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Film Festivals

Bahamas International Film Festival, Nassau, BAHAMAS
AUGUST 23, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3580

FILMSTOCK International Film Festival, Luton, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 23, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $10
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3909

Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival, Chicago, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3925

Taos Mountain Film Festival, Taos, NM
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $20
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3948

Turks & Caicos International Film Festival, Turks & Caicos Islands,
CARIBBEAN
AUGUST 24, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5203

KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Santa Fe, NM
AUGUST 25, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1716

New York City Short Film Festival, New York, NY
AUGUST 25, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4611

Middle East International Film Festival - Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
AUGUST 27, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6323

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Portland, OR
AUGUST 28, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3820

Cackalacky Film Festival, Charlotte, NC
AUGUST 30, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5200

Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival, Bay City, MI
AUGUST 30, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5065

Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Atlanta, GA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $10
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6197

Hollywood Film Festival, Hollywood, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1177

Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Vail, CO
AUGUST 31, 2007 - WAB Extended Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5266

__________________________________________________________

THESE BIG DEADLINES APPROACHING FAST:

Foyle Film Festival, N. Ireland, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 23, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1733

Barbados International Film Festival, St. James, BARBADOS
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6150

Big Bang Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Last Chance Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5807

Festivus Film Festival, Denver, CO
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6272

IFP/Chicago Flyover Zone Film Festival, Chicago, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5168

Kern Projections Film Festival, Bakersfield, CA
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6102

Lake County Film Festival, Libertyville, IL
AUGUST 24, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4022

La Femme Film Festival, Beverly Hills, CA
AUGUST 27, 2007 - I Forgot Deadline
Upgraded projects save $15
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4060

Vine Shorts Fest, Santa Monica, CA
AUGUST 29, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6351

Forster Film Festival, Forster, AUSTRALIA
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6269

Montezuma International Film Festival, Montezuma, COSTA RICA
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6104

Queens International Film Festival, Rego Park, NY
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3994

Red Rock Film Festival of Zion Canyon, St. George, UT
AUGUST 30, 2007 - Work in Progress Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4410

Accolade, La Jolla, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - 3rd Early Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5207

Beloit International Film Festival, Beloit, WI
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4503

Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, OH
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1112

Filmmaker Festival & Filmmaker Award, Kent, UNITED KINGDOM
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6100

Gen Art Film Festival, New York, NY
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1151

GoLeft.TV Progressive On-Line Documentary Film Festival, Hurley, NY
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6290

INDIE FEST USA, Garden Grove, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6055

Miami International Film Festival, Miami, FL
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/1241

Miami Short Film Festival, Miami, FL
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/4565

Phoenix Film Festival, Phoenix, AZ
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/2410

Screenwriting Expo Screenplay Competition, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6201

Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5396

TREO Mobile Comedy Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
NO ENTRY FEE
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5075

Tenerife International Film Festival, Tenerife, SPAIN
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Earlybird Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5337

Terror Film Festival, Frazer, PA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Really, Really Late "Last Chance" Zombie Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5081

The International Sweet Onion Film Festival, Walla Walla, WA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/6085

The Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival, Santa Barbara, CA
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Regular Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/3834

The Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
AUGUST 31, 2007 - Late Deadline
Upgraded projects save $5
Watch List: http://www.withoutabox.com/watch/5189

Deadlines

This week, we present 8 great new Calls For Entry, 9 fine WAB Extended
Deadlines, and more than 50 (nifty) additional deadlines for you to
pick from. Be sure to check out these festivals, and the dozens of others
open for submissions below...

- Miami International Film Festival
- Florida Film Festival
- Phoenix Film Festival
- CHINH INDIA KIDS FEST
- Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition
- Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition

FINAL DEADLINES, just days away:

- Middle East International Film Festival - Abu Dhabi (UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES)
- New Hampshire Film Festival
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
- Bahamas International Film Festival


GET DISCOVERED ON WITHOUTABOX
You probably won't submit to 700 festivals, but it's now possible to
get in front of them ALL for a fraction of the cost. Splash an ad for
your project right in the back offices of the worldwide festivals that use
Withoutabox's online tools to program and manage their events. Help us
launch the Discovery Ads program and you can enjoy a huge savings over
regular pricing. Get $75 off a Discovery Ad right now by being one of
the first films to sign up! Inventories will be strictly limited, and
this offer may end at any time. You'll find a link to LEARN MORE about
Discovery Ads on your Account Home page, grouped with the Settings for
any project.


SCREENWRITERS: EXPLORE THE EXPO
The 6th Annual SCREENWRITING EXPO SCREENPLAY COMPETITION is affiliated
with one of the world's largest screenwriter trade shows, the
Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles, California. The competition offers more than
$150,000 in cash and prizes to award recipients, including the $20,000
Grand Prize and $2,500 prizes to five lucky (and talented) feature
writers. Called a "carnival for the screenwriter" by ESQUIRE magazine, this
opportunity is rich with networking and educational possibilities, as
well as a rare chance to win fantastic prizes and awards.

Be sure not to miss the next big deadline, on August 31st - submit to
the SCREENWRITING EXPO today!
View Listing:
http://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festview=1&festival_id=6201


BE A BUDDY...ON THE BOARDS.
Share your stories and advice about the festival circuit with your
fellow filmmakers on the Withoutabox Messageboards.
http://www.withoutabox.com/boards

___________________________________________________________

Pacific Northwest Screenwriters Contest 2007

The Pacific Northwest Screenwriters Contest 2007 sponsored by 928
Talent Management is now taking entries.

1st Place Winners in the 5 categories will receive: 1 Year of Full
Representation, Final Draft Software, and the Writers Award.

Deadline for entries is 9/15/07. All entries received after that date,
must have a postmark no later than that date.

*All entries must be WGA Registered or Copyrighted
*Entries must be the original work of the author/s
*All Film/TV Movie Scripts must be over 75 pages

Categories:
Drama Feature
Comedy Feature
Sci-fi - Action Feature
Thriller-Horror-Mystery-Suspense
TV Movie – Mini Series

Fees for entering:
1 Category Fee $20.00 (entering your script in 1 category)
2 Category Fee $25.00 (entering your script in 2 categories, no
project can be entered in more than 2)

The panel of 10 judges includes:

Daniel Yost, Screenwriter Drugstore Cowboy
Billy Cougar, Director of Development Here Networks
JR O'Neil, CEO 928 Talent Management
Grammnet Productions

For complete contest details and entry please visit:
http://www.928talentmgt.com

Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Announces Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Announces Winners

LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 16, 2007

Brian Price & Samuel W. Gailey of Los Angeles have captured the $10,000 1st Place Prize in the 9th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. The comedy “Whale Farts” is about a likable loser, Skip Shaw, who is content sailing thru life on his Dads money, until he's cut off. Now he must face his Dad, a killer whale, a fishing tournament, oh yeah and water in order to get back some self-respect and the inheritance.

2nd Place Winner "Code Name Veil" by Matt Billingsly.

3rd Place Winner, "Emily's Numbers" by Paul Chepikian.

Over 50 producers, managers and agents were involved in the reading of the competition.

Scriptapalooza makes winners packages and loglines available to established production companies and literary representatives.

Scriptapalooza Inc. was founded in 1998 with the intention of discovering talented writers and promoting them through the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. Since then, the partners have branched into ScriptapaloozaTV, a television writing competition and Scriptapalooza Coverage, a professional analysis service for writers.

Keeping good company, the competition is supported by the WGA,west and sponsored by legendary screenwriting software company Write Brothers Inc.

For application and rules visit www.scriptapalooza.com or call the office 323-654-5809

Press Contact: Mark Andrushko 323

Lighthouse Screenplay Competition

Lighthouse Screenplay Competition
Deadline August 1st!

http://www.lighthousescreenplay.com

Submit all genres

Grand Prize - $5,000

1st & 2nd runners-up - $1,500/each

Top two scripts guaranteed to be optioned to be produced!

All scripts will receive feedback from working industry professionals.

All submissions must be post-marked by August 1st.

Send submissions to:
Lighthouse Screenplay competition
5160 Vineland Ave, Ste 107-220
North Hollywood, CA 91601

http://www.lighthousescreenplay.com

Upcoming Screenwriting Contests

Scriptapalooza (entexded deadline)
April 20th, 2007
http://www.scriptapalooza.com/

Script Pimp
May 1st, 2007
http://www.scriptpimp.com/writing_competition/home.cfm

Nicholl Fellowships
May 1st, 2007
http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/

Grindhouse

Grindhouse

Review by John Dodd

Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino

(guest directors Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie)

The first must see movie of 2007 has arrived. Grindhouse is for all those guys who spent their teenage years in theaters or (as in my case) in front of the VCR watching hours of cheap monsters, excessive gore, and abundant bare breasts.

Grindhouse was produced as a loving tribute to the by-gone era of grindhouses, drive-ins, and exploitation films produced in the late 60s through the early 80s. These films gave the viewer what he wanted to see (sex, blood, nihilism) with little attention to finesse or art. Some might question the idea of a 53 million dollar exploitation film with Bruce Willis and Sidney Poitier’s daughter. Nay sayers may also point to the incredulous idea of a three hour homage to films that were not overly good, in the objective sense of the word, to begin with.

I dismiss all such objections. Grindhouse is a lot of fun. Some cutting might have helped an occasional lapses in pace, but this is the first film in 2007 that I did not get up to go pee during. Besides passing the piss test, how many other movie going experiences offer double features anymore?

The first feature is Planet Terror, which resembles a schlocky low-budget zombie movie. The model is Night of the Living Dead where survivors are held up in a secluded area defending off hoards of undead. The cast of characters include a tough sheriff, inept deputies, a nurse in mourning, a stripper, and a mechanic with the killing know-how. All hold up in the Bone Shack ran by J.T., BBQ maker extraordinar.

The story moves fast and furious with tongue in cheek and gore aplenty. From a tank of amputated testicles to a dripping, oozing phallus, Planet Terror has enough gross out moments to satisfy fans of Troma movies. It’s also fun to see the cast interact. Michael Biehn, the onetime king of 80s action films (Terminator, Aliens, Timebomb), plays the sheriff. Jeff Fahey of the TV show The Marshal plays J.T. and gets the role of his career. These two have the best dialogue while Rose McGowan as stripper Cherry Darling makes watching easy on the eyes.

My only (mild) complaint is that Planet Terror is a bit too tongue in cheek. When one watches a zombie film from the 1970s, no matter how ridiculous they become (and they get pretty darn ridiculous) the filmmakers, either out of ignorance or out of cynicism, took their story dead seriously. For example, let’s take Dr. Butcher M.D., a teenage favorite. There was a film with zombies, cannibals, a psycho doctor, and a woman chained to the world’s giant Jell-O mold all served up without a wink at the camera and thus making the whole mess endearing. Planet Terror is first and foremost self-aware and aware of all the films that inspired it. This is not actually bad, but it does make for a film that is more splatstick than scary, less Evil Dead than Evil Dead 2.

I’m being nitpicky. With more blood than The Hills Have Eyes remake and the best coitus interruptus in movie history, Planet Terror kicks the undead ass of Land of the Dead.


Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof rounds out the double bill. A combination psycho on the loose picture and car chase spectacular, the feature has Kurt Russell playing Stuntman Bob, an impotent nut with a custom hotrod built to withstand any crash. It is as safe as it is, with skull and crossbones for decoration, scary. Bob gets his kicks by running his car into the unsafe vehicles of pretty young women. Unlike the more infamous psycho films like Maniac or Last House on the Left, Russell’s character is pushed into the background. The stars are the women who have caught his eye, including two Hollywood daughters, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Jordan Ladd (the gymnast from Club Dread), as well as Rose McGowan making her second Grindhouse appearance.

Death Proof has received the lion’s share of critics’ praise, which says a lot negatively. Critics were not the intended target audience for any film playing in a 70s grindhouse. Death Proof shows off a good car chase in its final twenty-five minutes. The rest of the feature consists of people in cafes and bars talking. Although the conversation is about movies, TV shows, and dope, it is still talk and not action. This may be a trait of its director, but Death Proof would have made the average grindhouse patron to either nod off or wander off in search of something more immediate. Tarantino shows that while he clearly loves the exploitation films of old, he cannot quite bring himself to make one.

This is not to say that on its own terms, Death Proof is a failure. As usual, the film references provide active viewing. I caught Telefon and Dixie Dynamite but missed Used Cars and Convoy (and I’m a Peckinpah fan!). The actors give good performances. I especially liked stuntwoman Zoe Bell playing a stuntwoman named Zoe. She is surprisingly good and leaves the impression of being one tough broad. The car chase, when it finally comes, does deliver. Tarantino also provides a doozy of a last shot. I liked Death Proof, but if I had been an exploitation producer in the 1970s and an auteur wanted to sell me Death Proof, I would have said: cut ten minutes, make the psycho scarier, and get the women out of their clothes.


There is much more to Grindhouse. I will leave its best moments (like the fake trailers by guest directors) to be discovered by the viewer. I am saddened that Grindhouse seemed to have been a disappointment in its first weekend. This is the most entertainment that a red blooded, sleazy movie watching, American boy can have at the movies anymore.

To end, I would like to highly recommend Sleazoid Express by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford, a book about the grindhouses of New York City. Buy it and read it! For those that may not be as experienced with the films Grindhouse is paying tribute to, here is a list of the best of some of the major grindhouse genres. Line up that queue at Netflix and dig through those VHS clearance bins.

Best Biker Gang:

The Losers

Best Blaxploitation Flick:

Truck Turner

Best Car Chase Movie:

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry

Best Chop Sockey Not Starring Bruce Lee:

The Chinatown Kid

Best Gangster Film from Italy:

Violent City (aka The Family)

Best Giallo (European Thriller) Not Directed by Dario Argento:

The Slasher Is a Sex Maniac (aka So Sweet So Dead)

Best Outlaws on the Lam Picture:

The Great Texas Dynamite Chase

Best Revenge film:

Rolling Thunder

Best Slasher Movie Not Featuring Jason, Michael, or Freddy:

Rituals

Best Spaghetti Western Not Directed by Sergio Leone:

The Big Gundown

Best Film about Women in Prison:

Caged Heat

Best Zombie Film Not Directed by George Romero:

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Best Title for a Grindhouse Movie:

The Great Hollywood Rape Slaughter

(haven’t seen it myself, but who can argue with a title like that?)

The Death of VHS (2006)

The Death of VHS (2006)

By John Dodd

On November 14, Variety published an obituary for VHS citing retailers decision to pull the last of the format for reasons of shelf space. I have been thinking about this announcement for some time now. Last winter, just a year ago, my friend Rich and I went on half a dozen road trips to buy cheap VHS tapes from rental outlets like Family Video and Second Cinema Video selling off their VHS stock. Some stores were down to the bottom of VHS. At one all that remained were aerobic work out tapes and Pauley Shore Must Die. Fortunately, other stores had more variety.

For the last year I have been watching the fruits of these expeditions. Some might ask why go to this trouble for VHS. After all, DVD is clearly superior. DVDs have extras. DVDs have remastered sound and high resolution pictures. DVDs have presented obscure films in their most pristine and unedited quality, some for the first time in America. Almost none of the VHS tapes I bought were even letterboxed. All of this is true, but VHS will always hold a place in my heart. It was what I grew up with.

In December 1985 my family bought their first VHS player. A video cassette recorder was heavy machinery back then, one weighed (and cost) a substantial amount. It occupied the entire top of a television set. The first video I watched on my family’s player was Ice Pirates with Robert Ulrich. I have not watched it since!

The idea of a video library appealed to me back when videos were $50-$100. . . except for the cheap ones at the convenience stores. The first VHS tape I bought was The Most Dangerous Game. The EP recorded film cost only $10! Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection and The Mad Bomber with Chuck Connors soon followed. There were others that got away. I did not buy House of Psychotic Women the one time I saw it at Wal-Mart and in later years regretted it. All of the others would over the years come down from $10 to $5 to finally $.99. Back in the mid/late 80s, $10 was pretty much my monthly allowance except for some loose change for odd jobs around the house. I wanted to collect the movies but renting was much more cost effective. Renting movies was done on Saturday. I, as a young lad, was restricted to “PG” or “PG-13,” except for the video boxes that luckily had no rating listed. My family began renting videos when outlets were clubs (an annual membership fee was required). All of this changed over time. Clubs were out. To rent a videotape required only a driver’s license. Tapes slowly came down in price. With time, my video collection grew and grew.

Finally, last year’s buying trips netted me more than 100 movies (at a cost of about $150-200, not counting the considerable gas expense). I did not always buy the films that looked the best. Instead, the loudest callers were those films that I remember watching on beat up VHS tapes with friends and at home when mom and dad were gone or the videos I remembered on the shelves way back in the mid/late 80s that I never got around to renting. Many would argue that for the amount of money spent last winter, I could have instead purchased some of them on high resolution DVDs through one of the many online retailers and saved on gas. True, I could not have bought every film, but the ones that I did buy would be uncut, letterboxed, and with prints not looking like they were edited with a chainsaw. Less could be more. I do not argue, but what I do say is a death is usually marked by a wake. What follows is a sampling of the titles purchased. None of which, I might add, are available on region 1 DVD.



The Applegates (1990) - Michael Lehmann
(a.k.a. Meet the Applegates)
Michael Lehman is known as the director of Heathers. Few remember his follow up film, an equally bizarre, socially relevant comedy. A family of giant cockroaches venture from the Brazilian rain forests to the suburbs of the U.S. of A. Their mission is to assimilate and sabotage the humans. Since humans are destroying the rainforests, the cockroaches are going to return the favor. Unfortunately, suburbia proves too much of a temptation as the cockroaches fall into illicit sex, binge shopping, and drug use. This film is just as acidic as Heathers and almost as good. The only misstep is the decision to have Dabney Coleman in drag.


Housekeeping (1987) - Bill Forsyth
Based on the first novel by Marilynne Robinson, this odd movie is a real sleeper. It tells the story of two young girls who go to live with their eccentric aunt (Christine Lahti) in a small town during the 1950s. One girl falls under the spell of her aunt while the other longs for a normal Rockwell life. Although the aunt’s oddities are charming, director Forsythe never lets the viewer forget the bitter side of the story. Christine Lahti gives a great performance and both of the actresses playing the girls build distinct characters.


The Fast Kill (1972) - Lindsay Shopteff
I was tipped off about this film via an extra on a DVD (how can I dis the format too badly if it led me to The Fast Kill?). Guy Maddin in the documentary to The Saddest Music in the World praised the “can do” quality of this low budget British heist film. A gangster (with the help of his girlfriend) recruits a mercenary, a race car driver, a lesbian sharp shooter, and a bomb expert to pull off a daring jewel robbery. Of course, greed and divided loyalties lead to complications. Director Lindsey Shopteff is often dismissed as a hack, but he keeps this film moving quickly and the action swift, violent, and in limits with the film’s low budget. The videotape (courtesy of The Congress Video Group) features some of the least subtle pan and scanning I have ever seen. Despite this, the film’s story and pacing grabs one and the technical glitches add to the old school charm.


The Little Drummer Girl (1984) - George Roy Hill
For those of us disappointed with the more recent Constant Gardener, this fellow John Le Carre adaptation has all the suspense and intrigue one would expect of a thriller. Diane Keaton, not one of my favorite actresses, may be miscast as the left wing political actress drafted into spy service by Israeli agents. Still, she gives it her all and earned my respect. The film plays the moral ambiguity card well and delivers 130 minutes of interest. Klaus Kinski even appears as the head Israeli agent.


The Slasher (1972) - Roberto Bianchi Montero
(a.k.a. The Slasher Is a Sex Maniac)
From my VHS purchases, I had to pick one film of a sleazier variety and this was the best one. Farley Granger, a long way from Hitchcock’s Rope, plays a police detective out to catch a serial killer who preys on unfaithful wives. This is an Italian giallo (violent murder mystery) with sleaze, nudity, gore, the adorably unclothed Sylvia Koscina, and one nasty of an ending. In other words, it’s an exploitation masterpiece.


Wise Blood (1979) - John Huston
Flannery O’Connor is hard to adapt. She reads like Faulkner with a sense of humor. The theme is the decaying south. The characters are misfits, murderers, and conmen, but O’Connor was a devout Catholic, not a nihilist. Wise Blood shows her traits well. It’s funny in an odd way that many will not care for. Brad Dourif, in his best role, plays Hazel, a bitter young man who starts The Church Without Christ. Hazel’s messages are sincere as his arrogance. Hazel soon becomes bombarded with odd characters: huckster preachers, horny virgins, and a dull witted, monkey obsessed zoo keeper. With a terrific supporting cast including Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty, and William Hickey, the film is flawlessly acted. The viewer just has to role with the weirdness. For those who can Wise Blood proves to be on of John Huston’s strangest and most intriguing later films.


There is no question that VHS is dead and buried. What these half dozen VHS tapes show is that the format left us some good memories.

2007 Already!

Wow 2006 went fast.

Goals for 2007:

Post more.

Finish two new scripts.