Archive for the ‘film’ Category

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

Trailer Hate: Deepwater Horizon

by Warren

America, I get it. You’re hard up for heroes in an election year when your choices are The Nineties: Part 2 and a racist pomegranate. But seriously, these clowns on an oil rig ain’t it.

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Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Canuxploitation!

by Warren

Ever woken up and said “wow, I’d love to see the lowest and dirtiest cinematic offerings Canada had to offer in the 1970s and 80s?” Well, probably not, but here it is anyway. Enjoy!

And if you like this sampler of Canada’s filthiest Z-grade trash, be sure to check out Canuxploitation, the definitive resource for exploitation film north of the U.S. border.

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

Backyard Blockbusters!

by Warren


I’ve always had a certain fondness for fan films. Done right, they can be a great new way to enjoy a familiar universe. Done poorly, they can make you wish you’d never been born. Evidently my love for these homemade homages is shared, as seen by Backyard Blockbusters, a documentary about the people behind some famous and infamous fan films both old and new.
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Friday, September 14th, 2012

Lincoln trailer is here!

by Warren


Spielberg’s latest historical epic, Lincoln, hits theatres on November. With Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, Spielberg behind the camera and the weighty historical subject matter, not to mention the fact that it’s based on “Team of Rivals,” this one is likely a slam dunk.

Plus I’ll be seeing a re-release of Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen (third time) only days later!

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

The return of splatterfests…now with CGI!

by Warren

While watching Evil Dead 2 last night, I mused to Mel that no-one seems to have combined the Raimi love for over-the-top gore and the obvious possibilities of CGI. How wrong I was! Behold Adam Chaplin, a movie so gory it even has its own name, HABS (Hyper realistic Anime Blood Symulation), for their blood and guts techniques.

I haven’t seem Adam Chaplin, so it could be total crap for all I know, but I give props to any film that takes new VFX technology and does something new, different with it, especially in the low-budget realm.

Any other cool and underexposed horror flicks out there using CG and other techniques to up their game? Tell me in the comments!

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Kickstarting!

by Warren

Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, for those not in the know, are two very popular ways to fund a project. While games, art objects, books and other creative pursuits can all be funded through these platforms, I’m more interested in indie movies, and have contributed small amounts ($15 for one film, $30 for another) to two projects.

I’m not doing so purely out of altruism…the systems set up a series of rewards based on how much you contribute, and my baseline is a 1080p digital copy of the film once it’s done. So really, I’m pre-ordering a film at the same time I help it get made. I don’t even have a DVD player anymore (other than the one inside my Macbook Pro) so for me, 1080p digital is the way to go.

Here’s the films I’m supporting, in my own small way…

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Monday, August 29th, 2011

Escape from City 17 Part 2: more Valve fan film madness!

by Warren

Following up on my previous Portal posts, here’s Escape from City 17 part 2, a Half Life which boasts a city in ruins, striders, zombies, headcrabs and more. THe creators of this film claim they spent less than $1,000, which sounds doubtful given what’s on screen.

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Ghosts With Shit Jobs: Jim Munroe’s new movie

by Warren

Jim Munroe is the multimedia genius behind No Media Kings, which started as a way for him to self-publish his work but has since morphed into a DIY mini-empire featuring comics, games, film and books.

A few years ago he and several collaborators made “Infest Wisely“, a lo-fi sci-fi film that they broke into chapters and filmed separately with a overarching story written by Munroe. You could watch it online in segments or as a feature.

Jump to several years later and Munroe and friends have created
Ghosts with Shit Jobs,” a near-future extrapolation of what happens when North America goes bankrupt and China outsources all the jobs they don’t want to us. It’s being done with the same low-fi ethos as Infest Wisely but with better equipment and a little more money ($4,000 this time as opposed to the $700 they spent on the previous film.)

I’m looking forward to seeing what Munroe hss in store with this latest film…it looks like they’ve upped their game visually while hewing to the same approach of ideas over pointless spectacle. Keep watching here and nomediakings.org for further news on the film.

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Blue Meanie – a short film

by Warren

I’ve worked in television for years, I write professionally, and I make videos for a living…but despite all that I’ve never made a Doctor Who fan film. Well, after attending the fan filmmaking panels at Gallifrey twice and dispensing advice to other cine-nerds, I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is. I present to you Blue Meanie, the story of one man’s torture by Type 40. I hope you enjoy it, and if you’re going to Gallifrey, stop by the fan video room at 1:40, watch the movie again and say hello!

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Why 3D is NOT the future of cinema

by Warren

Because movies tell stories, and 3D is at best a sideshow, according to Cory Doctorow in his latest Guardian column. I’m inclined to agree. 3D is touted as cinema’s saviour, bringing audiences back to the theatre and away from video games and home theatres….but without a story to back it up, which is usually best told in regular 2D, you aren’t going to see people sticking around. James Cameron’s Avatar and other upcoming films may prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

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