We return with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes news on Herschell Gordon Lewis’s next film, Zombificador, details on a feature-length version of The Little Mermaid short film, a Truth or Dare teaser trailer, and much more:
Feature-Length Version of The Little Mermaid Announced: “The Little Mermaid is a live-action, supernatural thriller set in the 1930s Oklahoma dust bowl. This dark fantasy centers around a sideshow of “living aquatic oddities” in which the Little Mermaid herself is both a captive victim, and an incredibly powerful catalyst. As a character-driven thriller, the film transcends traditional indie “pick ‘em off in the dark one by one” offerings. Impacting each of the ensemble cast in a unique way, this is not the Little Mermaid you remember from your childhood!
In 2011, the principals of Done Four Productions produced a...
Feature-Length Version of The Little Mermaid Announced: “The Little Mermaid is a live-action, supernatural thriller set in the 1930s Oklahoma dust bowl. This dark fantasy centers around a sideshow of “living aquatic oddities” in which the Little Mermaid herself is both a captive victim, and an incredibly powerful catalyst. As a character-driven thriller, the film transcends traditional indie “pick ‘em off in the dark one by one” offerings. Impacting each of the ensemble cast in a unique way, this is not the Little Mermaid you remember from your childhood!
In 2011, the principals of Done Four Productions produced a...
- 4/28/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
#10: The Cabin in the Woods (107 points)
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard
Directed by Drew Goddard
USA, 2012
Like Scream, it’s a self-aware slasher film, but where Scream was happy simply to turn the genre’s bloody glove inside out and examine the stitching, The Cabin in the Woods has more complicated ambitions. If Scream is a bloody glove turned inside out, then The Cabin in the Woods is a Russian nesting doll described by H. P. Lovecraft and carved by M. C. Escher. Like Hitchcock’s Psycho and Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, The Cabin of the Woods isn’t just about killing, it is about watching (and filming) killing. Our sympathies are torn between the victims being watched and the watchers, including an action sequence modelled loosely on the Psycho car burial. What is perhaps most horrifying is that the watchers are almost bored, like a...
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard
Directed by Drew Goddard
USA, 2012
Like Scream, it’s a self-aware slasher film, but where Scream was happy simply to turn the genre’s bloody glove inside out and examine the stitching, The Cabin in the Woods has more complicated ambitions. If Scream is a bloody glove turned inside out, then The Cabin in the Woods is a Russian nesting doll described by H. P. Lovecraft and carved by M. C. Escher. Like Hitchcock’s Psycho and Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, The Cabin of the Woods isn’t just about killing, it is about watching (and filming) killing. Our sympathies are torn between the victims being watched and the watchers, including an action sequence modelled loosely on the Psycho car burial. What is perhaps most horrifying is that the watchers are almost bored, like a...
- 12/29/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Quantum of Solace
Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
Directed by Marc Forster
UK, 2008, imdb
On the Mousterpiece Cinema podcast, Josh and I frequently joke about our “Island Films” by which we don’t mean the films that we would hypothetically take to a desert island, but the films that we are alone on an island in liking or disliking. Sometimes, we are only alone on the island briefly. When we did our podcast on John Carter, Josh and I felt a bit alone in the wilderness liking the film, but when it was released on Blu-ray and people actually started watching Andrew Stanton’s film, our island got crowded rather quickly. Crowds are not a problem on Quantum of Solace island.
It’s not like people haven’t seen the film. Based on my calculations for my James Bond By the Numbers article, Quantum of Solace...
Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
Directed by Marc Forster
UK, 2008, imdb
On the Mousterpiece Cinema podcast, Josh and I frequently joke about our “Island Films” by which we don’t mean the films that we would hypothetically take to a desert island, but the films that we are alone on an island in liking or disliking. Sometimes, we are only alone on the island briefly. When we did our podcast on John Carter, Josh and I felt a bit alone in the wilderness liking the film, but when it was released on Blu-ray and people actually started watching Andrew Stanton’s film, our island got crowded rather quickly. Crowds are not a problem on Quantum of Solace island.
It’s not like people haven’t seen the film. Based on my calculations for my James Bond By the Numbers article, Quantum of Solace...
- 12/2/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
The Cabin in the Woods
Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
Directed by Drew Goddard
2011, USA, imdb
Do you like scary movies? – Scream
Yes. God help me, yes I do.
The first time that I saw horror films deconstructed, it wasn’t by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson in Scream, it was by Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel in their infamous late October 1980 “Women in Danger” Sneak Previews special. Horror fans (especially those old enough to remember the episode) have a love/hate/hate relationship with the episode. On one hand, in 1980, while not as famous as they were to become, Ebert and Siskel were already the most popular film critics in the world, and while they were not fans of the slasher genre, Ebert and Siskel at least took the films seriously enough to criticize them.
On the other hand, for many horror fans that criticism – especially by Siskel – was just so mean.
Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
Directed by Drew Goddard
2011, USA, imdb
Do you like scary movies? – Scream
Yes. God help me, yes I do.
The first time that I saw horror films deconstructed, it wasn’t by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson in Scream, it was by Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel in their infamous late October 1980 “Women in Danger” Sneak Previews special. Horror fans (especially those old enough to remember the episode) have a love/hate/hate relationship with the episode. On one hand, in 1980, while not as famous as they were to become, Ebert and Siskel were already the most popular film critics in the world, and while they were not fans of the slasher genre, Ebert and Siskel at least took the films seriously enough to criticize them.
On the other hand, for many horror fans that criticism – especially by Siskel – was just so mean.
- 4/14/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
The release of The Raid: Redemption has made us revisit our favourite martial arts flicks and pick five favourite films to suggest for Sound on Sight readers.
Before I give my five picks though, I would like to turn the floor over to a man who has been a friend of mine since grade seven at Oxford Street Junior High School in Halifax. As the line editor for Steve Jackson Games’ “Generic Universal RolePlaying System”, Sean Punch aka Dr. Kromm has been directly or indirectly responsible for a number of source-books on the Martial Arts including writing and editing Gurps Martial Arts.
I asked him earlier this week what films he would put on his list. He named three.
You’re not looking for goofy, cinematic Asian martial arts are you? Because I tend to like stuff that is more realistic, more like what commandos would use. You mentioned Steven Seagal...
Before I give my five picks though, I would like to turn the floor over to a man who has been a friend of mine since grade seven at Oxford Street Junior High School in Halifax. As the line editor for Steve Jackson Games’ “Generic Universal RolePlaying System”, Sean Punch aka Dr. Kromm has been directly or indirectly responsible for a number of source-books on the Martial Arts including writing and editing Gurps Martial Arts.
I asked him earlier this week what films he would put on his list. He named three.
You’re not looking for goofy, cinematic Asian martial arts are you? Because I tend to like stuff that is more realistic, more like what commandos would use. You mentioned Steven Seagal...
- 4/6/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
With the release of The Raid: Redemption, I’ve asked Sound On Sight contributors Edgar Chaput and Michael Ryan to help me put together a list of 15 classic martial arts films that we consider essential viewing. Here are my five choices.
11- The Blade (Doa)
Directed by Hark Tsui
Inspired by the 1967 Shaw Brothers epic The One-Armed Swordsman, Tsui Hark’s The Blade reinforces that the director is a true innovator, a visionary, a remarkable stylist and a man who knows how to direct action. In a style often compared to Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time, The Blade is a constant, steady blend of hand-held camera work, quick cuts, visual motifs, symbolic imagery and downright poetic juxtapositions. The fight scenes start out violent and blood-stained but gradually progress into grand artistic spectacles – some of the best you’ll ever see.
-
-
12- Jing wu ying xiong...
11- The Blade (Doa)
Directed by Hark Tsui
Inspired by the 1967 Shaw Brothers epic The One-Armed Swordsman, Tsui Hark’s The Blade reinforces that the director is a true innovator, a visionary, a remarkable stylist and a man who knows how to direct action. In a style often compared to Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time, The Blade is a constant, steady blend of hand-held camera work, quick cuts, visual motifs, symbolic imagery and downright poetic juxtapositions. The fight scenes start out violent and blood-stained but gradually progress into grand artistic spectacles – some of the best you’ll ever see.
-
-
12- Jing wu ying xiong...
- 4/6/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Haywire
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Lem Dobbs
USA/Ireland, 2011, imdb
At the risk of throwing the spotlight on our obsession with Haywire, after Simon‘s dismissive review, Ricky declaring it one of his favorite films to come out in January and the podcast where Justine had to pull them apart, when they argued about it, here I am throwing my oar in, hopefully with something new to say. To properly analyze the film, be warned: Hic Svnt Spoileres!
*****
Haywire and the Difficulty of Being a Female Action Hero
Haywire reunites director Steven Soderbergh and writer Lem Dobbs, the creative duo behind the masterpiece The Limey. Haywire shares a flashback structure similar to The Limey, though nowhere near as layered and complex. Both films also share a dark moral ambiguity.
The Limey is about a bad man going after a badder man who may have killed his daughter. The...
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Lem Dobbs
USA/Ireland, 2011, imdb
At the risk of throwing the spotlight on our obsession with Haywire, after Simon‘s dismissive review, Ricky declaring it one of his favorite films to come out in January and the podcast where Justine had to pull them apart, when they argued about it, here I am throwing my oar in, hopefully with something new to say. To properly analyze the film, be warned: Hic Svnt Spoileres!
*****
Haywire and the Difficulty of Being a Female Action Hero
Haywire reunites director Steven Soderbergh and writer Lem Dobbs, the creative duo behind the masterpiece The Limey. Haywire shares a flashback structure similar to The Limey, though nowhere near as layered and complex. Both films also share a dark moral ambiguity.
The Limey is about a bad man going after a badder man who may have killed his daughter. The...
- 2/10/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
Switching Worlds
Courtesy of the YoungCuts Film Festival
www.YoungCuts.com
What’s It Called? Switching Worlds
Who Made It? Written and Directed by Francesca Abbondanza-Bergeron
Where Is It From? Canada (Quebec)
How Old Is the Director? 19
Who Is the Director? Francesca Abbondanza-Bergeron is a new filmmaker and scriptwriter. She just graduated from John Abbott College’s Creative Arts, Literature and Languages (Media Arts) program. Interested in using her films to question the boundaries between reality and fiction, she explores the human’s understanding of his own imagination. Her latest film, Switching Worlds, follows the story of a young man obsessed with women depicted in mangas and animes (Japanese cartoons). However, he gets more than he bargains for when one of his own sketches comes to life. Recently, Abbondanza-Bergeron has worked as an assistant editor for the making of Parabola Films’ À St-Henri, le 26 août. She will be pursuing her...
Courtesy of the YoungCuts Film Festival
www.YoungCuts.com
What’s It Called? Switching Worlds
Who Made It? Written and Directed by Francesca Abbondanza-Bergeron
Where Is It From? Canada (Quebec)
How Old Is the Director? 19
Who Is the Director? Francesca Abbondanza-Bergeron is a new filmmaker and scriptwriter. She just graduated from John Abbott College’s Creative Arts, Literature and Languages (Media Arts) program. Interested in using her films to question the boundaries between reality and fiction, she explores the human’s understanding of his own imagination. Her latest film, Switching Worlds, follows the story of a young man obsessed with women depicted in mangas and animes (Japanese cartoons). However, he gets more than he bargains for when one of his own sketches comes to life. Recently, Abbondanza-Bergeron has worked as an assistant editor for the making of Parabola Films’ À St-Henri, le 26 août. She will be pursuing her...
- 2/7/2012
- by Young Cuts
- SoundOnSight
War Horse
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis based on the novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
imdb, USA, 2011
There is an old Hollywood saying sometimes referred to as Bluestone’s Law that “Bad Books make Good Movies”. What film critic George Bluestone actually wrote in his book Novels Into Films was: “There is no necessary correspondence between the excellence of a novel and the quality of the film in which the novel is recorded.”
The point is that adapting novels into films is tricky. It is frequently necessary to rearrange, eliminate or compress events, to invent, remove or combine characters and to leave beloved scenes on the cutting room floor in the interest of the needs of the film. It’s a dangerous tightrope to walk. Adapt the book too liberally and you end up with Roland Joffé’s The Scarlet Letter; adapt it...
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis based on the novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
imdb, USA, 2011
There is an old Hollywood saying sometimes referred to as Bluestone’s Law that “Bad Books make Good Movies”. What film critic George Bluestone actually wrote in his book Novels Into Films was: “There is no necessary correspondence between the excellence of a novel and the quality of the film in which the novel is recorded.”
The point is that adapting novels into films is tricky. It is frequently necessary to rearrange, eliminate or compress events, to invent, remove or combine characters and to leave beloved scenes on the cutting room floor in the interest of the needs of the film. It’s a dangerous tightrope to walk. Adapt the book too liberally and you end up with Roland Joffé’s The Scarlet Letter; adapt it...
- 12/14/2011
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
If you're an aspiring screenwriter you probably wonder about whether or not you should enter screenwriting contests. If you do decide to go that route it's easy to get overwhelmed with the number of contests that exist -- I know I do. Well, next year when you start sending your screenplay out into the world you may not want to forget to enter it into the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
From Aff:
Austin, Texas – During the opening remarks of the 2011 Austin Film Festival (Aff) it was announced that veteran director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) has signed on to helm Jasper Milliken, a quirky story written by Julie Howe that won the Best Comedy Screenplay Award in the 2010 Aff Screenplay Competition. Lynn will work closely with Howe to continue shaping the creative direction of the movie until filming begins the second quarter of 2012.
Earlier this...
From Aff:
Austin, Texas – During the opening remarks of the 2011 Austin Film Festival (Aff) it was announced that veteran director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) has signed on to helm Jasper Milliken, a quirky story written by Julie Howe that won the Best Comedy Screenplay Award in the 2010 Aff Screenplay Competition. Lynn will work closely with Howe to continue shaping the creative direction of the movie until filming begins the second quarter of 2012.
Earlier this...
- 10/21/2011
- Cinelinx
During the opening remarks of the 2011 Austin Film Festival (Aff) it was announced that veteran director Jonathan Lynn ( My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) has signed on to helm Jasper Milliken, a quirky story written by Julie Howe that won the Best Comedy Screenplay Award in the 2010 Aff Screenplay Competition. Lynn will work closely with Howe to continue shaping the creative direction of the movie until filming begins the second quarter of 2012.
Earlier this year Howe signed an exclusive deal with Experience Media Studios to produce the award-winning screenplay, and has since expanded the team to include Sony Pictures Entertainment based producers Alex Siskin (Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds) and Joyce San Pedro (an Aff judge and panelist).
“We are very excited to have Jonathan bring his talent, vast experience, and comic sensibility to this movie,” said Michael-Ryan Fletchall, CEO, Experience Media Studios. “With a charming and witty script by a very talented writer,...
Earlier this year Howe signed an exclusive deal with Experience Media Studios to produce the award-winning screenplay, and has since expanded the team to include Sony Pictures Entertainment based producers Alex Siskin (Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds) and Joyce San Pedro (an Aff judge and panelist).
“We are very excited to have Jonathan bring his talent, vast experience, and comic sensibility to this movie,” said Michael-Ryan Fletchall, CEO, Experience Media Studios. “With a charming and witty script by a very talented writer,...
- 10/20/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Genre:
Animated | Sci-Fi | Action
Director:
Sebastian Montes, Vinton Heuck
Writers:
Christopher Yost, Brandon Auman, Michael Ryan, Kevin Burke, Chris Wyatt, Paul Giacoppo, Joshua Fine
Cast: Eric Loomis, Rick Wasserman, Colleen O’Shaugnessey, Wally Wingert, Brian Bloom, Fred Tatasciore
MPAA Rating: G
Runtime:
Vol. 1 – 161 min | Vol. 2 – 137 min
Summary:
If the planet is threatened by super villains, time traveling conquerors, alien invaders, mythical beasts, or robots bent on the total destruction of humanity, if the forces of evil are so overwhelming that no single hero has the power to save the world, when there is no hope left, you assemble the Avengers. The Avengers are the best of the best in the Marvel universe, the greatest heroes who take on the unbeatable foes. These are the heroes who hold back the storm. On their shoulders rests the fate of the world.
“Bio-engineered monsters. Freaky ooze creatures. Is that what it was like fighting evil in the 40s?...
Animated | Sci-Fi | Action
Director:
Sebastian Montes, Vinton Heuck
Writers:
Christopher Yost, Brandon Auman, Michael Ryan, Kevin Burke, Chris Wyatt, Paul Giacoppo, Joshua Fine
Cast: Eric Loomis, Rick Wasserman, Colleen O’Shaugnessey, Wally Wingert, Brian Bloom, Fred Tatasciore
MPAA Rating: G
Runtime:
Vol. 1 – 161 min | Vol. 2 – 137 min
Summary:
If the planet is threatened by super villains, time traveling conquerors, alien invaders, mythical beasts, or robots bent on the total destruction of humanity, if the forces of evil are so overwhelming that no single hero has the power to save the world, when there is no hope left, you assemble the Avengers. The Avengers are the best of the best in the Marvel universe, the greatest heroes who take on the unbeatable foes. These are the heroes who hold back the storm. On their shoulders rests the fate of the world.
“Bio-engineered monsters. Freaky ooze creatures. Is that what it was like fighting evil in the 40s?...
- 5/7/2011
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
Experience Media Studios announced today it has completed production on Carmel-by-the-Sea, the feature-length film based in the famous art community of Carmel, California. The film is produced by Craig Comstock and Experience Media Studios CEO Michael-Ryan Fletchall.
Carmel-by-the-Sea features an all-star cast led by Academy Award® winner Lauren Bacall (“Howl’s Moving Castle”), Josh Hutcherson (“Red Dawn”), Alfred Molina (“Prince of Persia”), Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”), Dina Eastwood (“True Crime”), Billy Boyd (“Lord of the Rings”), and Alexandra Carl (“Gossip Girl”).
Carmel-by-the-Sea producer Craig Comstock has a long-standing relationship with Experience CEO Michael-Ryan, calling the company to partner responsibilities on the film and help guide completion of the film. Experience Media Studios reorganized the film, raising an additional round of funding and completed the ensemble cast, feature-film.
By raising the additional funding round, Experience Media Studios eliminated any outstanding debt on the film, obtaining the film and its worldwide rights from its former owners.
Carmel-by-the-Sea features an all-star cast led by Academy Award® winner Lauren Bacall (“Howl’s Moving Castle”), Josh Hutcherson (“Red Dawn”), Alfred Molina (“Prince of Persia”), Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”), Dina Eastwood (“True Crime”), Billy Boyd (“Lord of the Rings”), and Alexandra Carl (“Gossip Girl”).
Carmel-by-the-Sea producer Craig Comstock has a long-standing relationship with Experience CEO Michael-Ryan, calling the company to partner responsibilities on the film and help guide completion of the film. Experience Media Studios reorganized the film, raising an additional round of funding and completed the ensemble cast, feature-film.
By raising the additional funding round, Experience Media Studios eliminated any outstanding debt on the film, obtaining the film and its worldwide rights from its former owners.
- 2/16/2011
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Experience Media Studios CEO Michael-Ryan Fletchall has signed on to fund the completion of the indie feature "Carmel-by-the-Sea." The erstwhile "Carmel" was in the middle of shooting when it stopped two years ago amid financial problems. But with Fletchall's participation, the film is finally done. The movie follows a 15-year-old art prodigy Joshua (played by Josh Hutcherson) who is abandoned by his drug-addicted mother in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small town in Northern California known internationally for its local art community. Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina and Hayden Panettiere co-star. The movie went into pre-production in 2008 and...
- 2/15/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
Las Vegas, Nv, United States Adam Gonn - An Emirati movie studio has taken the big leap and expanded its operations into the United States.
Producers hope the venture will not only tap into the lucrative North American markets, but will also serve as a source of national pride and identity with the Arab characters portrayed in the new productions.
Experience Media Studios, which calls itself a next generation global entertainment company, opened its doors in February 2009 in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Just a year later it has set up an office in Las Vegas, Nv.
"North America accounts for more than a third of the worldwide box office, so this strategic investment is a logical next step for Experience Media Studios," studio CEO Michael-Ryan Fletchall said in a statement.
Producers hope the venture will not only tap into the lucrative North American markets, but will also serve as a source of national pride and identity with the Arab characters portrayed in the new productions.
Experience Media Studios, which calls itself a next generation global entertainment company, opened its doors in February 2009 in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Just a year later it has set up an office in Las Vegas, Nv.
"North America accounts for more than a third of the worldwide box office, so this strategic investment is a logical next step for Experience Media Studios," studio CEO Michael-Ryan Fletchall said in a statement.
- 4/14/2010
- icelebz.com
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