What Glen Will Be Watching This Fall

Posted by chainsaw under guest blogger

Received the following e-mail from Glen Baisley, the indie filmmaker who guest blogs in this space quite often. . . .

I might as well get it out of the way now because I know you will make fun of me anyway.  Here’s a list of what I’ll be watching this Fall so far.

(Note the 5, 11, etc., are references to NY cable channel line-ups)

 
8/28 Moment of Truth - 5 at 8 PM
9/1 Prison Break - 5 at  8 PM
9/7 True Blood - HBO at 9 PM
9/7 Entourage - HBO at 10 PM
9/8 Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles - 5 at 8 PM
9/9 Fringe - 5 at 8 PM
9/18 Smallville - 11 at 8 PM
9/18 Supernatural - 11 at 9 PM
9/22 Heroes - 4 at 9 PM
9/25 My Name Is Earl - 4 at 8 PM
9/28 Dexter - Showtime at 9 PM
10/1 Pushing Daisies - 7 at 8 PM
10/13 My Own Worst Enemy - 7 at 10 PM (New show with Christian Slater.  Don’t know anything about it but I like Christian Slater)
10/14 Eli Stone - 7 at 10 PM
10/17 Crusoe - 4 at 8 PM (Similar to Lost.  Don’t know if it’s any good but I’ll check it out.)

glen

 

 

 

Glen Reviews A Movie No One Wants To See

Posted by chainsaw under guest blogger, reviews

This morning guest-blogging machine Glen Baisley e-mailed me a review for “Lost Boys 2.”

Unfortunately, Glen is one of those children of the 80s who preferred the 1987 vampire flick “Lost Boys” starring the two Coreys over “Near Dark,” an infinitely better vampire flick released the same year.

That’s like favoring “Mobsters” over “Goodfellas,” or Sammy Hagar’s years in Van Halen over David Lee Roth.

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, Glen decided to waste 90 minutes watching “Lost Boys 2,” released straight to video 21 years after the first film.

Here is the trailer, followed by Glen’s review:

The only reason to watch this is for the same reason that people stop and watch a car accident - morbid curiosity.

I had heard that the movie would reunite Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander (The Frog brother who has never really worked since the original Lost Boys) so I was curious to see what story the writers churned out for them 20 years later.

Don’t read on if you don’t want spoilers.

This movie is a bust. Newlander shows up for about 30 seconds after the credits and Haim is only found in 2 alternate endings. Feldman’s acting is so far over the top this time that it just doesn’t work. It’s a good thing Haim has no screen time because the two unused alternate endings reflect the state of his career.

The plot twist this time around finds an older sibling becoming a half vampire to save the younger sibling who is almost turned. Throughout the movie there are numerous nods to the original, including an impaling on a set of deer antlers.

This movie sucks. Pun intended. Fans of the original should completely forget this sequel exists. It you made the mistake of buying it, leave it out in the hot sun to melt and shrivel up like a vampire in the burning sun.

LOST BOYS 2: REJECTED BY GLEN

 

 

Ultra, Super-Duper, Jaw-Dropping, Earth-Shattering, Will Change Blogging As You Know It EXCLUSIVE!

Posted by chainsaw under ct film industry, guest blogger, local productions

Gore effects specialist Brian “I Sell the Dead” Spears has been working in Connecticut recently on “BURNING INSIDE,” a new indie film from husband and wife filmmakers Nathan Wrann and Kimberly Dalton, who comprise Dalton Gang Productions.

I first met Nate and Kim at Fango 2007, which I covered as a freelance piece for another CT newspaper (sounds like “The Barford Durant”). They’re from West Haven, and, well, they didn’t call the police or pretend they didn’t know me the morning after we met, so naturally they are really, really nice people.

If memory serves me, they drive a Subaru Forrester. I mean, can you really hate anyone who drives a car like that?

Check out this photo of me and Kimberly Dalton from this year’s Fango Con.

 

I think she has dimples, for Lord’s Sake!

So, you can imagine my surprise a few days later when I popped in their “Hunting Season” DVD a few days later. It’s one of the nastiest, most compelling zero-budget indies I had seen in a long time.

Based on, I suppose, solid word-of-mouth — and, I’m sure, the couple’s non-stop networking skills — the Dalton Gang secured funding for “BURNING INSIDE,” their second feature film.

And they went ahead and hire Spears as to do their gore effects.

Spears, a Somers, N.Y. native, did the gore effects (with partner Pete Gerner) for his own death scene in “Shadow: Dead Riot.” (Spears is the guard)

Check it out:(click here if it ain’t workin)

Cameo Scene from Shadow: Dead Riot

Long story short, Spears and the Dalton Gang got together this weekend in Branford to film a particularly disturbing scene for “BURNING INSIDE.”

Here are Spears’ e-mailed thoughts on a tough gore gag he had to prepare for the flick:

WARNING — SPOILER ALERT — WARNING

“BURNING INSIDE, though it has some horrific scenes, is a psychological revenge film.

The film will have a distinct look, shot in B&W; it will be filtered heavily giving it a cinematic look reminiscent of the original NOSFERATU.

The Wranns approached me to handle the heavy FX scenes, consisting of a bloody death by lawn mower blade, prop weapons, a rotting corpse, a stillborn baby — and a ready-to-burst pregnant belly.

Having spent several years on countless low budget sets, their needs were right up my alley.

The only effect giving me concern was the pregnant belly. It had to look real and also give the impression of nudity.

I’ve done my share of T&A horror flicks (EDITOR’S NOTE: SEE FLESH FOR THE BEAST), many of which my grandmother will never see, but this was the first time I was asked to recreate female nudity.

The Dalton Gang wanted their actress to be comfortable, so I recreated a chest and belly prosthetic that was glued to her torso.

I spent a rainy July 27 recreating the rather bloody birth. Roughly a gallon or more of blood was used as our actress (Kristina Powis) suddenly went into labor. A blood trail was done using tubing that spilled across the kitchen floor.

After that we moved to a small bedroom spilling more blood, making those films you saw in health class look like a DISNEY flick. We finished our day with the belly; my prosthetic edges needed some help, but the B&W format will help with that and the effect worked for the shots needed.

Now with only a few more days of production left, BURNING INSIDE is almost in the can. I look forward to seeing the film as well as one day working again with the talented cast and hard working crew both Nate and Kim assembled.”

Here are some photos Spears passed along:

from right to left are Joe Land, J. Brown, Nathan Wrann and Kristina Powis

Actor Michael Wrann

Kristina Powis & Michael Wrann, a glimpse of Spears’ work