The Killing of Jacob Marr 2010 - REVIEW

Film makers have been creating on screen carnage in the form of slasher films since the early 30's. Most notably would be Thirteen Women then growing progressively more intense into the 60's with Psycho. The 70's brought us Michael Myers in Halloween and Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger graced us with their presence in the 80's. Let's not leave out the 90's when Wes Craven introduced us to Ghost Face. My point is that horror film history is riddled with what some would call the greatest sub genre ever created. I mean what horror fan doesn't love a good slasher film? Which brings me to my next issue. Slasher films, along with zombie films are some of the most over done film topics in horror. Any budding film maker with a cheap camera will hit on either of those sub genres because it's "easy". What you end up with is an over abundance of DVD's that are worth nothing more than fuel for a bonfire.

In The Killing of Jacob Marr, a boy finds a mysterious object that transforms him into a killer. After he murders his parents, he escapes into the woods never to be found. Flash forward twenty years when five friends rent a cabin in the woods for a little getaway only to find it's fully stocked with food and the closets are full of clothes. This leads them to believe there is another group staying at the cabin. They decide to hang around for a whole and see if the others return which proves to be a deadly decision.

Normally when you run across a film with a budget of 15k, you'll end up with a fairly subpar cast. Directors on a tight budget will bring in friends or even family to round out the cast. That's not the case here. I was more than surprised at the level of talent in this one especially from the lead character Morgan White, who has the dreamiest eyes that can only be compared to those of Dermot Mulrooney or Chad Lindberg. He pulls off the sensitive, level headed, not so predictable hero with ease. Another one that caught my attention was his goofy, sarcastic, comedic counterpart Brandon Beilis.Both are fairly new to the acting scene and it's always great to see new talent that actually has talent. Alyssa Mann, Elizabeth Drake, Samantha Cooper, Chris Keating and Oleg Ossayenko round out the cast and I have to say, for an independent film, director Brad Rego made some great casting decisions which only helped propel his film forward.

Rego also wrote the film and I have to say, the dialogue is really very solid. It seemed to flow very easily and it was appropriate for the characters he was working with. He also did something that very few Indie film makers today do and that's creating smart characters. Yep, you heard me. He didn't belittle his audience with the same inept characters you typically find in a slasher film. One character even confronts the slasher and does a hell of a job giving him a taste of his own medicine. I know, I know, other characters in other films have tumbled with their would be killer in but this was different and it came off as very r-e-a-l-i-s-t-i-c (which seems to be the magic word in this review). The effects were very well done for the minimal budget they had and the camera work was fantastic with some great outdoor shots.

It's sad really that one independent film is compared with those before it and that legitimate film makers like Rego have to work extra hard to be taken seriously in the industry. Yes, it's easy to tell the flakes from the real deal but a lot of the "real deals" never get the chance to show what they can do because of the hacks that don't take making a film seriously. He also doesn't resort to cheesy jump scares to frighten his audience. I watched this one while I was on bed rest after surgery. Loaded on pain meds, I accidentally fell asleep (nothing to do with the film whatsoever) and woke up mad at myself because I had missed a good chunk of the film. BUT, what I saw before I drifted off into my drug induced slumber made me want to see all of it so... when I wasn't so high, I popped it back in and gave it another go. I would recommend this film to any fan of the slasher genre. It's leaps and bounds better than other Indie slashers. I look forward to seeing more from Rego and his team.

INTERVIEW - Actor Chad Lindberg

I'm not going to start off by thanking Chad Lindberg for taking the time to call in and chat with me. I'm going to start off by apologizing that he called me a month ago and I'm just now getting this interview posted to the site. I know, I know. I would fire myself if I could but I can't so... For anyone who hasn't been fortunate enough to meet him or talk with him, let me just tell you that he is one of the coolest guys EVER and he has the most infectious laugh! Just replaying the interview and hearing the times that he busted out laughing made me giddy like a school girl. Anyway... here is our little discussion.

TC: How long have you been on twitter? (lame ass question)
CL: I have been doing twitter since like the tail end of 2009. I’m not sure when it came out. It was out for a while and I paid no attention to it. I didn’t even know what it was and then a friend of mine told me “Hey man, you should really get on twitter, it’s a great way to communicate with your fans.” I signed up and all of a sudden, low and behold I had all these followers and of course the Supernatural fans were on it immediately. It’s been a good thing. It’s been a really good tool.

TC: I wanna talk to you a little bit about I Spit on Your Grave. (DUH) I know you don’t have a lot of time so I’ll try to make it quick.
CL: No, we’re good, we’re good. Ask me whatever you want. I’m wide open.

TC: I read a lot of your interviews because I was trying to avoid asking you the same old questions. I thought maybe you’d be tired of answering this stuff.
CL: It’s ok. I enjoy doing it.

TC: They had originally offered you a different role.
CL: What happened was my previous representation had sent me sides, which is what we get before we audition for the role that Daniel Frazese actually ended up getting. Then I read the script and I was like, no effing way man, (this is to my previous representation) how can you not see I’m suppose to go out for Matthew? Matthew is shy, mentally challenged. I was just immediately pulled towards that character. I just, loved him. Some characters you just meet and right away you just fall in love with them.

TC: Definitely, even just watching him, you have this sympathy for him right away. What did you do to prepare yourself for that?
CL: Man, that’s a good question. It had been about 2 ½ weeks since we got cast and in my mind, that whole 2 ½ weeks, I was terrified because I was like… I have to go play a mentally challenged man… I wanted to do it very truthfully and I wanted to do it with respect. I just tried not to panic and I just sort of kept it close to heart and kept him childlike. I also watched some YouTube videos of people who stutter to kind of help me with that. Other than that I really didn’t do any research. I just kind of kept it close to the heart if that makes sense. Once I got on set it just felt really natural and I wasn’t panicked anymore and I had one of the best filming experiences of my life. It was incredibly, creatively gratifying.

TC: I just talked to Steven R. Monroe on Tuesday. I was so embarrassed because my recording messed up and it didn’t pick up any of the interview.
CL: That’s ok, he’s so cool. Steven is such an awesome guy. He doesn’t even seem like a… you know some directors carry that air of “directorness”, he doesn’t. He’s just a cool guy and a great director. I love Steven.

TC: Yeah, I really enjoyed talking to him and I know he told me that it was really hard for all of y’all on set during “the scene”.
CL: [laughs] I like that, “the scene”, you don’t even have to tell me and I get it, I know exactly what you’re talking about.

TC: Is it true that you got physically ill during or after the scene?
CL: Yeah, I was dry heaving. After Matthew would rape her, I’d get up and I’d go outside into a little corner and I my body would physically heave a little bit which is exactly what should happen. It’s a normal reaction you know. It was just insane. It was a trip. It was just a bonafide trip. That was probably my favorite part of the movie because there were so many levels that we all hit and there were so many things that Matthew was feeling. He went through so many emotions so fast. I remember distinctly having a very visceral moment with every actor in that scene. You know, after my character climaxes and there’s that moment and I remember looking up and Danny and he was looking at me and we weren’t acting. We were so tripped out. I mean I’m getting goose bumps just talking about it. You have these moments with actors where you don’t get to reach that a lot. If you’re able to get to those moments and have them with other actors, that’s what you aim for. That’s what you hope to get and I remember having one with everybody. That one just sticks out. We just looked at each other and were like “What the fuck?” [laughs] Excuse my language. It was insane and then having the sheriff come over and cheer in my ear. He’s like “Do it! Do it!” It got me charged up and there was just so much going on and then I get up and Matthew vomits. It was at that moment when reading the script where he chokes her then falls on her and gets up and vomits that I was like “I can do this.” Even watching it now, my heart gets racing and I’m in it.

TC: I think I’ve watched it about four times since it came out on DVD and I’ll still say it’s my favorite movie of 2010.
CL: Wow, and why is that?

TC: It’s just so well done as far as the direction. Steven R. Monroe did a great job. It’s so raw and visually it’s stunning. You guys did a fantastic job on the acting. I know Steven is very defensive of anyone who gives you guys a bad review but I also like that he chose not to put really big names in there. I think that gives it more of a fresh feel. (lame)
CL: Totally. Yeah, you can’t put really recognizable faces in that movie it wouldn’t have worked. He did a wonderful job finding Sarah Butler, she’s gonna have a great career. She was a trooper. She made it where we were able to do what we needed to do and not feel bad about it. We gave her the appropriate space when she needed it to collect herself. We would do “the scene” and I would look over at her and give her the thumbs up and she would give me the thumbs up and that was all that we needed to do and say to each other and we’d go back and do it again. We shot that scene pretty fast once we started shooting and it took a couple of days but after that we all bonded pretty quickly. It’s just such a personal, intimate thing. To this day we all still hang out and see each other quite a bit.

TC: You’re not a big fan of remakes right?
CL: You know it’s a funny thing. They’re always gonna remake them and at some point we have to accept it to some degree. I completely understand anyone who is a fan of the original that was up in arms right away and we totally knew that going in as actors and filmmakers and we wanted to honor that. We all understand that. We’re the type of people that feel the same way. I also thing that we won over quite a few fans of the original now they’re like “This was pretty kick ass.” That’s pretty cool.

TC: I think it stuck close enough to the original that it didn’t really lose that appeal that audiences had. I also like that he didn’t focus as much on the rape as the original and went more into the revenge which was the best part for me.
CL: Well yeah once it starts, it does not let up and the revenge was a very interesting to watch in the theater with people. I wish it would’ve had a bigger run in theaters where audiences could watch it together because it provoked so many reactions. Of course the first half provoked a whole different reaction and then once the movie gets going with the revenge we had people clapping and cheering. I’ve never heard that much before. There’s a lot to be said for movies that provoke those kinds of reactions. I can say this… my mom liked it. I took my mom and my girlfriend to the premiere. My mom brought one of those Japanese fans to cover her eyes and I would just kinda give her a little tap on the leg and she would cover her eyes but once the rape scene started and I took my clothes off she just covered her eyes. She kinda covered her ears a little bit but she enjoyed the movie and she was proud of me. Its mom approved! [laughs]

TC: That was one of the questions I had as well. I’ve seen pictures of you and your girlfriend at the premiere and I was kind of curious of her reaction.
CL: It’s funny. Sarah Butler and my girlfriend have become great friends. They go hiking and out to lunch. She liked the movie too. She thought it was great. She thought it would be a little more uncomfortable than it was. She’s become friends with pretty much everyone.

TC: Did you see the original before reading the script?
CL: No, I didn’t know it was a remake until after I got cast. I’d never heard of I Spit on Your Grave (1978), believe it or not. When the breakdowns came out they came out as Day of the Woman. The day I got the part I came home and typed in Day of the Woman and all these things came up and I was like “Oh my God, this thing is a cult phenomenon. It’s the most notorious rape/revenge movie of all time.” I was so excited to go do a cool movie and this just added the frosting and the cherry and the sprinkles on top.

TC: Were you worried about fan reaction at all because it was such a notorious movie?
CL: Yes, I was worried about the hardcore fans of the original only because I understand the feelings about remakes. But I also knew that I was in good hands and I felt that it had a great cast and once we got there we felt that magic and you don’t have that every time. Sometimes you feel it and you know you’re making a good film. We always took how fans would feel into consideration and into our performances. We went in there and we killed it because we wanted to honor the fans.

TC: I’m not a remake fan and to say that this one, a remake, is my favorite film of the year is probably pretty hypocritical but…..
CL: No, that’s fucking awesome!

TC: You’re not really into horror are you?
CL: Not really. I mean I enjoy horror films, all kinds of films I usually don’t just stick to one genre necessarily. I definitely have a deeper appreciation for it now. I would imagine we’ll probably do conventions for this movie at some point… if it catches on. I do a lot of Supernatural conventions but that and horror are completely different.

TC: I have to admit I’ve never actually watched Supernatural. (I'm ashamed)
CL: Really? You’re one of the few interviewers that haven’t. That’s awesome.

TC: But I know you have a big campaign going to bring Ash back.
CL: When I first got on twitter I sort of made it happen with the fans. I led a campaign and got it going and it actually worked. The producers brought me back on the show for one episode in season 5. Now a lot of people ask “Hey, is Ash coming back?” I really don’t know. I’ve come full circle with that you know, I’ve died and then I came back. I’m really cool with it. I would love to if they asked me. I’ve seen a lot of petitions on twitter and I’ll retweet them but I’m not really making a serious push for it. I just kinda leave it their hands. If they come my way I’d be grateful but I don’t put a lot of thought into it. I just kinda go onto other things.

TC: Which leads me to Criminal Minds. You just finished up a guest role on that right?
CL: Yes I did.

TC: Can you give us any hints on that one?
CL: Um, what can I say that I’m playing…. I’m a guest star… um, I’m a guest star [laughs]. What can I say without giving anything away? I had a great time shooting! The cast was fun. It’ll be out in about a month. Um… yeah. I always worry because certain shows they don’t want you to say anything and maybe I’m a little jaded about it because with Supernatural I had to keep my lips absolutely sealed. I’m always scared about saying what I’m doing.

TC: You just wrapped up two films, Should’ve Been Romeo and Black Velvet right?
CL: Yeah, Should’ve Been Romeo, Paul-Ben Victor is a good friend of mine, who is the lead in the movie and he just asked if I would come on and do a little bit. Black Velvet is an Indie film and I did a little cameo there.

TC: I read on IMDB that you’d done some short films. Would you still do those if the right one came along?
CL: Oh absolutely. I’m working on that now with my buddy Josh Cowdery. We do these little short films of our own and put them on Funny or Die.

TC: Like Sniff?
CL: Like Sniff! That is an epic film. [laughs] That’s the first thing we put together and from there it’s been a running joke between us. There’s like a whole hour of behind the scenes footage for Sniff on Funny or Die and the movie is only like a minute long.

TC: It’s hilarious though.
CL: [laughs] That’s awesome! I’m glad you appreciate that it’s like a minute long, and we put this mocumentary together. But that kinda started our creativity for it. We wanna make these weird, qwirky short films. We’ve made a few of them along the way and I wanna continue doing that and make my own shorts and submit them. I have this flare for sort of odd and funny and if you get them, cool because we just wanna make you laugh.

TC: You’ve been a pretty busy guy.
CL: I have, I have. You know, I feel like 2011 is gonna be a great year for me. It’s been a long road and I finally feel like there’s a lot of momentum behind me that I haven’t felt in a long time and I’m so excited to see what’s around the corner.

Thanks Chad!! Everyone go out and see and support I Spit on Your Grave!! You'll love it!!

I Spit on Your Grave 2010 - REVIEW

Directors and actors these days have to be careful. Remakes of horror classics can make a lot of people angry. Me personally, I'm not a fan of remakes at all, especially when they're poorly done. I hate when film makers take originals and turn them into glorified garbage. When they twist the personas of the main characters to make them unlikeable nothings. Perfect example, and this is just my opinion you don't have to agree or like it, is Rob Zombie and his ridiculous interpretation of the Halloween movies. So now, director Steven R. Monroe teams up with writer Stuart Morse to revamp this very controversial 1978 classic. After hearing the news I admit, I was skeptical. Even as I sat down in the theater to watch I couldn't help but think I just wasted $10 and another 117 minutes of my life.

Writer Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) takes a retreat from the city to a charming cabin in the woods to start on her next book. But her presence in the small town attracts the attention of a few morally deprived locals who set out one night to teach this city girl a lesson. They break into her cabin to scare her. However, what starts out as terrifying acts of humiliation and intimidation, quickly and uncontrollably escalates into a night of physical abuse and torturous assault. But before they can kill her, she sacrifices her broken and beaten body to a raging river that washes her away. As time passes, the men slowly stop searching for her body and try to go back to life as usual. But that isn't about to happen. Against all odds, Jennifer survived her ordeal. Now, with hell bent vengeance, her sole purpose is to turn the tables on these animals and to inflict upon them every horrifying and torturous moment they carried out on her... only much, much worse.

Given that this was Butler's first major role in the film industry I wasn't convinced she could pull off such a complex character. I would imagine even a seasoned actor would have a hard time getting into this role. You have take into account what this character is subjected to throughout this film and the emotion that's involved. I'd love to interview her to find out how she mentally prepared herself for such a role. ANYWAY, I thought without a doubt she pulled it off. She brought a much needed innocence to the character and made it easy to feel for her. She is equally as effective when she comes back to exact her revenge if not more so. Chad Lindberg portrayed the mentally challenged man who's bullied by the thugs he grew up with to get in on the gang rape. He captured the fragile, but still capable of violence Matthew with perfection and when it was all over with, you actually felt for the character (even if it was just a little). He delivers a multi-dimensional, impressive performance and his talent shines through like never before. Those were the two outstanding performances for me so I wanted to make sure and highlight those. Not saying that Daniel Franzese, Jeff Branson, Rodney Eastman and Andrew Howard didn't do a great job because they did. I just had a certain appreciation for depth that Butler and Lindberg brought to their characters. And roll me in butter and call me a biscuit is that Tracey Walter I see pulling a cameo?? I think I remember him most for his portrayal of Arnold in Raggedy Man. That's probably an odd memory given as much work as he's done but I can't help it. God, I love him!

So, on to what I thought about the film. The rape scene is extremely hard to watch and no doubt most people will find it a bit uncomfortable. I know I did. It's shockingly brutal and so intense it's unreal. But that's what it's intended to be and it never apologizes for that. The intensity may dull down just a tad but it pretty much holds up the entire film. Monroe did a spot on job with the direction and captured the contrast between tranquility and chaos perfectly. Stuart Morse brings a brilliant script to the table with great dialogue and just the right amount of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. I know I've seen the original film but for the life of me the only scene I can remember is the one in the bathtub. Doesn't matter, the point is this film isn't an exact duplicate of the original, some things were changed but plot wise there's no difference at all and that's what makes it outstanding. So, who am I to judge how great or bad a film is? No one. So why does what I have to say matter? It doesn't. If you wanna see it, you're gonna see it no matter what I say. I'm not Dread Central or Shock Till You Drop I'm just me. A person who loves horror films and will tell you honestly what I think of them and my opinion of this film is that it's easily THE BEST REMAKE OF THE YEAR. Take it or leave it, like it or not. It doesn't really matter to me.