KGB Productions

I had to put this up here. Thinking that the guy who did this filmed it with a BIG old Arriflex 16mm camera while recording sound on a Walkman is so cool. I remember having to sneak shots of the subway when I was in film school. Taking an old filmo B&H DS70R camera was more my style. I even still have one. Never had the heart to get rid of it. If your unfamiliar with a DS70R camera their the cameras that are built like tanks and saw action as far back as World war 2. You had to wind them up, and you got a good 30 to 40 seconds till they stopped and then you would have to wind them again. That's of course if you shot at 24 frames per second. You could get more if you shot at a lower F.P.S, but if you did that you better be rock steady or you'll see every shake and shimmy. Those cameras also had parallax viewfinders so shooting with a 10mm lens and going hyper focal distance was the key to getting some good shots. You did that because you wanted to get everything in focus,

Last weekend the family saw Rango, and I have to say I liked the film a lot. The animation is much better then in other animated films out there now. The film is simple. A lizard whose name we don't know has an accident and is stranded in the desert alone. Our protagonist seems to be a thespian of sorts though he has little interaction with individuals. After all he is a lizard in a glass cage, so his people skills, if I can call them that, are limited. But wait if you examine the film "Rango" there are deeper meanings. Don't some of us live in a glass bubbles? Are we not all living our own reality? And when the bubble breaks such as in Rango's case we must confront the harsh reality of the outside world? What am I talking about? Isn't this a cartoon geared for children? On some level it is, and that's its main purpose. To entertain and sell Rango merchandise . Oh! sorry was that a bit of cynicism on my part? Well in essence Rango is an animated film t

Not only was she an icon, but she was a good human being.  Her work for and on behalf of AIDS charities will never be forgotten.  She was a class act, and a great performer.  She will be missed.

Okay so I hear that the studio MGM is re-vamping it's film "Red Dawn" to have North Korean invaders instead of Chinese invaders.  First off MGM shot this way back in 2009 and shelved the film because of money issues with the company.  Now the studio is spending money to change Chinese insignias with Korean insignias, and replacing dialogue to fit the re-vamp. First off I don't know why re-making a movie like "Red Dawn" was done, but since that ship has sailed I figured maybe its one more way to sell a so-so film to a more youthful market.  Then I heard that John Milus the man behind the original "Red Dawn" was co-writing a novel with New York Times bestselling author Raymond Benson called "Homefront".  This is to coincide with Core Games releasing a video game called "Home Front". "Homefront represents a fascinating vision of the near future,” added John Milius. “After completing my work on the game, it became clear

Let's hear it for moms! This film celebrates those moms who work tirelessly at home raising us, and getting no respect from their offspring. It was a quiet weekend and the boys wanted to see "Mars Needs Moms ", so since I'm not one to say no to a movie we all went. It was time well spent, and we all laughed. The film is about Martians needing moms because you see they’re incapable of raising their own offspring, which every so often emerge from the ground. Yeah I know, I know from the ground? What are the people at Walt Disney studios smoking? I mean really Martian babies from Mars itself? But remember it’s a film for the kids, and my two boys didn't blink. So what the heck. Suspension of belief is the name of the game, and funny thing is it works. The film gets to the point, and the action starts soon after, and that's all that matters. My boys seemed enraptured by the Martian world, and they said they looked cool. My boys especially liked the boy Martians w

Local filmmaker Sean Kirkpatrick is getting his film ( Cost of a Soul ) released in 50 AMC theaters nationwide on April 15th.  It's good to hear about a local guy getting his due.  Take a look at the trailer below, and on April 15th support Philly film making.  Kirkpatrick’s film was shot in Philadelphia and it stars Chris Kerson and Will Blagrove .  The story is about two Iraq war veterans who struggle upon returning to Philadelphia after their discharge, and who cross paths in a very dramatic way.

    Last weekend I went to the DIY conference at the New School in New York. This was my second time at a DIY conference. The first was here in Philadelphia, and both times I was very inspired by the crowd, and the guest lecturers. For those who are not familiar with the DIY conferences it is a roving conference that happens across the United States. "The workbook Project is for those who want to be creative in the digital age. An open creative network that provides insight into the process of funding, creating, distributing and sustaining from one's creative efforts". Lance Weiler is the founder of the Workbook Project and also a story architect of film, TV and games. Lance is the one who started it and it has become a very impressive forum to voice ideas, and to network with other digital artists. Frank Rose gave the keynote lecture about " The Art of Immersion " which was fascinating. Mr. Rose discussed examples on how the audience became involved with

I caught this on HBO the other day and I was very impressed, and quite taken by this film.  "Don't let Me Drown" is the story of two Latino kids who fall in love in a post 911 New York.  The film is directed by Cruz Angeles, and it is also written by him and Maria Topete .  The film is beautifully shot  by Chad Davidson , and it uses it's New York locations well.  Both families are from working class parents who in some way are touched by the events of 911.  The filmmakers in an interview had an idea about the film as they saw events transpire in New York.  It reminded of them when they were growing up in Los Angeles during the crack epidemic where fear and violence was a common thing.  The director Mr Angeles said in an interview that after the events of 911 fear seemed to sweep the city, and it affected many people.  In the film the two families are knee deep in the 911 events.  One family has lost a daughter, and the other whose dad was a custodian in the towers i