Comet TV has plenty for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fans to enjoy with their May lineup, including Jim Henson's Labyrinth. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have artwork and details on El Gigante: The Comic and streaming info for Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl, which is now available to watch on Shudder.
Comet TV May Viewing Guide: Press Release: "You Don’T Need A Subscription To Watch These Great Movies…
They’Re Airing For Free On Comet!
Ray Harryhausen Films – Airing all Month
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Sunday May 7 at 11:30Am/10:30C
Friday May 12 at 4P/3C
Monday May 22 at 6P/5C
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Sunday May 7 at 1:30Pm/12:30C
Saturday May 27 at 10P/9C
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
Sunday May 7 at 4P/3C
Friday May 26 at 10P/9C
Jason and The Argonauts (1963)
Sunday May 7 at 6P/5C
Friday May 12 at 6P...
Comet TV May Viewing Guide: Press Release: "You Don’T Need A Subscription To Watch These Great Movies…
They’Re Airing For Free On Comet!
Ray Harryhausen Films – Airing all Month
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Sunday May 7 at 11:30Am/10:30C
Friday May 12 at 4P/3C
Monday May 22 at 6P/5C
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Sunday May 7 at 1:30Pm/12:30C
Saturday May 27 at 10P/9C
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
Sunday May 7 at 4P/3C
Friday May 26 at 10P/9C
Jason and The Argonauts (1963)
Sunday May 7 at 6P/5C
Friday May 12 at 6P...
- 5/8/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Following its premiere at last year’s Fantastic Fest, where we called it “a melancholy, ’70s-set lesbian romance/Gothic horror tale featuring a blond, a brunette, and a mad aunt locked away in her Victorian house,” A.D. Calvo’s atmospheric ghost story Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl is becoming accessible to a wider audience this week with its debut on all-horror streaming service Shudder. We’ve got an exclusive clip from the film, introducing us to innocent young Adele (Erin Wilhelmi) and her equally archetypal counterpart, the mysterious, striking Beth (Quinn Shephard):
Recommended for fans of slow-burn ‘70s horror films like Burnt Offerings and Let’s Scare Jessica To Death, Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl is streaming on Shudder now.
Recommended for fans of slow-burn ‘70s horror films like Burnt Offerings and Let’s Scare Jessica To Death, Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl is streaming on Shudder now.
- 5/5/2017
- by Katie Rife
- avclub.com
In today's Horror Highlights, we have the trailer for Camera Obscura, screening details on Shudder's screening of Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl at Nitehawk Cinema, acquisition details on Wtf!, Remedial Horror's (the website of Daily Dead contributor Bryan Christopher) fundraiser for Dcadv, and Indiegogo information for Powerbomb.
Watch the Camera Obscura Trailer: "Camera Obscura stars Christopher Denham (“Billions,” “Argo”), Nadja Bobyleva (“Bridge of Spies”), Catherine Curtin (“Stranger Things,” “Orange is the New Black”), Chase Williamson (Siren, “Beyond the Gates”) and Noah Segan (“The Mind’s Eye,” “Tales of Halloween”) and is the theatrical directing debut of Aaron B. Koontz.
Chiller Films will be releasing Camera Obscura in Theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13th."
The trailer for Camera Obscura debuted on Collider, and you can watch it below (via New Trailer Buzz):
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Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl Screening at Nitehawk Cinema, Presented by Shudder:...
Watch the Camera Obscura Trailer: "Camera Obscura stars Christopher Denham (“Billions,” “Argo”), Nadja Bobyleva (“Bridge of Spies”), Catherine Curtin (“Stranger Things,” “Orange is the New Black”), Chase Williamson (Siren, “Beyond the Gates”) and Noah Segan (“The Mind’s Eye,” “Tales of Halloween”) and is the theatrical directing debut of Aaron B. Koontz.
Chiller Films will be releasing Camera Obscura in Theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13th."
The trailer for Camera Obscura debuted on Collider, and you can watch it below (via New Trailer Buzz):
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Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl Screening at Nitehawk Cinema, Presented by Shudder:...
- 4/28/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Yet another promising sounding film is heading exclusively to streaming service Shudder, and today we have the official trailer for Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl to share. Writer/director A.D. Calvo’s Gothic, atmospheric horror film stars Erin Wilhelmi, Susan Kellermann, and Quinn Shephard. Synopsis:… Continue Reading →
The post Official Trailer Released for Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl; Heading Exclusively to Shudder appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Official Trailer Released for Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl; Heading Exclusively to Shudder appeared first on Dread Central.
- 3/31/2017
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Apr 28, 2017
Lucio Fulci, Frankenhooker and more in our round up of new horror Blu-rays and DVDs...
So, what’s your personal idea of hell? For this writer, it would almost certainly involve being chained down in the audience of an eternal live filming of Loose Women as Donald Trump waves a slice of tiger bread, forever just out of reach. Yours is likely to be similar, though it would have to be pretty grim indeed to come anywhere near Lucio Fulci’s 1981 career-best infernal vision and perhaps the definitive (obviously other than Little Nicky) cinematic depiction of eternal damnation, The Beyond.
See related Better Call Saul season 3 episode 3 review: Sunk Costs Better Call Saul season 3 episode 2 review: Witness Better Call Saul season 3 episode 1 review: Mabel
The Italian gore icon behind such genre classics as Zombie Flesh Eaters and The House By The Cemetery offers ostensibly a zombie film set in...
Lucio Fulci, Frankenhooker and more in our round up of new horror Blu-rays and DVDs...
So, what’s your personal idea of hell? For this writer, it would almost certainly involve being chained down in the audience of an eternal live filming of Loose Women as Donald Trump waves a slice of tiger bread, forever just out of reach. Yours is likely to be similar, though it would have to be pretty grim indeed to come anywhere near Lucio Fulci’s 1981 career-best infernal vision and perhaps the definitive (obviously other than Little Nicky) cinematic depiction of eternal damnation, The Beyond.
See related Better Call Saul season 3 episode 3 review: Sunk Costs Better Call Saul season 3 episode 2 review: Witness Better Call Saul season 3 episode 1 review: Mabel
The Italian gore icon behind such genre classics as Zombie Flesh Eaters and The House By The Cemetery offers ostensibly a zombie film set in...
- 3/20/2017
- Den of Geek
Stars: Amy Crowdis, Robin Lord Taylor, Josh Caras, Geneva Carr, Shirley Knight, David Pirrie | Written and Directed by Alejandro Daniel Calvo
When her overbearing mother dies, young Melanie (Amy Crowdis) is understandably torn by grief. To cope with her loss, she does what any teenager would do – craft a life-size doll to fill the void. Not only does her doll keep her company, but she also communicates with her. Yeah, Melanie is a little bit off, but she’s not harming anyone right? Things get a little better for Melanie when Dukken (Robin Lord Taylor), a poor man’s mishmash of Pete Wetnz and Billy Joe Armstrong, stumbles in to her life when he asks her to help him find a book on Nietzsche in their local library. The pair begin to forge a relationship based on their obsession with the macabre and just how unique and on the fringe of society they are,...
When her overbearing mother dies, young Melanie (Amy Crowdis) is understandably torn by grief. To cope with her loss, she does what any teenager would do – craft a life-size doll to fill the void. Not only does her doll keep her company, but she also communicates with her. Yeah, Melanie is a little bit off, but she’s not harming anyone right? Things get a little better for Melanie when Dukken (Robin Lord Taylor), a poor man’s mishmash of Pete Wetnz and Billy Joe Armstrong, stumbles in to her life when he asks her to help him find a book on Nietzsche in their local library. The pair begin to forge a relationship based on their obsession with the macabre and just how unique and on the fringe of society they are,...
- 2/1/2017
- by Mondo Squallido
- Nerdly
Sweet Sweet Lonely Girl is one of those maddening films which starts off with such great promise, but gradually falls apart, and finally falls victim to its own lack of focus and ambition.
Writer/director A.D. Calvo's latest feature is a kind of psychological thriller with supernatural overtones, a film which deals in themes of guilt and isolation, showing us a character's slow decent into madness, and for the first 45 minutes it really works quite well - an atmospheric mood-piece containing some well-observed and subtle performances. Unfortunately, as we watch the film we also watch it start not to work, as it shifts ill-advisedly into a bizarro funhouse of horror film cliches, eventually overdosing on banality. It's not a total disaster, but it is a rather frustrating experien [Continued ...]...
Writer/director A.D. Calvo's latest feature is a kind of psychological thriller with supernatural overtones, a film which deals in themes of guilt and isolation, showing us a character's slow decent into madness, and for the first 45 minutes it really works quite well - an atmospheric mood-piece containing some well-observed and subtle performances. Unfortunately, as we watch the film we also watch it start not to work, as it shifts ill-advisedly into a bizarro funhouse of horror film cliches, eventually overdosing on banality. It's not a total disaster, but it is a rather frustrating experien [Continued ...]...
- 10/11/2016
- QuietEarth.us
Set to premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 27 (see the full schedule here), Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl from director A.D. Calvo looks like a return to Gothic, atmospheric horror. Dig the trailer below, and visit the film’s official website… Continue Reading →
The post Fantastic Fest 2016: Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl Looks Like a Return to Classic Gothic Horror appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Fantastic Fest 2016: Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl Looks Like a Return to Classic Gothic Horror appeared first on Dread Central.
- 9/19/2016
- by David Gelmini
- DreadCentral.com
We've been following the rising star of writer/director A.D. Calvo for some time; he showed great promise and has continued to deliver an interesting array of horror films and his latest looks like another success.
Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl stars Erin Wilhelmi as Adele, a young woman who moves in to care for her aging aunt, a woman who rarely leaves her room never mind communicating with the outside world. Lonely, Adele befriends Beth (Quinn Shephard) and very quickly, the pair become intimate friends. And then Adele discovers that Beth isn't who she claims to be, throwing Adele down a treacherous path.
I'm always impressed by the tension in Calvo's movies and his knack for always finding and get [Continued ...]...
Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl stars Erin Wilhelmi as Adele, a young woman who moves in to care for her aging aunt, a woman who rarely leaves her room never mind communicating with the outside world. Lonely, Adele befriends Beth (Quinn Shephard) and very quickly, the pair become intimate friends. And then Adele discovers that Beth isn't who she claims to be, throwing Adele down a treacherous path.
I'm always impressed by the tension in Calvo's movies and his knack for always finding and get [Continued ...]...
- 8/26/2016
- QuietEarth.us
Gothic horror films often rely on a certain heightened mood to convey a particular kind of terror, which means that the actual story can be about anything at all, including divergent generational desires. Case in point: A.D. Calvo’s new film “Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl” follows Adele (Erin Wilhelmi) as she goes to live as a caretaker for her aging aunt Dora (Susan Kellerman). Adele quickly becomes lonely in a large, empty house as she provides food and medicine to a woman who won’t leave her room or show her face. She soon meets mysterious young woman Beth (Quinn Shephard), with whom she quickly becomes intimate friends. Soon, Beth starts testing Adele’s moral ground as she begins to abandon her caretaking responsibilities. When Adele finds out that Beth isn’t who she says she is, she’s sent spiraling down a psychologically precarious path, following in the footsteps of Dora.
- 8/25/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
With August almost over and September around the corner, we’re only a few weeks away from the start of Fantastic Fest, taking place September 22nd–29th in Austin, Texas. Following the announcement of the first wave of programming earlier this month, the second wave of films have now been revealed, including even more titles for horror, sci-fi, and suspense fans to look forward to seeing:
Press Release: Austin, TX – Thursday, August 25, 2016 – Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest delivers another dose of cinematic decadence with its second wave of programming. Procured once again from the most curious corners of the genre universe, Fantastic Fest is proud to announce its opening film, Denis Villeneuve’s stunning Arrival. Arrival marks Villeneuve’s Fantastic Fest debut, which has proven to be worth the wait as his spectacular science fiction feature promises to kick off proceedings in explosive fashion.
It wouldn’t be Fantastic Fest...
Press Release: Austin, TX – Thursday, August 25, 2016 – Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest delivers another dose of cinematic decadence with its second wave of programming. Procured once again from the most curious corners of the genre universe, Fantastic Fest is proud to announce its opening film, Denis Villeneuve’s stunning Arrival. Arrival marks Villeneuve’s Fantastic Fest debut, which has proven to be worth the wait as his spectacular science fiction feature promises to kick off proceedings in explosive fashion.
It wouldn’t be Fantastic Fest...
- 8/25/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fantastic Fest has announced the second wave of programming for this year’s edition of the Austin-based fête, which runs from September 22 — 29. “The Bad Batch,” a new restoration of 1971’s “The Zodiac Killer,” “Toni Erdmann,” “The Handmaiden” and opening-night selection “Arrival” are among the most prominent selections, with a number of appropriately oddball offerings thrown in as well. Full list below.
“Aalavandhalan” (Suresh Krissna)
Kamal Hassan stars in this ridiculously entertaining tale of an Indian commando pitted against his own serial killer twin brother in a deadly race to save the beautiful Tejaswini from certain death.
“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve)
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team — led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) — are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers — and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life,...
“Aalavandhalan” (Suresh Krissna)
Kamal Hassan stars in this ridiculously entertaining tale of an Indian commando pitted against his own serial killer twin brother in a deadly race to save the beautiful Tejaswini from certain death.
“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve)
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team — led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) — are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers — and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life,...
- 8/25/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Exclusive stills from A.D.Calvo’s atmospheric indie ghost story Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl. Writer/director A.D. Calvo (The Midnight Game) has just wrapped his latest feature film, Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl, a moody, character-driven ghost story set in 1980 New England. Here’s the synopsis: Erin Wilhelmi (The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) plays Adele, a shy and lonely farm…
The post Exclusive Photos: Indie Ghost Story Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Exclusive Photos: Indie Ghost Story Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 12/15/2015
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Full line-up of the Stockholm film festival includes feature and documentary competition line-ups.Scroll down for full line-up
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
- 10/20/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Missing Girl
Written & Directed by A.D. Calvo
USA, 2015
Part crackpot mystery, part comic-book fable, The Missing Girl is a low-key indie charmer that wears its big heart on its awkward sleeve. Writer-director A.D. Calvo gives his characters plenty of room to breathe, and the result is an intimate, though somewhat languid affair. The real revelation here is Robert Longstreet, whose mopey shop owner fascinates and frustrates like some Harvey Pekar doppelganger. Patience and persistence will be richly rewarded by this observant character study.
Mort Colvins (Longstreet) is the embodiment of ‘gruff but lovable.’ Each day this middle-aged sad-sack trudges into his store, Mort’s Comics & More, and toils over treasured trinkets and limited-edition comics. At night, he retires to his lonely apartment, listening to pre-recorded affirmations on his clunky cassette player. “You are a worthy guy. Do things that make you happy,” he implores himself; advice he obviously never heeds.
Written & Directed by A.D. Calvo
USA, 2015
Part crackpot mystery, part comic-book fable, The Missing Girl is a low-key indie charmer that wears its big heart on its awkward sleeve. Writer-director A.D. Calvo gives his characters plenty of room to breathe, and the result is an intimate, though somewhat languid affair. The real revelation here is Robert Longstreet, whose mopey shop owner fascinates and frustrates like some Harvey Pekar doppelganger. Patience and persistence will be richly rewarded by this observant character study.
Mort Colvins (Longstreet) is the embodiment of ‘gruff but lovable.’ Each day this middle-aged sad-sack trudges into his store, Mort’s Comics & More, and toils over treasured trinkets and limited-edition comics. At night, he retires to his lonely apartment, listening to pre-recorded affirmations on his clunky cassette player. “You are a worthy guy. Do things that make you happy,” he implores himself; advice he obviously never heeds.
- 9/28/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Most mystery films involve some sort of setup involving detectives, dangerous locations, and dames trapped in the middle of it all. A.D. Calvo’s The Missing Girl replaces those tropes with a middle aged guy, a comic book shop, and a girl who records voicemail greetings for her cat.
Mort (Robert Longstreet) is a comic-book store owner who has recently hired a new employee named Ellen (Alexia Rasmussen). She’s an aspiring comic-writer, but is willing to take the job in small-town Connecticut until her big break. Mort still occasionally thinks about a missing person case that his father, a police detective, never solved, and the reappearance of Skippy, a former schoolmate (Eric Ladin), only serves to rustle back up the mystery that surrounded that case. The plot thickens when Skippy and Ellen meet, and Ellen promptly vanishes afterward.
While that may sound like a mystery set-up, it’s revealed...
Mort (Robert Longstreet) is a comic-book store owner who has recently hired a new employee named Ellen (Alexia Rasmussen). She’s an aspiring comic-writer, but is willing to take the job in small-town Connecticut until her big break. Mort still occasionally thinks about a missing person case that his father, a police detective, never solved, and the reappearance of Skippy, a former schoolmate (Eric Ladin), only serves to rustle back up the mystery that surrounded that case. The plot thickens when Skippy and Ellen meet, and Ellen promptly vanishes afterward.
While that may sound like a mystery set-up, it’s revealed...
- 9/15/2015
- by Alexander Lowe
- We Got This Covered
A.D. Calvo is known in the independent horror community for frightening features like The Midnight Game and House of Dust, but with The Missing Girl, premiering in Toronto’s Vanguard section, he dials down the jump scares in favor of a bittersweet character study that’s still not without a sense of mystery. Robert Longstreet, who has given indelible performances in films like This is Martin Bonner and Septien, plays a sad sack owner of a comic book store who becomes unhinged when his pretty young employee, played by Alexia Rasmussen, disappears. Below, Calvo discusses his change of direction, his interest in […]...
- 9/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A.D. Calvo is known in the independent horror community for frightening features like The Midnight Game and House of Dust, but with The Missing Girl, premiering in Toronto’s Vanguard section, he dials down the jump scares in favor of a bittersweet character study that’s still not without a sense of mystery. Robert Longstreet, who has given indelible performances in films like This is Martin Bonner and Septien, plays a sad sack owner of a comic book store who becomes unhinged when his pretty young employee, played by Alexia Rasmussen, disappears. Below, Calvo discusses his change of direction, his interest in […]...
- 9/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
- 8/25/2015
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival’s prominence on the festival circuit has only grown over the years, with films from numerous different fields having gone on to critical and commercial acclaim. Among the festival’s different categories are Tiff Docs and Vanguard. Tiff Docs allows documentaries to get their own spotlight at the festival, giving acclaimed documentarians such as Michael Moore and Frederick Wiseman a platform for their films. The Vanguard section, on the other hand, showcases films that aren’t easily categorisable into a specific genre. With the Canadian Films lineup announcement having revealed the first set of films playing in each group, Tiff today revealed more of the lineup in each section. The list of newly announced films, with their official synopses, is as follows.
Tiff Docs
Amazing Grace, directed by Sydney Pollack, making its International Premiere
Sydney Pollack’s film of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Amazing Grace.’ Filmed...
Tiff Docs
Amazing Grace, directed by Sydney Pollack, making its International Premiere
Sydney Pollack’s film of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Amazing Grace.’ Filmed...
- 8/11/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall (Us), Roland Emmerich, Wpspecial PRESENTATIONSAnomalisa (Us), Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, CPBeasts of No Nation (Ghana), Cary Fukunaga, CPBlack Mass (Us), Scott Cooper, CPBorn To Be Blue (Canada-uk), Robert Budreau WPBrooklyn (UK-Ireland-Canada), John...
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall (Us), Roland Emmerich, Wpspecial PRESENTATIONSAnomalisa (Us), Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, CPBeasts of No Nation (Ghana), Cary Fukunaga, CPBlack Mass (Us), Scott Cooper, CPBorn To Be Blue (Canada-uk), Robert Budreau WPBrooklyn (UK-Ireland-Canada), John...
- 8/11/2015
- ScreenDaily
Organisers unleashed their latest volley of programming, an embarrassment of riches featuring new non-fiction work about education activist Malala Yousafzai, Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre, the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the iconic tango pairing of María Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes.
Midnight Madness brings a Turkish glimpse of hell, new work from the directors of Almost Human and The Loved Ones, a cyborg Pov story and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, which premiered in Cannes and backer Broad Green Pictures recently made available for Us distribution after electing not to self-release.
Vanguard entries include Gaspar Noé’s Love, Alex de la Iglesia’s My Big Night and Ryoo Seung-wan’s South Korean cop thriller Veteran.
The Masters Of Cinema programme features Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, Alexander Sokurov’s Francofonia and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister, while the Tiff Cinematheque selection of restored classics includes Luchino Viconti’s Rocco And His Brothers and Marcel Ophüls...
Midnight Madness brings a Turkish glimpse of hell, new work from the directors of Almost Human and The Loved Ones, a cyborg Pov story and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, which premiered in Cannes and backer Broad Green Pictures recently made available for Us distribution after electing not to self-release.
Vanguard entries include Gaspar Noé’s Love, Alex de la Iglesia’s My Big Night and Ryoo Seung-wan’s South Korean cop thriller Veteran.
The Masters Of Cinema programme features Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, Alexander Sokurov’s Francofonia and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister, while the Tiff Cinematheque selection of restored classics includes Luchino Viconti’s Rocco And His Brothers and Marcel Ophüls...
- 8/11/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Whether you are a filmmaker, or one of the Sundance programmers whose task it is to identify the films that make up a line-up, it is indeed the most wonderful, panic-filled and nerve racking time of the year. The 31st edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 22nd with Park City and Salt Lake City playing host to some of the more innovative, thought-provoking narrative and non-fiction films of 2015. Last year, a Jenga tall order of 4,057 features and 8,161 shorts were submitted. Now let’s think about those numbers for a second.
Twenty years ago, Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb claimed the Grand Jury Prize Documentary award, Living in Oblivion‘s Tom Dicillo was honored with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and Edward Burns’ micro-budgeted The Brothers McMullen (there is a read-worthy, lively, eleventh hour account on how it was submitted to the fest in Ted Hope’s “Hope...
Twenty years ago, Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb claimed the Grand Jury Prize Documentary award, Living in Oblivion‘s Tom Dicillo was honored with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and Edward Burns’ micro-budgeted The Brothers McMullen (there is a read-worthy, lively, eleventh hour account on how it was submitted to the fest in Ted Hope’s “Hope...
- 11/17/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Sneak Peek footage from director A.D. Calvo's supernatural thriller "The Midnight Game", available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, starring Renee Olstead:
"...teenager 'Kaitlan' (Olstead) has decided to invite over a few of her friends after she finds that her parents are leaving her home alone for the weekend.
"She's planning for a small, relatively quiet get together with her friends 'Jenna' (Valentina de Angelis) and 'Rose' (Shelby Young), but Kaitlan soon finds that Rose has invited 'Shane' (Guy Wilson) and 'Jeff' (Spencer Daniels).
"Not wanting to seem uncool, Kaitlan allows the boys to stay and party. Eventually Shane suggests that they play 'The Midnight Game', where participants confess their deepest fears while performing a pagan ritual. Anyone who performs the ritual inaccurately runs the risk of running into the 'Midnight Man', a terrifying figure that can bring the participants' fears to life..."
Click...
"...teenager 'Kaitlan' (Olstead) has decided to invite over a few of her friends after she finds that her parents are leaving her home alone for the weekend.
"She's planning for a small, relatively quiet get together with her friends 'Jenna' (Valentina de Angelis) and 'Rose' (Shelby Young), but Kaitlan soon finds that Rose has invited 'Shane' (Guy Wilson) and 'Jeff' (Spencer Daniels).
"Not wanting to seem uncool, Kaitlan allows the boys to stay and party. Eventually Shane suggests that they play 'The Midnight Game', where participants confess their deepest fears while performing a pagan ritual. Anyone who performs the ritual inaccurately runs the risk of running into the 'Midnight Man', a terrifying figure that can bring the participants' fears to life..."
Click...
- 8/20/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Anchor Bay is bringing A.D. Calvo's The Midnight Game home, and we have your chance to score a copy of it on us! That's right; we're giving it away! It's insane! Best deal ever! No hyperbole! Well, some, but it's only because we're excited!
To enter for your chance to win, just send us an email at contests@dreadcentral.com including your Full Name And Mailing Address. We’ll take care of the rest.
This contest will end on at 12:01 Am Pt on August 11th.
The Midnight Game Release Details
With games, as with life, sometimes it’s play or be played. But beware when it’s play or be prey...
On August 12th, Anchor Bay Entertainment dares you to join...The Midnight Game! An official selection at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show Film Festival, and Sf Indie Fest’s Another Hole in the Head International Genre Film Festival,...
To enter for your chance to win, just send us an email at contests@dreadcentral.com including your Full Name And Mailing Address. We’ll take care of the rest.
This contest will end on at 12:01 Am Pt on August 11th.
The Midnight Game Release Details
With games, as with life, sometimes it’s play or be played. But beware when it’s play or be prey...
On August 12th, Anchor Bay Entertainment dares you to join...The Midnight Game! An official selection at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show Film Festival, and Sf Indie Fest’s Another Hole in the Head International Genre Film Festival,...
- 8/4/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
*full disclosure: a DVD copy of this title was won in a contest from the horror website Igorslab.com. Director: A.D. Calvo. Writers: Alyssa Alexander, A.D. Calvo, Nevada Grey and Scott Kittredge. Cast: Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden and John Lee Ames. This viewer has seen a number of Argentinian director A.D. Calvo's works. From The Other Side of the Tracks (2008) to the Melancholy Fantastic (2011), this director has had an up and down career, in this critic's opinion. His latest is a haunted asylum thriller, titled House of Dust. Taking a page from Brad Anderson's Session 9 (2001) or the more recent Psych: 9 (2009), several characters find murder in a mental institution. However, this incarnation is nowhere near as interesting as the other two titles mentioned. Instead, House of Dust is a trivial affair and the film is full of filler, in both the story and shooting department.
- 6/14/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
A.D. Calvo's (House of Dust) The Midnight Game is preparing to show on DVD, through Anchor Bay. The film's official DVD artwork is hosted here and several stills from the film are hosted below. The Midnight Game involves an ancient ritual and a mysterious killer. The film stars Guy Wilson ("Breaking Bad"), Renee Olstead (13 Going on 30), Shelby Young (The Social Network) Valentina de Angelis and Spencer Daniels. A preview for the home theatre launch is here. Fear the Midnight Man! This demonic force is summoned after a ritual goes bad. Several friends find themselves face to face with this supernatural evil. But, there is no way to banish him, until he is finished with his dirty work (murder). Can anyone survive their encounter with the Midnight Man? Three stills from shooting are hosted below. The photos show the characters Shane (Wilson) and Jenna (Angelis) preparing a witchy ritual. A third still shows two characters,...
- 5/28/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Sneak Peek footage from director A.D. Calvo's Anchor Bay Entertainment horror release "House Of Dust", available on DVD, May 20, 2014. Cast includes Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden, John Lee Ames, Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren, Nicole Travolta and Stephen Spinella:
"...'Emma' is one of the bright new faces at 'Camden College'. Plagued with visions and voices all her life, she’s now trying to move past her personal demons of schizophrenia, and substitute hallucinations with higher learning.
"Emma joins her friends when they break into the shuttered remnants of the abandoned 'Redding House Asylum' on campus.
"When they accidentally shatter canisters holding the ashes of former mental patients and subsequently inhale the dust-filled air, they’re soon possessed by the souls once held within them. One of them happens to be a convicted killer from 1959..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "House Of Dust"...
"...'Emma' is one of the bright new faces at 'Camden College'. Plagued with visions and voices all her life, she’s now trying to move past her personal demons of schizophrenia, and substitute hallucinations with higher learning.
"Emma joins her friends when they break into the shuttered remnants of the abandoned 'Redding House Asylum' on campus.
"When they accidentally shatter canisters holding the ashes of former mental patients and subsequently inhale the dust-filled air, they’re soon possessed by the souls once held within them. One of them happens to be a convicted killer from 1959..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "House Of Dust"...
- 5/9/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
With games, as with life, sometimes it’s play or be played. But beware when it’s play or be prey! That's right, kids! Time for some more games of life, death, and horror as Anchor Bay is bringing A.D. Calvo's The Midnight Game home!
From the Press Release
On August 12th Anchor Bay Entertainment dares you to join...The Midnight Game! An official selection at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show Film Festival and Sf Indie fest’s Another Hole in the Head International Genre Film Festival, The Midnight Game promises a new whole spin on the games people play!
With a hot cast including Guy Wilson (“Breaking Bad,” Little Black Book, The Open Door, The Moon and He), Renee Olstead (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” 13 Going on 30), Shelby Young (“American Horror Story,” Wild Child, “Days of Our Lives,” The Social Network), Valentina de Angelis (Bereavement,...
From the Press Release
On August 12th Anchor Bay Entertainment dares you to join...The Midnight Game! An official selection at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show Film Festival and Sf Indie fest’s Another Hole in the Head International Genre Film Festival, The Midnight Game promises a new whole spin on the games people play!
With a hot cast including Guy Wilson (“Breaking Bad,” Little Black Book, The Open Door, The Moon and He), Renee Olstead (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” 13 Going on 30), Shelby Young (“American Horror Story,” Wild Child, “Days of Our Lives,” The Social Network), Valentina de Angelis (Bereavement,...
- 5/7/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Director A.D. Calvo has quickly become a favourite around these parts with his oddity and his ability to transform young casts that one would expect to find in cheesy horror fare and instead deliver horror stories that are a little more nuanced than Hollywood tends to produce (see The Midnight Game (review) as a perfect example). It's been some time since we first saw a teaser and some stills from the upcoming possession horror House of Dust but with the movie schedule [Continued ...]...
- 4/21/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Every horror fan knows that mayhem awaits in the bowels of every abandoned asylum. Still, A.D. Calvo (Other Side of the Tracks) has set his latest film, House of Dust, in just such a haunted location. House of Dust will be released by Anchor Bay Films and an official DVD trailer is now available for the film. As well, the film stars Inbar Lavi (Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the World), Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden, John Lee Ames, Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren, Nicole Travolta and Stephen Spinella (“24”). The trailer looms below. More college students are ripe for the slaughter. Several friends from Camden College set out for the Redding House Asylum (bad choice). Formerly, a place of torture, this asylum houses the ghosts of former mental patients and these wraiths possess the overly curious. One of the ghosts is a former serial killer; and soon, the killing...
- 4/15/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
A.D. Calvo's latest film, House of Dust, is on its way to home video courtesy of Anchor Bay, and right now we have the official trailer for the flick just waiting to haunt you. Check it out, and look for more on this one soon!
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids Are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren...
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids Are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren...
- 4/15/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
A.D. Calvo's latest film, House of Dust, is on its way to home video courtesy of Anchor Bay, and right now we have the official DVD artwork and several new stills that have been waiting to haunt you. Check 'em out!
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren (“Desperate Housewives”), Nicole Travolta...
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren (“Desperate Housewives”), Nicole Travolta...
- 3/19/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Finally some distro news has arrived for director A.D. Calvo's latest film, House of Dust, and we have all the details you need right here. Whatcha waiting for? Spookiness awaits! Get to it!
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids Are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren (“Desperate Housewives”), Nicole Travolta (“Two and a Half Men”), and Stephen Spinella...
From the Press Release
Redding House Asylum. For some, it’s a distant reminder of a time when medical treatment of the clinically insane bordered on torture. For an unsuspecting group of college students, it’s the first stop on a journey into terror!
On May 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unlocks House of Dust on DVD. The chilling possession shocker features a hot young cast including Inbar Lavi (Street Kings 2: Motor City, Underemployed), Steven Grayhm (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Eddie Hassell (The Kids Are Alright, Jobs), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”), John Lee Ames (Days of Darkness), Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren (“Desperate Housewives”), Nicole Travolta (“Two and a Half Men”), and Stephen Spinella...
- 2/19/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
In just one week the fourth annual Telluride Horror Show kicks off in picturesque Telluride, Co, with Ben Ketai’s anticipated trapped-in-a-mine thriller Beneath rounding out the weekend.
Other films in the line-up include All Hallow’s Eve, a Halloween-based anthology that features the return of the demonic Art the Clown, who was first seen in the terrific short film Terrifier; Jesse T. Cook’s subversive and incredibly divisiveSeptic Man; and the World Premiere of Chemical Peel, directed by Grand Junction, Colorado, native Hank Braxtan.
Joining the fest will also be Guest Director Phil Tippett, who will be on hand to present a special sneak preview of Phil Tippett’s Mad God: Part 1, a surrealistic stop-motion nightmare featuring hundreds of detailed puppets. He will also present a special screening of his short film Mutantland.
For more info visit the official Telluride Horror Show website, "like" Telluride Horror Show on...
Other films in the line-up include All Hallow’s Eve, a Halloween-based anthology that features the return of the demonic Art the Clown, who was first seen in the terrific short film Terrifier; Jesse T. Cook’s subversive and incredibly divisiveSeptic Man; and the World Premiere of Chemical Peel, directed by Grand Junction, Colorado, native Hank Braxtan.
Joining the fest will also be Guest Director Phil Tippett, who will be on hand to present a special sneak preview of Phil Tippett’s Mad God: Part 1, a surrealistic stop-motion nightmare featuring hundreds of detailed puppets. He will also present a special screening of his short film Mutantland.
For more info visit the official Telluride Horror Show website, "like" Telluride Horror Show on...
- 10/4/2013
- by Brad McHargue
- DreadCentral.com
Indie filmmaker A.D. Calvo alerted us to the trailer for his latet film, The Midnight Game. Calvo previously directed The Other Side of the Tracks, The Melancholy Fantastic and House of Dust. His latest is due for release sometime this year and you can check out the trailer inside.
In the film, a group of high school students find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of their worst fears after playing a Pagan ritual on a dare.
Renee Olstead, Shelby Young, Guy Wilson, Valentina De Angelis and Spencer Daniels star. Stay tuned for release details as they come in.
Read more...
In the film, a group of high school students find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of their worst fears after playing a Pagan ritual on a dare.
Renee Olstead, Shelby Young, Guy Wilson, Valentina De Angelis and Spencer Daniels star. Stay tuned for release details as they come in.
Read more...
- 3/18/2013
- shocktillyoudrop.com
'The Boy Who Smells Like Fish' (USA) Dir. By Analeine Cal Y Mayor
LatinoBuzz: This is your first film - they say that sometimes you have been waiting your whole life to tell the first one - Was that the case with this story?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Not with this story. I had never heard about this disease until 2006 in the first place. I was waiting indeed for a long time to direct my first feature. I felt I was ready and I enjoyed working with actors very much but the story was not waiting in a drawer for years fortunately. I saw the article in the newspaper and I immediately knew I wanted to do a film based on that news. It was a beautiful girl with this terrible disease, Trimethylaminuria, terrible more because of what it causes emotionally and psychologically to the persons not so much the physical part. I wanted to turn this drama into a comedy, otherwise I would do a documentary.
LatinoBuzz: Was it always an intention when you were writing the screenplay, that this would be in English?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Actually it was not the intention at all. I wrote it in Spanish with another screenwriter (Javier Gullón) thinking it would be shot in Spanish. But I always imagined a North American neighborhood where Mica, the main character, lives. Partly inspired by Elvis´ Graceland, he lives in a museum house of Mexican kitsch singer Guillermo Garibai but we don´t have those museums in Spain or Mexico. We started even casting Spanish actors but suddenly it didn´t make sense where they lived. Somehow it didn’t fit that the actor was saying “joder” and other Spanish slang with this setting. Also the singer was supposedly very famous so I wanted it to be outside Mexico, he was an International singer after all. Now that I see the film it seems naturally suited for English language and the good news is that nobody that read it after it was translated suspected it was first in Spanish. Then my Canadian producer Niv Fichman told me “ You need to meet this actor, Douglas Smith, he is perfect for 'Mica'”. So I waited for the occasion for several months and finally one evening in Toronto we met after a screening and walking towards him was really like a film , I still remember crossing to the other side of the theater like in slow motion and when I saw him I knew it was going to work. I don´t know who was more nervous but he stepped on my foot. Zöe Kravitz came later. I didn´t write thinking of any actor in particular. I wanted someone that was attractive but that could stand out in other ways. There´s always in Hollywood like 4 or 5 actresses that I confuse because they don´t really stand out. She had to have a personality that you believed she fell in love with someone like him, and also a beautiful women that in the story is relaxed about her looks. She is an amazing actress and has something unique that I can´t really put in words. She is just a natural.
LatinoBuzz: You've worked on projects across the globe - has it changed the way you look at art?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: After making video art in Innbruck, Austria and then getting a grant in almost the opposite city: New Delhi, I changed the way of working and also I try to get rid of clichés about expecting some art based on the artist´s Nationality. I learned to see more, I guess. I write a project back home but then when I get to a place I take my time to observe. I forbid myself to take photographs the first week and after a week I decide how to adapt my project or throw it away and start from scratch. Also after traveling I know that people expect a type of film again depending of your Nationality but that is a prejudice. Some people are going to say my film is not very Mexican or very Latin but that is if they are referring to a cliché of the “Mexicanity”. What does a film needs to have a Mexican flavor? Cactus, drug lords? Well, I have some mariachi music after all but because my characters live in a house of a Mexican singer. It ´s all part of the same world.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing women filmmakers coming out of Latin America that's bringing an excitement and an invigorating voice that's been missing - do you see this continuing to emerge or is there still much needed change needed within the industry?
AnaIeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm optimistic of the emerging women directors. Every year I see a little bit more coming up slowly. In Mexico at least, the industry is still a man´s world. It's funny how some crew members can´t say “Yes, Mam” they say “Yes sir “ all the time! And they do it without thinking. I´m “Sir” in Mexico a lot of times. I admire Claudia Llosa and in Mexico, Paula Markovich, Mariana Chenillo and Patricia Arriaga.
LatinoBuzz: What's next from you?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm working on a new script that has to happen in an isolated forest, perhaps Sweden or Finland but while that film takes shape I might spend all my savings to do a very, very low budget film. This is one thing that I still enjoy in Mexico: my colleagues make films with 20 million pesos, 2 million or $200,000.
Visit www.analeine.com for more on this great talent!
The Midnight Game (USA) Dir. By A.D. Calvo
LatinoBuzz: What was the first horror film that scared the bejeezus out of you and got you hooked?
A.D. Calvo: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things. Back in '79, shortly after my father died, my mom moved us into an old white house on a hill with an historic New England cemetery in the backyard. My bedroom window overlooked the tiny lot riddled with crooked, broken headstones. I can still remember the name on one of them, Alexander X. Weed, and my morbid fascination with the babies’ graves that had shifted in the ground over the years, revealing dark crevices into the earth around them. We didn't have cable back then, so I'd occasionally catch a scary movie on channel 9 or 11, our local NY affiliates. This film really scared the crap out of me. The thought of the dead rising from their graves kept me awake half the night. I was only 11 at the time, and I'm sure the death of my father -- and that damn cemetery – didn’t help. I checked that film out recently, and it was rather comical, deliberately campy. But man, oh, man, it wasn't back then. Orville was a living corpse who haunted me on many nights.
LatinoBuzz: How do you see your work evolving within the horror genre?
A.D. Calvo: Honestly, I'm not a big fan of violence in film and have consistently focused more on the psychological aspects of horror. In my more recent films, particularly The Midnight Game, I've tried to "amp up" certain graphic elements -- but my style is still a far cry from anything close to gore porn or slasher, which are just not my thing. I love a great ghost story and would love to revisit that world with a more mature approach one day. I think of horror classics like The Shining as benchmarks for what's possible within that realm. It all comes down to finding the right screenplay or writing something that I feel really works. After four films, three of which were skewed more toward young-adult horror, I'm looking to shift into more mature themes.
LatinoBuzz: With the likes of Guillermo Del Toro and Fede Alvarez etc and even a film like, Mama - crossing over to the mainstream, do you see a possible gateway for films to be made starring a Latino cast and marketed successfully to an American Latino audience?
A.D. Calvo: Yes, I do. I've always loved Latin horror films like The Devil's Backboneand The Orphanage, and even cerebral sci-fi like Timecrimes. I like the weird ones too, e.g., Santa Sangre, The Last Circus. There's just so many amazing Latino actors and directors, many who haven't been exposed much to Us audiences. The Argentine actor, Ricardo Darin, is a personal favorite, but lesser known here in the states, despite the Oscar win for The Secret in their Eyes. He'd be great in an American Latino ghost story! Something gothic like The Others, don't you think? Perhaps a nice mix of foreign Latino names, like Darin, and some better known domestic faces (Oscar Isaac, John Leguizamo, Rosario Dawson -- a few more personal favs). It's fun to think of the possibilities.
LatinoBuzz: You take a trip to a cabin in the middle of the woods straight outta Deliverance with 4 characters from Horror films and there's no cell phone reception -- because, despite all previous warnings, it's still a great idea -- Who are they and who's out in the woods (Dick Cheney is a perfectly acceptable answer)?
A.D. Calvo: I love this question! Here's my dream team: I'd take a Ripley-like character (from Alien)—someone who's capable of kicking ass and protecting the bunch; and I'd throw in a weak male sidekick, to provide a little comic relief—the quirky Shaggy of the bunch. My cabin wouldn't be complete without a wise old man, physically inferior but intellectually a necessity to the group's survival (I'm picturing Michael Caine type wisdom and self assurance here)… Then, lastly, I'd toss in another woman, but a sensitive type—someone who understands that even evil can have a good side. A character like the one Naomi Watts played in The Ring. She'll help offset Ripley's take-no-prisoners attitude, But will make the crucial mistake of sparing the lives of a few of our villains, who are none other than a mutant militia controlled by their own evil inbred children. (Militias really scare me. As do evil children.) Not sure what my chances of survival would be, but it would make for an interesting movie!
LatinoBuzz: Where and how do the ideas come to you? And how do you flesh them out?
A.D. Calvo: My creative process can be summed up as follows: left brain, right brain. On the one hand, I think about other films I've responded to and try to create an amalgam, of sorts, from that. Something fresh and new, but that still feels familiar and is producible within a set of constraints. This is the logical, left brain half of the process. On the other hand, I remain open to the infinite possibilities that unfold before us, in a more mystical and romantic way (the "creative tap" we all have access to). I have found this balance serves me well. Being true to my vision, creatively and aesthetically, while listening to, but not being bound by, the business side of things. In terms of fleshing out ideas, I have a great set of "go to" people whose opinions I really trust. As with any collaborative endeavor, it's important to keep folks involved (and hence excited about the project). Of course, it's also important to separate individual tastes and personal opinions from more important ideas that can make a project better (and not just different). When you hear that a particular thing isn't working, from a couple of trusted sources, you know you have a problem. Likewise if one's suggestion is well received by others on your team then it's probably worth pursuing, despite any hesitation you may have. I believe you can do this without compromising the so-called, "singular vision of the director." I've heard of film directors referred to as "benign dictators" but the key word here is "benign" and not "dictator." Filmmaking is a collaborative medium so you're acting more like a creative CEO, you still have a boardroom of key folks to listen to. It's really just a matter of building the right team and becoming calibrated enough to recognize the things that raise the bar versus the things that don't really matter. That's the core of it, I think. That, and not letting your ego get in the way of that, is key.
LatinoBuzz: What are the next projects?
A.D Calvo: I just finished another screenplay, my first in 2 years. It's definitely a deviation from horror. It’s a character-driven mystery with a little magical realism thrown in. American Splendor and Ghost World meetThe Lovely Bones. Very different for me. I've also been developing an original time travel concept. Sci-fi is a genre I've always enjoyed and I have a unique idea for a time machine that's fairly well grounded in physics... I have a few other concepts in various stages of development.
Any of these projects could be next, but we'll have to wait and see. Having the wherewithal to push another film through to the end is becoming a greater challenge, psychically, for me. Knowing the pitfalls and what is and isn't possible, given a budget, can become a hindrance of sorts, but it can also make you more discerning and creative—which is a good thing… as long as it doesn't cripple you.
For more on A.D.'s work, check out: www.goodnightfilm.com
Eenie Meenie Mineny Moe (USA) Dir. by Jorge 'Jokes' Yanez
LatinoBuzz: Tell us about the scene in the 305 -- there's a few collectives down there doing really interesting things.
Jokes: The 305 is my home, and there's nothing like it anywhere in the world, the mix of cultures, styles, personalities and weather is a stew with a flavor all its own. In the last few years the arts has really been gaining momentum and there’s talent that is staying and making stuff here which is great. I love seeing Miami artists I grew up with getting their respect. Miami has made its mark in music, sports and visual art and I'm happy that it’s finally starting to get an identity in film.
Latinobuzz: Where did this idea come from and how long from when you wrote this, did it go into production?
Jokes: The idea was conceived around 2003/2004, I was living in L.A. and directing music videos flying to all these different cities and I noticed how people would tell me I had an accent and style that they couldn't put a finger on. When I would say “Miami” they would say of course, it's obvious. So the first seed of making a feature with characters that were authentically Miami came to mind in the way New York filmmakers tell New York stories and wanting to make a movie that addressed a lot of the attitudes that I thought were prevalent in the 305, especially about hustlers with strong ethics and loyalty that were gaming the system. The final ingredient was meeting a few tow truck drivers and it inspired using that as a thread to tie everything together. In early 2007, J.Bishop, my writing partner and I finished the script and I started looking for financing. In 2009, we created a short film 'Vladimir’s Vodka' that features some of the characters and the aesthetics of “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe”. That piece created the momentum we needed and we finally went into production in late 2011.
LatinoBuzz: Who are the filmmakers that inspired the aesthetic of your work?
Jokes: I would say for this film i was really inspired by the work of Brian DePalma, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and a few little sprinkles of Kubrick, Scorsese and James Cameron. I mean all these guys are like titans in the industry its hard to make a movie and not be influenced by their work. Overall, I’ve been a film buff for years and there’s so many influences that contribute to my aesthetic choices.
LatinoBuzz: What does premiering in your home town mean to you?
Jokes: I couldn't imagine it any better way. I made this movie because of growing up in Miami and being able to share it with so many of my friends and family is what its all about.
LatinoBuzz: What are the constraints of making independent films in Miami?
Jokes: The biggest constraint is finding money, Miami is a party town and not too many investors have done anything in the movie business and actually not been burned by it, the second is the weather being outdoors in the summer is hot and wet two things that’ll put a production in slow motion.
LatinoBuzz: And what are the benefits?
Jokes: Locations and finding people that are still mesmerized by the allure of the movie biz. In La it's big business and people are jaded and want their check, here so many people are just so helpful and proud that their block or business is being shown that they bend over backwards to accommodate you.
LatinoBuzz: Name a classic novel you could make into a film, and set it in Miami -- what is it and who is in it?
Jokes: 'The Count of Monte Cristo': I can see that being re-imagined into a Miami setting and I am definitely drawn into the revenge plot. I would love to use Benecio Del Toro, Julio Mechoso and Nestor Carbonell and some fresh new faces. I like discoveries.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next Jokes Flick?
Jokes: The next one is titled 'The Local Crew', it's a true to life story about some of the experiences J.Bishop and I had growing up. We just finished the script and are building the team to produce it.
For more on Jokes flick, visit: www.eeniemeeniemineymoe.com
Tony Tango (USA) Dir. By Manolo Celi
LatinoBuzz: You wrote the screenplay along with Billy Sommer from an idea Max Maulion and Andres Oliveira came up with.
Manolo Celi: Yep! Billy Sommer was the genius writer. There was a lot of back and forth between us via phone and many many Skype sessions, but the best stuff was written by Billy who is a truly gifted writer. Andres and Maxx had written an initial 1st draft and they created the iconic character of Tony Tango, and what started to be a doctoring of the script, ended up being a complete transplant. Everything changed except for some character names and that there is a dance competition, but even the main characters were re-written completely anew.
LatinoBuzz: How was this presented to you in the first place?
Manolo Celi: Andres and I had worked on some commercial projects previously, and we really hit it off. They gave me that 1st draft, and while I knew the script needed work, I really related to the character of Tony who was a real underdog. I also found both Andres and Maxx to be very talented and driven to get the film done.
LatinoBuzz: How did pitching a story about an overweight tango dancer in ill fitting ballroom outfits to investors go?
Manolo Celi: All of the investments came from Andres and Maxx sources. They dealt with the financing 100%
LatinoBuzz: What about the casting process? These characters where very specific.
Manolo Celi: We were lucky that the two main characters, Tony and Pablo were already being played by Maxx and Andres. And then, we were so fortunate to find tremendous talent like Antoni Corone and Sergia Louise Andersen to complete the picture - not to mention the rest of the cast who were all truly amazing. My main concern was working with the cast to get as genuine performances as possible. While their characters are very absurd and quirky, the audience needed to relate to all of them and sympathize with them.
LatinoBuzz: A lot of care went into the detail in making the film - the costumes, the choreography and the tone of the humor was very specific. How did you go about getting the right team with budget limitations?
Manolo Celi: What can I say about the crew? What great luck!! Many of them, I had already worked with or had known for a very long time. DoP Angel Barroeta is an incredible Dp and professional, not to mention a beautiful human being. Tom Criswell is hilarious and somehow made the art department work with barely any resources, Li Millian, the wardrobe stylist created Tony's most memorable clothing, hands down, Jonathan David Kane made the day to day run so smoothly, Alan Ramos found us the absolute best locations we could find within the limits of our budget, Jerry Perez and Christine Lopez not only acted great throughout the movie, but they also donated so much time beforehand choreographing Maxx's dance routines, Obi Reyes did a miraculous job with all of the film's make up needs, Carlos Gomez was superstar Gaffer. Both Ad's De la Vega and Rafa Herrera ran the set so smoothly, and they kept the energy alive and the production going. And, on the post side even, it was amazing: Juan Pablo Mantilla, the music producer composed an amazing score, and also produced so many great pieces for the film, and Bob Curreri was an incredible colorist. I mean, really, everyone put in so much time and love into the project for next to no money or for no money whatsoever. I hope to work with every single one of these people again, for the rest of my career.
LatinoBuzz: And how much was specifically your vision?
Manolo Celi: It really was a wonderful collaborative process by everyone involved. Obviously, as director, it is important to have a clear vision, and keep everyone on the same track. Especially in a low budget production like this, there are always situations that crop up that force you to think on your feet and be very receptive to suggestions from your team. I believe a good deal of the film reflects my vision, with compromises due to the resources available and not having final cut of the film, but there are many things that reflect the direction that we had aimed for.
LatinoBuzz: You guys applied this green initiative to shooting the film in Miami - and here people are, thinking filmmakers are heartless brutes -- where in the process was that decision made?
Manolo Celi: We all tend to be very environmentally conscious as individuals, but it was Jonathan David Kane who really pushed the green initiative. He was really who got that ball rolling and was very disciplined about it.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Manolo Celi: I have a short and another feature in the works. The short is musically-themed, and the feature is more indie-action themed. Besides that, I continue directing commercials.
For all info on Tony Tango click here! www.tonytangothemovie.com...
LatinoBuzz: This is your first film - they say that sometimes you have been waiting your whole life to tell the first one - Was that the case with this story?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Not with this story. I had never heard about this disease until 2006 in the first place. I was waiting indeed for a long time to direct my first feature. I felt I was ready and I enjoyed working with actors very much but the story was not waiting in a drawer for years fortunately. I saw the article in the newspaper and I immediately knew I wanted to do a film based on that news. It was a beautiful girl with this terrible disease, Trimethylaminuria, terrible more because of what it causes emotionally and psychologically to the persons not so much the physical part. I wanted to turn this drama into a comedy, otherwise I would do a documentary.
LatinoBuzz: Was it always an intention when you were writing the screenplay, that this would be in English?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Actually it was not the intention at all. I wrote it in Spanish with another screenwriter (Javier Gullón) thinking it would be shot in Spanish. But I always imagined a North American neighborhood where Mica, the main character, lives. Partly inspired by Elvis´ Graceland, he lives in a museum house of Mexican kitsch singer Guillermo Garibai but we don´t have those museums in Spain or Mexico. We started even casting Spanish actors but suddenly it didn´t make sense where they lived. Somehow it didn’t fit that the actor was saying “joder” and other Spanish slang with this setting. Also the singer was supposedly very famous so I wanted it to be outside Mexico, he was an International singer after all. Now that I see the film it seems naturally suited for English language and the good news is that nobody that read it after it was translated suspected it was first in Spanish. Then my Canadian producer Niv Fichman told me “ You need to meet this actor, Douglas Smith, he is perfect for 'Mica'”. So I waited for the occasion for several months and finally one evening in Toronto we met after a screening and walking towards him was really like a film , I still remember crossing to the other side of the theater like in slow motion and when I saw him I knew it was going to work. I don´t know who was more nervous but he stepped on my foot. Zöe Kravitz came later. I didn´t write thinking of any actor in particular. I wanted someone that was attractive but that could stand out in other ways. There´s always in Hollywood like 4 or 5 actresses that I confuse because they don´t really stand out. She had to have a personality that you believed she fell in love with someone like him, and also a beautiful women that in the story is relaxed about her looks. She is an amazing actress and has something unique that I can´t really put in words. She is just a natural.
LatinoBuzz: You've worked on projects across the globe - has it changed the way you look at art?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: After making video art in Innbruck, Austria and then getting a grant in almost the opposite city: New Delhi, I changed the way of working and also I try to get rid of clichés about expecting some art based on the artist´s Nationality. I learned to see more, I guess. I write a project back home but then when I get to a place I take my time to observe. I forbid myself to take photographs the first week and after a week I decide how to adapt my project or throw it away and start from scratch. Also after traveling I know that people expect a type of film again depending of your Nationality but that is a prejudice. Some people are going to say my film is not very Mexican or very Latin but that is if they are referring to a cliché of the “Mexicanity”. What does a film needs to have a Mexican flavor? Cactus, drug lords? Well, I have some mariachi music after all but because my characters live in a house of a Mexican singer. It ´s all part of the same world.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing women filmmakers coming out of Latin America that's bringing an excitement and an invigorating voice that's been missing - do you see this continuing to emerge or is there still much needed change needed within the industry?
AnaIeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm optimistic of the emerging women directors. Every year I see a little bit more coming up slowly. In Mexico at least, the industry is still a man´s world. It's funny how some crew members can´t say “Yes, Mam” they say “Yes sir “ all the time! And they do it without thinking. I´m “Sir” in Mexico a lot of times. I admire Claudia Llosa and in Mexico, Paula Markovich, Mariana Chenillo and Patricia Arriaga.
LatinoBuzz: What's next from you?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm working on a new script that has to happen in an isolated forest, perhaps Sweden or Finland but while that film takes shape I might spend all my savings to do a very, very low budget film. This is one thing that I still enjoy in Mexico: my colleagues make films with 20 million pesos, 2 million or $200,000.
Visit www.analeine.com for more on this great talent!
The Midnight Game (USA) Dir. By A.D. Calvo
LatinoBuzz: What was the first horror film that scared the bejeezus out of you and got you hooked?
A.D. Calvo: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things. Back in '79, shortly after my father died, my mom moved us into an old white house on a hill with an historic New England cemetery in the backyard. My bedroom window overlooked the tiny lot riddled with crooked, broken headstones. I can still remember the name on one of them, Alexander X. Weed, and my morbid fascination with the babies’ graves that had shifted in the ground over the years, revealing dark crevices into the earth around them. We didn't have cable back then, so I'd occasionally catch a scary movie on channel 9 or 11, our local NY affiliates. This film really scared the crap out of me. The thought of the dead rising from their graves kept me awake half the night. I was only 11 at the time, and I'm sure the death of my father -- and that damn cemetery – didn’t help. I checked that film out recently, and it was rather comical, deliberately campy. But man, oh, man, it wasn't back then. Orville was a living corpse who haunted me on many nights.
LatinoBuzz: How do you see your work evolving within the horror genre?
A.D. Calvo: Honestly, I'm not a big fan of violence in film and have consistently focused more on the psychological aspects of horror. In my more recent films, particularly The Midnight Game, I've tried to "amp up" certain graphic elements -- but my style is still a far cry from anything close to gore porn or slasher, which are just not my thing. I love a great ghost story and would love to revisit that world with a more mature approach one day. I think of horror classics like The Shining as benchmarks for what's possible within that realm. It all comes down to finding the right screenplay or writing something that I feel really works. After four films, three of which were skewed more toward young-adult horror, I'm looking to shift into more mature themes.
LatinoBuzz: With the likes of Guillermo Del Toro and Fede Alvarez etc and even a film like, Mama - crossing over to the mainstream, do you see a possible gateway for films to be made starring a Latino cast and marketed successfully to an American Latino audience?
A.D. Calvo: Yes, I do. I've always loved Latin horror films like The Devil's Backboneand The Orphanage, and even cerebral sci-fi like Timecrimes. I like the weird ones too, e.g., Santa Sangre, The Last Circus. There's just so many amazing Latino actors and directors, many who haven't been exposed much to Us audiences. The Argentine actor, Ricardo Darin, is a personal favorite, but lesser known here in the states, despite the Oscar win for The Secret in their Eyes. He'd be great in an American Latino ghost story! Something gothic like The Others, don't you think? Perhaps a nice mix of foreign Latino names, like Darin, and some better known domestic faces (Oscar Isaac, John Leguizamo, Rosario Dawson -- a few more personal favs). It's fun to think of the possibilities.
LatinoBuzz: You take a trip to a cabin in the middle of the woods straight outta Deliverance with 4 characters from Horror films and there's no cell phone reception -- because, despite all previous warnings, it's still a great idea -- Who are they and who's out in the woods (Dick Cheney is a perfectly acceptable answer)?
A.D. Calvo: I love this question! Here's my dream team: I'd take a Ripley-like character (from Alien)—someone who's capable of kicking ass and protecting the bunch; and I'd throw in a weak male sidekick, to provide a little comic relief—the quirky Shaggy of the bunch. My cabin wouldn't be complete without a wise old man, physically inferior but intellectually a necessity to the group's survival (I'm picturing Michael Caine type wisdom and self assurance here)… Then, lastly, I'd toss in another woman, but a sensitive type—someone who understands that even evil can have a good side. A character like the one Naomi Watts played in The Ring. She'll help offset Ripley's take-no-prisoners attitude, But will make the crucial mistake of sparing the lives of a few of our villains, who are none other than a mutant militia controlled by their own evil inbred children. (Militias really scare me. As do evil children.) Not sure what my chances of survival would be, but it would make for an interesting movie!
LatinoBuzz: Where and how do the ideas come to you? And how do you flesh them out?
A.D. Calvo: My creative process can be summed up as follows: left brain, right brain. On the one hand, I think about other films I've responded to and try to create an amalgam, of sorts, from that. Something fresh and new, but that still feels familiar and is producible within a set of constraints. This is the logical, left brain half of the process. On the other hand, I remain open to the infinite possibilities that unfold before us, in a more mystical and romantic way (the "creative tap" we all have access to). I have found this balance serves me well. Being true to my vision, creatively and aesthetically, while listening to, but not being bound by, the business side of things. In terms of fleshing out ideas, I have a great set of "go to" people whose opinions I really trust. As with any collaborative endeavor, it's important to keep folks involved (and hence excited about the project). Of course, it's also important to separate individual tastes and personal opinions from more important ideas that can make a project better (and not just different). When you hear that a particular thing isn't working, from a couple of trusted sources, you know you have a problem. Likewise if one's suggestion is well received by others on your team then it's probably worth pursuing, despite any hesitation you may have. I believe you can do this without compromising the so-called, "singular vision of the director." I've heard of film directors referred to as "benign dictators" but the key word here is "benign" and not "dictator." Filmmaking is a collaborative medium so you're acting more like a creative CEO, you still have a boardroom of key folks to listen to. It's really just a matter of building the right team and becoming calibrated enough to recognize the things that raise the bar versus the things that don't really matter. That's the core of it, I think. That, and not letting your ego get in the way of that, is key.
LatinoBuzz: What are the next projects?
A.D Calvo: I just finished another screenplay, my first in 2 years. It's definitely a deviation from horror. It’s a character-driven mystery with a little magical realism thrown in. American Splendor and Ghost World meetThe Lovely Bones. Very different for me. I've also been developing an original time travel concept. Sci-fi is a genre I've always enjoyed and I have a unique idea for a time machine that's fairly well grounded in physics... I have a few other concepts in various stages of development.
Any of these projects could be next, but we'll have to wait and see. Having the wherewithal to push another film through to the end is becoming a greater challenge, psychically, for me. Knowing the pitfalls and what is and isn't possible, given a budget, can become a hindrance of sorts, but it can also make you more discerning and creative—which is a good thing… as long as it doesn't cripple you.
For more on A.D.'s work, check out: www.goodnightfilm.com
Eenie Meenie Mineny Moe (USA) Dir. by Jorge 'Jokes' Yanez
LatinoBuzz: Tell us about the scene in the 305 -- there's a few collectives down there doing really interesting things.
Jokes: The 305 is my home, and there's nothing like it anywhere in the world, the mix of cultures, styles, personalities and weather is a stew with a flavor all its own. In the last few years the arts has really been gaining momentum and there’s talent that is staying and making stuff here which is great. I love seeing Miami artists I grew up with getting their respect. Miami has made its mark in music, sports and visual art and I'm happy that it’s finally starting to get an identity in film.
Latinobuzz: Where did this idea come from and how long from when you wrote this, did it go into production?
Jokes: The idea was conceived around 2003/2004, I was living in L.A. and directing music videos flying to all these different cities and I noticed how people would tell me I had an accent and style that they couldn't put a finger on. When I would say “Miami” they would say of course, it's obvious. So the first seed of making a feature with characters that were authentically Miami came to mind in the way New York filmmakers tell New York stories and wanting to make a movie that addressed a lot of the attitudes that I thought were prevalent in the 305, especially about hustlers with strong ethics and loyalty that were gaming the system. The final ingredient was meeting a few tow truck drivers and it inspired using that as a thread to tie everything together. In early 2007, J.Bishop, my writing partner and I finished the script and I started looking for financing. In 2009, we created a short film 'Vladimir’s Vodka' that features some of the characters and the aesthetics of “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe”. That piece created the momentum we needed and we finally went into production in late 2011.
LatinoBuzz: Who are the filmmakers that inspired the aesthetic of your work?
Jokes: I would say for this film i was really inspired by the work of Brian DePalma, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and a few little sprinkles of Kubrick, Scorsese and James Cameron. I mean all these guys are like titans in the industry its hard to make a movie and not be influenced by their work. Overall, I’ve been a film buff for years and there’s so many influences that contribute to my aesthetic choices.
LatinoBuzz: What does premiering in your home town mean to you?
Jokes: I couldn't imagine it any better way. I made this movie because of growing up in Miami and being able to share it with so many of my friends and family is what its all about.
LatinoBuzz: What are the constraints of making independent films in Miami?
Jokes: The biggest constraint is finding money, Miami is a party town and not too many investors have done anything in the movie business and actually not been burned by it, the second is the weather being outdoors in the summer is hot and wet two things that’ll put a production in slow motion.
LatinoBuzz: And what are the benefits?
Jokes: Locations and finding people that are still mesmerized by the allure of the movie biz. In La it's big business and people are jaded and want their check, here so many people are just so helpful and proud that their block or business is being shown that they bend over backwards to accommodate you.
LatinoBuzz: Name a classic novel you could make into a film, and set it in Miami -- what is it and who is in it?
Jokes: 'The Count of Monte Cristo': I can see that being re-imagined into a Miami setting and I am definitely drawn into the revenge plot. I would love to use Benecio Del Toro, Julio Mechoso and Nestor Carbonell and some fresh new faces. I like discoveries.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next Jokes Flick?
Jokes: The next one is titled 'The Local Crew', it's a true to life story about some of the experiences J.Bishop and I had growing up. We just finished the script and are building the team to produce it.
For more on Jokes flick, visit: www.eeniemeeniemineymoe.com
Tony Tango (USA) Dir. By Manolo Celi
LatinoBuzz: You wrote the screenplay along with Billy Sommer from an idea Max Maulion and Andres Oliveira came up with.
Manolo Celi: Yep! Billy Sommer was the genius writer. There was a lot of back and forth between us via phone and many many Skype sessions, but the best stuff was written by Billy who is a truly gifted writer. Andres and Maxx had written an initial 1st draft and they created the iconic character of Tony Tango, and what started to be a doctoring of the script, ended up being a complete transplant. Everything changed except for some character names and that there is a dance competition, but even the main characters were re-written completely anew.
LatinoBuzz: How was this presented to you in the first place?
Manolo Celi: Andres and I had worked on some commercial projects previously, and we really hit it off. They gave me that 1st draft, and while I knew the script needed work, I really related to the character of Tony who was a real underdog. I also found both Andres and Maxx to be very talented and driven to get the film done.
LatinoBuzz: How did pitching a story about an overweight tango dancer in ill fitting ballroom outfits to investors go?
Manolo Celi: All of the investments came from Andres and Maxx sources. They dealt with the financing 100%
LatinoBuzz: What about the casting process? These characters where very specific.
Manolo Celi: We were lucky that the two main characters, Tony and Pablo were already being played by Maxx and Andres. And then, we were so fortunate to find tremendous talent like Antoni Corone and Sergia Louise Andersen to complete the picture - not to mention the rest of the cast who were all truly amazing. My main concern was working with the cast to get as genuine performances as possible. While their characters are very absurd and quirky, the audience needed to relate to all of them and sympathize with them.
LatinoBuzz: A lot of care went into the detail in making the film - the costumes, the choreography and the tone of the humor was very specific. How did you go about getting the right team with budget limitations?
Manolo Celi: What can I say about the crew? What great luck!! Many of them, I had already worked with or had known for a very long time. DoP Angel Barroeta is an incredible Dp and professional, not to mention a beautiful human being. Tom Criswell is hilarious and somehow made the art department work with barely any resources, Li Millian, the wardrobe stylist created Tony's most memorable clothing, hands down, Jonathan David Kane made the day to day run so smoothly, Alan Ramos found us the absolute best locations we could find within the limits of our budget, Jerry Perez and Christine Lopez not only acted great throughout the movie, but they also donated so much time beforehand choreographing Maxx's dance routines, Obi Reyes did a miraculous job with all of the film's make up needs, Carlos Gomez was superstar Gaffer. Both Ad's De la Vega and Rafa Herrera ran the set so smoothly, and they kept the energy alive and the production going. And, on the post side even, it was amazing: Juan Pablo Mantilla, the music producer composed an amazing score, and also produced so many great pieces for the film, and Bob Curreri was an incredible colorist. I mean, really, everyone put in so much time and love into the project for next to no money or for no money whatsoever. I hope to work with every single one of these people again, for the rest of my career.
LatinoBuzz: And how much was specifically your vision?
Manolo Celi: It really was a wonderful collaborative process by everyone involved. Obviously, as director, it is important to have a clear vision, and keep everyone on the same track. Especially in a low budget production like this, there are always situations that crop up that force you to think on your feet and be very receptive to suggestions from your team. I believe a good deal of the film reflects my vision, with compromises due to the resources available and not having final cut of the film, but there are many things that reflect the direction that we had aimed for.
LatinoBuzz: You guys applied this green initiative to shooting the film in Miami - and here people are, thinking filmmakers are heartless brutes -- where in the process was that decision made?
Manolo Celi: We all tend to be very environmentally conscious as individuals, but it was Jonathan David Kane who really pushed the green initiative. He was really who got that ball rolling and was very disciplined about it.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Manolo Celi: I have a short and another feature in the works. The short is musically-themed, and the feature is more indie-action themed. Besides that, I continue directing commercials.
For all info on Tony Tango click here! www.tonytangothemovie.com...
- 3/6/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Director A.D. Calvo's (The Melancholy Fantastic) latest horror picture is titled The Midnight Game. In the story, several youths venture into an abandoned house to reenact an ancient Pagan ritual. This game, if successful, will resurrect the Midnight Man. Some of that ritual is show inside. In the clip, Kaitlin (Renee Olstead), Rose (Shelby Young), Shane (Guy Wilson), Jenna (Valentina de Angelis) and Jeff (Spencer Daniels) approach the house and knock on the door 22 times. Then, they snuff out their candles. What comes next? Fans will have to speculate whether the Midnight Man appears though as friends can sometimes play practical jokes. Horror fans can have a look at the clip below. Release Date: 2013. Director: A.D. Calvo. Writers: A.D. Calvo, Brett A. Calvo and Rick Dahl. Cast: Robert Romanus, Deborah Twiss, Renee Olstead, Shelby Young, Guy Wilson, Valentina de Angelis, Spencer Daniels, Luz Alexandra Ramos, and Sean Leser. The trailer for The Midnight Game.
- 11/30/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Tagline: "Ashes to ashes, all fall down." Director A.D. Calvo The Melancholy Fantastic) continues to stay busy in the horror genre. His latest is titled House of Dust. This is a feature set in a old asylum. Here a group of college students find more than a haunted building; they find the soul of a serial killer. One of the four is then possessed. The first trailer for this feature has been released courtesy of Quiet Earth and Raven Banner Entertainment. In the clip, the friends find the ashes of former residents and patients of the insane asylum. This dust has supernatural properties, which they will soon discover. Have a look at the thrilling clip inside. An official release date for House of Dust will be announced soon. Release Date: 2013. Director: A.D. Calvo. Writers: Alyssa Alexandria, A.D. Calvo, Nevada Grey, and Scott Kittredge. Cast: Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Eddie Hassell,...
- 9/30/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Director/writer: A.D. Calvo. Cast: Amy Crowdis, Robin Taylor, Josh Caras, Geneva Carr, and David Pirrie. This reviewer is a big fan of A.D. Calvo's previous film endeavor, The Other Side of the Tracks (aka The Haunting of Amelia). However, his latest production, The Melancholy Fantastic, is such a small film that tone and pacing are almost forgotten in the first two acts. Calvo offers another curious open ending, but The Melancholy Fantastic is more depression than extraordinaire. In the end, this critic was left with the question: what is missing? And, this review will offer a few answers. The film focuses centrally on Melanie played by Amy Crowdis (Breadcrumbs). Her mother recently passed away after a suicide attempt. Now, Melanie is alone in her house. Her schizophrenic thoughts keep her company while inciting her to murder. Then, Dukken (Robin Taylor) enters the picture. Will he turn her away...
- 6/28/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Renee Olstead is best known for playing nice Catholic girl Madison Cooperstein on the ABC Family drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager, but she’ll soon be taking on a very different kind of role for a new indie horror project. Olstead recently signed on to play Kaitlin in The Midnight Game, a movie about the dangers of mixing teenagers and witchcraft. Anyone who watched The Craft half as much as I did in high school knows what I’m talking about. [Variety]
Directed by A.D. Calvo and written by Rick Dahl, the film also stars Deborah Twiss (Kick-Ass), Shelby Young (The Social Network), Valentina de Angelis (It’s Kind Of A Funny Story), Spencer Daniels (Start Trek), Guy Wilson (Little Black Book), Nedra McClyde and Robert Romanus, who you may remember as the ticket scalper Mike Damone in Fast Times At Ridgement High.
The Midnight Game is currently shooting in Connecticut.
Directed by A.D. Calvo and written by Rick Dahl, the film also stars Deborah Twiss (Kick-Ass), Shelby Young (The Social Network), Valentina de Angelis (It’s Kind Of A Funny Story), Spencer Daniels (Start Trek), Guy Wilson (Little Black Book), Nedra McClyde and Robert Romanus, who you may remember as the ticket scalper Mike Damone in Fast Times At Ridgement High.
The Midnight Game is currently shooting in Connecticut.
- 5/6/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Fast Six
A source claims "Doctor Who" and "Fright Night" star David Tennant has been in talks with director Justin Lin for a small role in the upcoming sixth "Fast and Furious" feature. [Source: Latino Review]
The Bouncebacks
Ashley Bell ("The Last Exorcism") has joined the cast of the rom-com "The Bounceback" which centers on two former couples who return to their hometown of Austin on an angst-ridden weekend.
Bell will play the ex-girlfriend of Michael Stahl-David's character. Sara Paxton and Addison Timlin also star. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Snake & Mongoose
Noah Wyle has joined the cast of Wayne Holloway's drag-racing biopic "Snake & Mongoose". Wyle plays the Mattel executive who created the sport's first commercial tie-in.
Jesse Williams and Richard Blake star as drag racing legends Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen, who were longtime friends as well as rivals. [Source: Chicago Tribune]
The Midnight Game
Renee Olstead ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager...
A source claims "Doctor Who" and "Fright Night" star David Tennant has been in talks with director Justin Lin for a small role in the upcoming sixth "Fast and Furious" feature. [Source: Latino Review]
The Bouncebacks
Ashley Bell ("The Last Exorcism") has joined the cast of the rom-com "The Bounceback" which centers on two former couples who return to their hometown of Austin on an angst-ridden weekend.
Bell will play the ex-girlfriend of Michael Stahl-David's character. Sara Paxton and Addison Timlin also star. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Snake & Mongoose
Noah Wyle has joined the cast of Wayne Holloway's drag-racing biopic "Snake & Mongoose". Wyle plays the Mattel executive who created the sport's first commercial tie-in.
Jesse Williams and Richard Blake star as drag racing legends Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen, who were longtime friends as well as rivals. [Source: Chicago Tribune]
The Midnight Game
Renee Olstead ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager...
- 5/5/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
What's a Friday without a little witchcraft, right? Though we're sure most of you are already under the spell of The Avengers, we'd be remiss if we didn't let you know about another, darker project heading your way!
According to Variety, Renee Olstead (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) has joined the cast of indie horror project The Midnight Game.
A.D. Calvo (The Other Side of the Tracks) is directing the film, which is the story of a group of teenagers who make the tragic mistake of playing with witchcraft. The project is currently shooting in Connecticut.
More as it comes.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Make tragic mistakes in the comments section below!
According to Variety, Renee Olstead (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) has joined the cast of indie horror project The Midnight Game.
A.D. Calvo (The Other Side of the Tracks) is directing the film, which is the story of a group of teenagers who make the tragic mistake of playing with witchcraft. The project is currently shooting in Connecticut.
More as it comes.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Make tragic mistakes in the comments section below!
- 5/4/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Director A.D. Calvo has informed us that his latest film, The Melancholy Fantastic, is making its way to VOD March 5th on Comcast with a wider VOD release to follow on other providers in April.
That's the artwork for the upcoming DVD release (date not set) you see on the right. The film stars Robin Lord Taylor of Fox Searchlight's Another Earth as well as newcomer Amy Crowdis and Josh Caras and is described as "a strange, gripping holiday tale of grief, love, and the horrors of loneliness.'
Calvo previously directed The Haunting of Amelia (also known as The Other Side of the Tracks). Head inside for a trailer and for news about the upcoming film Poe.
Read more...
That's the artwork for the upcoming DVD release (date not set) you see on the right. The film stars Robin Lord Taylor of Fox Searchlight's Another Earth as well as newcomer Amy Crowdis and Josh Caras and is described as "a strange, gripping holiday tale of grief, love, and the horrors of loneliness.'
Calvo previously directed The Haunting of Amelia (also known as The Other Side of the Tracks). Head inside for a trailer and for news about the upcoming film Poe.
Read more...
- 2/21/2012
- by ryanrotten@shocktillyoudrop.com (Ryan Turek)
- shocktillyoudrop.com
It's no secret we dig writer/director A.D. Calvo around here, just check out the trailer for The Melancholy Fantastic, and while we eagerly await the next in his gothic mental illness trilogy, he's set to start shooting The Midnight Game in April. Here's the rundown: After playing a pagan ritual on a dare, a group of high school students find themselves trapped inside an old house, haunted by a demon called the midnight man.
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 12/26/2011
- QuietEarth.us
Some early evening distribution news has come out of the bustling American Film Market, and we've got the latest for you on tap and ready to go. Into tales of creepy dolls and Christmastime? Then, brother and sisters, do we have a fix for you!
A.D. Calvo's uniquely titled The Melancholy Fantastic has been acquired by Lightning Media for distribution within the U.S.
The flick stars Amy Crowdis, Robin Lord Taylor, Josh Caras, Geneva Carr, David Pirrie, and Shirley Knight and is said to be a very different kind of holiday film.
Dig on the trailer and artwork below.
Logline
Against the objections of a life-size doll, a delusional young girl falls for an alluring Goth in this unconventional psychological thriller.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Spend your holiday in the comments section below!
A.D. Calvo's uniquely titled The Melancholy Fantastic has been acquired by Lightning Media for distribution within the U.S.
The flick stars Amy Crowdis, Robin Lord Taylor, Josh Caras, Geneva Carr, David Pirrie, and Shirley Knight and is said to be a very different kind of holiday film.
Dig on the trailer and artwork below.
Logline
Against the objections of a life-size doll, a delusional young girl falls for an alluring Goth in this unconventional psychological thriller.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Spend your holiday in the comments section below!
- 11/8/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Lightning Media announced it has picked up the domestic home entertainment rights to writer/director A.D. Calvo's psycho-doll horror film The Melancholy Fantastic The film stars Robin Lord Taylor of Fox Searchlight's Another Earth as well as newcomer Amy Crowdis and Josh Caras. Calvo previously helmed The Other Side of the Tracks . His latest film is about a delusional young girl who still speaks with her deceased mother through a life-size doll. You'll find an early trailer below.
- 11/7/2011
- shocktillyoudrop.com
The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (Mifff), a three day international showcase of genre films, is thrilled to announce its final lineup and schedule for its third annual event.
The festival is taking place September 16th-18th, 2011 in Seattle, Washington on the campus of Seattle Center. Siff Cinema at McCaw Hall will once again be the center of genre film mania in the Pacific Northwest for filmmakers and fans alike.
Mifff’s third year will debut 5 feature films and over 40 short films from 12 countries across the globe. Over 10 of the films will be North American Premiere’s while there’s 30 films that will be making either their Northwest or Seattle Premiere. Information about the films can be accessed at the Mifff website.
Several filmmakers will be in attendance.
Tickets are available in advance online. An entire festival pass can be purchased for $40. Single day passes for Saturday and Sunday are available at $25 per day.
The festival is taking place September 16th-18th, 2011 in Seattle, Washington on the campus of Seattle Center. Siff Cinema at McCaw Hall will once again be the center of genre film mania in the Pacific Northwest for filmmakers and fans alike.
Mifff’s third year will debut 5 feature films and over 40 short films from 12 countries across the globe. Over 10 of the films will be North American Premiere’s while there’s 30 films that will be making either their Northwest or Seattle Premiere. Information about the films can be accessed at the Mifff website.
Several filmmakers will be in attendance.
Tickets are available in advance online. An entire festival pass can be purchased for $40. Single day passes for Saturday and Sunday are available at $25 per day.
- 9/14/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A.D. Calvo ( The Haunting of Amelia ) is at work on a new supernatural thriller called House of Dust . In this one, a serial killer's ghost is freed from a canister, allowing it to possess a student and terrorize a college campus. Holland Roden, Inbar Levi, Steven Grayhm, Joy Lauren, Alesandra Assante, Nicole Travolta, Steven Spinella and Eddie Hassell star. Check out the pics below.
- 8/30/2011
- shocktillyoudrop.com
House of Dust Inbar Lavi, Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden Photos. The Inbar Lavi, Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden House of Dust photos also feature Joy Lauren, Steven Grayhm, Nicole Travolta from the 2012 A.D. Calvo directed film. House of Dust‘s plot synopsis: “College students exploring an abandoned insane asylum accidentally shatter canisters holding the cremains of former mental patients; inhaling the dusty ash filling the air, they’re soon possessed by the souls once held within them. One, is a convicted serial killer from 1950.”
The House of Dust photos:
Inbar Lavi, House of Dust
Inbar Lavi, House of Dust
John Lee Ames, House of Dust
Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Holland Roden, Nicole Travolta, Joy Lauren, House of Dust
Eddie Hassell, House of Dust
I bet that serial killer possesses a guy in the film but maybe A.D. Calvo will throw a curve ball and have it possess a girl. Possibly the...
The House of Dust photos:
Inbar Lavi, House of Dust
Inbar Lavi, House of Dust
John Lee Ames, House of Dust
Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Holland Roden, Nicole Travolta, Joy Lauren, House of Dust
Eddie Hassell, House of Dust
I bet that serial killer possesses a guy in the film but maybe A.D. Calvo will throw a curve ball and have it possess a girl. Possibly the...
- 8/25/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
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