The Dark Cinema Announces Pilot Films and Directors

An international cast of talented filmmakers headlines the pilot episode of The Dark Cinema 

Los Angeles, CA – After a several month selection process, THE DARK CINEMA has announced their final slate of films to be included in the half-hour pilot episode of the horror/thriller/sci-fi anthology, which will be hosted by indie horror icon, Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Dismal, Scary Or Die; as well as the Daytime Emmy-winning Facebook App, Take This Lollipop) 

Producer Cheryl Compton describes the curation experience: “I was overwhelmed by the response to our project. For several weeks, I watched short films from the moment I got up, until the moment I went to sleep – but it was well worth it because I believe we have a strong line-up, which will grab the attention of viewers.” 

The international roster of critical and festival favorites includes two films from the United Kingdom – Transmission directed by Brett Young, and 2:20 by Jason Wingard; from Italy, The Puzzle by Davide Melini; representing Portugal is O Risco (The Line) with Jose Pedro Lopes at the helm; and finally, from the United States is Daniel MacMunn's Out of Placement. All the films in the pilot episode are tied to the theme “evil toys and possessed objects.” Compton continues, “there are so many talented filmmakers all over the world – and now with the relatively inexpensive resources available to them, it's much easier for directors and producers to bring their stories from conception to completion.” 

THE DARK CINEMA will shoot the wrap-arounds on Halloween day and immediately head into post- production. In keeping with the worldwide flair of the pilot, Bill Oberst Jr will also be hosting the trailers in English, Spanish and German. “Horror is international. Humans are all fearful of the same things, so these films are very translatable and accessible to a broader global market,” explained Oberst. 

In the collaborative spirit of filmmaking, THE DARK CINEMA has launched their own crowd-funding campaign to cover the production basics. They're offering a wide range of incentives, including promotional DVDs, autographed 8x10 publicity photos, t-shirts – as well as IMDB special thanks and executive producer credits. (http://www.indiegogo.com/thedarkcinema) and (http://www.facebook.com/TheDarkCinema).

The Sweet Hand of the White Rose 2010 (Short Film) - REVIEW

Since Hollywood seems intent on distributing nothing but regurgitated crap these days a lot of Indie filmmakers have stepped up to the plate to focus more on social issues. Some are more in your face than others like Travis Legge's Event Invitation, a short film that hit on the subjects of bullying and social media at the same time. There are films everywhere that document social issues around the world and this day and age there is no shortage of "issues". 

Mark (Carlos Bahos) is having a really bad day and decides he just wants to get away from it all. But one little mistake will change his life forever.

The dialogue is very minimal in this film as it relies heavily on narration from the two main characters, Bahos and co-star Natasha Machuca, at least in the beginning. Once the two characters intersect, there is pretty much no dialogue at all. But this only serves to enhance the stylishness of the film proving that sometimes less really is more. Director Davide Melini manages to take two somewhat tortured concepts and put them together creating a clever, captivating, well paced short film. While the "twist ending" is a bit predictable, it takes nothing away from the intensity of the over all story. What it boils down to is that this is a very entertaining short that's definitely worth a watch. I'm reluctant to tell you anything about the plot because anything I say about the 15+ minutes will give away everything good about it so just take the time and check it out below.

The Puzzle 2008 (Short Film) Review

When i was young one of my favorite things to do was sit down put a puzzle together.  I probably have not done that in over 20 years.  Some people put them together as a hobby, or just to relax.  This is not the kind puzzle i would want to play with!

Its a nice sunny day when we see a lady (Cachito Noguera) answer her phone.  Its her son on the other line and she is very upset almost immediately.  He would like to borrow money and she is adamant not to do it.  She hangs up and is so upset that she sits down to relax herself with a puzzle.  The only problem is this puzzle does not relax her at all.  It suddenly becomes clear she is putting together the a piece of her life.  You will never believe what happens next.

The Puzzle is directed by the Italian director Davide Melini.  The short film is a mear 5 minutes long but does put together a good storyline.  There is really only one person in the film and that is the Mother.  The 30 seconds she is on the phone with her son is all the dialogue in the film.  The rest of the film is silent, but it does deliver a pretty solid ending.  I would comment on the actual acting but there is really not much of it so I don't have that much to say honestly.

I did not totally dislike this movie.  At the end of the day i would say its not too bad but I have seen plenty of shorts that were much better.  The lack of dialogue and some of the camera work makes it a little boring.  I enjoyed the ending which i am not going to give away and spoil it for you.  You will have to click below on the You Tube link and see for yourself.  Stay twisted everyone!