"Twilight", "Bad Lieutenant" or "Driller Killer"? Hmmm.... what to see this weekend.

So, any big movies coming out this weekend? I can't think of anything of note... Maybe you're going to see that new Sandra Bullock film, "The Blind Side"? No? "Planet 51"? Okay... I'll acknowledge the elephant in the room - "Twilight: New Moon" comes out today and, really, no joke, I think it's a good thing for the horror genre. I do. Sure, it's PG-13. Sure, it's a romance. Sure, it's for kids. However, it does have werewolves and vampires in it. I say that's it's good for the genre because "Twilight" may act as a gateway film for these kids... weed can lead to coke and "Twilight" could lead to f'ed up, unrated slasher flicks. Also, on a more believable note, it keeps the viability of horror characters alive. If werewolves and vampires can make money in these films, they should be able to make money in other films. Right? Regardless, I did see the first one and I'll probably see this one, but I won't be rushing out or waiting in line or anything. If I do hit the theaters this weekend, it'll be to see "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans". Two reasons, I like Nicolas Cage and I've heard it's one of his best performances in years AND because the film garnered one of the best comments of the year when Abel Ferrara, director of 1992's "Bad Lieutenant", said, "As far as remakes go... I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they're all in the same streetcar and it blows up". So, go check out this Nic Cage version, then do Ferrara a favor and rent "The Driller Killer" and the original "Bad Lieutenant"... both ARE classics.

So, to take you in to the weekend, I've come across a few other things that I wanted to share...

First off, as you know, a lot of filmmakers think of the theatrical release as the pinnacle of filmmaking and we urge people to think of alternative distribution methods. Sometimes I feel like writing a book about all the different things that I've come across, but... well, I'm not really a success story, so who would care? Regardless, now I don't have to write the book because someone else has... and that someone is Jon Reiss. He wrote a book called "Think Outside The Box Office: The Ultimate Guide To Film Distribution And Marketing For The Digital Era". I haven't read it, but it has been recommended to me and I've read various reviews, all of which are good. If you're interested, he's got a site together and you can read more about it... and the book's only $20. Click on this to go to his site.

I'd also like to mention that the deadline for the 2nd annual Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention and Film Festival, which is coming up. We talked with Shane Russeck, the festival director, last year, and he offered up a great interview. You can check that out here. The coolest part about the festival is that it takes place on the haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach... just awesome. The actual festival is March 12 - 14, but the deadline for entry is November 30th, so get on it!

Lastly, I'm VERY happy to share a not-so-exclusive clip from indie horror legend, Bill Zebub. He JUST sent out this clip from his upcoming film, "Night of the Pumpkin". He's in the beginning stages of post on it and won't have a rough cut for another month or so... he just pumped this out to show people, just got it last night. Enjoy... and have a great weekend.

Linkapalooza - May 28, 2008

I was hoping to have another case study done for today and I was working away on it, but I just couldn't get it finished... so, instead, you should get it tomorrow. In lieu of that, let's have a Linkapalooza, since we missed out on that this week. Now, I know that I tend to talk about stuff that pisses me off in the industry, but I want to pass on some links to some books and articles that may better you as a filmmaker... that's right, things you should read.

Every filmmaker should be reading scripts all the time and not just new ones, but old ones, classic ones, ones they like and even ones they don't like. I recently came across HorrorLair.com and it looks like they just link to horror scripts, which should trim a lot of the fat that we don't need. Long and short, I've never talked to a filmmaker that didn't think that story is the most important aspect of a film and the best way to learn how to structure a story is to read as many scripts as you can.

A while ago, I was talking with writer/director Mark Poole, the guy behind "Dead Moon Rising", which was one of the most ambitious no-budget horrors I've ever seen. Anyhow, when I was asking him what advice he would pass on to other filmmakers, he told me about a couple books that I had never heard of before. First one is "The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap" and "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy". He told me that "the first tells you how to get the best effects possible, the second, how to be the best team leader/director possible. No kidding."

Since we're talking about books, let me tell you about the book I'm reading right now, called: The Big Picture: The New Logic of Money and Power in Hollywood. I'm barely half way through it, but I can say that it's great insight into how Hollywood actually works. It's basically about how the studios work and if you're into the business behind Hollywood, it's a great read.

Lastly, how about a magazine? Well, just an article from Empire Magazine, which is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain. They did an article a while ago called "50 Greatest Independent Films" and you'd never believe it, but horror's fairly well represented. There won't be any shockers in there, as it covers off "Bad Taste", "Evil Dead", "Night of the Living Dead", etc... but what's really cool are the stories behind why they consider them 'great independent films'. Click on the film and you'll get the story behind it.