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--Click here to see the news archive!-- If you have a news item you would like to see posted please e-mail it directly to me at almaric@usa.net/.
Well guys, it's taken me a while, but I've finally got the message boards up and running. Do me a favor, check them out and let me know what you think.
New at B-Independent.com
Production: No-budget blood and guts.
Articles: The Shinning: From Page to Screen
Reviews: Tons of new stuff!
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September 27, 2003
From the Micro-Film Newsletter:In tandem with the University of Illinois' year-long examination of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision of May 1954, a premiere screening of Jay Rosenstein's documentary THE AMASONG CHORUS: SINGING OUT will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m., in the Beckman Auditorium. Long in the making, this film examines the people behind Amasong, "Champaign-Urbana's Premier Lesbian/ Feminist Chorus," and the award-winning music that they make. Rosenstein and U of I Chancellor Nancy Cantor will speak at the earlier showing (which is apparently an "invitation only" event) while the later showing will be open to the public.
Brown v. Board
Amasong
Micro-Film
***** "Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires" approaching end of shooting. "I actually counted the other night we've basically shot 90% of the pages of the script," said Joe Sherlock, who is making this horror comedy with Mike Hegg, a past collaborator with Sherlock on several John Bowker-directed projects. "There are several self-contained sequences left and some pick-ups here and there," Sherlock added. "We're shooting more this weekend for the opening sequence with Felicia Pandolfi, who many remember as Rachel from the 2 Evilmaker movies. A few days back I posted some behidn the scenes shots that show several of the titular (I love that word - it sounds so dirty) redneck vampires as well as a few candid and crew shots." The photos are at http://www.proaxis.com/~sherlockfam/brvbts.html
***** Lurid Production's Wayne Alan Harold and Toby Rodloff swept into Akron's Twisted Nightmare Weekend to hang out with J.R. Bookwalter and our pals from Tempe Entertainment . . . and also met new friends from Troma! And there's good news for Toby Radloff fans—Troma Guru Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Acquisitions Ace Jonathan Leeds informed us that Troma will be releasing "Killer Nerd" and "Bride of Killer Nerd" as a double-feature DVD in 2004! Wayne and Toby are going to help out with the extras and you can bet that ol' Tob will be gracing both features with his own brand of nerdy commentary. Let the cry ring out—"Nerd! Nerd! Nerd!" To see a buttload of pics from the event, click here on the following:
http://www.lurid.com/wayne/index.html
***** September 15, 2003 was the WRAP day for HELLBILLY.
The movie, shoot entirely at the Rounds Entertainment Studios, is now ready for editing.
With a different cast (then the one previously announced) such as the lead role Beverly Lynne (Holy Terror and various Cinemax movies); Clayton Bigsby (Hollywood Stuntman); Nick Armas (Carnage/Holy Terror);Spanky (s/m actress); Michael Brazier (Welcome to the Dollhouse); Joe Commesso (Near Death); Steve Conway (Professional Magician of Spellbound) and introducing for the first time on screen Anthony Krieg and Candice Stringham
Special effects were realized by WIZARD STUDIOS (Hellinger/Carnage) and additional special effects by Bill Stewart
The movie was produced and directed by Max Cerchi and it will be released by Sub Rosa Studios next year on DVD
Rounds Entertainment
Sub Rosa Studios
***** Director Jon Keeyes (American Nightmare) is proud to announce that his next two movies are nearing release.
On October 21st, ThinkFilm will be releasing Hallow’s End in mass distribution:
The sleepy town of Hallow's End takes its namesake holiday very seriously. This Halloween, however, promises to be the most serious yet, when local students get trapped inside a haunted house and are being murdered one by one--only to come back to life as the creatures whose costumes they were wearing. By night's end, a handful of survivors must make a final stand against a houseful of ghouls, ghosts, zombies and vampires.
Written by Chris Burdick, Hallow’s End stars Stephen Cloud, Brandy Little, Amy Morris and Amy Jo Hearron.
Following Hallow’s End, Keeyes will then release his third film, Slice of Life, from a story by Debbie Rochon:
Over the course of one night, the troubled marriage of Charles and Deborah Rosenblad will explode in a full blown battle of sadism and violence. But their struggles will be different than many, for Charles and Deborah are serial killers. In horrific combinations of violence and terror, their final fight will be one for the annals of psychotic tales.
This dark comedy with a horrific twist stars Brandy Little (American Nightmare) and Troma favorite Trent Haaga.
In further news, Keeyes’ just wrapped on his fourth feature film, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know, for the Roll Dallas Roll film project. In this dramatic action-packed film, a thief endangers the life of his sister when he steals a car filled with heroin. Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know was written and produced by Jason Kabolati (Pendulum) for a theatrical release in mid-2004.
For further information, please visit Highland Myst Entertainment at www.highlandmyst.com
***** MTI Home Video will release the award winning LUCKY, about a man and his dead dog, on January 13, 2004.
On November 11, MTI Home Video will bring horror fans the bloody vampire legend SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, about a war between the mortal world and a group of vampires set on reducing mankind to a race of unwilling blood donors!
A film festival favorite, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS was written and directed by William Hopkins (Children of the Night), and produced by Howard Nash (Tracks, The Meeting) and Frank Cillia. The action horror film stars Jacqueline Anderson (Jesus, Mary and Joey, Corpus Callosum), Richard Ryan, Bart Shatto, Duke York and Matthew Thomas.
The mortal world is under attack, as supremely powerful vampire leader, Lord Malgaard (York), executes an evil plan to reduce mankind to a race of unwilling blood donors! Leading the war against vampire domination, Dr. Jacob Sloane (Shatto) sacrifices the newest blood in the battle when his assistant, Christian Grey (Thomas), is bitten by his own beloved wife - Malgaard's most recent convert. Now a fugitive from his own mentor, Grey battles the beasts from within the underworld of the undead. Aided by Sloane's beautiful protégé, Kaitlin Moore (Anderson), Grey discovers that in order to destroy the enemy, you must first become the enemy.
MTI Home Video and their Studio Partner, Redrum Entertainment, will release the thrilling horror film, DETOUR (previously titled HELL'S HIGHWAY), on VHS and DVD December 2, 2003 (prebook November 13, 2003). The film is about seven ravers that leave an all-night party in search of a hidden pot farm in the middle of the desert, but instead find a pack of drug addicted, blood thirsty cannibals!
Synopsis:
In the tradition of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, DETOUR picks up the morning after a rave in the desert, when seven teenagers ignore the warnings of a local gas station attendant and become stuck when their RV breaks down. They must now fend off a pack of drug addicted, blood thirsty cannibals. One by one they are picked off – leading them to one more wrong turn and they’ll be fresh meat!
Winner of the NYC Horror Film Festival, Shriekfest, and the Festival of Fantastic Films, DETOUR stars Tiffany Shepis (Delta Delta Die!, Death Factory), Aaron Buer (The Last Mission), Brent Taylor (Ripped), Kelsey Wedden (Curse of the Forty-Niner, Woman Behaving Badly), Jessica Osfar, Ryan De’Rouen and Elizabeth Ashley (Happiness, Shoot the Moon, and TV’s Evening Shade). DETOUR was written and directed by Steven Taylor with Steve Grabowsky also writing and producing. The film was also produced by Susan Wright.
Lucky
Sleepless Nights
MTI Home Video
September 13, 2003
In what is the most exciting news ei Independent Cinema and Seduction Cinema have ever had the honor, pleasure and privilege to announce, legendary erotica director Joseph Sarno is currently writing, and is set to direct, his first feature film in twenty years…for Seduction Cinema! Sarno is currently in Sweden, where he and his wife, Peggy Steffans, have a summer home, writing the first draft of the script, a final version of which he hopes to have completed upon his return to the U.S. later this summer. Joe Sarno is widely hailed as the greatest erotica filmmaker of his time, with such groundbreaking classics to his credit as his landmark film Inga, Sin in the Suburbs, Misty and Bibi: Adventures of a Sweet Sixteen.Sarno’s pre-Inga films, shot in the United States, always dared to explore the deeper and darker aspects of human sexuality and psychology; his films were without doubt erotic and titillating, yet he was always able to infuse them with a thematic complexity and a richness of characterization that was unheard of in the genre. With Inga, though, partially because it was filmed in Sweden (home to the then preeminent foreign film auteur, Ingmar Bergman) with sub-titled Swedish actors and lushly photographed in black & white, all of which immediately lent it a European cinema sensibility, Sarno was able to experience a personal breakthrough while paving the way for a historic and welcome meeting of art-house and grind house sexploitation. Inga became an instant box-office smash upon its theatrical release in 1968, and it single-handedly changed the face and course of erotic cinema forever.
The as-of-yet untitled movie – will be produced by Michael Raso and scheduled for an November 2003 shoot in New York & New Jersey – is bringing Sarno out of feature film retirement, and he is thrilled at the prospect of working behind the camera again and with the team at ei and Seduction Cinema, with whom he has developed a warm professional relationship over the past few years. And what makes this Joe Sarno project extra, extra special, and even more of a historical moment in the storied history of soft-core erotica, is the realization that he will be directing Seduction Cinema’s “Contract Players” and three of contemporary erotica’s top cult stars – Misty Mundae, Julian Wells and Darian Caine! As a matter of fact, Sarno had the chance for a face-to-face meeting with Misty a month or so ago, in New York City. He was immediately taken by her smarts, poise, professionalism and, of course, her beauty, and it allowed him to develop the main protagonist of his script with her in mind…Marie Liljedahl, Maria Forsa, and now Misty Mundae.
ei Cinema and Seduction Cinema are proud to be collaborating with Sarno - a legendary filmmaker whose work they have admired and respected for years. The upcoming months of pre-production should be extremely gratifying and exciting, and everyone involved in the project can’t wait to see Joe Sarno back on set, making magic again…twenty-some years later.
***** THE BONESETTER from Canadian Filmmaker Brett Kelly is wrapped and set to premiere in Ottawa on Sept 19th at the Ottawa Public Library auditiorium main branch. Showtimes are 7:15pm and 8:30 pm. Admission is a donation. if your in the Ottawa, Ontario area, come check it out!
***** From Mark Pirro:
We had our first test screening of Rectuma on August 30th and it went over quite well. Twenty five or so people were crammed in the Pirromount Ranch screening room (which also doubles as a living room) and the reactions couldn't have been more on the money. I suppose the audience might have been a bit biased, since about 1/3rd of them were cast and crew, but I'll take praise where I can get it. What surprised me was that there were some things in the film that got incredible reactions that were not anticipated by me. I'll never stop being amazed at the variety of suggestions one can get from a single group of viewers. Everyone volunteered their two cents that night and with all the two cent opinions received, I swear we've probably exceeded the budget. The day started with a barbecue, which some of you recall, is how the movie production began. Around Memorial Day, 2002, we had a table reading and barbecue. Now, on Labor Day 2003, we're done. After viewing Rectuma with the audience, I discovered a way to shave a few more minutes off the running time. There were a couple of scenes that needed a little trimming (sorry Dani baby). I made those trims and the movie is currently clocking in at 1 hour and 39 minutes (about three minutes less than the last cut and about twenty five minutes less than the first cut).
Old Pirromount Alumnus Sergio Bandera has volunteered to do the final mix in Dolby 5.1. Since I have no knowledge of those things, I welcome him aboard. Sergio has been involved in some capacity or another on every Pirromount film since Polish Vampire. One of the complaints we got at the test screening was the way the film was mixed. Some sounds were too loud, some too soft, etc. All that will be fine tuned over the next month or so. Sergio will see to that.
September 7, 2003
After two long, sweaty weeks, Exhilarated Despair Productions wrapped production on THE STINK OF FLESH, EDP's first feature-length movie. The shoot went remarkably well and the footage looks terrific (be sure to hire Richard Griffin to DP all your movies!) -- now the long haul of post-production begins...Meanwhile, if you live in the Albuquerque area, you'll be able to see a teaser trailer for the flick at Bubonicon 35, August 22-24! We'll be screening the trailer Saturday night at 11:40 PM, along with our Masked Wrestler Extravaganza -- three short films you won't want to miss: our own El Super Bobo y El Perro Dos Mil contra los Muertos, Keith (From Parts Unknown) Rainville's Primate of the Deep, and Lee (Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter) Demarbre's Harry Knuckles and the Treasure of the Aztec Mummy! As a special bonus, we'll be screening Kurly Tlapoyawa's Superpup. That's a ton of entertainment, and it's free to Bubonicon members and only a buck to everyone else!
The whole EDP gang wants to congratulate the lovely Stephanie Leighs (Skunk Girl in Science Bastard) on her success -- our little Steffi is off to Hollywood, where she'll be shooting Ken Hall's latest monster-ific horror comedy, The Halfway House! Steffi will be appearing onscreen with the legendary Mary Woronov, so it's doubtful we'll ever be able to convince her to do one of our cheesy flicks again
***** Mike Russin of Cinema Sky Productions says that "post production for Creepy Tales "Girls Night Out" has been completed. Film/DVD will be sent out for packaging by the end of this week so keep your eyes peeled for future email updates.
"We're quite pleased to announce that we have acquired the rights to the MISFITS song "SPEAK OF THE DEVIL" from their "American Psycho" LP for use in Creepy Tales "GIRLS NIGHT OUT"!
"The "GIRLS NIGHT OUT" segment will be screened as a stand alone piece along with the MISTER MONSTER video "GORE WHORE", which features our very own Katrina Yaukey, along with J-SIN and the boys! The Screening will take place on Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:30 at The VideoTheatre, NYC - 85 East 4th Street NY, NY.
***** Director Nick Palumbo is gearing up for a sequel to his sleaze-o-rama NUTBAG....titled NUTBAG 2.
***** From Sub Rosa Extreme and Wicked Pixel... CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE is now slithering it's way through post production. The movie is due out on DVD next year.
This vicious, stylish, dizzyingly devious thriller is from writing/directing duo Eric Stanze and Robin Garrels. Robin Garrels wrote and starred in the stylish and stunning INSANIAC. Eric Stanze is the director of the award winning hit indie flicks, ICE FROM THE SUN and SCRAPBOOK. Stanze is also executive producer for Ron Bonk's Sub Rosa Extreme production line.
DJ Vivona stars in CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE as a struggling writer who enters the sex, drugs, and violence spiral that killed his brother. The movie also stars Eli DeGeer (first seen in Tommy Biondo's short movie, SATISFACTION - credited as Eli Russell). CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE also features William Clifton (SAVAGE HARVEST) and Emily Haack (SCRAPBOOK).
John Specht's unique brand of bizarre and off-beat cinema is at it's dizzying peak in ABSOLUTION, the story of an angel who descends to earth, only to get caught up in the worlds of pornography, drug dealing, and terrorism. The DVD contains deleted scenes, blooper reel, preview trailers, stills gallery, and a bonus short film.
***** From good pal Scott Gabby:
Alright folks, here it is, the long awaited chunk of genre-related literature you've been waiting for: Issue 5 of Ultra Violent Magazine will be available in one week! You can still pre-order your copy on the website for a dollar less than cover price. It's taken us a hell of a long time, but trust me you won't be disappointed. What have we been doing in the meantime?
We're working with Coffin Joe and his family on the definitive book about Mojica's career as a filmmaker, artist, and philosopher. This thing is going to be massive. The book will be almost entirely from Coffin Joe's point of view, referencing a 3 day long interview we conducted with him in Brazil. I'm not going to estimate a release date as you all know we're not the best with deadlines. However, we'll keep everyone posted via email and the website.
We also spent a few days with Last House on Dead End Street director Roger Watkins, working on a project entitled Hobo Flats. This is a screenplay that Watkins wrote almost 10 years ago and we're bringing it to life as a 2 CD spoken word album. It's an absolutely insane and surrealistic concept, sorta like Jodorowsky on compact disc, haha. This should actually see the light of day around the first of the year. Once again, we'll keep you guys posted.
**** Jason Pankoke was going to wait and announce the line ups for the October and November MICRO-FILM shows after the dust settled from TRIBUTARY and EXISTO on Aug 30. But then he said to himself, "Aw, hell, why not?"
Prepare to buckle your safety belts on Thursday, October 2, 2003, when MICRO-FILM presents "Retro Action Rebels!" at Mike 'n' Molly's, 105 N. Market St. in downtown Champaign! First up will be RADIO FREE STEVE, the completed "lost film" by unknown Austin, Texas director Steve Glenn starring himself as a post-WWIII radio pirate trekking to Los Angeles. Then, witness the return of KILLING MICHAEL BAY, the high octane short film spoof pitting Kansas City indie directors against the man behind BAD BOYS II and PEARL HARBOR! Finally, get your kicks with LETHAL FORCE, the hit underground action-comedy from Baltimore starring Cash Flagg, Jr. as Jack Savitch, the movie antihero that puts all other movie antiheroes to shame! This will be a beer garden marathon to remember!
We then move indoors for subtler movie thrills on Sunday, November 9, 2003, when MICRO-FILM presents "Digital Video Thrillers" at the Iron Post, 120 S. Race St. in downtown Urbana! Starting the evening will be HALL OF MIRRORS, an extremely well-done debut from Dallas, Texas filmmaker (and Rockford, Illinois native) Brad Osborne about a downtrodden gambler (Eric Johnson) whose addiction makes him the ultimate patsy for con artists. Mind games of an even darker sort play out in the second feature, Sal Ciavarello's HARDCORE POISONED EYES, as three New York City girls (Christine Gallo, Wendy Allyn, Jessica Hester) find their weekend turned into a nightmare at the hands of a Satanic drone. Up-and-coming filmmakers who have been hearing the praises of digital video as a viable medium would be wise to join us for HALL OF MIRRORS and HARDCORE POISONED EYES, two quality examples of DV storytelling on a shoestring budget.
September 1, 2003
Obituaries from The Astounding B-MonsterCharles Bronson
Actor Charles Bronson, the craggy-faced action star who began his acting career in villainous bit parts and eventually became one of the world's biggest box office attractions, died of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 81. Cult-movie fans will remember that one of Bronson's earliest roles was as Igor, Vincent Price's mute assistant in the 1953 3-D horror classic "House of Wax." At the time, Bronson still went by his given name, Charles Buchinsky. In 1961 he again appeared with Price in "Master of the World," a sci-fi film based on a Jules Verne novel.
Bronson had myriad roles in crime thrillers and Westerns throughout the 1950s including appearances in "Riding Shotgun," "Apache," "Drum Beat," "Vera Cruz," "Big House, U.S.A." and "Run of the Arrow." In 1958 he starred in the television series, "Man With a Camera." The same year he played the title role in director Roger Corman's gangster quickie "Machine Gun Kelly." In the early 1960s Bronson had breakout roles in two classic John Sturges pictures, first as one of "The Magnificent Seven," and as tunnel digger Danny Velinski in "The Great Escape." Following prominent roles in "The Dirty Dozen" and "Villa Rides," Bronson headed to Europe where he turned out a string of action pictures that made him internationally famous. He returned to Hollywood one of the world's biggest stars. In the 1970s and 80s, he appeared in a number of controversial crime films including "The Valachi Papers," "The Mechanic," "Mr. Majestyk" and the ultra-violent "Death Wish" series.
Bronson, who was married to actress Jill Ireland until her death in 1990, was wed three times in all, and is survived by his wife, Kim, six children and two grandchildren.
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