Honor Among Angels - A Tribute to Neil Lisk

Ever heard me talk about Michael Worth? Of course you have. He's the visionary behind the drama God's Ears (2008) and the WWII drama Fort McCoy (2011). He's the man with the plan and the talent to make it happen. As I type, he's in the process of putting together Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen a "mockumentary" on ageism in Hollywood. Surely you've heard me mention it once or twice.

What you haven't heard me mention is what's missing... and that's light. A light brought to the set of several of Michael's films. That light is Neil Lisk. A brilliant cinematographer, husband, father and friend taken way before his time. Every person that I've spoken with about Neil has talked about him with such adoration and respect and love. He may not be physically here anymore but his legacy does live on. Immortalized on films like God's Ears and Fort McCoy. Just recently, one year to the day of his passing, September 22, 2011, his talent was officially recognized when he won Best Cinematography for Fort McCoy at the 27th Annual Boston Film Festival. God's Ears is not without it's own merit... This month it premieres at The Carmel Art and Film Festival in California. Just three weeks after taking home the Best Drama award from The Route 66 Film Festival.

Worth remembers Neil fondly and had this to say:

"Neil and I met back in 2003 but didn't get a chance to actually work together until 2005 when we shot Devil on the Mountain with Steven R. Monroe. He had a way of keeping the set light but remaining very focused on his job. It was a nice quality to watch balanced that way. I worked with him as a director first on God's Ears. In hindsight, the fit would have never worked any other way. He was as excited about making that movie as I was. Our last film together was Fort McCoy. The two weeks I spent with him out in Wisconsin before shooting was a good way for me to get to not only learn from him but know him as a person better. Just the two of us running all over La Crosse picking the shots, time of day, locations, etc. I don't think we ever worked so hard in our life doing that. Was a big job, but we had our personal language down so well I knew that is what made it possible to get through all that. We had a chance to work together one last time as Neil shot Steven R. Monroe's film Complacent which I worked on as an actor. That was nice since the three of us all worked together on Devil so many years before. God's Ears, Neil had always expressed to me, was one of his favorite films and the fact that we are just about to take our first film to the Carmel Art and Film Festival after his winning an award for our last film, means a lot. But can you argue its destiny? His award was announced September 22, 2011. Neil passed away 2010.... on September 22. You tell me?"

Be sure and check out the Grizzly Peak Films blog and read about Worth's experiences alongside Lisk and how his imagery and talent has inspired so many.

God’s Ears screens October 15 at 8pm at the Carmel Art and Film Festival. If you're in the area, definitely check it out. I've seen it several times now and I never tire of it. It's beautifully shot and directed with superb acting. I'm thrilled beyond belief that it's getting the recognition it deserves.

Steven R. Monroe

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Steven R. Monroe director of I Spit on Your Grave 2010 but unfortunately due to technical difficulties... ok operator error... our interview didn't record. However, the show must go on and out of respect for the completely awesome and totally underrated Mr. Monroe, I felt I should do something about it. I'm not 100% certain that this is THAT something but I felt that ignoring it would just make me seem lazy. Believe me when I say I'm insanely mad at myself and embarrassed that I blew it but I will do my best to give him the credence he deserves.

After over an hour on the phone, I can no longer say I'm a fan of Steven R. Monroe's films... I'm now a fan of HIS. Not only is he a fantastic filmmaker, he is one of the most down to earth people I've ever had the pleasure to talk with.
You may be saying, "eh, she's just saying that because he is who he is", and I'd have to say, you don't know me very well. I'm not the easiest person in the world to impress. I've dealt with a lot in my life and I have a pretty thick skin but Steven got to me. He has spent his entire life in the industry, his mother was a theater producer/director, his father was a cameraman and his sister is a respected editor. You'd think he'd have a bit of a chip on his shoulder but he doesn't. He loves his job and he loves his fans and he works damn hard to put together something that touches, inspires or sticks with fans of all genres.

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of remakes, they're either poorly done by directors and actors who are just looking for a paycheck or they're just taken in a completely different direction in which case, to me anyway, they shouldn't be called a remake. Steven, also not a big fan of remakes, stuck close to the story line of I Spit and did so with grace and elegance. He's taken a lot of shit from a lot of people who want to attack his character (which pisses me off) regarding the film but he also realizes what he signed on for when he made the decision to do it. He handles the criticism like a pro and says that he only wishes people would do their research before busting out a review or slamming him personally.
As for the cast of I Spit, he says from the very beginning he wanted to do it with a lesser known cast because he felt a big name would do more harm than good. He's also extremely defensive/protective of them when it comes to reviewers critiquing them in a negative way. He doesn't understand how anyone could watch this film and say that those actors did a poor job.

We also discussed in detail his work on the SyFy originals. His most recent work, Jabberwocky is done filming and they are in the process now of adding the CG to it. As far as an air date, all he could tell me was some time in the Fall 2011. Jabberwocky stars Tahmoh Penikett, Michael Worth, Kacey Barnfield and Raffaello Degruttola and chronicles the story of a young squire along with his brother must become a warrior to save his people and the woman he loves after a horrific beast is unleashed on the Kingdom.
Other SyFy originals under Steven's belt are Mongolian Death Worm, Ice Twisters, Wyvern, Ogre, and, one of my favorites, Sasquatch Mountain.


He spoke fondly of the friends and coworkers that he's lost along the way. He described them all as great people to know and work with. Neil Lisk was his long time friend and director of photography on many films including I Spit. He did a couple of films for Stephen J. Cannell and had the pleasure (I'm way jealous) of working with the very talented Dennis Hopper.

He's not all horror and SciFi though. He's working closely with Michael Worth to get a drama called Love in a Texas Sky up and running. He says it's something that he's wanted to do for a long time and now has the opportunity to get it started. He's also teamed up one again with composer/producer Corey A. Jackson, Michael Worth and actress Cerina Vincent on a drama called Complacent about a group of friends living the average American lifestyle until they're forced to deal with all the underlying issues in their relationships.

Although I may have failed at bringing you this interview, rest assured that Steven will never let you down. He's proven that he can take even the meekest of scripts and give it new life with his direction. He cares about his fans and wants nothing more than to please them, you, us, visually. Personally, I haven't watched any of his work and thought "Man this is shit,". He works hard at what he does and stands behind what he does 100%. He'll let the haters keep on hating and he'll just keep doing what he's doing. Why not? He ROCKS at it!
Much thanks to Steven for taking time out of his schedule to talk with me... even if I did fuck it up... it was definitely a pleasure and the highlight of my reviewing/blogging career. I look forward to seeing your next project!!