KGB Productions

Over at filmmaker magazine's blog they had a news idem of Kevin Smith's "Clerks 2" getting a standing ovation at Canne. This made me kind of nostalgic, and so I reviewed "Clerks" ,Smith's debut film again. Why you ask? Well when Clerks was released, and the legend began I was still formulating on how to get a film done myself. I'm a fan of Kevin Smith , and I've seen most of his films. I've laughed at his characters antics, and have been thoroughly been entertained by what I call the Kevin Smith universe. Back in 1994 when Clerks was released I was taken aback by Clerks , and it's funny and comical look at minimum wage workers. I was even more impressed at Smith since he himself lived that life, and knew full well about that world. I was also impressed on the budget and how Smith filmed his debut film. I eventually saw the film three times. Once with my girlfriend, and then twice more by myself. I studied it, and all three times I enjo

I wanted to write about a special film I have not seen yet, but am interested in seeing. " Four Eyed Monsters " isn't a film about some monster terrorizing the streets of downtown Manhattan, but a love story instead. Arin Crumley & Susan Buice made a film about their relationship, and how they met. I know you're saying not another film of young twenty-something angst. Sure enough there are enough of these films already, but what Arin & Susan are doing is unique. After playing in Slamdance and a couple other festival they have decided to tour with their film to different cities. They themselves are promoting the film through the use of video podcasts. These podcasts are about the making of the movie and in essence a movie unto itself. These podcasts reveals what a independent artist must do to promote his or her own film in today's media frenzy environment. In their latest podcasts entitled simple " 7: give a mouse a cookie " we see the problem on

Do you remember seeing " Raiders of the Lost Ark " way back in 1981? For me it was a film that galvanized me to want to be a filmmaker. Steven Spielbergs & George Lucas were filmmakers that inspired many young kids to want to become filmmakers, but for three boys living in Mississippi it became a bit of an obsession. These three boys decided to make a shot for shot adaptation of the movie. It took 7 years to complete, and about $5K to finish, but they did it. The $5K is an approximate value of their budget. No detail budget was formed it was pay as they played you could say. The movie the boys made had its local premiere, and then sat on the shelf for several years. It played in some comic conventions, and slowly the video got an underground following through these viewings. Eventually it fell into the hands of Eli Roth who brought it to the attention of Steven Spielberg . Spielberg was impressed, and sent the boys a letter thanking them for their tribute. But the tale

I didn't even know it was Jess Franco's birthday until I saw it on Tim Lucas' Video Watchdog blog . Lucas pretty much sums up my feelings about Franco, and his obsession with the cinema. I too didn't think much of the filmmaker until I saw Franco's "VENUS IN FURS". There are several other Franco films that I've liked but their names escape me at the moment. His films are so numerous and have been re-titled, and/or re-edited that it is hard to get an appreciation of his films, but with the advent of DVD a new generation can find out how truly gifted Franco is as a filmmaker. Also we can re-discover his films in a new light as more and more films are un-earthed minus the cuts Franco never intended. Some distributors have even begun to try and re-assemble some of Franco's films as per his original design. Maybe then when more and more audiences have seen his work in it's original cut they will show more of an appreciation to Franco and his work. W

So today was the day MI:3 came out, and being a fan of the series I went to see it, and I wasn't disappointed. MI:3 is a movie which moves along at the beginning, and doesn't stop till the end. If anything Hollywood is good at it is this. The spectacle. The effects, the stunts, and the sheer non-stop action. Yeah, but is it good? If anything is true it is that story is king. You want to believe in the characters and you want the story to take you to far off places where you've never been, and MI:3 does that. Cruise puts his stamp on it as producer along with Paula Wagner. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams the creator of two TV series "Lost" and "Alias". Abrams does a great job at weaving the action and the story together, and making us care about the characters. In MI:3 the characters are no longer one-dimensional. Their is a story here, and the heart of this story is that it's a love story. It is said that Cruise wanted Abrams to humanize the seri