Directed by: Tom Savini, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory, Douglas Buck, Jeremy Kasten
Starring: Udo Kier, Guilford Adams, Suzan Anbeh, Lindsay Goranson, André Hennick
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Running Time: 114 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of horror anthology but sometimes like in the recent “George Romero’s Deadtime Stories”, the stories just don’t have enough quality and production value put into them. I loved the opening story with Udo Kier called “Theatre Guignol” and directed by Jeremy Kasten, I wish it was expanded more. In the other six tales, there is maybe two that totally kept my interest out of the them all. They should have just stuck to the three and kept the running time at 90 minutes instead of almost two hours. Props to Tom Savini for directing my favorite of the bunch, titled “Wet Dreams”. He knows horror and definitely stood out among the rest in this anthology. Let’s just say this is no “Creepshow”.

The film follow a young woman who wonders into an abandoned theatre, only to realize that it is now empty. There is a show going on and it is lead by a marionette-like man (Udo Kier) who introduces her to six tales of the bizarre. The first, “Mother of Toads”, follows a couple traveling in the French Pyrenees and crosses paths with a witch. “I Love You” shows the wrath of a partner who has been pushed to the limits. “Wet Dreams” is my favorite and lurks in the dreams of an unfaithful husband and the bur between fantasy and reality. “The Accident” should the horrors of the real world through the mind of a child. “Vision Stains” and my least favorite features a woman who is addicted to other people’s memories through the fluid of their eyeballs. Lastly and my second least favorite, “Sweets” focuses on a bizarre sweet fetish between a couple that gets out of control.

Even though the film is a bit hard to watch, the special features are not bad. There is directors commentary available, which works well in this case since the films are short. There is a behind the scenes featurette, which is worth checking out. There is also interviews with each director, which is a little short but working checking out. Lastly, there is the trailer included.

Robin Hardy is probably best known for his directing of the classic 1973 film “The Wicker Man”. Robin is back directing and is set to release the second film in the Wicker series titled “The Wicker Tree”. Media Mikes was very fortunate to be able to talk with Robin recently about the film.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your return to directed?
Robin Hardy: Over the years I have been directing everything from documentaries to television commercials. I think I have made over 1000 commercials and have been very successful with those. Directing is something that I really enjoy doing. Having been trained as an artist I am able to illustrate everything I want. As a writer I like to introduce music whenever I can. I suppose that comes from commercials. Music is such an important part for those. These things have tended to blend leading me to use them in the features I have made.

AL: What was it like returning to the Wicker series some 40 years after the first one being made?
RH: It was good. I even had some actors in the new film who were in the first one. The little girl who is watching the beetle go around and around the nail in the first film reappears as a cook in the new film. There are some others who returned as well. It was really fun returning to the genre. To revive this genre is what really drew me to this project. It was great fun working on the songs.

AL: What do you think is the biggest difference between the two films?
RH: In many ways I don’t think they differ all that much. I think the second movie brings in some relative sub-plots that were not used in the first film. The question of being able to enlarge on the idea of the Sun as an object of worship turns up in this second film. I liked doing this in the second film because it brings the whole idea of the current state of religion down to us as a more understandable present day interest or preoccupation. In the first film there were a lot of pagan clues which were ultimately leading a Christian man to his death.

AL: How do you think your book “Cowboy’s for Christ” compares to the film?
RH: I think it’s pretty faithful to it. I made a much bigger deal of the police. It seemed to me when I read the book that in order to keep the sense of disbelief in the whole story and to believe in the police man was getting quite close to understanding what was going on we had to expand on that. This had to be the tail to the film because it was too much of a red hearing and it would have spoiled the flair of the story.

AL: Can you tell us about Christopher Lee’s involvement in the film?
RH: In the case of the first film we were all Hammer film fans. We thought that the Hammer films all though tongue and cheek in their way didn’t begin to do justice to the whole pagan background. We thought it would be a wonderful idea to take someone who was an icon of those films and turn the whole story on its head by making this guy the pagan lord.

AL: Can you tell us about your work on the third film in the series “The Wrath of Gods”?
RH: I wanted to make that film in Iceland because I thought it would be sort of fun to try and make this sort of saga theme park in Iceland. I couldn’t raise the money to make the film there because of the terrible economic shape that the country is in. I chose to shoot in the Shetland Island because originally they were Scandinavian. It was perfectly logical to set this saga there. They also have a most wonderful Fire festival there which is featured in the film. I would like to think this film will be out within the next four years.

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April 17, 2012 – Kevin and DeAnna Cooper are ex-studio executives that recently signed a distribution deal for their independent 3D family comedy I HEART SHAKEY, the first film from their company Amarok Productions. The first independent film to be shot entirely in stereoscopic 3D, it is paving a new path for other filmmakers. To better understand what the Coopers have accomplished after leaving careers in the Hollywood studio system, you should know that 95% of independent films never make it to the marketplace. An even higher percentage of films never get a theatrical release. This is the story of “the little engine that could….”

I HEART SHAKEY, was shot in the Chicago area and stars Steve Lemme (Broken Lizard comedian, Super Troopers, Beerfest), Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy franchise), Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation movies), Alfonso Arau (Three Amigos), 12 year old acting phenom Rylie Behr and a rescue dog named Ebony. The movie also touts some of the hottest actors and comedians in Chicago including Andy St. Clair and Greg Holloman (of Second City fame) and award winning stage actress Janet Ulrich Brooks. A full list of credits can be found at their IMDb listing.

I HEART SHAKEY tells the story of a widower, his 9 year-old daughter and their devoted mutt Shakey. The film follows this family of three as they move from a small town to Chicago and are forced to get rid of their dog, who wreaks havoc in their new apartment building. It is a simple heart warming story geared toward kids and families that focuses on the importance of loyalty and keeping the family together. It has recently been approved by the Dove Foundation for family viewing. The teaser trailer is now live on their Kickstarter page.

Talent from the film will attend their red carpet premiere on June 13th in Chicago . Sneak previews over Father’s Day weekend (June 15-17) in Chicago will precede its theatrical and OnDemand release June 29th by Phase 4. The DVD arrives in stores late August. Spotlight Pictures will handle international distribution.

In theatres and On Demand June 29
http://www.iheartshakey.com
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The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal & Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Conceived to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival’s mission is to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center and allow its filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience. Since the inaugural festival, Lower Manhattan has become a thriving cultural and economic center.

Over the course of 12 days, the Tribeca Film Fest exhibited 89 feature films and 60 short films to over 116,000 movie-goers.

Media Mikes was fortunate to screen and review a bunch of films throughout the fest.  Check out our reviews below, but don’t worry if you missed the festival many of these features hopefully will be distributed soon to a wider audience. Stay tuned!

Check out the following link for the 2012 schedule and film guide

Directed by: Madonna
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 1, 2012
Run Time: 119 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love Madonna? Unfortunately her filmmaking skills aren’t as sharp as her music skills. “W.E.” is a decent love story but gets over complicated and loses focus fast. Madonna also did a song for the film titled, “Masterpiece”, and in fact the song won the 2012 Golden Globe® Award for Best Original Song (Motion Picture). The song is great but the film does not have the same award winning qualities.

The film features two love stories, one historic and one contemporary, which are both interwoven. We follow the famous romance between King Edward VIII and American divorcée Wallis Simpson. The second romance deals with the affair of a Russian security guard with a New York trophy wife Wally Winstrhop. The romance is there and the writing is decent but overall, the film drags major over the two hours.

This release comes with the following; a Blu-ray disc, a DVD disc and also a Digital Copy disc of the film. The 1080p video looks sharp and clear, especially with its locations where it was shot. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is impressive. The special features are lacking though just like the film. The only extra included is a featurette called “The Making of W.E.”.

Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Running Time: 97 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I mean, as if, who doesn’t love the film “Clueless”. As if, it was not the best high school movie of the 90’s, if not of all-time. I grew up with this film and while entering my 30’s this year, this film still holds relevant. It launched many careers and became an icon of growing up. The film is now hitting Blu-ray and looks fantastic, as if it totally wouldn’t.

The Blu-ray presentation is quite impressive for a film shot in 1995. The video looks great it is 1080p transfer, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This film is well known for its soundtrack, I spent the better half of the 90’s listening to it. The music in the film is really treated with a fantastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.  If you do not own a copy of this film, this Blu-ray is a real tribute to this great groundbreaking comedy.  I would have like to also include a DVD copy or digital copy of the film but maybe in three years for the 15th anniversary edition.

The special features on the Blu-ray though are plain disappointing. With no new commentaries or features with cast/crew revisiting the film. The only new feature is a game called “Clue or False”, which is a pop up “trivia” challenge centered on “Clueless”. The rest of the features are standard definition and re-hash of the DVD features. “The Class of ’95” is a look at the ensemble cast in the film. “Creative Writing” focuses on the film’s road from television show into a film and its future. “Fashion 101” focuses on well, fashion, which is an important factor in the film. “Language Arts” focuses on the film’s slang. “Suck ‘N Blow: A Tutorial” is instructions to play the game as seen in the film. “Driver’s Ed” is a look into shooting the “driver’s ed” scene. “We’re History” is the cast and crew chatting about the film and its legacy. Lastly there is trailers and a teaser included.

Brittania Nicol stars in the film “The Wicker Tree” which is the sequel to the classic 1973 Robin Hardy film “The Wicker Man”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Brittania recently about her work on the film.

Adam Lawton:  What can you tell us about the film?
Brittania Nicol: This film is the sister film to the 70’s film “the Wicker Man”. It is sort of in the same genre as the previous film and has the Christian vs. Pagan battle going on. The first film was more of a creepy film and this film is more of a comedy. It looks at the lighter side of things.

AL: What is your role in the film?
BN: I play Beth Boothby. She is a teenage pop star who has left the business to explore her faith as a born again Christian. She and her fiancé decide to give a year of their lives to the church in order to preach the message across the world.

AL: What was it that interested you about this role?
BN: When I read the script I really identified with this character. I knew her and grew up with girls that were like her. I knew I could play the part and was attracted to the role in that way.

AL: What was the audition process like?
BN: We had several auditions. I went in to read first and then they had to find out if I could sing. I had a singing audition with the composer to see if he could get the voice he wanted out of me. I then had a final audition with the guy who was going to play my fiancé just to see if there was any chemistry between us. It was during the final audition that they told us we had gotten the parts. It was a very exciting day.

AL: Was there anything difficult about the role?
BN: I found it difficult to make the character likeable. A lot of people are very turned off by religion. You need to love this character. I had to make sure that while the character was preaching and pushing religion on people that she was still someone that you wanted to win.

AL: Will the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the film include any bonus material?
BN: I know we did a lot of filming of on-set interviews and behind the scenes stuff. There were also some interviews done with the films composer as well as with Robin and the other actors. You will also get to see the Wicker Tree being built.

Directed by: Michael Drumm
Starring: Ralphie May
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Running Time: 108 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

I am new to the comedian Ralphie May, but boy I am super glad I was introduced. He is one funny son-bitch, dirty as hell, but super funny. In “Too Big to Ignore”, which is his record breaking fourth Comedy Central Special, he leaves no stone unturned. The special is also an amazing 108 minutes, which is extremely long for comedy act. What I also liked was that it was uncut and raw. If you haven’t heard of Ralphie May, this is a must to check out. You will not be disappointed.

He seriously covers everything and nothing is safe including politics, race, religion and of course his family. I think I almost fell out of my car when Ralphie paused for a minute, looked around laughing and said “I wish they are just jokes”, while telling a story about his family. This guy is constantly touring and if you can get a chance to catch this guy don’t miss it. I will be attending the show myself when he heads around to Flordia. He even jokes about that he looks exactly like Chaz Bono, aka Cher’s daughter/son. I couldn’t look at his the same way. What a riot!

The only extra included on this is a brief five minute look behind-the-scenes featurette. Even though only five minutes it is pretty entertaining. I would have like to seen any extended scenes if possible but I doubt this show actually had any. If you are looking for a good time and some great laughs, this DVD will not disappoint at all. Also now, I am officially a life-long fan of Ralphie May.

Directed By: Morgan Spurlock
Producers: Jeremy Chilnick, Meri Haitken, Michael Rushton, Morgan Spurlock
Featuring: Morgan Spurlock, Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Paul Rudd, Jason Bateman, Judd Apatow
Tribeca Film Festival
Running time: 84 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Morgan Spurlock’s newest documentary, Mansome, isn’t so much about what it means to be A Man in the modern world as it is a chance for a group of eccentric subjects and celeb commentators to riff on the level of manscaping that’s going on. And as it involves a reunion of Arrested Development’s Bluth brothers, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman (also serving as executive producers), I’m pretty much fine with that.

Arnett and Bateman’s interactions frame loosely themed segments of the film focusing on things such as beards and hair products. The two men are having a spa day where they ponder the question of masculinity while they also take turns taking comedic jabs at each other. In a standout bit, they hold an impromptu challenge as to who can withstand the rougher massage. Other celebrity interviewees who aren’t exactly taking the subject at hand seriously include Paul Rudd and a hilarious Zach Galifianakis. All of Galifianakis’s answers drew big laughs and he later dominates the over-credits footage after the film. One can only hope there could be more, from all parties really, on the eventual dvd/blu-ray.

When not watching talking heads, the film follows a few men whose lives seem to center around maintaining their hair. Jack Passion is the World Beard Champion (that exists!) and we’re privy to one of their competitions (pageants?) in Germany. Shawn Daivari is a TNA wrestler whose quest to keep up with the hairless culture he works in means he must call in a buddy to shave his “ass shelf.” Ass shelf. Manscaping. This film’s educational value seems to rest on introducing new phrases to a wider audience. Though I could have lived without the creator of Fresh Balls ruining the term “bat wing” in this pre-Dark Knight Rises spring.

If neither of these sides of the doc sound like they appeal, or if you’re looking for the deeper cultural implications of well groomed men, perhaps it’s best to avoid Mansome. But it’s a light, amusing film that’s definitely worth checking out for comedy fans and anyone else who wants to gawk at some really elaborate beards.

Upcoming TFF Screenings of Mansom
Fri. 4/27 – 9:30pm, SVA-1
Sat. 4/28 – 3:00pm, AV7-1

Directed by: Ti West
Starring: Sara Paxton, Kelly McGillis, Pat Healy
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Dark Sky Films
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Running Time: 101 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The director, Ti West, has recently become one of my favorite new horror directors. I ignore the fact that he directed the horrendous “Cabin Fever 2”, which he has since disowned, and remind myself that he did the absolutely amazing “House of the Devil” from 2009. Such a brilliant film if you have never seen it, it is a must watch. This film doesn’t quite capture that same brilliance but is a fantastic return of the slow-burn horror genre. Props go to the amazing Sara Paxton’s (redeeming herself for “Shark Night”) for providing a simple amazing and haunting performance.

The film focuses around the closing of The Yankee Pedlar Inn, which has been open for over 100 years. We meet the remaining employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy). They are determined to prove that the inn is one of the most haunted hotels in New England. The pair of “ghost hunters” begin to explore but are met with very strange and creepy events that will uncover many unexplained events of the inn’s history.

The video on the Blu-ray is dark in parts but works well with its high def 1080p resolution and presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray packs an eerie DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and works perfectly with the score. I just wished there was more jumps and spooks to have it take advantage. It is definitely recommended, as stated in the menu, that you should play this film loud.

The special features are a bit disappointing overall though unlike the film. There is a very short featurette “The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes”, which focuses on the real location of Yankee Pedlar. There are not one but two audio commentary tracks included. The first features director Ti West, producers Peter Phok and Larry Fessenden, and 2nd unit director/sound Graham Reznick focuses heavy on production. The second features Ti West and stars Sara Paxton and Pat Healy, which it is more light and fun. Lastly there is a trailer included.

Xavier Gens is the director of the apocalyptic thriller “The Divide”.  He is known best for directing films “Hitman” and “Frontier(s)”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Xavier about his new film and working with such an amazing cast.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you come on board to direct the “The Divide”?
Xavier Gens: I was shooting a commercial and received a call from the producer, Darryn Welch.  They sent me the script and said that they were fans of “Frontier(s)” and wanted to get my on board. I told them I really liked the concept but wanted to re-write the script a little to show my vision. I worked with Eron Sheean and Karl Mueller for eight months during casting and pre-production and we came up with the final script for the movie.

MG: The cast is such a broad collection of talent, tell us about how the cast was chosen?
XG: I worked with a fantastic casting director, Lindsey Kroeger.  She has done wonders for a lot of movies and brought us a lot of great ideas.  Since we did the casting only one month before shooting, there weren’t a lot of actors who were available.  I never could have imagined that Michael Biehn would have been available to make this film.  It was a pleasure to be working with such a legend from the 80-90’s, I grew up watching his movies.  I was a little bit impressing in the beginning to direct him on the set.  I put a weapon in his hands and directly I thought of Hicks from “Aliens” and it was really cool.  Everyone on the film was just great.

MG: Like “Frontiers(s)”, “The Divide” is pretty brutal and intense; how do you know when you go to far with your films?
XG: I was frustrated on “Hitman” because I couldn’t do the editing.  For me on “The Divide”, it was very important for me to do exactly what I wanted.  It was like making my first film again.  For me it was important to go much further where I could and bring something new out of this surrounding, almost poetic.  I was great being able to have 100% creative freedom on the project.  It was a great experience for me.

MG: What was your most difficult task in directing “The Divide”?
XG: I think it would have to be shooting in chronological order.  We had our actors on diets during shooting, so they were losing a lot of wait.  For example, Michael Biehn lost 17 pounds during filming.  I also gave a lot of creative freedom to the actors.  I used that a lot to catch the organic tension between the actors on camera.  Lauren German had trouble shooting a few scenes because she never knew what the other actors were going to be doing.  There was some scripted lines but most of it was free-range improv from the actors.

MG: How do you feel that “The Divide” differs production wise from your past films “Frontier(s)” and “Hitman”?
XG: It was a great really.  I got to do exactly what I wanted.  I was really happy with the final cut of the film.  It is hard to get that normally from a studio.  It was fantastic and I look forward to working with those people again.

MG: What do you have planned next?
XG: I am currently working out financing for a movie and waiting to sure what will be next.  I cannot be sure for the moment.  We will see what happens.

Directed by: Gerardo Naranjo
Starring:  Stephanie Sigman
Distributed by: Fox World Cinema
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 113 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

“Miss Bala” directed by Gerardo Naranjo is the fictional story of Laura Guerrero (Stephanie Sigman), a young Mexican girl aspiring to become the next Miss Baja. When Guerrero finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time she becomes involved in a drug war that is raging in her city. In order to save her family and her hopes of becoming the pageant winner Guerrero is forced to take part in a variety of dangerous events.

After hearing a number of good things about this film I was more than ready to finally sit down and see what the hype was all about. 10 minutes or so in to the film it was no wonder why it was an official selection of the New York, Toronto and Cannes film festivals. “Miss Bala” is an aggressive and at times unsettling story of devotion. You instantly feel for new comer Stephanie Sigman’s character and her desire to save her family. No matter what the situation or mood of the scene Sigman’s performance read true. Personally I was a big fan of the various build ups where it seemed as though Laura was being released only to be pulled immediately back in after seeing some glimmer of hope. These scenes combined with a tailspin ending left me with just one word. “Wow”.

Fox World Cinema once again does not offer really anything in the way of “Special Features”. In this section of the DVD you get the films trailer a sneak peak of “Miss Bala” and a couple trailers for other Fox World films. The Fox Company really needs to take a good look at this portion of their productions as it is in need of some serious attention. If you are looking for a film with a suspense filled story line then Gerardo Naranjo’s latest film “Miss Bala” should do the trick.

Directed by: Hong-Jin Na
Starring: Jung-woo Ha, Yun-seok Kim, Seong-Ha Cho
Distributed by: Fox World Cinema
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 137 min

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

“The Yellow Sea” written and directed by Hong-Jin Na is the story of a desperate Chinese cab driver who is asked to carry out an assassination in South Korea. Shortly after arriving the cab driver realizes he has become entangled in a dangerous conspiracy. If you are looking for a medium paced foreign film that will keep you guessing at every turn then pick up a copy of Fox World Cinema’s “The Yellow Sea”.

Being a big fan of Asian cinema I was quite interested in checking this film out. Director/Writer Hong-Jin Na did not disappoint. From the overall look and feel of the film to its actual content “The Yellow Sea” was a rollercoaster ride of deception.  Jung-woo Ha did a great job in the lead role and was very convincing playing a man who had nothing to lose. Seong-Ha Cho played a great villain who as the film progressive we start to see that his character is a little more than Jung-woo or us as the viewers bargained for. There were a few points in the film where you really had to pay attention as the number of characters involved and their intersecting story lines did cause a bit of confusion. This observation aside the film still had relatively good flow and progression.

The special features portion of the disc I felt left something to be desired. Here you could find the trailer as well as a sneak peak of the film along with a few other Fox World Cinema Trailers. I am not a fan of when film companies do this and list them as “extras” or “special features”. Personally if I have already chosen this movie to watch I am probably not going to spend my time watching the trailer or sneak peak’s of the film when I already have the full version of the film to watch. I understand some people do want to have these types of so called “special features” but maybe they could have at least included an interview or two with cast/crew to help beef up this section.

Directed by: Scott Thurman
Producer: Pierson Silver, Orlando Wood, Scott Thurman
Featuring: Kathy Miller, Don McLeroy
Tribeca Film Festival
Running time: 83 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Before seeing “The Revisionaries”, I would have been hard-pressed to identify a more noxious sound than that of a dentist’s drill at work. I now know that if the dentist behind that tool is also interrogating the patient on their thoughts on god, or badly singing “For the Bible Tells Me So” as he works, the auditory punishment is that much worse. Talk about a captive audience. It’s a perfect introduction to one of this great, often startling, documentary’s most polarizing figures, Don McLeroy, former head of the Texas State Board of Education.

Thurman’s film focuses on this small board, fifteen members in all, because as one of America’s top purchasers of high school textbooks, the standards they approve for the writing of those books dictate what the nation’s students will be reading for the next ten years. Following Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “the philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” the members of the board have become increasing politicized. Particularly in the realms of science and history. McLeroy enters into the film on the side of the religious far right. A young Earth creationist since he was 29, McLeroy would swear up and down he doesn’t let his personal beliefs enter into his role in education while simultaneously insisting that “science is great, but it doesn’t deserve the plateau [sic] that they put it on”. If it were up to him he would teach kids that dinosaurs walked alongside man and rode on the ark 6000 years ago. There is something profoundly disturbing about a man with, as he described it, a “mind boggling” amount of power chanting to his followers that they must “stand up to the experts!” where education is involved. This type of disgusting anti-intellectualism continues to pervade the political debate today. Just look at failed presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s recent college-is-for-snobs rhetoric for evidence. McLeroy’s stance is backed by other board members like Cynthia Dunbar, another one who will say at the Board meetings that she’s not pushing a theological agenda, but she’ll start a State board meeting with a Christian prayer. If these peoples’ views, ignorance and downright hypocrisy are all infuriating, to director Scott Thurman’s credit, it’s not through any cinematic trickery that this impression is achieved. Thurman gives McLeroy and his cohorts plenty of screen time in which to calmly lay out their beliefs in talking head segments.

On the other side of the debate is Kathy Miller, leader of the Texas Freedom Network, an organization aimed to stop the hijacking of America’s classrooms for political gain. On her side would be the aforementioned experts such as anthropology professor Ron Wetherington and Eugenie Scott, the executive director at the National Center for Science Education. They’re tasked with having to deal with powerful board members who got there via election, not nearly as much education as the experts needed to get to their respective titles. I suppose that’s what makes them experts. Occasionally debates among the panel actually have to pause to have scientific phrases explained to board members. Thurman’s camera does a brilliant job of capturing the moments of silent shock on some of the more level headed commentators in such instances. Wetherington in particular has a wonderfully expressive face when caught off guard. These slips are in great contrast to the restraint the professor shows when dealing with McLeroy in a one on one debate that gets so overly polite it starts to rival Warner Brothers’ Goofy Gophers.

The first half of the documentary focuses on the hot button debate over evolution, with the right wing side pushing for textbooks to accentuate the “weaknesses” of a “theory.” Such petty wording will have a profound effect that should not be underestimated. For me though, the more startling debate appears in the second meeting we see regarding America’s history books. The Board actually seeks to downplay Thomas Jefferson, only the writer of the Declaration of Independence, and emphasize John Calvin in the founding beliefs of the United States. (Calvin being of the belief in predestined eternal damnation or salvation.) It’s an interesting switch for such fervent self-proclaimed patriots to propose but as said before, these people are no strangers to hypocrisy. It is worth noting that while Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he’s also been quoted many times in connection to religious skepticism. Famously writing to John Adams,“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being…will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva, in the brain of Jupiter.” Thurman does not delve into such motivations behind the voting panel’s anti-Jefferson attitude, but that was not far from this viewer’s mind.

For a film that centers largely on votes taking place in a boardroom setting, “The Revisionaries” is riveting. Particularly in the sequences regarding amendments to history books which can be swiftly proposed, rejected, reworded, and re-spun as entirely new ones at the speed of a tennis volley. Some of the phrase nitpicking and absurdity had me recalling Armando Iannucci’s brilliant political satire “In The Loop”.  Thurman’s doc is well timed too as November 2012 will see the election of all 15 spots of the Board of Education. Voter turnout for the McLeroy chair as shown in the film was only 20% and hopefully with enough exposure, Thurman’s film can rally more to chime in on this shockingly influential yet tiny group of people. It’s an important film to bring attention to a vote that might otherwise be overshadowed in this presidential election year.

Upcoming TFF Screenings of The Revisionaries:
Wed. 4/25 – 6:00pm, CCC-7
Sat. 4/28 – 6:00pm, AV7-1

Ti West is a name you should know if you are a fan of the horror genre. He  is known best in the genre for writing and directing the amazing film “The House of the Devil”. His new movie from Dark Sky Films is called “The Innkeepers” and is being released on Blu-ray/DVD on April 24th. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with him about that film and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you come with the idea for this classic ghost story “The Innkeepers”?
Ti West: I hadn’t made a ghost story, so I wanted to do that. When we shot “The House of the Devil”, we lived in this hotel and all this weird stuff happened during that time. I didn’t think anything about it because I was just stressed about making the movie. So about a year later, I started thinking I wanted to do a ghost story and I thought to myself, what if it took place in the hotel we lived it and just went back and shoot it there. I know it already exists in Connecticut and I know there is a tax return for making movies there. It worked out well. I wrote it before asking them and then I paniced, in case they said no. Then I would have wrote a movie about a place we couldn’t shoot it. It would be writing a John Wayne movie, then being fucked cause you can’t cast him [laughs]. Thankfully, they said yes and the rest happened very quickly.

MG: Sara Paxton nailed this role, how did you get her involved with the film?
She came through the normal channels, just auditioning. I didn’t know the rest of her work. when she came in to meet, she was just so awkward, goofy and clumsy. I never would seen that coming and I found it so fascinating and charming. Then I went and watched her movies and she wasn’t like that at all. I wanted to exploit that. That made me push for her. I knew she was doing to be very relatable in the role.

MG: What was your most difficult task in making the film?
TW: This one was oddly pretty easy. Which means the next one, I will be completely screwed [laughs]. We made it so quickly, so that was hard, there was never a moment to breathe. The saying during shoot was that we were just waiting for the other shoe to drop and it was like that the whole time. It never really dropped. Maybe since I had two really hard experience before this and then “House of the Devil” was just really hard to make that movie, I think I was just expecting the worse. This was just so much easier.

MG: The film takes it slow in the beginning but delivers in the end, tell us about that tactic used in a few of your films?
TW: I don’t think about it so much. To me it just seems like the only way for me to make the movie. when its done everything uses the term “slow-burn” and I am like “really”? I understand what they mean but for me I see it as you need to have all this done to make it work, so I just do it. It is like hearing you voice on tape and thinking you don’t sound like that…but you do sound like that. I fell like that might be the way with me and the way I make movies.

MG: What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
TW: It’s been good. I feel like I got a few movie in me and then I got to take a break. I don’t to start repeating myself. The last movie I wrote, I remember writing “She slowly walks down the hall” and I thought to myself, “I can’t believe I am writing this again”. What has been good for me in the genre is that I feel it is an experimental genre. Most people do the same thing over and over and I don’t necessarily like doing that. It is nice for me to make six horror movies in the last six years and they are all very different. The style is different. The stories are different. You can do all sorts of different stuff in the genre so I think that is appealing from a filmmakers perspective.

MG: How do you compare “The Innkeepers” to your past films like “The House of the Devil”?
TW: Once the past films are done, I really don’t think about them anymore. “The Innkeepers” feels like the only movie I have made right now because it is all around me. I work with the same crew already, so for me I think of it as those experience that all of us had a friend then more the content of the movie.

MG: What can you tell us about your upcoming films “V/H/S” and “The ABCs of Death”
TW: Yeah, I did those two anthologies last summer and then both come in this Fall. It’s weird, I didn’t think about myself as an anthology person but I liked the people that were working with. They told me I could get this much money and I could do out and make whatever I wanted. That is a really appealing offer. The only instructions were that with “V/H/S”, it has to be aspects of found footage and horror and that was it. I was able to cast whatever I wanted and make whatever I wanted. with “The ABCs of Death”, they gave us a letter and left me alone. We had to deliver it by this date and we had this much to do it with. It is certainly not a lot of money but if you are smart with it, it can work out well and worth it.