Tag Archives: Indie Filmmaking

Director Patrick Rea and his Gallery of Nailbiters

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Patrick Rea is probably one of my favorite independent directors at the moment and while all of his films may not be home runs, he’s created a veritable gallery of short horror and darkly comedic films that have stormed the worldwide web and spawned a following of folks just waiting his newest yarn that always ensure surprise twists and turns, sharp storytelling, and top notch performances. Ambitious and enthusiastic about his art, director Patrick Rea first started sending us his short films after we began reviewing the shorts we discovered on the net and since then has remained a contact for Cinema Crazed.

In the midst of directing his new feature length horror film called “Nailbiter,” a film that’s remained under wraps and mysterious to most online entities, Patrick Rea took the time out from his hectic shooting schedule in scorching heat to indulge us in an in-depth interview to learn where Patrick Rea honed his skills and how he went from film school student, to Fangoria filmmaker, to co-founder of SenoReality Pictures. If you haven’t seen any of Patrick Rea’s short film we suggest looking for them as they present a keen eye for detail and dark tones while always ensuring a surprise or two that will leave you wanting more.

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Lensing with Love: Interview with Documentarians Stephanie Silber & Victor Zimet, Part Two

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How has the reaction been toward your documentary “Random Lunacy”?
Stephanie:  That’s a good question, and one we’re constantly asked.  People tend to be polarized by the extreme life that Poppa lived with his family; they seem either to get it or not.  There is often a very angry reaction from people, while others are completely enamored, blown away by the notion of such absolute freedom, which of course comes with its own price.

I do think there is a middle ground – we cannot all live completely outside of the conventions of society as the Neutrinos so successfully did, but we can adapt some of the philosophies to our own lives, and be the better persons for it.

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Lensing with Love: Interview with Documentarians Stephanie Silber & Victor Zimet

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I was introduced to directors Victor Zimet and Stephanie Silber in 2007 when I reviewed their film “Songs and Stories.” Though I didn’t give it such a glowing review, the professionals I now consider close friends didn’t waver in their persistence on winning me over in their talents and unique subjects for focusing their documentaries on and sent me “Random Lunacy” in 2007. Suffice it to say after watching that film I was won over by the filmmaking duo whose entire filmography has been strictly documentaries.

And after chronicling the legendary Poppa Neutrino and his life as a family man journeying across the world with his band of sons, daughters, and enduring wife, I had to keep seeing what the pair would put out there, and I had to pick their brains. The devoted and fiercely loyal married couple are known Victor Zimet and Stephanie Silber, a twosome of talented and humble filmmakers who love what they do, and they do it with a devotion that is admirable and true to the indie spirit. Also, it helps they’re both loyal classic rock buffs like I am. The two took the time out of their busy schedule to let us pick their brain and here’s what resulted out of random lunacy, the roads less traveled that they traveled for a reason, and some genuine good humor.

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It’s Sally’s World: We’re Just Living In It – Interview with Director Jimmyo Burril

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jimmyoHello Mr. Burril thanks for your time!
My pleasure.

So, the question on everyone’s mind is: Where did the idea for Chainsaw Sally come from?
Sally was a horror hostess April and I created for my show Silver Scream.  It’s a horror musical..and it’s pretty cool.  The downside is that it’s very hard to get the right audience to come.  So, we created Sally to help get the attention of the horror crowd… and it worked.  Within a year Sally has far surpassed Silver Scream in every way.  So, before you know it, a killer was born.

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It's Sally's World: We're Just Living In It – Interview with April Monique Burril

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sallyTheir names are JimmyO Burril and April Monique Burril, two of the most hardcore horror fans on the web, and they happen to be the June and Ward Cleaver of the underground horror syndicate. These two madly in love folks have joined together for their label Forbidden Pictures to bring horror fans “Chainsaw Sally,” a horror sitcom that began as a web series, made the trek to DVD, and is now being backed by Troma Pictures who have turned the character in to one of their own legions of anti-heroes joining the ranks of Toxie, and Kabuki Cop.

JimmyO Burril is the critically acclaimed indie director whose own relationship with his wife April Monique and their friend film legend Debbie Rochon have granted him major notice from horror buffs across the world while wife April Monique Burril is the insanely sexy (read: dear god, what a stunner!) and sultry Chainsaw Sally, the maniacal chainsaw wielding star of JimmyO’s series. In front of the camera they bring us a world featuring a demented family woman who doesn’t mind offing people if it gets them out of her hair, behind the camera, they’re just a humble and kind married couple with a big family and a demented sense of humor you can’t help but be endeared by.

After being sent their DVD’s to review for the site we were instantly enamored by the gruesome twosome and had to have a chat with the horror vixen and her madman of a husband. In the midst of speedy and hectic production for “Chainsaw Sally: Season Two” along with rabid publicity for the new season which will feature even more cameos from other horror icons, director JimmyO and muse April Monique took the time out for an interview to promote their latest foray in to the horror world and what we can expect from Sally Diamon and her crew.

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Breaking Out of the Asylum: Interview with Director Leigh Scott

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leighWhether or not you actually agree with Leigh Scott’s methods of filmmaking and business, whether or not you like Asylum, whether or not you’ve ever bothered to see a film from Asylum, you can’t argue that Leigh Scott is definitely ambitious and has an eye for detail. Though films like “Transmorphers” and “Pirates of Treasure Island” were considered busts and universally mocked, there’s a definite knack for detail and cinematography there that you can’t deny.

Leigh Scott went to work for Asylum pictures a long time ago becoming their most prominent director, a man who guaranteed to get their movies out there in time with a solid cast, and since then he’s branched out to make films on his terms and try to emulate the directors he’s come to admire as a film buff. The Milwaukee born filmmaker is still at it, and now has the chance to hit the scene in a big way with a revisiting of the L. Frank Baum tale “The Wizard of Oz” which is a modern take with a twist called “The Witches of Oz” about an adult Dorothy now being called on to save her own reality when the Wicked Witch of the West decides to conquer Earth.

Often a controversial filmmaker spawning many articles and questions of his practices, Scott has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon and continues to power on with this much talked about production expected to have a limited release soon. Though Leigh and I have a rather interesting, volatile, infamous (any other adjectives you can think of) history together, I thought it would be a good chance to interview Scott and see what he’s been up to and why he decided to twist the tale of “Wizard of Oz” for the modern age.

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Director Alexandra Fisher of "Desert Wedding"

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A most recent earner of the Cinema Crazed’s coveted Indie Spotlight, “Desert Wedding” is a wonderful short drama about a materialistic woman on the verge of marriage who suddenly gets a lesson in appreciating what’s really important in life while you have it. Simultaneously, it’s also a commentary about the fuss and chaos women work themselves up in during weddings, so intent on sparing no cost, that they forget why they’re getting married in the first place, and director Alexandra Fisher provides a gripping dramatic short film that conveys this interesting undertone rarely ever put to the screen. Multi-talented, and multi-lingual, Fisher sheds some insight in to her hectic life and tells us about the experience making her short.

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