Debbie Gibson vs. Tiffany!

OMG, someone has hacked into my dreams and stolen one of my passion projects! How else could you explain the fact that my favorite 1980’s-era teen-pop princesses, Tiffany and Deborah “you’ll always be Debbie to me, chica” Gibson will be facing off in an upcoming movie on The SyFy Network?

That’s right, amigos, the two hottest “singers” of the 80’s are gonna face off in a SyFy Saturday Night Movie entitled “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid”. Yes, that is the actual title…but wait, it gets even more awesome. This is the outline of the film’s plot as revealed in yesterday’s Hollywood Reporter:

‘Gibson will play a fanatical animal-rights activist who frees illegally-imported exotic snakes from pet stores, sending them into the Everglades, where they grow to mega sizes. Tiffany will play an overzealous park ranger who uses dangerous methods to save endangered alligators. In the script, the pair brawl at a party, then take matters outside into the swamp.’

Wow…in my version they faced off in a mall, but a swamp totally works for me too. Seriously, I’m so excited about this thing, I’m setting my Tivo as I type. Awesome! And to the creators of what just might be the coolest TV movie ever, you’re welcome…and please stop hacking into my dreams.

“Not Forgotten” is on sale now!

That’s right, amigos…after premiering at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival and playing to packed houses and rave reviews across the Southwest and in Los Angeles and New York City, “Not Forgotten” is finally available on DVD and Blu Ray wherever DVD’s are sold. If you’re looking for a deal, Amazon has the best online price ($14.99) but I bought mine this week at Best Buy for the same price.

“Not Forgotten” is also for sale at Wal-Mart — thanks for the heads up, Minnesota kinfolks! — and available to purchase and rent at Blockbuster Stores nationwide. So, check it out today!

Oh yeah, and aside from the audio commentary that I mentioned before, and my brief cameo in the movie, you can also catch a glimpse or two of my sweaty mug in the “Making Of Featurette” in the special features. I’m the dude with the gigantic head that says “awesome” a lot, you can’t miss me…

“Not Forgotten” to open in NYC!

Got word earlier this week that my movie “Not Forgotten” will be opening in New York City and three theatres in El Paso, Texas this Friday, September 11th, 2009. Which is like, tomorrow…so, yay!

Not sure what triggered this late-game release strategy, but I do know that “Not Forgotten” will be playing in the heart of New York’s legendary theatre district at the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street. If it does as well in the big apple as it did in Los Angeles, Austin, and Phoenix, “Not Forgotten” could expand into other markets, which would be very cool. No word yet on which markets we’re talking about, but, I’m still pulling for you, Santa Cruz!

In the meantime, to make way for the expanded theatrical release, our distributor (Anchor Bay) has pushed the DVD release date back from October to November 3rd. Sorry, Dad…you’ll have to wait a little longer.

But as for the rest of you, if any of y’all know anyone in NYC or El Paso…spread the word. Because starting tomorrow, “Not Forgotten” is back on the big screen, amigos! For complete ticket and showtime information check out the movie’s official website at: www.notforgottenmovie.com

“The Mentalist” goes mental!

OK, I am so not the “leaker” on this one, but someone leaked this super-cool, super-gory scene from our movie, “Not Forgotten”, to YouTube today and it’s been popping up on cool horror movie sites ever since.

So, seeing as you can already watch the scene in all it’s blood-soaked glory online, I thought I’d post a few of my favorite behind-the-scenes pics from this awesome fight scene exclusively for you.

Oh, and, don’t worry, amigos, nothing you’ll see below is as gory as the clip. The first couple of shots are of mi buen amigo, badass actor Zahn McLarnon (Calvo) rehearsing his fight with an unseen Simon Baker.

These pics were taken from my cushy co-writer/associate producer chair behind the monitor in “video village”, so, forgive the quality…

The next couple of pics are of the amazing set designed by our Production Designer Craig Stearns and his top-notch team. We shot this scene in a former high school gym in Santa Fe and as you can see, there is the fake mirror Zahn is so memorably thrown up against before having his head smashed against the filthy toilet pictured below. Cool, huh?

And yes, that is fake grime on that toilet…I checked. The final three shots are of the stuntman who pinch hit for Zahn, complete with his rocking, full-chest Santa Muerte tattoo. Zahn himself in his gore makeup and myself with Zahn just before he left for the night.

If you look real close in the picture with me, Zahn still has fake blood stains around his eyes and oozing from his ear. Now, if that shit doesn’t get people in the theatre, I don’t know what will…

“Not Forgotten” is now playing in Austin and Phoenix and opens on May 15th-17th in Los Angeles at the Mann’s Chinese in Hollywood and the Mann’s Plant 16 in Van Nuys. Check it out!

“Not Forgotten” beats “Wolverine”!!

OK, technically, the fine print should read…”at one theatre in Austin“, but still, how freaking cool is that? And not only did “Not Forgotten” rake in the dough on a per screen average, but we managed to double the combined box office take of the other three movies playing at the complex. Yee-haw!

That means that we beat the pants off X-MEN: ORIGINS WOLVERINE, GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, and ADVENTURELAND. Crazy, huh? But even cooler still is the fact that we more than tripled the performance of the current worldwide, number one blockbuster, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, in its opening weekend at the Dobie. So, yay for us!

And thank you to everyone in Austin who got out there on opening weekend to support our film! Looking forward to seeing you this week at the AMC Deer Valley in Phoenix and most of all, next weekend, May 15-17th in Los Angeles. As you probably remember by  now, “Not Forgotten” opens at the Mann’s Chinese in Hollywood and the Mann’s Plant 16 in Van Nuys on May 15th…so, if you don’t wanna incurr the wrath of Santa Muerte, you best show up!

See ya at the movies…

“Not Forgotten” Santa Muerte contest!

OK, I’m pretty sure that no one I know is even remotely eligible for this cool “Not Forgotten” promotional contest — especially since you kinda have to live in Phoenix, Arizona to win — but just in case, I wanted to let you know about it.

Here’s how it works. Register at the super cool website TxtMovieClub.com, leave a comment detailing exactly what favor you would ask of Santa Muerte (Saint Death, who is featured rather prominently in “Not Forgotten”) and if your favor stands out you win two free VIP tickets to the 7PM screening at the AMC Deer Valley on May 14th, 2009. Cool, huh?

So, if you live anywhere near Phoenix, start thinking up some creepy-ass favors to ask for! I can’t guarantee that Santa Muerte will grant your wishes, but I do know that two free movie tickets are nothing to scoff at in this economy. And remember that “Not Forgotten” opens today in Austin, Texas at Landmark’s Dobie Theatre. Wish us luck, amigos!

Halloween pumpkins for Obama!

Halloween night wouldn’t be complete at our place without watching a classic scary movie that we haven’t seen before — this year it was the Claude Rains version of “The Invisible Man”, last year it was the original “Cat People” — carving our pumpkins, and roasting up some salty-ass pumpkin seeds.

And when it was time to get carving, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind what I was gonna carve on my pumpkin’s shiny, orange face this year…the Obama logo!

As you can see from the pic on the bottom, I left out the rising sun on my first pass at the logo, but once I realized what was missing, I quickly grabbed my carving tool and made it right!

Keeping with the political theme, we contemplated carving an elaborate “No on 8” logo on Christine’s pumpkin. But, in the end, she opted for a more traditional, scary-faced pumpkin instead. I think he kinda humanizes the Obama pumpkin next to him. So, it was a good choice.

Oh yeah, and, for the record, “Cat People” is a much better movie than “The Invisible Man”. I mean, the invisibility effects and stuff were really cool — especially considering the movie was made in 1933! — but, overall, it was a bit of a snooze. I’m just saying…

Happy Halloween, amigos! And, as always, go, Obama!

“The Strangers” on DVD

I should start by saying that the version of “The Strangers” that is coming out today on DVD is not the same one Christine and I saw in the theatre in June. The DVD cut of the movie is unrated and from everything I’ve read, that would make it ten thousand times scarier!

And with a movie this downright freaky, that is really saying something. Not only is “The Strangers” unnervingly quiet, but the sounds that are there rival “The Orphanage” in their goosebump-inducing impact. Seriously, even the knocks on the door in this movie will give you nightmares…just chilling!

Another thing we loved is that the concept here is so simple: troubled couple terrorized by strangers in the middle of nowhere. There is no goopy dialouge or clunky character arcs, this is a classic, old school scary movie that does what it’s supposed to do — scare you shitless! — and does it beautifully.

Trust me when I tell you that Christine and I were not the only ones screaming out loud in the theatre. This is one of those weirdly realistic films that gets under your skin way more than something supernatural ever could.

Sure, we might not be as pretty as Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, but almost everything that happens to them in this movie could happen to us. Or you…or, well…now I’m getting all scared again just thinking about it!

Anyway, check it out on DVD and let me know what you think. Oh, and for the Liv Tyler haters out there — I happen to live with one. Christine likes to say that the reason Tyler is so good in this movie is because she doesn’t talk much. Ha! — rest assured that her performance here is probably one of the finest she’s ever committed to film.

Seriously, Tyler plays a sweaty, freaked-out chick like nobody’s business, baby. And those eyes…wow…must have been something in that Rivendell water.

So if you’re looking for some rocking seasonal scares, check out “The Strangers” today. And for the love of God, do not watch this movie alone!

We saw it together and still had to double and triple check all the doors and windows before going to bed. Yes, it’s that scary…

“Cloverfield” on DVD

Rented the insanely over-hyped Godzilla-lite movie “Cloverfield” over the weekend and all I can say is…wow…what a disaster, literally. This movie sucks so bad that it might just be one of the worst movies we’ve ever seen. And that is really saying something as we see tons of movies.

If the annoying, herky-jerky camera work doesn’t make you wanna hurl, than the acting and dialog surely will. I’m not kidding, the script is so bad you can’t even laugh at it. And this cast of pretty WB/CW rejects is so terrible that Christine and I were actually rooting for them to die.

Not to give too much away, but let me tell ya, when the most annoying character, Marlena, met her end in a spectacularly gory fashion, I literally stood up and cheered. Of course, the way she died — like so much of this crass marketing scheme of a movie — was lifted directly out of another movie (“Alien”) but hey, at least she died, so we were happy.

As for the camera work, yikes. I already have a hard time not throwing up during good movies with hand-held camera work — “Husbands & Wives”, “Breaking The Waves”, etc. — and when the movie is bad, wow, it kind of multiplies the nausea factor by a million.

Now, before you call me a film snob, let me say that bad acting and bad writing I can forgive — we have enjoyed some really bad scary movies over the years — but the biggest problem I have with this movie is that it’s not a movie at all. Seriously, “Cloverfield” plays like an extended YouTube video, and in fact, would probably have been much better had it been confined to three minutes instead of a 84.

You can almost hear the “story and plot be damned” pitch: “It’s BLAIR WITCH meets GODZILLA for the YouTube age”. I kid you not, that’s all it is. There is absolutely no explanation for anything that happens in this movie and the framing device (again clearly stolen from another movie) that this tape was found by the military is laughable.

Trust me, man, if the military found this talky, God-awful videotape, they would do some serious editing and skip to the good parts. Yes, I said good parts. Because this movie has two scenes that are pretty amazing. If you’d like to see the movie for yourself sometime, stop reading now while I discuss them.

SPOILER ALERT: The first scene that is worth checking out is when the monster attacks the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s very cool and totally scary.

And the second (and only other!) scene worth seeing is near the end of the movie when we spy the monster being bombed by the military. Shot from a helicopter as our surviving heroes (if you can call them that) are whisked to safety, it is our only clear view of the monster and it looks pretty damn cool.

And then, just when it seems like he’s beat, the monster jumps up and takes the helicopter down. Wow! This scene isn’t just awesome, but it is probably the only truly original scare in the entire film. Too bad the rest of this boring, crapfest sucks so much ass…

At the end of the day, I guess the best thing I can say about “Cloverfield” is that, thankfully, we saved some money by NOT seeing it in the theater. So, yeah!