{"id":18172,"date":"2015-12-31T12:35:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T17:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=18172"},"modified":"2015-12-31T12:46:34","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T17:46:34","slug":"our-5-choice-indies-of-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/31\/our-5-choice-indies-of-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Our 5 Choice Indies of 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kung-fury.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18173\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kung-fury.jpg\" alt=\"kung-fury\" width=\"614\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kung-fury.jpg 614w, https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kung-fury-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kung-fury-538x281.jpg 538w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/a><\/center>Cinema Crazed is pretty much a one man operation, so as always, we weren&#8217;t able to watch every single film sent to us this year. We have so much to do, and so little time to do it in, but we try our damndest to watch everything that comes down our pipe. The year has been good for indie filmmaking, as Hollywood are taking more and more chances on indie filmmakers and budding storytellers.<\/p>\n<p>As with every year, this is a list of the five best Indies we saw in 2015. While there were many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/category\/a-indie\/\"><strong>A+ Indies<\/strong><\/a>, these five stood out and stuck with us for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>While a few of these movies can be viewed online legally for free, <strong>we encourage you to buy these films.<\/strong> Buying them helps the filmmakers, it helps them go on to make another movie you might enjoy, and it helps the small companies that are funding these directors and excellent storytellers. The indie film community needs as much support as it can muster up. Without Further ado&#8230;<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CsUvnUiIvls?showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>5. Caesar and Otto\u2019s Paranormal Halloween<br \/>\nDirected by Dave Campfield<br \/>\nWritten by Dave Campfield<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/21\/caesar-and-ottos-paranormal-halloween-2015\/\">Original Review<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/offer-listing\/B010CG2G8U\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B010CG2G8U&amp;linkCode=am2&amp;tag=thebalconymov-20&amp;linkId=7NRZDYIKGEKG53FZ\" rel=\"nofollow\">Buy It Here<\/a>)<\/strong><br \/>\nThe horror audience is a fickle bitch. With the horror world pulling in all directions, it\u2019s impossible to find out what will become the next great American horror film. \u201cParanormal Halloween\u201d is probably the most self aware installment of Dave Campfield\u2019s comedy series. Not only does Campfield put his characters through the wringer on a horror mystery, but he tackles the most popular tropes of modern horror movies and skewers them relentlessly. There\u2019s an inherent frustration behind much of Campfield\u2019s horror satire, as he mocks found footage, lampoons \u201cThe Conjuring\u201d with laugh out loud results, and doesn\u2019t mind picking at modern horror audiences and their wildly bipolar tastes and desires for horror entertainment. \u201cParanormal Halloween\u201d is an admittedly more earnest Campfield using his comedy duo to convey his utter irritation with how horror has changed and audiences\u2019 tastes are impossible to keep up with.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Alog83oXMUs?showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>4. The Murders of Brandywine Theater<br \/>\nDirected by Larry Longstreth<br \/>\nWritten by Larry Longstreth<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/10\/the-murders-of-brandywine-theater-2015\/\">Original Review<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/offer-listing\/B015SWOVVS\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B015SWOVVS&amp;linkCode=am2&amp;tag=thebalconymov-20&amp;linkId=Y67ODEU6LUCGVW6J\" rel=\"nofollow\">Buy It Here<\/a>)<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been a fan of Larry Longstreth since his days of fan film making, and hilarious short comedies, and \u201cThe Murders of Brandywine Theater\u201d is a cinematic investment in a story that is beautifully told. For horror fans that appreciate their genre offerings intelligent, and dwelling on the idea of alienation and isolation, Longstreth concocts a haunting horror film that channels \u201cThe Twilight Zone\u201d and \u201cMagic.\u201d Longstreth\u2019s film is meticulously crafted, and it pays off with top notch performances all around, a slick intermission that conveys the lunacy of the premise, and a genuinely heartbreaking human tale. Longstreth also crafts a genuinely creepy villain in the ventriloquist dummy Moxxy. And for folks that like their cult films with some spice, there are some great appearances by wrestlers Diamond Dallas Page, and Dustin Runnels.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/112530408\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>3. Redaction<br \/>\nDirected by Tim Sanger<br \/>\nWritten by Tim Sanger<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.redactionfilm.com\/the-film\/\" target=\"_blank\">Watch It Now<\/a>)<br \/>\n<\/strong>The hard truths are ugly and uncomfortable. Maybe if we ignore or can find a way to brush away violence and senseless acts of cruelty, we don\u2019t have to admit that we don\u2019t have the resources to remedy these situations. Or maybe we just want to remedy the situation. Tim Sanger\u2019s short film takes us in to a slimy world where acts of violence are erased from our memories, allowing us to press restart and put a band aid on the larger problems in our lives. As we see in the film with a young woman just beaten by her husband, she\u2019s willing to face her problems head on and wants some justice. Sadly she is coerced by an eager legal team, all of whom are anxious to get her to erase the violent act of abuse from her memory and move on to court cases that won\u2019t garner so much negative press. It\u2019s easier to sweep problems under the rug than try to solve them, but how long until the band aid comes off and we can no longer erase the skeletons from our closet. Sanger\u2019s short film is a masterful, bleak and very relevant look at society\u2019s quick fixes and easy outs for more complex and complicated problems plaguing our world.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/72RqpItxd8M?showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>2. Kung Fury<br \/>\nDirected by David Sandberg<br \/>\nWritten by <\/strong><strong>David Sandberg<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/05\/kung-fury-2015\/\">Original Review<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kungfury.com\/\">Buy It Here<\/a>)<\/strong><br \/>\nDavid Sandberg\u2019s short action film is a novel cinematic offering that pays full tribute to the 1980\u2019s and never loses sight of its own entertainment value. The kick starter craze of the year that went viral and was supported by indie film lovers of all kinds, Sandberg delivers on the promise of a superb action film. \u201cKung Fury\u201d thankfully lives up to its hype and surprisingly large coverage, as it rakes in top notch special effects, excellent mind blowing action sequences, and a tongue in cheek tone that is never over the top. Sandberg knows when to deliver hilarious callbacks to the eighties, and knows when to pull back enough before it gets repetitive. For folks that loved \u201cScott Pilgrim vs. The World,\u201d Sandberg never relents in paying tribute to the bygone era of film. There are Norse gods, Viking babes, anthropomorphic animal sidekicks, Hitler, giant robots, and of course: Hasselhoff. Hasselhoff even recorded a theme song for the film. \u201cKung Fury\u201d is a gem that deserves a cult following.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GkRxXicAuYo?showinfo=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>1. The Death of Superman Lives \u2013 What Happened?<br \/>\nDirected by Jon Schnepp<br \/>\nWritten by Jon Schnepp<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/13\/the-death-of-superman-lives-what-happened-2015\/\">Original Review<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tdoslwh.com\/\">Buy It Here<\/a>)<\/strong><br \/>\nSomewhere in a parallel universe, we were given \u201cSuperman Lives,\u201d a wonky movie starring Nicolas Cage, directed by Tim Burton and penned by Kevin Smith. \u201cThe Death of Superman Lives &#8212; What Happened?\u201d by John Schnepp is a rather stellar look at the studio system, and how such a universal character can be completely lost in translation. During its entire life, \u201cSuperman Lives\u201d went through an array of changes, and alterations, and even went as far as costume stages, but luckily for us, what seemed like one of the most surreal comic book adaptations of all time, never got off the ground. \u201cThe Death of Superman Lives\u201d is consistently funny, and always fast paced, prompting some of the most genuinely funny and priceless anecdotes about film development, and how a simple big screen version of Superman became utterly disastrous. Schnepp is very good about embracing the inherent eccentric tone of the entire story of \u201cSuperman Lives,\u201d and has a good job creating something of a meta-documentary that could almost be a Christopher Guest mock documentary, with enough tinkering. It\u2019s never boring learning about how little Hollywood understands the comic book medium, and hilariously chronicles a time when comic book movies didn\u2019t just fail to make money, but also weren\u2019t taken seriously by any studio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cinema Crazed is pretty much a one man operation, so as always, we weren&#8217;t able to watch every single film sent to us this year. We have so much to do, and so little time to do it in, but we try our damndest to watch everything that comes down our pipe. The year has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,19],"tags":[64,219,292,477,501,735,922,938,1007,1087],"class_list":["post-18172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-list-junkies","category-year-enders","tag-adaptation","tag-comedy","tag-documentary","tag-horror","tag-indie-film","tag-non-fiction","tag-sequel","tag-short-film","tag-superman","tag-thriller"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18172"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18287,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18172\/revisions\/18287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}