The Machine Girl

Tom's Corner:

Kataude mashin gâru ([The Machine Girl, english title], 2008 – Noboru Iguchi)

Japan is a weird place. Video games involving poking your finger into an ass, vending machines that purportedly dispense used schoolgirl's panties and other wonders that we just can't post here. From Japan also comes today's movie review: The Machine Girl. Join me in examining what will likely prove to be one of the goriest movies we ever check out here.

After an opening scene so over the top it has to be seen to be believed, we meet our main characters. Ami Hyuga and her brother Yu seem to be two typical Japanese youth. They live alone, since their parents committed suicide after being accused of murder. We never find out more about this, and it's a damn shame, since it could have tied in to the overarching plot of the movie. Yu and his friend Takeshi are being bullied by a local gang led by Sho Kimura, the son of two quite frankly insane sumbitches who are the head of the local Yakuza.

Yu and Takeshi are killed by these kids, and Ami finds Yu's diary with the list of kids he hates and wants to kill. Deciding to avenge him, she starts with one of the kids, and, after having her arm fried in tempura (don't worry, she gets a bloody and disgusting revenge, then runs through the streets ranting), finds the Kimura residence. The family is enjoying having their chef eat his own fingers for spilling some hot soup (it's so hard to find good help these days) when Ami attacks Sho. She ends up captured and loses her arm. She escapes and makes her way to the home of Takeshi's parents, Miki and Suguru. After the obligatory training sequence, they are attacked...and the real gore starts.

Holy shit...no, that isn't expressive enough. Holy motherfucking shit on a bike, there are some sickass kills in this movie. It reminds me of a really good, half funny half serious video game. We get nails to the face, holes shot clean through people, skin flayed off with bullets, murder and THEN implied rape (don't worry, the victim survives and apparently stars in the sequel wherein she has a crotch mounted machine gun...I wish I was kidding), chainsawing in half, decapitations, a drill bra, and an electrocution by piss. I'm just guessing here, but I bet most of this film's budget was spent on fake blood.

Despite the gore, the film tells a really well focused revenge story. There are some scenes that are so absurd they become funny, and some you'll have to cringe away from, but if you love a good sickhouse action movie, this is your film. Shine on, you crazy island nation, and keep the wacky shit coming.

Uncovered Films Revisits Cookies & Cream

Matthew Watts from Uncovered Films blog gives his readers an update on Cookies & Cream and many developments including its NJ Premiere on May 6th (details HERE). Thanks to them!

The direct link to it HERE.

For the latest updates, visit Cookies' fan page HERE.

The Sky is Falling. It's Also Raining Opportunity.

How encouraging is this New York times piece? Writer Michael Cieply compares the current indie budget downsizing strategy an exciting revolution, reminiscent of the indie boom in the '90s. The industry is watching us, guys. Check it out after the jump:



"Only five years ago, the center of the still thriving independent film universe lay behind the green doors of a converted TriBeCa warehouse from which the Weinstein brothers, Bob and Harvey, ran Miramax Films.

With their possible deal — negotiations continued through last week — to join investors in reacquiring Miramax, which they left in 2005, the Weinsteins are again in the middle of something.

But it is not the business they once ruled.

For more than a decade, the indie film movement centered in New York flourished, at times almost eclipsing the output of the mainstream Hollywood studios in terms of impact and accolades. But the financial collapse and the credit crisis had a deep impact on all of the movie world, which has responded with fewer expensive releases and safer bets.

And that new austerity has decimated the indie film business, ending with the collapse or downsizing of distributors like New Line Cinema, Picturehouse, Warner Independent Pictures, ThinkFilm and Miramax, all in the last few years.

“The world is different now,” Richard Abramowitz, a new-wave film distributor, said last week. While he expressed regard for the Weinsteins, he said of the possible Miramax purchase, “I don’t see it as the kind of game-changer it might have been a few years ago. And I’ll probably get chased down the street for saying that.”

There are, however, signs of life. The struggling indie scene is getting a boost from fleet-footed, penny-pinching guerrilla operations that are trying to resuscitate the business by spending less on production, much less on marketing and embracing all forms of distribution, including the local art house and the laptop.

A result has been a flush of energy reminiscent of early days in the 1990s dot-com boom, with a touch of old-fashioned indie-film spirit thrown in.

“It reminds me of the early years of Miramax, where you had to be disciplined,” Harvey Weinstein said. He declined in an interview on Friday to discuss his attempt to buy Miramax in partnership with the investor Ronald W. Burkle.

Indie experiments are being closely watched in the business because what happens in Hollywood often first happens in New York City. While many in Los Angeles continue to struggle with the studio system and the emerging intricacies of 3-D, New York has locked on a different challenge: how to wring even the tiniest profit from that enormous investment in smaller movies."

Read the full piece HERE.

Best (and Worse) DVD Commentary Tracks of All Time

Recently, we had the extreme good fortune of having two of our favorite cinema writers do critical commentaries on 2 of our films that they had reviewed and championed. Jen Johans of FilmIntuition.com gave Brian Ackley's debut feature Uptown one of the most charming, insightful commentary tracks we had heard in a while (the fact that it was for our film may make us a little biased).

Likewise, our friend Michael Tully of HammertoNail.com happened to like Princeton Holt's debut feature Cookies & Cream and agreed to do a commentary for it. Unlike Jen, Michael was very self-conscious in his effort, even tweeting about his uncertainty a couple of times. Which then began to make us self-conscious. Granted, there are moments of silence or close to it in the track, and it took a couple of listens to grasp the approach and style. However, it became increasingly apparent that this was the very reason we liked it. It seemed as though any compliment on the film is well earned, as they come only when necessary. Tully watches the film as we are watching it, gets "sucked in" when most of us do, and it's sort of like sitting on the coach with the editor or HammertoNail as he watches the film. We happen love it.

Adding on to a discussion that took place at the Uptown fan page on Facebook, I decided to include a list of best and worse commentary tracks that was created over 5 years ago. What makes a good commentary track? What makes a bad one? Feel free to add to this list on your own in comments.

Best Commentary Tracks:

1) Ed Burns – Sidewalks of NY: Best commentary of all time. Includes a kick-ass, do-it yourself attitude, and phrases like “don’t let your DP tell you you need all these lights”, and "continuity is for pussies." Burns continues to discuss the film's stolen locations, it's unpaid actors, and lack of set design. Pretty impressive approach, especially for a one-million dollar budget.

2) PTA – Boogie Nights: as in all of his commentaries, Paul Thomas Anderson tells the damn truth. All of it.
- another notable is his first feature Sydney: as in BN, informative, helpful for both technical and thematic inspiration.

I can listen to Paul talk all damn day. And I have.

3) Roger Ebert: Citizen Kane: Could easily be tied with the top 2 tracks above for best commentary of all time. We learn more in this commentary than probably any commentary ever. And its all useful information for both fans and filmmakers alike. Every shot is analyzed and we learn something in every single frame of the film. Tidbits of the story of its making, the background of the events that its based on are all included. And we get insightful comments on every technique as it unfolds on the screen and gets attention called directly to it. This dispels the myth that a great commentary can only be delivered by the filmmaker themselves.

4) Terry Gilliam – 12 Monkeys: All in all a great commentary as TG tells us everything about what he went thru to make this film.

5) Oliver Stone – Natural Born Killers: A thoughtful commentary, complete with great technical info including every format of film used in the movie. Its also great for thematic knowledge and philosophy not only of the film but of life itself. Oliver Stone's best commentary.

6) All of Spike Lee’s: funniest of all time: we laugh in disbelief as we listen to the director make short, sometimes one word commentaries on his film, including laughter at a line or scene he did, or simply yelling out the name of the actor on the screen, and that’s it.

Notables:

– Bamboozled
– School Daze
– 25th Hour

7) QT and R. Rodriquez – From Dusk ‘Till Dawn: Hey, its QT. It’s filled back to back with words.

8) Robert Altman - Dr. T and the Women: It is in this commentary track that Altman reveals that his original title for the film was "Pussy." The maverick director tells the truth about what his films really are about. You wished more people did.

9) Robert Altman - 3 Women: It seems Bob had started to get the hang of what a director commentary can do, and here he really delivers. Probably his best commentary track. Its informative about everything – tidbits of the film itself, technical information, and even philosophical offerings about influences, and about the 70’s – the time of the filmmaker. He even reveals in a rare occasion his personal influences, including Fellini, and he even talks about PTA!

I can listen to Bob talk all damn day. And I have.

Bad director commentaries:

1) Gary Winick – Tadpole: You’re laughing and enjoying the film all the way through till the end. Then by the time you get to the commentary directly afterwards, you are convinced by the director that you have just seen the worst film of all time. He tortuously points out mistake after mistake in scene after scene, complete with the horror stories behind not only the scene itself, but everything that didn’t work while trying to get it made (which in addition is especially odd, as this is the commentary on a film that was made for a mere $150k and sold for $5 million). Afterwards, you are not only depressed, but you feel less enthusiastic about not only shooting a DV film, but about making a friggin film period.

2) All of Spike Lee’s – Bamboozled: You could probably count on 2 hands the amount of words Spike says on most of his commentaries.

Notables:
- School Daze
- 25th Hour

3) Robert Altman - Nashville: Yes, this proves that its possible for the same director to appear on both of these lists. You could probably count on 2 hands the amount of words Bob says on his seemingly earlier commentaries.

Worst Commentaries of All Time:

Brown Sugar: This commentary track was shared by the director and the editor of the film. These dudes laugh through every single scene and every comment, in probably the most annoying commentary in the history of commentaries.

Fellini’s Intervista: We watch and listen in shock as some scenes go as long as 10 minutes without any insightful comment. And when there is a comment in the film, its usually something we can clearly see. No insight whatsoever, no new learned information.

To add on to this discussion, join the Uptown Facebook page HERE.

Stay tuned for the DVD releases of Uptown and Cookies & Cream both in July!

Tom Reviews "Reefer Madness (the musical)"

Tom's Corner:

Reefer Madness the Musical (2005, Andy Fickman, director)

Well everyone, here we are for another review. I thought I'd do something special in honor of 4/20...but I got...preoccupied. Better late than never, right? Today's journey into the dusty cobweb filled corners in the hallowed halls of filmdom takes us back to 2005, and to Reefer Madness: The Musical.

This was filmed in Canada, as was an earlier film I reviewed, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. I only mentioned this because hey, Jesus shows up in this one and he sings here too. What is it with Canadians and having Jesus sing wacky songs? Whatever it is, get it to American filmmakers, cause it is high-larious. Coincidentally, if you know of any other singing Jesus films that are funny and semi-blasphemous (no technicolor dreamcoats or superstars need apply, dig?) let me know. I so do love that singin', swingin' savior.

But I digress.

The casting in this film is superb. John Kassir (TV's Cryptkeeper from Tales From The Crypt) plays a raging dopefiend, Ralph. Steven Weber, of Wings fame plays Jack Stone, a dope pusher with a mouth that writes checks that his gun often cashes. Ana Gasteyer, a veteran of Saturday Night Live, plays Mae, his girl and the mistress of the reefer joint (see what I did there?). Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars herself, plays innocent ingenue Mary Lane. Christian Campbell plays our hero, Jimmy Harper. I'm not sure if they're related, but Neve Campbell plays Miss Poppy, owner of the five and dime. And of course, who could forget the brilliant Alan Cumming as the lecturer who presents the film to the shocked parents in 1936's Smalltown USA? Cumming also plays various characters throughout the film, such as FDR and Satan.

The film doesn't follow the exact plot of Reefer Madness, and for this I am thankful. This plot is much more interesting, and has reefer zombies. Alan Cumming, a government fearmonger, brings his salacious film to Smalltown, USA to shock the locals into siding with the governments' desired new policy, much like things actually occurred.

Unlike most musicals, the songs really don't get tiring. They are played up for laughs whenever possible. Our hero, Jimmy Harper, is an average boy, in love with schoolmate Mary Lane. However, she wants to dance for the soon to be visiting president Roosevelt, and Jimmy can't dance. Enter Jack Stone, who needs more kids to sell weed to, and happens to be an excellent dancer. Jimmy becomes an addict, and soon he joins demented Ralph and ditzy Sally (Amy Spanger) in Mae's weed den. Can Jimmy be redeemed? Will Jack pay for his crimes? Where will Alan Cumming show up next? Why do I ask so many questions? You'll find the answers to some of these questions in Reefer Madness: The Musical.

- Tom Trombley

NJ Premiere of Cookies & Cream May 6th

Cookies & Cream, the directorial debut from producer Princeton Holt will be having its New Jersey Premiere at Clearview Theatre on Washington Avenue, in Bergenfield, NJ on May 6th, 2010. The festival begins Thursday at 7pm, however we will be announcing our official slot time and theater number soon. Those of you in the New Jersey area, here is your chance to catch the film in the theater while its here!

The festival will highlight the extraordinary talents of upcoming New Jersey writers, directors, producers, and performers, many from Bergen County, as well as film makers and groups from other areas. 14 shorts and 6 feature films cover comedy, drama, horror, music, documentaries. The festival program includes film ratings.

Admission is $12/adults; $10/students and seniors.

Cookies & Cream follows a racially-mixed single mother who accepts an adult entertainment gig to take care of her daughter and herself. It stars Jace Nicole as Carmen the lead, popular NY-based comedian Ardie Fuqua, Naama Kates (NCIS), and Brian Ackley (Hostage Person). It also features performances from Chris Riquinha (Uptown), Danny Doherty, Kent Sutton, Shannone Holt, Rick Borgia, Jaylon Nicole Carey Williams, and Thyais Walsh.

Cookies & Cream has played in over 8 film festivals across the world on its run, and was recently picked for multi-platform distribution. It will be released on DVD on July 20th, 2010.

Hope to see some of our New Jersey people there!

The film's official site HERE.
Join nearly 1000 FB fans HERE.
Follow us on Twitter HERE.

How to Make Every Casting Director Want You

Here is a free complimentary advice offer from Casting Director Tracey Moore:

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Dennis Grunes Writes About UPTOWN

Dennis Grunes calls Brian Ackley's Uptown "the best American film in 2009."

Here is a little of what he had to say:



"'Maybe love wasn’t what you thought it was when you started.'

We are plunged into a pair’s first date in the pre-title sequence of Brian Ackley’s exquisitely sensitive Uptown. What do Ben, (like Ackley) a filmmaker/actor, and Isabel, a paid dog-walker, whom (he tells her—and himself) he wants in his new film, hear? When finally they emerge from the restaurant, the sound volume ratio of couple-to-traffic noise matches that of the couple-to-inside restaurant noise, suggesting that the world that is too much with us is pretty much irrelevant to them."

Read his full piece HERE:

Chris Riquinha Interviewed by TcwReviews

TCW Reviews conducted an interview with our good friend Chris Riquinha (Uptown). It's a very revealing, honest and informative discussion. There where even things about the actors' process in the making Uptown that were revealing to us and we produced it!!!

You can learn more about Chris Riquinha or contact him for casting HERE. Here is some of it after the jump:



Clifford: I had the pleasure of reviewing “Uptown” a film you starred in last summer. What was it like working on that project?

Chris: Well first of all, thank you for reviewing the film and for your kind words regarding it, I'm really glad you liked the work we all put into it. I'll tell ya man, working on Uptown was the greatest overall acting experience I've ever had...honestly. We filmed principle Monday through Friday in one week straight...so I guess the fact that for those five days, all I concerned myself with was making this movie...it was freaking awesome. That's not to say things went perfectly, [Laughs], not even close. We definitely had our share problems, but in hind sight, all of that just added to the experience. I have some really great memories from that week.

Clifford: What was it like working with the cast and crew?

Chris: They all sucked...…[Laughs], I'm only kidding (I'm a bit sarcastic)! Everyone was really great. Meissa and I got along stellar (that's her word...I'm stealing it) both on and off camera. Brian, Princeton, and Ryan all seemed to share this crazy, awesome, visionary brain which made the work really fun. Deirdre and Derek were a blast to work with. We all grew very close during the week. I know people say this all the time, and I know it's kinda cheesy, but it truly was just this great collaborative work environment that made going to work everyday an absolute pleasure. At least that's the way it was for me anyway.

Clifford: So you guys all hit it off from the get-go I take it, do you guys all still keep in touch regularly?

Chris: Without a doubt! Princeton and I have become very good friends and we're collaborating on a film we're going to make together soon, and Brian, Meissa, and myself regularly check in with each other to see how things are going both professionally and personally, to share a memory, or just for the hell of it. In fact, the three of us are going to see Meissa in a show she's performing in later this week...should be a great night!

Clifford: While watching the film I notice there was what appeared to be a lot of improvisational acting going on, I mean there were scenes where you and the cast were following a script and than there where scenes where you and the cast where improvising on the spot but still sticking to an overall concept.

Chris: Yeah there is a lot of improv in the film, in fact there wasn't even a fleshed out script. Basically what would happen is Brian would tell us what he wanted in the scene, sometimes he would give us points to cover, sometimes there were a few lines that we needed to work around, but generally speaking, he really wanted us to play with it. We would usually do a brief rehearsal, so he could see where we would go with it, and he would give us notes...or not...and then we would shoot it. It really worked for me because even though he knew what he wanted, he let us figure out how to get there. All that being said, there were definitely a few scenes that were fully scripted, so for those we just followed his writing.

Clifford: So unlike some tough as nails Directors out there who‘ll demand precisely what they want out of their actors, Brian Ackley is pretty laid back when it come to the creativity with the cast?

Chris: That's the interesting thing, Brian did know exactly what he wanted, at least as far as character, and he communicated that very well to us. I remember one scene we had to shoot a number of times because it was missing something very specific from me...and of course it was an extremely emotional scene for Meissa, so I felt so terrible, but he got what he wanted in the end. He had this thing...everyday we would show up on set and he would have a few note cards for us with some notes regarding the days scenes...it was an incredibly effective technique. So once he had us locked in and comfortable with our characters and where we were going with them, he let us play.

Read the full interview HERE.

Turtleneck Films Reviews Cookies & Cream

It doesn't surprise us anymore when the good people over at Turtleneckfilms writes a well-written piece about movies, because we've seen them do it several times over. And it always is fun to read, no matter if your film is getting love or isn't (most recently, they wrote a very thoughtful, meticulous piece on Ryan Balas's second film Carter, easily my favorite review of the film). Here, Tom Russell reflects on Princeton Holt's Cookies & Cream with some of his thoughts on his experience watching it.



Make sure you head over to their blog where you can purchase their films (one of them Im still waiting to see so I will be buying a copy). They are finishing their latest feature now. Or, if you are in the mood to read some really interesting reflections about other films, as well as some funny behind the scenes info on their films Son of a Seahorse and Olivia Forever, head over there after you read this.



Here is a little of their piece on Cookies & Cream:



"Holt seldom strives for effect or tries to punch it up. It's mock-verite/gonzo porn opening aside, there's thankfully very little of the deliberately ugly shaky-cam aesthetic that's infested the current American independent cinema. As I've written elsewhere, the shaky-cam approach is a schizoid one because it untethers its subjects from the everyday reality it so desperately wants to capture, presenting us not with people and bodies moving through time and space but with fractions of faces, headless slivers jittering about.



Cookies and Cream, in contrast, presents us with people, often head-to-toe, listening to and observing them patiently. Holt is so patient, in fact, and so confident that his characters will reward the viewer's patience, that he sometimes apes one of Woody Allen's best tricks by staging parts of his dialogue scenes with the actors out of the camera's range."



Read the full piece HERE.

Cookies & Cream Picked Up for Distribution

Less than a year after its World Premiere at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC in July of 2009, we are proud to announce that Princeton Holt’s debut feature film Cookies & Cream has been picked up for distribution. LA-based company Celebrity Video Distribution has acquired all of the North American rights to the film (minus theatrical), after becoming aware of it on the film festival circuit, where it still is enjoying a successful run. The company reached out to us and ended up loving the film. And based on very favorable, mutually beneficial terms, we inked the deal within 2 weeks.

Cookies & Cream follows a racially-mixed single mother who maintains an adult entertainment gig to take care of her daughter and herself. It stars Jace Nicole (Razorblade City) in the lead as Carmen, Naama Kates (NCIS) as her best friend Jodie, Brian Ackley (Hostage Person) as a potential love interest named Dylan, and comedian Ardie Fuqua (HBO’s Bad Boyz of Comedy) as Jonathan the musician. The film also stars Chris Riquinha, Danny Doherty, Kent Sutton, Shannone Holt, Jaylon Nicole Carey Williams, Rick Borgia, and Thyais Walsh. Jace Nicole’s performance was recently named “Favorite Performance of 2009” by Sonic Cinema.

Recently becoming increasingly selective, this genre film-specialized company took to our small, character drama, encouraged no less by the increasingly positive reaction, feedback, and festival attention it is receiving. Los Angeles-based Celebrity Video Distribution, Inc., a leader in independent film DVD distribution, boasts a wide range of original content including independent films and documentaries as well as licensing cable TV content for their library. The company has relationships with all major retailers, wholesalers, academic, library and specialty store suppliers. Helmed by video industry veteran Robert Feinstein, former Founder/CEO of Marbles Entertainment the first supermarket and military base video rental store chain, the company's genre-heavy catalog can be seen HERE.

C.V.D. will be releasing the film on July 20th; it will be available at that time at Best Buy, Blockbusters, Netflix, Barnes & Nobles, Amazon, and several other internet and retail outlets. The film will be released via a multi-platform strategy that will include DVD, VOD, digital downloads, libraries, and possible cable television, through C.V.D.’s existing output with companies that also include RedBox, Midwest Tape, TNT, Bigstar TV, INGRAM, Starcrest, Cinema Now, Baker Taylor, Critics Choice, VPD, DVD Empire, DVD Play, Quality Books, WAXWORKS, Family Entertainment, GRAVITAS, Video Warehouse, and many others.

The Special Features DVD will include 3 commentary tracks: Director/Producer commentary, Post-Production crew commentary (Damon Dorsey & Hector Maldonado), and a critical commentary track by HammertoNail.com editor Michael Tully. There will also be an hour long documentary directed by co-producer of the film Omar Hernandez, documenting the at times disastrous, sometimes humorous making of the film. Also expected is an outtake gag reel from hilarious, irreverent comedian Ardie Fuqua.

We are delighted at this accomplishment, and we thank everyone who ever worked on this film, everyone who supported it, everyone who reviewed it, and every festival that continues to select or invite it.

Hear news first at our Fan Page.

Follow us on Twitter.

Read reviews on the film’s Official Website.

Stay tuned for more details!!!

Bag Lady

This week, Throwback Sundays highlights music videos by the sometimes genius, always innovative, Erykah Badu, who recently has made headlines with her controversial new video Window Seat. Although she has made several videos that top this one, I wanted to highlight Bag Lady, for the fact that she directed it (like many others), I believe it may have been the first one she directed herself, and the fact that she used digital video to tell her story. As usual the lyrics and metaphors she uses are sublime, as well as humorous.



To see another unbelievably inventive video of hers, Honey visit HERE.
To see the recent, controversial video for Window Seat go HERE.

Ninja Assassin

Tom's Corner:

Ninja Assassin

(2009, James McTiegue, director)

Excuse me for a moment while I wipe the fake blood out of my eyes.

Wow, was this movie bloody. Bloody and dark. In fact, I think they used more fake blood than a number of horror movie franchises. Written by comics and sci-fi writer J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Sand, I at least know one of these men should have known better. Straczynski's writing has seen better days. I remember about 9 years ago or so, he took over the writing chores of Spider-Man, which at the time was an unreadable morass of unnecessary angst and plot holes wide enough for a battleship. He fixed that, and rather well. So what happened here?

This movie has some of the classic plot elements that everyone likes to overuse badly: revenge, betrayal, and the old student betrays his evil master plot device. That being said, if you want an action flick without an overabundance of snappy dialogue and no stupid 'Ha! I killed you' one liners, this may be the film for you. The throwing star thing also got old, as it appeared at times to be raining metal.

Another gripe: the love story aspect seemed tacked on. It was necessary for his betrayal, yes, but it was poorly handled. And really, two people with situs inversus? Come on, I can only suspend my disbelief so much.

In closing...don't bother. Just throw some fake blood and limbs around, and you'll get the general idea of the movie.

- Tom Trombley

The Plans of Man

Here is an interesting film we stumbled on. Its called The Plans of Man, made just a few years ago on a low budget and picked up by Cinequest.

"The best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry." - Poet Robert Burns, 1786

The Plans of Man is a sweet, intelligent and honest romantic comedy that looks at what happens when your map for life leads to an unexpected fork in the road.

Adam has his whole life planned out to the smallest detail. Evie doesn't know where she's going until she gets there. When both of their lives go off the rails, they end up living under the same roof.

Despite their entirely different lifestyles, the pair hit it off straight away. However, Adam's blind determination to get back together with an old flame means he might just miss the chance to be with the girl of his dreams.

Buy The Plans of Man on DVD HERE.

Check out the trailer:

First Date

Throwback Sundays this week presents a controversial short film that premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Its called First Date, and it tells the story of a gay ex-con frantically attempting to score with a young teen (Tian Wei) while eluding his parole officer.

Named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2006, Gary Huggins made the 20 minute film over a period of a year and a half and says he was inspired by “the Dardenne brothers, early Altman and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Last Resort.” He shot the film on the Panasonic DVX100 and, after learning Final Cut Pro, edited the film on an iMac.

Here is some reaction to the controversial short:

FILMMAKER MAGAZINE:
"...First Date is both disturbing and nonjudgmental as it wires the viewer directly into its protagonists agitated psyche. In his screen acting debut, (Santiago) Vasquez creates an indelible, perversely compelling character unlike anyone youve seen in movies."

GREENCINE DAILY:
"The film has everything going against it, yet director Gary Huggins miraculously make it work thanks, in no small part, to the naturalistic performance of Santiago Vasquez."

Here is First Date below:

FIRST DATE

FIRST DATE MySpace Video

Trailer for Greenberg Starring Ben Stiller and Greta Gerwig

Greenberg brings actors Ben Stiller and Greta Gerwig together with Academy Award-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach ("The Squid and the Whale") to tell the funny and moving tale of Roger Greenberg. Focus Features releases Greenberg in select cities on March 26th, 2010.

Roger Greenberg [Ben Stiller], single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life, finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former bandmate Ivan [Rhys Ifans]. But old friends aren't necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother's personal assistant Florence [Greta Gerwig], an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realizes he may at last have found a reason to be happy.

Good Machine - NYC No Budget Kings

Here is part 1 to what looks like a fascinating documentary on the no budget production company Good Machine, run by producer Ted Hope. If anyone has any links to any more of this film, PLEASE hit us up!

Tom Reviews Paris Hilton Sex Tape

Tom's Corner:

A Special Announcement!

As many of you know, 1 Way or Another is soon going to become a hardcore pornography production company. So, in an effort to “keep up with the Johnsons” as it were, this review blog will change accordingly.



"The Paris Hilton Sex Tape"
Dir: Rick Salomon
Executive Producer: Paris Hilton

Today, we review one of the most famous videos featuring a popular celebrity. Ranked number one in America's Best Known Moron (female division), Paris Hilton filmed some sex with then boyfriend Rick Salomon. In 2004, Rick, ever the eager beaver (eater) decided to make some quick cash. He called up Red Light District Video (fitting, since Paris is kind of a whore), and after they negotiated some rights (I imagine it was much like a drug deal in a back alley), Paris Hilton's only “skills” were revealed to the world.

Wow, does Paris suck...badly. I was falling asleep during most of this. Rick does intros to scenes, and was not provided with a script. I think he was just told to “act dumb (though I'm not sure he was acting)” and keep it under a minute.

Anyway, the lack of action makes me want to coin a new term: lacktion. I recommend this video only to people who have some twisted desire to see Paris Hilton fail at yet another thing: getting you off.

All in all, I can sum this up in one sentence:

APRIL FOOLS, SUCKERS!

- Tom Trombley