Ghost Image

A video editor named Jennifer loves that she gets to work side by side with her wonderful boyfriend Wade. They seem to have the perfect relationship. At their party you get to meet a handful of their friends and they all seem to be a pretty close knit bunch of people that really enjoy being in each others company.

I would personally feel a little weird hanging out with Wades ex girlfriend but hey she’s in a new relationship with their lawyer friend Tucker so I guess that’s what helps make it alright among them. Well now that Wade’s gone Jennifer is falling apart, he just died in a car wreck. She cries all the time while watching the party video from the night before he passed.   

Soon she starts to see her dead sister who died in a car accident along with her parents when she was young. Is she losing her mentality or is her sister really there for a reason? The detectives visit her and informed her that the brakes in the car were cut and that is what caused his death. Now she is seeing Wade on the video monitors and he keeps talking to her and trying to help her through this whole horrible ordeal.     

Ghost Image was a pretty cool ghost flick with a few genuine good scares that will make you jump in your seat. Nothing outta of the ordinary to blow your mind but still entertaining and interesting. If you love ghosts you’ll like this little diamond in the ruff. You can’t help but want to know what the hell happened and who cut those brakes!

Camera Obscura Trailer Now Online!

The trailer for Camera Obscura is now online.

When Clara’s reclusive Grandfather Sam; a grizzled LAPD crime scene photographer, passes away, she soon discovers there was more to his life than she ever could have imagined.Quickly realizing the world is on a desperate precipice between reality and a nightmare dreamscape where unimaginable creatures freely walk the earth, she must finish her grandfather’s quest before all hell breaks loose.

This series looks awesome. Drew has created a new horror mythos that looks fresh and frightening. I can’t wait for this series to begin. Watch the trailer below and listen to our interview with director Drew Daywalt here.

Camera Obscura Trailer from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

Hitchcock Storyboard iPhone App

Hitchcock is the worlds first mobile story boarding application. With Hitchcock you can have your first story board up and running in a matter of minutes. Hitchcock streamlines the process of storyboarding by allowing you to compose storyboards using photos rather than the tedious hand drawing process. This allows professionals and students to portray their vision to others in a easily controllable and transportable format. Click the link below to learn more about what features Hitchcock has to offer and how it will assist you in bringing your ideas to life.

I haven’t personally tried this app and with a $19.99 price tag I’m not sure if it will sell well on the iPhone. It does seem to be a really cool app and if anyone has tried it, please leave a comment below.

http://www.cinemek.com/hitchcock/

I’m Going to Zombieland: A Review

I just got in from seeing Zombieland. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie. I thought I would get a fun little movie involving zombies, a horror genre that has been beaten to death (pun intended) the past ten years. And I can honestly say, that about a quarter of the way through the movie my average expectations were met. A chuckle here, a chuckle there, but overall I was just remotely satisfied.

Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), is your 21st century Hollywood wuss. I swear that Eisenberg and Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno) are clones created in a Hollywood lab owned by Judd Apatow. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying’ bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

As I was saying, the first half of the movie was average – not terrible, but nothing spectacular either. But then something happens. At the half way mark, the film goes full throttle and becomes a kick-ass, non-stop thrill ride. When our characters arrive in California and seek shelter in the abandoned home of a celebrity, the film gets into its groove. The jokes no longer feel forced. It becomes thrilling and the laughs, and there are many, are authentic and thoroughly intoxicating. The sequence in the celebrity home is simply brilliant and it alone would be the reason for me to take on another viewing of this film.

The film’s climax is set in an amusement part and is so fresh and original you can’t help but find yourself lost in the sheer excitement of the moment. I don’t want to give away too much of the film because I think going into the movie with as little knowledge as possible will make it that much more fun to watch.

I also must give credit to the cast. Harrleson is a blast to watch as the zombie hunting Tallahassee. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are honest and very likable. What makes this movie work is that you care about these characters. The weakest link has to be Jesse Eisenberg’s character Columbus. I wish they would have cast another actor in this role. HIs Michael Cera-esque performance took me out of the film. He didn’t ruin the film for me but I think another actor would have brought more to the role. I also felt his character never fully had the arc needed by the end of the film.

There were two aspects of the film I found distracting. First was the voiceover of the Columbus character. It is a lazy way to give information to the audience and with this talented cast I think that the actors playing the roles could have given us the information needed, sometimes with even a simple look. The second thing that happened in the film was that they put the “rules” up on the screen – you’ll understand the rules when you see the movie. Showing the rules pop up, like the old Pop-Up Video, became annoying. These two aspects talk down to the audience. My friend seems to believe that this is because Hollywood believes that today’s audience is actually that stupid that they need these elements, I’m not so sure that is the reason. Perhaps. I happen to think that the director thought it was clever. Maybe it was. Maybe some people will enjoy that. I found it unnecessary.

But these are not reasons to not go see Zombieland. The advance screening audience loved this film. Applause was abound throughout the film. I was accompanied by two others during this screening and I can honestly say that all three of us were pleasantly surprised with Zombieland and we all had a very enjoyable evening viewing it.

I recommend going to see this in the theater. If the audience tonight was any indication of what this movie will be, I’d say that Zombieland will be a huge hit.

Look for my Video Review of Zombieland  this weekend on our YouTube page.

The Nail

I have been out many a night in Philly drinking it up with friends, whether it be at a club on Delaware ave or on the back of an Ninja up and down the busy streets enjoying the sights. Well the end of a perfect night usually means we top it off with a nice cheese steak from Tony Lukes- yum! Anyway Tony Luke Jr. stars in this film titled The Nail.

I’ll be honest I didn’t really expect much from the film but get this, it sucked me in with it’s characters. Whether I loved them or even in some cases hated them, I was still drawn to them to see what would happen next. The character development is gradual but satisfying. You know it’s good when you care about what is happening to the people in the film.

An ex boxer Joey “The Nail” Nardone is finally released from prison after festering inside for eight long years and virtually has to start his life over and rebuild everything from scratch. He takes a cheap beaten up apartment that houses a family with a young 14 year old boy named Jesus who is constantly beat up and bullied by other kids.

One day Joey intervenes a particular nasty beating and tells Jesus that he could teach him a thing or two about defending himself. Jesus thinks he is some sort of pervert and tells him off. Eventually Joey wins him over and they become very close. Jesus’ home life is horrible with a drunken Dad who likes to beat him and his mother.

Joey listens thru the paper thin walls at night wishing he could do something to help them from that awful man’s fury. The Nail is a cool nickname and eventually you learn why. I watched this film with a smile on my face and at times a tear down my cheek. William Forsythe was great as Joey’s buddy Mass, I’ll tell you the man has acting skills!

INDIE TENNESSEE FILMMAKER WARMS HEARTS IN PHILADELPHIA

Tennessee filmmaker Brook Benjamin’s BOYS OF SUMMERVILLE premieres in Philadelphia for one exclusive screening on October 4 at P21Fest, a celebration of independent film and animation.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 22, 2009 – The film BOYS OF SUMMERVILLE will receive its Philadelphia Premiere this October as an Official Selection of the 4^th annual P21Fest, a celebration of independent film and animation.

BOYS OF SUMMERVILLE, directed by Brooks Benjamin, is a drama about Peter Davis (Casey Payne) who is on his way to his old stomping ground in Summerville to sell his late father’s estate. His plan is simple: Fix up the old house and get back to his life. However, when Peter arrives in town, he finds himself torn between his big city life and small town roots.

The film was shot in Rockwood, Kingston, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on a modest production budget of approximately $55,000. Despite the budgetary restraints, the writing, cinematography, and acting is on-par with many larger Hollywood productions.

“The film is funny without being raunchy, dramatic without being cliché, and heartwarming without being cheesy,” says Project Twenty1 Executive Producer, Stephanie Yuhas.

A panel of 21 Volunteer Community Screeners from the Greater Philadelphia Area selected BOYS OF SUMMERVILLE from hundreds of entries in this year’s festival.

“I thought this would be a typical baseball movie,” said Brian Wooden, a Montgomery county Screener, “but it actually had a surprising amount of depth and humor. I am so excited that we have the opportunity to screen it in Philadelphia.”

BOYS OF SUMMERVILLE will screen on October 4^th 2009 at 1:30 pm at the International House Philadelphia Theater. Attendance is limited to the first 350 people, so advanced seating is suggested by visiting www.ProjectTwenty1.com.

MICHIGAN FILMMAKERS TAKE PHILADELPHIA BY STORM

Project Twenty1’s P21Fest Returns: October 1-4, 2009

The 4th Annual P21Fest hosts an array of independent film screenings, workshops, parties, and networking events around University City.

Philadelphia, PA – September 21, 2009 – P21Fest returns this October with their 4th Annual Festival of independent film and animation in University City. The events are hosted by Project Twenty1, a completely volunteer-run arts organization dedicated to inspiring, connecting, exhibiting, and promoting artists of all disciplines through film and animation.

The Festival opens with the Philadelphia Premiere of “You Might As Well Live” (October 1 @ 7:30 pm) , an off-the-wall comedy where Robert R. Mutt embarks on a madcap adventure to attain the three keys to being a “somebody” – a girl, some money, and a championship ring.

Immediately following the screening, patrons are welcomed to the Opening Night Party at Distrito, a two-story Mexican restaurant famous for their collection of over 600 Mexican wrestling masks and a booth crafted from a pink Volkswagen Beetle.

Over 50 films will screen over the 4-Day festival, including the 21-Day Filmmaking Competition films, a collection of shorts from all over the world based on the common secret element “Key”. The audience will vote on its favorites, to be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 4th.

Each year, attendees from as far away as the United Kingdom flock to Philadelphia to watch the independent films, as well as participate in events such as “Speed Networking” (a business card swap) and “Shorts and Shots” (an open-mic-style screening where audiences can bring their own short films).

This year, Project Twenty1 is introducing a series of Educational Workshops, including an exclusive Special FX Makeup seminar featuring C.L. Zastrow, a forensic scientist who specializes in Blood Spatter Analysis for the Government, as well as professional film sets.

For tickets, passes, scheduling, and info visit www.ProjectTwenty1.com

DaveFM’s Sully

At the half-hour mark, BlogTalkRadio goes head-to-head with Corporate Radio with our special guest, 929 davefm DJ, Richard “Sully” Sullivan. Host the Atlanta afternoon drive time from 2pm-6pm, Sully brings his professional DJ chops to BlogTalkRadio to take on R. James aka “Radio Jesus.”

Playing Games

Hey, Dave McGee, here. I’ve been wanting to do reviews of games for a long time, now, and RJ’s been kind enough to give me some space to do it. I’m sure nothing could possibly go wrong with this.

A little about myself, first. I’m over the hill, married, have a couple offspring, and have been playing games for as long as I can remember – all kinds of games; video games, board games, role-playing games, miniatures, cards, drinking, athletic – you name it, I’ve played it, or some form of it.

I think I started playing games with Monopoly. My folks used to play it, and I might have been four when I first played it. From there, I played all the popular ones: Checkers, Chess, Trouble, Parcheesi, Life, Clue, Sorry!, etc.

One morning, I found Tank Battle under the Christmas tree – and then it started. I loved any kind of game that had to do with war and battle. I had more plastic army men than would fit in a Hefty bag. As far as I was concerned, nothing could be better.

I was wrong; while on vacation at Niagara Falls, we sat down at a table in our hotel lobby. It had a television screen set into the top. Pong. Several dollars worth of quarters later, and Dad bought us a Telstar for Christmas. We played the bejesus out of Pong, Tennis, and Squash. Video games were my new obsession.

After Star Wars came out (yeah, the original – I’m that old), video games got cooler. Space Wars, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac-Man, Defender – all those ate my hard-earned paper route money (anybody even remember the Bulletin?). My father was concerned that I was blowing all my money at the arcade; so much so that he bought me an Atari (the 2600, baby). Unfortunately, that only fed the addiction. It provided a fall-back once I ran out of cash for the week.

At around age 14, my buddy introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons, by TSR. Then the quarters went to the latest module, rulebook, dice, miniatures, edition and gallons of soda and bags of snacks. We wasted many hours and lots of money that could have, otherwise, been spent dating girls on Friday and Saturday nights. We were sick, but we succumbed to the vice like lambs to the slaughter.

After graduating high school, I did a stint in the United States Air Force.  I found many like-minded folks, and we played games like Car Wars, Axis & Allies, Warhammer 40,000, Aftermath!, Laser Tag, Paint Ball, and, of course, Air War.  At least, this time, I managed to get some dating in there.

When I left the Air Force, I came back to the Philly area, tried to re-join the group, but many of the group had moved and moved on.  I needed a new group of folks with which to play games.  I bought a Sega Genesis, and got lost in all the cool new graphics and gameplay.  I got the CD-ROM attachment.  I got the cable-TV attachment, through which you could download and play games every month!  HEAVEN!  I bought a computer, and discovered computer gaming.  Along with the really cool games coming out at that time (Dune, Civililzation, Strip Poker, Command & Conquer, Total Annihilation, all the Madden titles), the internet only added to the experience.  But, I missed the group setting.

I found my good buddy, Jeff Dodge, on the internet.  We had a common interest in games, and we found others of the same ilk.  Now we have a regular group of gamers numbering close to twenty, and game three, four, five times a month (sometimes more).  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been pwned, and I’m no 1337, but I love playing games.  It’s fun.  It’s a great hobby.  It is one of my most fervent wishes that gaming becomes as popular in this country as it is in other parts of the world, like Europe.  I hope to pass on the love to my kids (my wife just won’t buy into it).  I don’t ever see myself stopping, and will play just about anything these days.  I have a large library, almost an entire lifetime of experiences and a desire to share my opinions – I love the internet.

Talk to you, soon.

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