KGB Productions

Another legendary horror filmmaker has passed.  Mr Hooper's filmography lists some of the most original, and probably the most scariest films of modern times.  Of course what Tobe Hooper is best known for is the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre".  A film that has been listed in both the museum of modern art in New York, and the library of Congress in Washington.  Not bad for a film when it was released was dismissed as a sort of pornography of cinema. What the film " the Texas Chainsaw Massacre " was a film beyond its time.  Scholars have written about the film, and I believe it will be continually be written about when talking about horror or American cinema. I was introduced to the film by a friend, and when I saw it I did not know what to make of the film.  It certainly pushed some buttons within me, and that's what I think it did for a whole lot of people.  When people describe the film they say it was the most bloodiest and goriest film they had ev...

Dunkirk is one of those movies that is better seen in the theaters then seen later at home.  Dunkirk is a film that harkens back to great filmmaking.  Every frame of this film is a work of art.  The sound design is quite intricate and when the German Junkers dive bomb the beach you feel as though you are there.   Christopher Nolan the director of Dunkirk uses all the tricks of the trade to really make you feel that you are there at Dunkirk, and the dread that faces the troops stranded on the beach. Nolan divides the film between the sea, the air, and the beach.  To say that there is no one character to concentrate on would be correct.  Nolan divides the screen time among various actors who do a fantastic job at conveying the dread and the fear of the early months of the war when Germany was running through Europe, and devouring all that was good. Throughout the film we see the horrors of war, and the film begins with a bit of silence as several sold...

George Romero the director of such films as Night of the Living Dead , Dawn of the Dead , Creepshow , Knightriders , and Martin has passed at the age of 77. Romero directed Night of the living Dead back in 1967 with some friends and colleagues and changed cinematic history.    Shot for about 100K the film would go on to become a classic of modern horror, and would also be inducted into the museum of modern art, and into the Library of Congress’s National film registry.   Romero would go onto produce and direct many other films such as Martin , Dawn of the Dead , and Knightriders .   It was the film Dawn of the Dead that put zombies back into the media and it is a film that re-invented the zombie genre.   Many current shows and movies have Romero to thank for being the first to re-inventing the zombie genre and making it profitable.   Roger Ebert considered "Dawn of the Dead"one of the best horror movies ever made. On a personal level Geor...

What is it that make the Guardians of the Galaxy films so fun and worth seeing?  It's the characters simple put, and the actors who play them.  Plus there is a theme in the movies that run throughout the series or franchise and that is that their more then superheros their family.  A dysfunctional family, but no less a family.  That's what makes this franchise so good.  The humor that is built into the films, and the actors who play them so well.  From Chris Pratt who plays Star Lord to   Dave Bautista who plays Drax the actors really bring a certain joy to their characters that they are playing.  Even Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper who do the voices for the characters of Groot and Rocket are entertaining and fun. I could go on about the direction, and the art direction, but why?  It's all good.  In fact its so good you take them for granted.  The writing is perfect James Gunn and Dan Abnett do an admirable job keeping it close ...

So after seeing Rogue One I was thoroughly impressed to see how Disney is expanding the Star Wars universe.  A picture about getting the plans to the Rebels became an interesting and thought provoking story that greatly expanded the Star Wars universe, and added depth to the story.  Plus the effects, the acting, and the direction push the Star Wars universe in a very interesting place. I remember seeing the original so long ago in a theater in Manhattan.  It was my first venture into the city, and I was overwhelmed at the movie,  The sound, the effects, the story all compelled me to know more about this film.  How they made it.  Who made it, and was there more. The same could be said about Rogue One.  Special effects have come a long way since 1977.  The re-creation of Peter Cushing is remarkable, and certainly it opens a whole new way to make films, while at the same time opens a whole can of worms for the acting industry.   The las...

Okay first I was going to write a review on the newest Trek film " Beyond ", and then after seeing it I thought what's one more stupid review of a film.  And then with all the hoopla of Star Trek turning 50 I thought maybe I should do something about why Start Trek appeals to me.  So bear with me while I try and write something a bit different then your standard review. While I was growing up Star Trek was a show that was running in syndication on a local station in New York city.  I loved science-fiction, so me loving Star Trek wasn't a surprise.  It was an uplifting and well written series.  With writers like D.C. Fontana ,   David Gerrold , Robert Bloch ,  Theodore Sturgeon , and  Harlan Ellison how could a series go wrong.  Why it didn't do well back in it's original viewing was probably due to several factors, but which don't matter now.  Because the series was in syndication for so long so many of my fellow peers watched...

This is a short showing a tour of the library & some of it's exhibits.  Done with an Android Galaxy 5 cell phone, and Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015.  I had a problem of seeing myself in a reflection of the art on the wall, but I went with it just because it was a test.  Wished I had a better camera, and one that was a bit heavier so I could be a bit steadier.  The phone had no weight to it at all, and I could see every bump, so I slowed down some of the footage to minimize it.    But this was done quick, and cheap, so I'll be testing more out in the coming days.

One of the most interesting seminars was called "The evolution of AV Connectivity: Past, Present & Future".  Joe Cornwall from Legrand gave it, and he really did a great job in explaining what was, what is, and what will be.  With the talk being all about 4K, UHD, and even 8K coming to a screen near you it was interesting how he dug through the technical to explain how and why some things have to happen first before the technology comes, but I am told with certainty that this future is coming. Since the advent of TV, engineers have always sought better resolution of images we are producing.  Now with the advent of 4K our image is more detailed then ever, and of course with the talk of 4K there is 8K.  But a lot is hype because in order to get there there has to be certain changes in our connectivity. DVI (digital visual interface) died in 2015.  It is no longer manufactured.  HDMI ports have become the norm now.  I remember DVI ports in my ...

This last week I had the opportunity to head on over to NAB/CCW Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.  Two days of seminars and meeting manufacturing and service vendors of all types. Each year there is new and different technology appearing on the video production landscape This expo is an excellent place to learn and catch up with technology. The expo has something for everyone.  Engineers, filmmakers, advertisers, broadcasters, IT and A/V specialists can all come away with something here at the expo. Being an A/V specialist I came across a plethora of technology which may help me in the future.  The expo is also a good place to talk to others who are in the same field as you and also people who share their problems and solutions to various scenarios that may be of value to you professionally. The industry changes  rapidly and there are an assortment of problems we all face. IT wrestles with their problems and A/V has their own to deal with , and so...

The following article is insightful and something I'v e been talking about for years.  You can still shoot on film, and make it affordable.  I took it even further and finished on film due to the fact that I had the equipment. I edited my film on and off for around 5 years.  Pretty long time, but when one needs to pay the bills and get jobs to pay those bills one does not have the time to consistently work on his or her project, Take a look at the article.  It's well done, and has some good points in it.  Thanks Jacob Dodd   for writing it. https://jamesriverfilm.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-true-cost-of-filmmaking-in-the-21st-century/

What can be said about Jurassic world that hasn't been said by other critics.  my youngest son said it in one word: "AWESOME".  We have enjoyed the series throughout the years, but I asked my boys which do you like, and they all go back to the original.  The others felt like repeats of the same they said, and my boys aren't half wrong.  When Jurassic Park came out way back in 1993 we as an audience had not seen anything like the film.  The effects were breathtaking, and the creatures were very real looking.  That is because a lot of hard work went into the effects.  Some of the CGI was groundbreaking.  So how does one out do the original?  Simple, you don't even try. Jurassic World is a movie that is unlike the others.  It's new.  The story picks up more then 20 years latter and tries to spin it's own tale.  It seems as though Jurassic World the amusement park has been running for 20 years and without one incident.  Wh...

It looks like the summer movie blockbuster season is opening up early with the opening of " Avengers: Age of Ultron ".  The second Avengers begins with a promising opening.  It seems that the Avengers are once again battling the forces of Hydra.  From there the story develops into creating another baddie named Ultron . The film is fun, and works well, but the one problem was that it seemed overly long when it didn't need to be.  The theater was packed, and everyone seemed to enjoy it, but there were some younger children in the audience that seemed bored when there was no action on the screen, so the movie may not be geared to them particular.  But then why does the studio gear the merchandise to small kids.   I enjoyed the movies little jabs at itself.  The humor in it was funny, and it endeared us to the characters.  Such as Captain America's purity, or the Hulks anger issues, or even Iron man's love of one-liners and even Thor's go...

    I won't give out too much details about the movie for those who still want to see it.  With over 100 million copies of the trilogy sold and the books being translated into 52 languages I would think there is a built in audience for this movie.  So no matter what the critics say people are going to go see it and so this review really won't matter, but as a movie does it stack up to others of it's genre.  That genre being the erotic film. Erotica is a genre that dates back a long way.  From books, to films the genre has been a popular one and a very lucrative one too.  The film tries to be, but it isn't at all erotic.  There is a scene in the film where our heroine ( Dakota Johnson ) and Jamie Dornan (Mr Grey) sit at a piano and are whisked away in a passionate embrace, which is as close to erotic as the film gets. But to say that this film is devoid of any redeeming value is a lie.  Ms Johnson's performance is what makes the f...

 I reviewed this long ago, and now I see it's available on-line for free.  How cool is that. http://youtu.be/0Q2MI23zS2w ENJOY!

I've worked in the A/V field now for over 20 years and have installed, re-fitted, replaced, and fixed  many A/V related equipment.  The largest expense, and the most maintenance heavy piece of equipment is the LCD projector. No matter where I go I am confronted by these dinosaurs and as always I've written memos on what to do about them that usually lands on deaf ears.  replace those LCD with LED projectors and you're organization will be happy, and a even have a bit more cash.  LED projectors are quite good, and can last 10 to 20 years.  Now of course the having a piece of equipment that last almost 20 years may not be the greatest.  After all you want your organization to have the latest pieces of equipment, bu a projector is just that a display device.  Hook it up to a computer and or a DVD player and you have an instant presentation device.  Include a smart board and have a multimedia 21st century blackboard. Why am I talking about thi...

Gone to soon.  A brilliant thespian, comic, and performer.  He will be missed .  Thanks for the laughter. 

 I have a fascination of low budget films, and when I heard that Greydon Clark wrote a book about his career my interest peaked, and so I was happily given the book by my family for a father's day gift.  Who is Greydon Clark you ask?  He is the producer and director of such films as: Black Shampoo, Without Warning , Joysticks , Satan's Cheerleaders just to name a few.  Why should you care?  Well if you're a film enthusiast, a filmmaker, or even if you happen just to like low budget films this book may shed some light on how hard and difficult it is to produce these types of films. Mr. Clark goes about telling us how he financed, and how he produced and directed his films.  Many of these films were ultra low-budget, but you would be surprised to know where all the money goes, and that is talent.  Clark never skimped on his talent, and knew that he needed to draw audience's in by getting bankable stars.  Mr. Clarks budgets ranged from 50K ...

My oldest who is twelve wanted to see this and so over the July 4th opening we went with the family to see " Earth to Echo ".  A film about four kids on a search for extraterrestrials.  This is not ET , or a re-hash of it.  This is a bit different.  The movie focuses on the kids, and the film is seen through video that the kids record as they go about their adventure.  I thought the way the film was presented was kind of cool, and was a different take on movies with the same plot line.  The movie reminds me a bit of a Spielberg produced movie entitled "Batteries Not Included ", but their are differences such as the main characters are kids and the movie is marketed to younger teens and kids that are a bit younger.  The movie is not great for children younger then 8, or that's how I felt.  My youngest who is ten liked it, and thought the alien was cute, and there is the movies problem. For all the promotion of the movie there aren't enough s...

   Okay it's been a while and another summer is upon us.  That means it's summer blockbuster time, or that's what the movie studios want you to know.  The Transformer series has been a sort of tradition in our household.  Having two boys who love the series they got their parents to also enjoy them.  I even have a love for the animated series and see how complex the series was.  But I digress.  Is this a movie you could enjoy?  The answer to that is yes, but only if you like BIG blockbuster action, where things blow-up often, and you love robots battling each other.  If not then this may not be the movie for you. The magic of these movies are that you go with the family and enjoy it together.  The movie has a universal plot of good versus evil sure, but there are some things that Michael Bay puts in that actually mimic our times.  "Keeping Earth human", and "If you see alien activity report it" are slogans taken from toda...

Here's another example of micro-film making, and this from Director/Producer Joss Whedon.  In Your Eyes - Trailer from Bellwether Pictures on Vimeo . One more example of a micro-film getting  world wide exposure.  All through the Internet.  I can only hope and surmise that bold new films will enter our consciousness, and take film making into a new realm.  If companies can make this viable for EVERYONE, maybe content will increase, and new forms of entertainment will evolve.