By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
GRADE: A+
One of the best parts about “Splice” is its pacing. This is a movie that quickly establishes itself inside of 15 minutes and then continually cranks up the heat. Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, the wacky meter gets turned up another notch.
…continue reading “Splice” delivers strong story with good heart and elements of horror
If you have ever wanted to have a chance to help make a movie, here’s your chance. As part of a fundraiser program, called Kickstarter, the director of the circus documentary, “Tearing Down the Tent,” is offering readers a chance to have their name listed in the credits of the movie for just $10. Other rewards are offered for supporters who back the film, whose production crew is currently raising money for a promotional road trip to take the movie to venues with the band Hellblinki Sextet. Kickstarter is a Web site that partners creative individuals with people looking to back interesting projects.
Anyone interested in donating can following the link below
Jesse V. Johnson has made a career performing stunts in movies such as the new Michel Gondry directed “The Green Hornet” and Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
But while he’s earned most of his paychecks in front of the camera as a stuntman, Johnson is steadily building a career behind the camera as a director.
…continue reading Stuntman’s career guides directing path with latest film “Charlie Valentine”
B +
By Michael Knox
Mknox@modernfilmzine.com
Normally, gangster movies are not my genre of movie to sit down and watch. Not to say I don’t like them, I just haven’t watched a lot of them because there are plenty of other movie genres I’d rather watch first.
But “Charlie Valentine” is a stand out film that I really liked. You might be wondering why it only ranked a B+ but in all honesty I was waffling on giving it an A, but I try to save those for my favorite films. That being said, “Charlie Valentine” is a movie I could definitely sit through again.
I discovered the movie while recruiting movies for Modern Film Fest and Ricochet Film Festival. The trailer is what hooked me instantly, making me belt out, “I have got to at least see this film.”
The story is a simple one with Charlie Valentine as an aging gangster who fouls up a heist in a big way getting his whole crew killed. He takes off to hide with his estranged son, who doesn’t know what’s going on. His son is a bit of a gangster himself, but not the caliber that Charlie is. From there the story develops into a kind of violent, father and son flick, when the son asks Charlie to teach him everything he knows.
The sequence in the trailer that made me burst out laughing and want this movie had Charlie’s son being attacked by a man, so Charlie, calmly, shoots the man. The son starts to flip out and Charlie, very flippantly responds, “What? Did you want to chit chat?” It was an unexpected laugh for me in the trailer.
I wish the movie had more laughs than that, but it definitely had me and a friend intrigued where we couldn’t stop watching it.
We started to watch it at 3 a.m., figuring we’d get tired of it enough to pause for another day, but the story was engaging enough to keep us going all the way through the end.
The tagline for the movie also had me hooked and wanting to see where the story went. A simple tagline, it read, “Charlie Valentine was a gangster, a gunfighter, a womanizer and a pretty fine chef… He was also the most dangerous, irresponsible scoundrel you ever met.”
What’s interesting is how the movie plays out the way Charlie is a violent, but loving man and has two different personalities for his roles in life after he reunites with his son.
Charlie carries an old fashioned razor blade in a leg holster and uses it to kill in the film. But that violent weapon is turned on its ear in the movie, with Charlie using it to gently shave his adult son in one scene, showing a tender care that he is not used to, and how he misses it.
The movie also shows Charlie’s past and how he misses a life he knew he could never be allowed to have.
The cast is top notch with character actor Raymond J. Barry, who has more than 80 credits to his name in movies and TV episodes, according to the Internet Movie Database, playing the title role of Charlie Valentine.
Michael Weatherly who has appeared in more than 150 episodes of the popular TV series “Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, plays Charlie’s son Danny Valentine.
A violent, but fun film, the movie has some great moments of moral ambiguity and the challenges of Charlie Valentine being a father and a man on the run.
This is one of those rare films that I don’t want to tell readers anymore than I have, because of ruining the fun of the film. Regardless, I highly recommend it.
Even if you don’t like gangster movies.
Here’s a trailer for “The Good Heart,” which is being released by Magnolia Pictures: A friendless bar owner (Brian Cox) with a bad heart takes in a young homeless man (Paul Dano) to teach him how to take over his bar when he is gone. Cox is known for his roles in “X-Men 2,” “Super Troopers,” and “The Bourne Supremacy.” Dano is known for his roles in “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Gigantic.”
With the relaunch of ModernFilmZine, we look to change the format of the film orientated Web site. With interviews from celebrities and directors as before, we look to add trailers and short films from MFZ readers.
As filmmakers we want to see work from other filmmakers. MFZ is designed to talk about the big movies, such as “Terminator: Salvation,” and “Star Trek,” but also focus on the side of cinema that often gets overlooked.
We also look to promote the mircobudget movies, since that is what we at MFZ are involved in as filmmakers ourselves.
If you are interested in having your short film or trailer posted on MFZ please e-mail mknox@modernfilmzine.com with a link to the footage as well as contact information and a write up of the project and creative team.
By Michael Knox
My apologies to any readers who have visited this site waiting for new content. The past nine months have been devoted to launching Modern Film Fest, plus planning a new festival, Ricochet Film Fest, as well as directing my second feature length movie, a documentary on the Blue Ridge Rollergirls.
That being said, I will be back writing for this site and hope to have other writers contributing in the next few months, supplying film festival coverage, actor and director interviews as well as reviews of new films. Along the way I will also be writing more personal blogs about trying to find distribution for the circus documentary I directed, “Tearing Down the Tent,” as well as continue a production log on the curretly untitled roller derby documentary.
I will also keep readers updated on movies being submitted to both Ricochet Film Fest and Modern Film Fest, letting readers know what’s been submitted as well as what we are looking to run in each festival.
As a return to this site I am happy to be writing a review of the new Jude Law film, “Repo Men.” It was pretty much what I expected and I am glad I went to see it. Take care and thank you for everyone who has read my stories in the past.
Three movies are already set to screen including the circus documentary, “Tearing Down the Tent,” with the popular film festival movies “Sita Sings the Blues” and “Official Rejection.”
Tickets look to cost $4 each, with the Independent Tribune newspaper as a sponsor working with the Cabarrus County Chamber of Commerce. We also look to approach the N.C. Research Campus for help.
We look to collect 12 or more movies to play at the theatre over the three day period.
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (far left) works with Zooey Deschanel and director Marc Webb on the set of "500 Days of Summer."
When director Marc Webb helmed “500 Days of Summer” he saw a genuine chemistry between the stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt that translated onto the big screen for the quirky “romantic” comedy.
The two had worked on a movie, 2003’s “Manic,” prior to filming “500 Days of Summer,” making Webb’s work easier.
…continue reading “500 Days of Summer” director talks about Zooey Deschanel romantic comedy
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
Guillermo Arriaga still remembers the blazing image of his neighbor’s home that sent him and others from his neighborhood racing down the street.
The home was fully engulfed in flames when a fireman told Arriaga that there was still someone inside the home, burning.
The scene was one that Arriaga would later build on for his directorial debut on the movie, “The Burning Plain.”
…continue reading “21 Grams” and “Babel” writer haunted by “The Burning Plain”
By Michael Knox