kerouac

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that the DVD of our latest short, "Donna's Room", is now available.
It's $10, plus $2 shipping, and it contains:

- "Donna's Room" (18 minutes)
- Directors' Commentary
- Internet Trailer
- Audition Footage
- Rehearsal Footage
- "Anatomy of a Scene" Featurette

The film is a psychological thriller about a woman who wakes up to find herself in a strange, dungeon-like room with her hands bound. She has no idea how she got there, or why she's being held. Suddenly a mysterious man in black shows up with knowledge of her past. But will his frightening insights hold the key to setting her free?

The DVD is Region 0, so it will play anywhere.

You can check out a review of the film here:
http://www.unspeakablemag.com/site/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=280

If you'd like a copy, you can let me know by posting here, or email me at: alindsa4@rochester.rr.com

Thank you for your support!!
~ Stephen
http://www.indiehorizon.com

I would cast Barry Pepper as Snake.

~ Kerouac

I plan on seeing Spanglish.

I love when an actor/actress breaks free of the type casting they've been living under. I'm one of the few people that loved Jim Carrey in The Majestic. I thought it was a very understated, poignant performance in a terrific little film that was a throwback to the slower character pieces of the 50s. His delivery in from of the "commision" was just outstanding!

And I agree, watching Sandler in PDL was unsettling at first because he was SO subdued throughtout that film. That's what made his performance brilliant. And it was such an original film anyway. But it helps that I'm a Paul T. Anderson fan in the first place, too.

I can see why people didn't like Punch Drunk Love considering it's the most non-Sandler role Sandler could play... but I don't know that it can be one of the worst movies ever made. Personally, I really dug it.

And Plan 9 From Outerspace is BRILLIANT! Ed Wood was so terribly misunderstood...

I've only walked out of the theater twice:
Aspen Extreme
Daylight

Both big sacks of crap...

~ Kerouac

I'll try to comment on the ones brought up already...

#250. The Others (7.8/10)
This movie is way overrated to get to #250. When it came out, I dug it. Hell, I bought the DVD. But it doesn't hold up well with repeat viewings... To make the top #250, a film has to be extremely rewatchable.

#202. Groundhog Day (1993) (7.9/10)
Great movie. Great performances. It just gets better and better with each viewing. This one is going to go down as an unsung comedy classic. My opinion: it deserves to be somewhere in the #120 - #150 range.

#201. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) (7.89/10)
I enjoy this movie more and more every time I watch it. Depp's performance is outstanding, even if Bloom's is a little flat. It's a fun movie that I'm not sure deserves a place at #201, but it may earn it after time.

#171. Monsters Inc. (2001) (7.9/10)
Pixar's weakest effort. I enjoyed A Bug's Life more than this. It has no business in the top 250.

#2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) (9.0/10)
I second that this is a great film. But more than that, it's a great ending to the most amazing trilogy of films ever produced (and I have a Yoda tattoo on my arm, so no SW fans should jump down my throat). But I don't think it should be #2. I would put Fellowship ahead of it for sure... To me, this belongs in the top 20, but not the top 5.


And now my contribution:
#5 Shichinin no samurai (1954) (8.8/10)
Akira was a genius filmmaker. His ability to blend and blur genres is unmatched. Shichinin no samurai does this in spades. It's outstanding battle scenes, touching intimate moments between characters, laugh out loud comedic timing, and sheer grandness of scope make it a deserving member of the top 5. Some would say that the original Star Wars deserves a place ahead of it, but I say you've got to go with the inspiration before the inspired... And there's no question that Lucas was inspired by this classic work of cinematic brilliance.

~ Kerouac

It's 11 minutes long.

And at first, I wasn't a fan of short films. But now I really dig maknig them. The trick is being able to effectively tell a story in a short period of time. It's a great exercise in breaking your stroy idea down to the bare bones, which is how a screenplay should really be. It forces you to focus more on story, and telling it in a visual way. I highly recommend taking one of your ideas and forcing yourself to try to tell it as a short. Even if you struggle with it, it wil ultimately help you in creating a better flow to the whole thing!

~ Kerouac

TP,

Maybe we can work something out...

~ Kerouac

TP,

That makes sense.. I didn't realize you were in Austraila! :)

~ Kerouac

TeenageProdigy,

How is that different than spending the money to go to the Theater to see it? You're almost paying the same amount to go to the movies (hell, MORE if you buy popcorn or a drink).

I always buy movies I've never seen, simply because I'm such a cinaphile I need to own everything I can get my hands on. But I find it ESPECIALLY gratifying to buy Indie films because you know you're directly helping the filmmaker get one step closer to their dream. (no need to worry about indie filmmakers being money hungry... if they were, they wouldn't be indie filmmakers, trust me!) The $10 - 12 we usually charge gets put directly into our next flick!

You should take a chance on a flick and buy it without seeing it sometime. That's how you find the real gems that are out there!!

~ Kerouac

Eddie Furlong has made:

Animal Factory
Detroit Rock City
American History X
Pecker

The only one worth a damn was American History X, and that was IN SPITE OF Furlong. Ed Norton was AMAZING in that flick!!

~ Kerouac

TeenageProdigy,

Thanks! It's good to be back!

In the Still is a short supernatural thriller about a guy who wakes up in the middle of the night, and he's not sure why. Some unseen force is leading him around until he realizes that there is (or is there?) an intruder in his house. He chases the intruder, who always seems to be a step ahead of him, but it becomes unclear if he is chasing a man, a ghost, or his own fear...

~ Kerouac

MetalMan,

I wasn't trying to sound like an Industry professional or anything... :)

I've made 4 films so far: A feature and 3 shorts. My one short (In the Still) was an official selection in the Eerie Horror Film Festival, so it played on the Big Screen, but that's it so far for public screenings.

My feature is completed, and we're now adding the score.

I have 2 DVDs available for purchase. One is listed on our website (www.indiehorizon.com) and the other will be listed by next week.

I'm just another Indie Filmmaker like Donald trying to get my stuff out there for people to see!

~ Kerouac

I'm actually more of a fan of the imagery in the second Crow than the first one. but the action of the original is definitely better. I guess I think that both one and 2 have merit, while the 3rd one was a flaming pile of sh!t that NEVER should have been made.

And I have to agree about Edward Furlong... that kid is just so lame it makes me feel that Wicked Pray doesn't have a shot in hell of being a decent flick... Talk about ruining a potentially lucrative franchise!

~ Kerouac

Wow... I'm shocked by these boards nowadays.

What kind of movie fans wouldn't support an Indie Director that actually got his movie made?? Do you people know what it takes to MAKE A FILM? It's hard f*cking work!! And the majority of these posts have been bashing him based on the trailer!! Are you kidding me? I've made films, so I know what goes into it. And I have WORLDS of respect for anyone that not only starts a film, but finishes it.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a f*cking movie snob. It's so easy to criticize from your couch, isn't it?

Donald worked hard on Pizza: The Movie. If you don't want to buy it, fine. But keep your damn mouth shut, then!

~ Kerouac

Hey everyone,

God, it's peobably been a year since I've been here... 80% of you probably don't even KNOW me...

But, I used to frequent these pages, and I was at one time a Reviewer/Columnist, too. I know, I know.. who the hell cares...

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that one of my short films (In the Still) has been officialy listed on the Internet Movie Database. Check it out! We were accepted into the Eerie Horror Film Festival, which was cool.

We're also selling the DVD on our website (www.indiehorizon.com) if anyone is interested. We have another DVD coming out in about a week, so keep your eyes out for that, too.

I'm in a bit of a filmmaking lull right now, so hopefully I'll be able to haunt these boards again!

~ Stephen (AKA Kerouac)

Sarah,

I'm on the west side of the state, so Brooklyn is about a 7 - 8 hour drive.
Yeah, Brian's lazy ass should come to us!!!!
I'll be hopping back and forth between La Jolla and Terrasanta (sp?).
Oh yeah, and I'll most like be in LA on the 22nd.

~ Kerouac

Sarah,

I'm coming from frozen Rochester, NY. My sister and my parents live in San Diego now, so I'm visiting for the holidays. No, I've never met Brian in person before.
I certainly think we should all hook up, though. You 2 are the Californians, so you tell me where we should meet! :)

~ Kerouac

Sarah,

I didn't know you lived in San Diego!
I'm going to be out there December 20 - 28th!
I'm also going to be heading up to LA in that time
and hopefully hook up with Brian for coffee or something.

~ Kerouac

I'm with you on liking The Grinch.
Sure, it took a few liberties, but it stayed true to the HEART of the story... unlike CITH.
Plus, I thought Carrie did a great job of performing THROUGH the make-up. Myers doesn't DO anything... it's just rehashed Austin Powers shtic in bad make-up.
Plus the sets are HORRENDOUS. They look like someone swallowed an entire box of Crayolas and then vomitted them all over the sets.

~ Kerouac

The best part of the live-action Flash show was Mark Hamill. He was GREAT in that!!
He really got to explore that wacky, cartoon voice-over side of his. Granted, his character was little more than a poor-mans Joker (whom he voices for the Batman cartoon) but he was entertaining none the less. The problem with that show was the Flash himself. That guy was WAY TOO JACKED to be the Flash. Flash wasn't a buff dude, he was wirey...

~ Kerouac