cinephellas

EXCLUSIVE: Logan sits down with Director/Writer Ben Cresciman!

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

DirectorBenCresciman_DPMathewRudenberg

Independent film making is its own art form in many ways. This includes counter parts involved such as the writers, directors, producers, crew members, visual team, and actors/actresses. It’s not about the money and the big budget that will sky rocket you to celebrity stardom, but more about doing what you love and building a memorable craft.  Ben Cresciman is an independent film maker that does it all and has a great outlook on making these films special. Ben is the writer and director in his newest film, Sun Choke, which won an award at the Knoxville Horror Film Fest in 2015. Ben crafted a unique cinematic experience that drives the audience into a trance with beautifully crafted scenes that use the camera work and lighting to it’s full potential on top of a dark story. Sun Choke is a film that takes you into the mind of Janie who is recovering from a psychotic breakdown and the relationships she has with her nanny, Irma and soon to be friend, Savanna.  

It was my pleasure to sit down with Ben today to pick his brain on creating Sun Choke, his film-making process, and the tool kit he implements when making a character driven film.

Continue reading →

Review – Suicide Squad

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

sq

by Rachel Schullo

By now you’ve read many reviews on Suicide Squad. I’m sure they’ve ranged anywhere from, “THIS WAS A TOTAL SHITSHOW DEATH TO EVERYONE INVOLVED” to “OMG THIS WAS AMAZING DEATH TO ALL WHO OPPOSE THIS VIEWPOINT”. And honestly, these passionate opinions are based in some truth; there were really good parts and very, very bad parts. But after seeing the movie I’m not sure how anyone can feel that strongly about anything as mediocre as it was. Let me explain.

Continue reading →

EXCLUSIVE: Logan interviews “The Mind’s Eye” star John Speredakos!

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

 

Mind's+Eye

It’s rare to find a film that intrigues you and draws you back into the 1980’s when cinema was focused on story, acting, score, and practical effects. Joe Begos’ newest film “The Mind’s Eye” revisits the time when scripts were inventive, invigorating, and energizing. Today, I had the opportunity to interview the great John Speredakos who portrays Dr. Michael Slovak, the demented doctor that has a research facility who is studying people that have psychokinetic powers. John is no stranger to film and you may have recognized his work in the Ti West films “House of the Devil” and “The Innkeepers’ but he has portrayed characters in the horror genre for some time, but this is a new role that we have not seen in his film career. John Speredakos brings his best performance to date and it was my pleasure to sit down and interview him on his role in The Mind’s Eye.

Continue reading →

HBO’s New Comedy Series to Begin Production Later This Year

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

The Bronze Premiere at the SilverScreen Theater

The anthology comedy series ROOM 104, from brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, will begin production in Los Angeles later this year for 2017 debut on HBO, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming. Set in a single room of an average American hotel, ROOM 104 tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode.

“Jay and Mark Duplass are two of the most inventive talents in TV today,” noted Bloys. “We’re excited to see what they do with this unique concept.”

“We’ve all seen stories set in seedy motels and high-class international resorts, but for years we’ve been fascinated by the funny, weird, sad, scary, absurd things going down in that corporate chain hotel near the airport. That’s what ROOM 104 is after… finding some magic in the seemingly mundane,” added Jay and Mark Duplass.

Filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (along with Steve Zissis) were creators of the HBO comedy series “Togetherness,” which completed its second season earlier this year. They are also executive producers of HBO’s adult animated comedy series “Animals,” which returns for its second season in 2017.

Jay and Mark Duplass have written, directed and/or produced more than 20 films, including “Cyrus,” “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” “Baghead” and their 2005 Sundance Film Festival breakout hit, “The Puffy Chair.” Other films produced by the Duplass Brothers include the Independent Spirit Award-winning “Safety Not Guaranteed” and “Tangerine,” and the upcoming romantic drama “Blue Jay,” which will have its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.

ROOM 104 will be executive produced by Jay & Mark Duplass, who are also showrunners; executive producer, Xan Aranda; producer, Sydney Fleischmann.

Courtesy of HBO

Review – Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

mike-and-dave-need-wedding-dates

by Armando Vanegas

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is one of those movies I would’ve loved when I was younger and it was playing on Comedy Central on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It knows what it is and sometimes that’s good enough. It even has a really dependable cast for the most part and they were a big reason that I was curious about this. That and I couldn’t see Ghostbusters as it was packed at the time but it’s still a good substitute if you want to have some laughs. Some of the people providing those laughs are Adam DeVine and Zac Efron as Mike and Dave Stangle, two brothers who have a reputation for getting too out of control at their family get togethers.

Continue reading →

Review – Batman: The Killing Joke

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

Batman-The-Killing-Joke-Animated-Movie-Poster

by Old King Clancy

The 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke is widely considered to be one of the best Batman comics of all time, and the definitive origin story of The Joker thanks to its look into the history of Batman’s most notable enemy, as well as the shocking turn where Joker shoots Barbara Gordon in the spine, crippling her, ending her career as Batgirl, and setting up the events that would lead her to reinvent herself as Oracle. When news broke that DC animation was adapting the novel for its own animated feature, as well as getting back the cast of the Animated Series – Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker, Tara Strong as Batgirl – people were excited to see this defining novel come to life. Even more so when it was announced that for a single night on July 25th, the film would be shown in Fathom Events and Vue Cinemas across the US and UK (with a further 2 screenings on the 26th when demand became too much to handle). Not wanting to miss the chance offered to them, many fans – myself included – opted for the theatrical experience.

Continue reading →

Review – Star Trek Beyond (2016)

/ cinephellas / Leave a comment

star-trek-beyond-poster-international

by Henry Hill

Stringer Bell from HBO’s The Wire vs. Captain Kirk, who wins? We all do. This is my spoiler-free review of Star Trek Beyond.

Since J.J. Abrams gave us the fantastic 2009 reboot of Star Trek, we’ve all been reminded just how fun it can be to beam up into space and enjoy creator Gene Roddenberry’s space adventures. The new cast with Chris Pine at the helm as Captain James Tiberius Kirk have a great chemistry on screen together and they make you willing to follow them wherever they choose to boldly go. The sequel, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, solidified the staying power of the new crew and gave the Federation a worthy adversary in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison (Or was it something else, hmm…).

Continue reading →