.” Just so you know, “Creepshow III” is about as much of a sequel to the series, as “Debbie Does Dallas” is a documentary on sports. Taurus Entertainment had the pure balls to attempt to tie this in with the original “Creepshow” series, and failed, big time. And guess what? A “Creepshow 4” is on the way. Yes, sir. Taurus, the maker of pure dog vomit, has now continued the crappy sequels department, and their reign of terror isn’t ending any time soon. “Creepshow III” is one of their plans of attack on the genre, and “Creepshow III” is a pure travesty on the senses. It’s so bad it inflicts actual physical pain on its viewer. It’s so bad it makes Uwe Boll look like a brilliant director. It’s bad, would be the general bullet point of this review.
Horror Business (2005)
I love horror movies. I love them so much that it hurts me. I love them so much I feel an ache in the pit of my stomach whenever I just think about coming upon a brand new horror film waiting to be watched. And Garetano loves them, too. But he also has a cynical sense of humor about making horror films. Being a film critic for almost ten years now has educated me. Every film I’ve been sent from aspiring filmmakers who make a horror film and fail to entertain, I hold a deep sense of sympathy for them. Because making films and making horror films aren’t easy. “Horror Business” is a great horror movie documentary about making horror movies.
And it’s about how making horror movies can suck the life out of you. Garetano spotlights some of the most relentless independent horror filmmakers, including the director of one of my personal favorites, “Zombie Honeymoon.” What Garetano conveys is that horror filmmaking, while being essentially filmmaking, is a completely different art form. It’s difficult to scare people, and be a unique voice in the genre, and Garetano explores the feelings and frustrations of these filmmakers as they try to make a film that they believe will be great. And these men have a lot of insight to shed for the audience, as they discuss their thoughts on why we love horror films, and why horror films are so popular these days.
Filmmaking, like writing, is a way of life for these individuals who seek to release all aggression and express themselves, and it’s easy to connect to their desires to want to be seen and heard. And even appreciated. Hell, Garetano even touches upon these filmmakers basic frustrations that horror fans have been singing for years. Why remake a movie when you have thousands of great filmmakers waiting to express their own unique voice? Remakes are for money purposes, and the directors here talk of their inability to be pleased by anything new in the modern film era. The feeling is well expressed among many horror fans these days.
The best way to gain a perspective of film, talk to the actual struggling filmmakers and Garetano really shows how many people will die for their love of horror films, and filmmaking. Film, like any artistic medium can ruin its creator, and “Horror Business” explores that statement perfectly. Garetano really exemplifies the filmmaker’s struggles in film, and creates what is one of the best horror documentaries I’ve ever seen. You can’t receive proper insight about filmmaking unless you talk to actual struggling filmmakers, and Garetano gets it right; “Horror Business” is a film you have to see if you’re a horror buff, or someone thinking about making a serious horror movie.
Gangs of the Dead (Last Rites) (2006)
“Put on some news, I wanna hear about dead muthafuckas out there eating cops like it’s a barbecue!”
Yo son, check dis son, I’m from da Bronx son, and I just finished watching “Gangs of the Dead.” See, what makes “Gangs of the Dead” so clever is because it’s a double entendre, son. It ain’t just gangs of the dead, it’s gangs, as in groups of the dead. So it’s clever and not as stupid as y’all think. So I sat here wit ma forty, and laughed ma nuts off, while firing off ma glock. Naw, son, word is bond, I’m sick of zombie movies, son. The zombies in here, they all look like nothing but filthy hobos and alcoholics you see under the bridge in da streets. And wouldn’t you know it, now we got a bunch of black stereotypes being haunted by those flesh eating bastards, and I sit here trying to think of a reason not to turn ma glock on my head… son.
Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus (2006)
As an atheist and proponent of evolution, it really chaps my hide that a ludicrous fictional tale such as Intelligent Design would be created, and attempt to be accepted. What intelligent design is by sheer proof is the cowardice of Creationists. It’s a “theory” that was built to seem like science when really all it is, is creationism with a few pretty science terms thrown in for respectability. And what’s humorous is that creationists who shun science and evolution would invent a “theory” that reverts to science immediately. It all comes back to science.
Cabbie (2007)
In spite of the caveats, Steve Gelder takes the role on with a really funny sentiment that makes the title character in the film worthy of a viewing. Gelder takes the character on with finesse, and adds a sense of dimension that brings this character into a different view as this person who is so pathetic, and yet so oddly compelling. His delusions keep us wondering, and Gelder really dives into the role. Unfortunately, much of the comedy played for, during “Cabbie” doesn’t quite hit the stride as much as it wants to.
Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring [Paperback]
However the huge compendium of Roer Corman’s massive body of work, “Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring” has steadily convinced me that I’ve missed out on someone of great importance. I understood Corman’s legacy, and importance, and his great influence on film since he began making films, but I was never one who followed him as a fan would. What Silver and Ursini have done is give folks like me a reason to gain interest into the body of the work of Roger Corman. Anyone who still has a stigma of him as a man who made bad films would be better off to read this book that’s an encyclopedia, an analyses of Corman’s work, and a biography all rolled into one. It’s the perfect tool for anyone seeking a new interest in Corman’s unique filmography.