Troll 2’s Michael Paul Stephenson talks about his follow-up to “Best Worst Movie” called “The American Scream”

Michael Paul Stephenson is known best for his role in the cult classic horror film “Troll 2”. Since then, Michael has written and directed the documentary about the film called “Best Worst Movie”, which takes a look at the fandom and his experiences with the film. His newest documentary is called “The American Scream”, which premieres on the Chiller Network on October 28th. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michael about his passion behind his films and comparing “Best Worst Movie” to “The American Scream”.

Mike Gencarelli: I am a big fan of your documentary “Best Worst Movie”. Tell us about how “The American Scream” was born?
Michael Paul Stephenson: The short answer is that we got really lucky. The long answer is long so bare with me but it is meaningful in terms of how this happened. Not this summer but the summer before we were working on a narrative feature called “Destroy”, which we are planning to shoot next year. So we were in the middle of that, when Chiller Network contacted one of my producers and told him that they were big fans of “Best Worst Movie” and asked “What is Michael doing next?”. My producer kind of scratched his head and said “Let me get back to you!” He called me and told me about this idea for a documentary on people that create home haunts for Halloween aka homemade haunted houses. Right off the bat connected with the idea. When I had originally planned to do “Best Worst Movie”, there was never a question of if it would be good or bad. It was something of a feeling that I had to do it. That is the way I felt about this project. It felt as a director that it would be a very playful place to work. I wasn’t interested in the commercial haunts or the haunting industry but the home haunter is an artist of sorts. True, these people decorate for Halloween but all of that is rooted in creativity and passion for the holiday. I also connected emotional to this, since I grew up in a small town and my neighborhood was very into Halloween. So I had some great memories as a kid.  And so this project just grew from that.

MG: So this project was more of a labor of love for you. Do you find that aspect makes it easier when doing a documentary?
MPS: I think you have to have that aspect, especially with a documentary. I think you have to really love the subject matter and connect with it emotionally. That is one of the fears I had coming off “Best Worst Movie”, there is no way that I am going to find another documentary project that feels as personal or meaningful in the same way. In my opinion, you can’t set out to make an effective documentary if you are not personally invested into it. I feel very lucky that this subject spoke to me in such a personal way. It just seemed like this project was meant for me. The Halloween before this was project was born, my wife and kids live in Los Angeles and we were complaining about our neighborhood. We didn’t know our neighbors and complained that our kids are not going to have the same Halloween that we had growing up. We figured that was the price for living in the city. We ended up though finding three streets in Los Angeles that celebrate Halloween and trick or treating in a very big way. Everyone goes to these streets during the holiday. We actually then moved into that neighborhood! So the timing is just weird but seemed to really work out.

MG: What do you think is it about horror fans that they are so devoted?
MPS: It is passion man. And heart. With horror fans, these are people that love movies. They love the experience that the movie gives them. It is the same thing with hauntings. And it is same thing with anyone that is doing something with heart and passion. You can really get behind these people. It can be boring subject matter but if you find someone that is passionate about it, it is infectious and that is something that everyone thrives for. For “The American Scream”, it just so happens to be about things like home made Halloween decorations and with “Best Worst Movie” it was about a bad movie. At the heart of it all, it is that passion ultimately.

MG: How do you feel that “Best Worst Movie” compares to “The American Scream”?
MPS: That is a good question. There are obviously parallels between both worlds. Ultimately with “Best Worst Movie” it is about passion and also artistry. The same thing for “The American Scream”, there is an artist, there is creativity and also passion. My editor and I joke and say that we have to make one more film in order to complete, the trilogy of artistry in unexpected places. It is true, they are very similar in many respects. The challenging aspect in comparison to “Best Worst Movie” was that it was filmed over the course of four years. It was a hard push, then a break. It was challenging but it was just me and there was not rush. With “The American Scream” I had one month, a ticking clock, from the time we started until Halloween finished. There was no luxury like “Let’s come back next Halloween”. It was a shrinking window every day. My favorite documentaries always have strong arcs. Sometimes with characters a good arc takes time. I wanted to see certain character’s arcs but we had this ticking clock. Also with “Best Worst Movie”, there was no expectations or very low expectations. With “The American Scream” I had to follow up something that really worked. So there were heightened expectations and a lot of pressure with that.

MG: Can you tell us about your other upcoming projects?

MPS: Yeah! We have two projects in the works right now. There is the narrative that is a mix of dark comedy and horror, though more dark comedy. It is called “Destroy”. We announced it now about a year and a half ago. The script actually came to me from Zack Carlson, who is one of the programmers for the Alamo Drafthouse. I got the privilege to know Zack when I was filming “Best Worst Movie”. He was the first person to show “Troll 2” on a big screen. We read the script and just fell in love with it. We start filming looks like around May next year. It is terrifying and definitely a big step. But it is material that I have connected with. It doesn’t hurt that it comes from a writer that I also connected with as well. Then we also recently helped executive produce a low-budget comedy called “Zero Charisma”. It was filmed in Austin and was directed and written by our dear friends and collaborators Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews. Andrew was the editor of “Best Worst Movie” and “The American Scream”, so he is like family. Katie has been a DP on both movies as well. After “Best Worst Movie” premiered, they wrote this film and brought it to us. It is their baby but we have helped them make it. And it should start being submitted to festivals shortly.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: 2s, american, called, followup, michael, movie, ...

Morgan Fairchild talks about Syfy’s “American Horror House”

Morgan Fairchild is an actress with such a wonderful a presence in Hollywood. She has appeared in such television series as “Dallas”, “Mork & Mindy” and “Flamingo Road”. Her notable film roles are “Holy Man”, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2”, where she all played herself. She is also stars in the Syfy original movie “American Horror House”, which premieres Saturday, October 13 at 9:00 p.m. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the beautiful and sweet Morgan Fairchild about her this Syfy film and how she prepares for a role.

Mike Gencarelli: What about the role intrigued you to want to be a part of Syfy’s “American Horror House”?
Morgan Fairchild: Well I must confess I’m quite a devotee of the Syfy movie channel. I mean I watch Syfy movies on the weekends. And all my friends have done them, so it was quite fun. And they sent me the script and I thought well, you know, this is actually fun. I could do this. You know, I don’t have to get chopped up or anything too gruesome. She also does have a history with the house and that’s part of figuring out here history with the house is, is a big part of the story, of trying to understand what’s going on as the girls are confronted with different odd happenings in the house as to why they’re happening and what’s really going on there.

MG: Does working on a project like “American Horror House” somehow take you back to earlier in your career doing projects like “The Haunting of Sarah Hardy”?
MF: Well it takes me even further back to “Initiation of Sarah”, which was actually my first TV movie — which was also a haunted sorority house. So yes it goes way back.

MG: Can you talk a bit about how your character Ms. Margot fits into the story?
MF: Well like a lot of the characters I play, she’s sort of the catalyst. The bad guy is always the catalyst. So she’s not unlike some of the other characters I’ve played except that she does seem to just be pure evil.

MG: Is there anything then you found challenging about your role?
MF: You know, they’re always challenging. From Ms. Margot the thing was I didn’t want to tip it too early that she is actually a bad guy because at first she seems sort of supportive house mother kind of thing and sort of the normal everyday thing that a kid would encounter at college. I didn’t want to tip it too soon, so that was a bit of a challenge is just trying to find ways to play things that later people could go back and say, oh yes, I see that. But at the moment that they don’t necessarily catch on right away.

MG: Do you have any kind of technique that you use to for when you approach a role?
MF: Well I do sort of the basic thing everybody does, you know, that they teach you from the Day 1 — which is break it down, break down who is this character, what do they want, where do they come from, what is their background, where are they trying to go, what are they trying to get out of this. so it’s all that kind of basic thing. Then again it’s a very focus of energy. I’m a big Bruce Lee fan. And Rudolf Nureyev for some of you who may not know Rudolf Nureyev was probably one of the best ballet dancers of the 20th century. And watching him on stage with the focus of energy was just an amazing thing the way he controlled the stage. Back in ’73 I’d been living in New York and I went home for the summer for a visit to my mom. Mom always wanted to do anything that was hot in New York. So I said, “Mom, these kung-fu movies are just the hottest things on 42nd Street, so we’ll go to a kung-fu movie.” Well and saw kind of this Bruce Lee movie, Enter the Dragon, it opens with a scene in the Shaolin Temple with Bruce Lee just like stripped to, you know, his skivvies and I was just fascinated with the focus of energy — the total focus of Chi. I watched the whole movie and he’s just brilliant. If he had lived, he would just have been such a major star because of this focus of energy. When the camera is on him, you cannot take your eyes off of him. When Nureyev was on the stage, you could not take your eyes off of him. You know, the poor little corps de ballet dancers would be dancing their hearts out and he would be standing with his back to you and you’re watching him instead of these poor little girls dancing. That was what sort of inspired me again to spend 4-1/2 years taking kung-fu in Chinatown in New York. I mean even when I was doing Search for Tomorrow, I remember one day I was sitting there watching something in the control room and it was summer and I had one of my little Danskin things on and one of the guys came up behind and said, “Morgan, did you know you have dimples in your back, because they would kick your ass, honey.” Down there in Chinatown and I would take the subway to go down there and pick my ways over bodies on the Bowery. This is back when bodies on the Bowery really were there. And it was a little scary going to and from class. But, you know, 4-1/2 years until I moved out here I was there like five, six nights a week as much as I could get in. So yes that’s what I do. That’s part of it is because to play a good bad guy especially you have to have that focus of energy.

MG: What it was like to shoot in Louisiana? Did that add to the tone of the film at all?
MF: It was just fabulous shooting there. Everybody was so friendly and so nice. And we were shooting in April mostly before it got too hot, so I wasn’t dying there. And I’m from Texas, so I know what dying in the heat means. So it was fabulous and got to go down to Jazz Fest and go down to New Orleans a bit and see a bit of the countryside and it was just great.

MG: Can you tell us a little bit about working with the director Darin Scott?
MF: Darin was just fabulous to work with. He was so sweet and low key. And I mean I’ve worked some real screamers in my life, you know, who you never have a moment of peace on the set. And Darin is very low key, very patient with everything, very on top of all the technical stuff that was going on — which we had a lot of in this movie — and just a lot of fun to talk to and sit around at lunch. We became friends just sitting around and gabbing at the lunch breaks and on breaks and stuff and talking everything from politics to old Hollywood stories.

MG: You have had a great career in both TV and film. Have you ever preferred one to another?
MF: Well they’re all just very different and you forget also that I grew up in the theater. So I mean do a lot of theater whenever I can still and did a staged reading of a play this summer and did a big national tour of The Graduate in ’05 and have done big national tours of like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, have done Broadway, off Broadway. So they’re all very different. They’re all very different in the way you focus your energy — which is really what the difference between stage acting and film acting is. Then film acting is usually it’s also very different because of the size of the format. How you focus your energy is to me one of the most interesting things about it.

MG: Last question and off-topic, now that Dallas is back on the air, I was wondering if you would be interested at all in reprising the role you originated of Jenna Wade?
MF: Well sure. I mean I’d always be interested. Originally just socially a couple of people in charge over there had sort of reached out to me and asked me the same question. But I’ve never heard back from them sort of following up and deciding to put Jenna back in it with me or Priscilla, so I don’t know what their thinking is. I’m just happy just Larry and Patrick and Linda all working away again in those great parts again. They’re all friends, you know, so I’m just always happy to see people working and working in fun, wonderful parts.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: american, fairchild, horror, house, morgan, syfys, ...

“American Graffiti” heading to Omaha!


Can it actually be almost 40 years since George Lucas took us all back to 1962 with “American Graffiti?” Well it is, and to celebrate this milestone Bruce Crawford is presenting as his 31st Classic Film Event a special screening of “American Graffiti” on Friday, November 2, 2012. The screening will be held at the Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall, which is located at 2200 Dodge Street and will start at 7:00 p.m.

As with all of Crawford’s events, there will be a special guest in attendance. This event will feature actress Cindy Williams, a co-star of the film as well as of the popular television series “Laverne and Shirley. Also in attendance will be actor Eddie Mekka, best known as Carmine “the Big Ragu” Ragussa on “Laverne and Shirley.” Ms. Williams will address the audience prior to the screening and will talk about working with George Lucas as well as some of the other stars (Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Ron Howard) of the film.

Tickets for the screening are $20.00 with all proceeds benefiting the Nebraska Kidney Association. Tickets can be obtained at the customer service counters at all Omaha-area Hy Vee stores. For more information call 402-932-7200 or visit www.omahafilmevent.com

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Blu-ray Review “American Horror Story: The Complete First Season”

Created by: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
Actors: Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Kate Mara.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Rated TV-MA
Release Date: Sep 25, 2012
Running Time: 534 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When I first saw a promo for “American Horror Story”, I thought to myself that it was going to be absolutely amazing but not going to last.  Before shows like “The Walking Dead”, horror does not have a good track record. To my surprise this show became one of the best shows of last year.  It was nominated for 17 Emmy’s and brought Jessica Lange home a Golden Globe.  Well it really did deserve it…every bit of it.  This show is really sharp writing, fantastic acting and really sticks with you after watching each episode.  It there is a definition of must-see TV, this is it.

Official Premise: Brace yourself for an addictive thrill ride! American Horror Story is TV’s most original new drama, a deeply stylish psychosexual haunt devised to keep you on the edge of your seat. The Harmon’s (Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton) fresh start in a new home deviously twists to reveal discoveries of love, sex and murderous revenge. Featuring a Golden Globe-winning performance by Jessica Lange, Season 1 scares up a host of engrossing extras.

The Blu-ray presentation of the the show delivers, thanks to 20th Century Fox.  The three-disc set presents the show in 1080p transfers with its 1.78:1 broadcast aspect ratio, as well as it’s very effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The music and score in the film is just as haunting as the show itself and it plays well on this release.  The show was in HD on TV but only 1080i (and if you ever DVRed the show, it would be lower), so this is a nice upgrade from broadcast to high-def TV.

The special features are great but could have used just a little more umph. They add up to over sixty minutes of additional content, but luckily all of it is actually impressive. ?There is a commentary track on the pilot episode by Ryan Murphy, must listen for fans.  There is a tour of the “The Murder House” presented by Eternal Darkness Tours of Hollywood, good for a laugh.  Then there are four very in-depth behind-the-scenes featurettes including “Behind the Fright: The Making of American Horror Story”, “On the Set of American Horror Story Season One”, “Overture to Horror: Creating the Title Sequence” and “Out of the Shadows: Meet the House Ghosts”.  I liked learning about the ideas that went into the show’s creation and hearing from all the cast/crew about their experiences.  I think if you are a fan of this show this release is going to leave you very satisfied and at least hold you off until season two begins this Fall.

 

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: american, bluray, complete, horror, review, season, ...

Blu-ray Review “American Reunion”

Directed by: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, Chris Klein, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 113 minutes

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

When “American Pie” came out I was still in high school just like Jim and his friends. I have grown up with these films and even have a kid myself like Jim. But “American Reunion” though is just one sequel too many. I think I had enough after the second, let alone the four (not referenced) direct-to-video spin-off/sequels. This film is just the a continuous of the same, it really doesn’t take the franchise into anything new at all or doesn’t give it any direction. There were a few decent laughs but nothing special, overall. Eugene Levy (again) was the best part of this film and should have his own movie. Also I understand they wanted to re-create the original poster with this film but Natasha Lyonne was seriously in the film for 40 seconds.

The Blu-ray edition includes two cuts of the film: a 113-minute theatrical cut and a 114-minute unrated version. So you can see that it doesn’t matter which one you watch they are basically the same, just like the last few sequels. This release comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray disc, DVD disc and a streaming UV Digital Copy. The 1080p video resolution looks ok but nothing special and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio track is also decent with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, not really challenged.

The special features are also decent but nothing to call home about. There are two audio commentary, the first is with co-writers/co-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, some funny moments overall. The second “Out of Control” audio track is a video commentary with Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and other members of the cast who pop-up on screen throughout and give comments. I preferred the second one for sure though it is sometimes erratic.

Next up, there are over 40 minutes collected of deleted, extended, alternate scenes, as well as a Gag Reel (which funnier than whole movie). “The ‘Reunion’ Reunion: Re-Launching the Series” is a behind0the-scenes featurette with the cast chatting about returning. “The Best of Biggs: Hangin’ with Jason B.” is an all you can eat Jason Biggs buffet. “Lake Bake” is a location feature with the cast and crew. “Dancing with the Oz” is a look into Chris Klein dance act. “American Gonad-iators: The Fight Scene” is a feature on the films climactic fight sequence. “Jim’s Dad”, aka the best part of the film, takes a look at Eugene Levy’s character. “Ouch! My Balls!” is a behind-the-scenes with the cast planting spoof. Lastly there is an interactive yearbook with clips from the entire Pie series.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: american, bluray, reunion, review

DVD Review “The American Dream”

Directed by: Jamil Walker Smith
Starring: Malcolm Goodwin, Jamil Walker Smith, Michael Trotter
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Running Time: 79 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

With patriotism high with fourth of July around the corner, “The American Dream” delivers…for he most part. The film is delivers the rawness and truth behind being in war and the journey of a soldier serving one’s country. Writer/director and co-star Jamil Walker Smith really aims to deliver that and more. You can tell that he is not only trying to make a movie but also deliver a message.

The film follows the last 36 hours of two best friends, Luis and Ronald before into the war in Afghanistan. We get a chance to see their countdown moments and leading up to their enlistment. Though the two have completely different personalities, they both share similar memories and both are dealing with the mixed emotions about their decision to fight in the war.

The DVD release is lacking any special features at all, so that is a bit of a disappointment.  The performances are strong and yet even though the running time is only 79 minutes, the film seems to drag through its scenes. It is worth it to watch just for the performances alone but overall I think it will primarily only appeal to people interested in film’s about war, then the average film goer.

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Garrett Brawith talks about directing “FDR: American Badass”

Garrett Brawith is the producer/director of the upcoming film “FDR: American Badass!”. It is a hysterical comedy starring Barry Bostwick as FDR, as his battles Nazi werewolves. Sounds crazy right? Well it is! Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Garrett about this film and what we can expect from the Blu-ray/DVD release this Fall.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the craziest experience you had working on “FDR: American Badass!”?
Garrett Brawith: The whole shoot was crazy! But there was a day where Bruce McGill and William Mapother had to play an entire dramatic scene standing over a naked man with a squirrel sticking out of his rectum. We’d all agreed not to look because frankly, dead rodents and back balls in your face can be distracting. They pulled it off like pros, but I hear they’re both in therapy now. Talk about dedicated.

MG: How did you get such an amazing cast lined up for this film like Barry Bostwick, Lin Shaye, Bruce McGill, Ray Wise and Kevin Sorbo?
GB: Our amazing casting directors, Dean Fronk and Don Pemrick helped talk them in to it, but with our movies “Poolboy, Drowning Out The Fury” and “Darnell Dawkins, Mouth Guitar Legend” coming out, they knew what they were getting in to; no-holds-barred insanity. And to their credit, they were all for it. Even actors of their caliber enjoy coming to set and just letting loose.

MG: So we got werewolves, Nazis and over-the-top racism is anything safe in this movie?
GB: No. On purpose. But I did wear a condom the entire time. Does that count?

MG: The film crosses over onto Jim Abraham/David Zucker ground via “Airplane!”, tell us about your decision to take the film that way?
GB: It often feels like everything has been done. “The Airplane” and “Naked Gun” series changed all of that by taking normal comedy and going way too far with it. I wanted to go even further. No apologies, no pulled punches, I’d like to kick the planet in the nuts and make them salute the flag at the same time. God bless America.

MG: How did this experience differ for you than your film “Poolboy”?
GB: “Poolboy, Drowning Out the Fury” was an experiment in mass comedy. We wanted to fill every second with something to make you laugh and honestly, I think we did it. FDR is a classier, stylized version, but without the class. The film looks great but it’s anything goes. We took the same philosophy as “Poolboy” and just went bigger.

MG: Tell us what we can expect from the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release?
GB: We wanted to do something nice for the audience so there’s a special feature, 26 minute music video of me peanut butter wrestling the cast in lifesaver thongs. Because we care. Comes out September 25th, so look for it!

 

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Thomas Ian Nicholas talks about “American Reunion”

Thomas Ian Nicholas is currently appearing in the 4th film in the “American Pie” series, “American Reunion”. This film marks the complete return of the original cast from the first film. Thomas also is currently touring with his band, TNB. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Thomas again about “American Reunion” and also his music.

Mike Gencarelli: What was it like the first day when you got to set and the entire group was there?
Thomas Ian Nichols: Filming is always like a jumbled group of actors and it’s something you don’t have any control over. The first time that we got together was prior to shooting. We did some table readings and screen tests that everyone was at. When I first walked into the room it was a trip. On one hand I had thought I matured as I am married now and had a child on the way. As soon as I walked into that room I reverted back to my youth. We started talking and during the table read it felt like no time had passed at all. It was very surreal.

MG: Was there any particular highlights for you from filming?
TIN: Each film has been subsequently more fun to make. I think each time we know each other a little more and we have history together. The first film we were kids and I was just happy to have a job. The second film was a giant party, and the third film was just a big celebration. This film being 10 years later and also the first one to be shot on location was just nuts! All the other films were shot in Los Angeles so at the end of the day we would all just go home. When you are on location you are away from your friends and family. We spent a lot of time just hanging out.

MG: Can you tell us about how your character Kevin has been up to?
TIN: I had never really considered a reunion. Jon and Hayden I think chose wisely for Kevin. He is doing what we would expect him to be doing. He has gotten married and moved on from Vickie. He has kept in touch with everybody and is working as an architect. Kevin is also a good cook and there is a line in the film about him being Jim’s favorite house wife. Kevin acts as the ring leader to bring everyone back together again.

MG: What does this film bring new to the table?
TIN: I think what it brings new is also what it brings old. Jon and Hayden are really big fans of the original film and the franchise. They really sought out to capture the heart of the first movie. When I first saw the film I thought they achieved that and so much more. I kind of consider “American Reunion” to be the perfect sequel to the first movie.

MG: Can you tell us about your song on the soundtrack?
TIN: I have tried to pitch songs to be on all of the “American Pie” films. This time I recorded a song that I knew was going to be on the soundtrack already and pitched the idea to Jon and Hayden. I ended up playing the wrap party for the film which was something I had never done before. After hearing me they asked to include one of my songs on the album. They didn’t use the cover I did of “Laid” as they chose to go with the original James version. They ended up going with an original song of mine that is off my new album titled “My Generation”.

MG: Can you tell us about the “American Reunion” college tour?
TIN: During the month of February I traveled around to 20 different colleges playing concerts and promoting the movie. I wanted to make sure that the next generation was aware of the film so I came up with this idea to spread the word.

MG: What other projects do you have planned?
TIN: My new album will be coming out so I plan to be out supporting that. As far as films “The Chicago 8” where I play Abbie Hoffman should be coming out hopefully later this year. I also have a few other projects I am working on. I am always keeping busy.

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Film Review “American Reunion”

Starring: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 1 hour 53 mins
Universal

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Ah, high school. So many memories. And what better way to relive those fond memories then at a reunion. The kids at East Great Falls High are getting together to celebrate their 13th year (don’t ask) out of high school. And they’ll find that those memories can make you cry as much as laugh.

Pretty much an “American Pie” retrospective, “American Reunion” gives us a look into the lives of the senior class of 1999. All of the familiar faces are there. Jim (Biggs) is married to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). They have a two year old son and apparently no time for each other. Oz (Chris Klein) is a popular television sportscaster who is even more renowned for his appearance on a “Dancing With the Stars”-like show. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has become a world traveler. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a happily married stay at home husband. And Stifler (Scott)…well, Stifler is Stifler.

Written and directed by the same duo that brought us the “Harold and Kumar” films (which would make sense since Thomas, John Cho and a cameo-ing Neil Patrick Harris appear here), “American Reunion” is like one of those flashback television shows. Except here when someone says, “remember when we” there is no actual flashback. Just a lot of reminiscing. Mostly it’s about love lost. Whether it’s no time for love, not loving the one you’re with or wishing you’re first love had really been forever, love seems to be the story here. Of course there is also sex and beer and the forever-eighteen Stifler to brighten the mood. As played by Scott, Stifler is as obnoxious as ever. But you can’t help but love the guy because, whether he’s getting revenge on a couple of teen age pranksters or setting up the party of the year, you know his heart is in it.

The rest of the cast have obviously become comfortable in their roles and their comradeship is evident on screen. Klein has a few scenes that let him show some range and he handles them well. Biggs has always played hang-dog well and he does it here. Levy, as Jim’s dad, has always been a high point in the “Pie” film series. The best scenes in the film are of Jim and his pop just talking like countless fathers and sons have done in the past. Hannigan is pretty much wasted here, spending a lot of the film “visiting friends.” “American Pie” fans will be happy everyone from the first film makes an appearance, though some of them are in “blink or you’ll miss them” cameos.

The script is full of jokes capitalizing on the fact that life moves pretty fast. When Jim meets Kara, the little girl next door he used to babysit, he is shocked to see that she has grown into a full blown hottie. The fact that she refers to a Spice Girls song on the radio as “classic rock” only shocks him more. Time surely does fly, whether you’re having fun or not.

 

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: american, film, reunion, review

Book Review “Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture- A Career Retrospective”

Author: Jack Davis
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: December 12, 2011

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I recently had the privileged to interview Jack Davis himself and discuss his work with him. I have to tell you that it would honestly take hours of questions to barely scratch the surface on his work. This book is packed with really great high quality coverage of all of Jack’s work. It starts from the beginning  in the early days and gives a pretty thorough look at his career portfolio. I feel that the book work as a tribute to his work and would be enjoyed by his lifetime fans and newly founding fans alike.

Some of the work that “Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture” covers is his comic work in EC, “MAD”, “Humbug”, “Trump”, and horror work like “The Vault of Terror” and Tales from the Crypt”. It focuses on his work with movie posters and albums covers including “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, “The Bad News Bears”, “Bananas” and record jacket art for musicians and bands like Hans Conreid and the Creature Orchestra’s Monster Rally and Spike Jones. Jack’s work has also been featured in magazine like Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Time and TV Guide. Lastly a main draw for the book has to be unpublished illustrations and and newly found drawings from Davis.

I did not think that one book would be able to encompass all of it all of Jack’s worth but this one does a decent job. The images though are very clear and crisp whether in black and white or color. You can even see the pencil marks on some of the pictures, which adds to the beauty of the images. After you finished enjoying all of his work, there is a great biography written about Jack to round up all of his work and delivers some great information about his career.  Fans of Jack’s and of art in general should definitely check this out if you are able to pick up a copy from Fantagraphics.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: american, book, career, culture, davis, drawing, ...

Interview with American Idol’s James Durbin

James Durbin was a contestant on season 10 of “American Idol”. James recently released his debut full length album titled “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”. Media Mikes had a chance recently to talk with James about his experience on the show and what it was like singing with Judas Priest.

Adam Lawton: What was the “American Idol” process like for you?
James Durbin: I originally auditioned for season 8 of the show however I was not in the right spot mentally at that time. I just wasn’t there what so ever in my life. During my time between the two auditions I started a family and really got my life and my priorities together. I was working at a Domino’s pizza and had put in for the day off so I could go an audition. No one knew that I wanted to be a singer. Everyone figured I was just going to be one of the joke contestants so my boss said I couldn’t have the day off. Two days before the audition the owners sat all the employees down and told us they would be closing due to not having any more money. Everyone was laid off and we weren’t doing very well financially at the time. My fiancé and I went to San Francisco and waited and waited to audition. I just ended up going for it and never looked back. I had no idea what things were going to be like once I finally got on the show. You do a lot of waiting in between rounds for your chance to sing and then it’s over. The show is almost like a marathon.

AL: Did you start off auditioning for the main judges?
JD: You actually have 3 pre-auditions before you are in front of the cameras. All that they really show on TV is the final round of auditions and tons of people in the stadium. They never show the first round where upwards of 20,000 show up to sing for 5 seconds in hopes of getting their opportunity.

AL: What was your initial reaction when you were told you would be singing with Judas Priest?
JD: I was told right after I sang “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” during the Top 24 guy’s week. Judas Priest had contacted the show stating they really enjoyed my performance and if I made it to the finale would I be interested in signing with them. I thought holy crap! It’s Judas Fucking Priest and they want to play with me. I was in complete shock. I still am.

AL: What can you tell us about your album “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”?
JD: The album is being released via Wind-Up Records and was produced by Howard Benson. The title comes from me looking back on moments in my life that I thought were disasters. However after meeting my fiancé and having a child those things that bothered me from the past I can now look back on them and see the beauty and the pain. Those events made me who I am today.

AL: What was the recording process like for you?
JD: Everything on the album is entirely new material. I enlisted the help of some writers who wrote songs specifically for me. They call it personalized song writing. All in all I finished the vocals in two and a half weeks as we were working with a deadline in place. I finished way ahead of time. The process of recording was really fun and learning about everything related to recording was great. I had never done anything of this magnitude before.

AL: Can you tell us about your involvement in the film “Different is the New Normal”?
JD: I was asked by a production team if I would be interested in talking to a young man by the name of Ariel Small. Ariel has tourettes syndrome and was in the process of making a documentary about himself. I immediately jumped on the opportunity. The film isn’t just about tourettes but it brings life to tourrettes and makes it well known. Ariel was inspired by me to make this film. I really respect that and am very honored. Meeting Ariel and seeing how much insight he has for such a young man was great. The title of the film actually came from one of my quotes.

AL: What are your plans for 2012?
JD: Surviving the Apocalypse. (Laughs) I am going to just keep living my dream of being able to sing and make a living by doing so. This really is a dream come true. Huge thanks goes to everyone who has helped me in the process especially my family and fans. I owe everything to my fans. I am working on securing the right tour for 2012 as album sales have been going well so knock on wood things will keep going well.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: american, durbin, idols, interview, james
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