In the Works: AoD Genesis Part 4

Alright, lots of stuff to report on how the short film is coming along.

First off, the title may change. The other producers and I have discussed it a little bit and it may be for the best. Mainly because the script is pretty intense and the title may throw people off as being something campy and comic when the story actually is at the other end of the spectrum. It's not that big of an issue now so it has been put on the back burner.

Second, money. We need money. Right now $3000 of this is coming straight out of my own pocket. I have no problem with this as it's pure capital. What I don't want to do is resort to my credit card, especially since I've managed to eliminate a majority of my debt (I have one credit card with a little bit on it, but nothing that isn't manageable). I've tried to put the call out for people to visit https://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-01-14.0727455053 and donate a little bit to the movie but that seems to be going nowhere. Two good friends have pledged some cash but that's about it. Unfortunately, if I don't reach my monetary goal by the end date on this Web site, then all pledges are returned to the contributors. Good for them since they don't spend any money, bad for me because it's just another outlet that isn't giving up the goods. Several options are on the table now. One, my two other fellow producers still haven't given a ballpark estimate of what they will be able to contribute so that will be a little extra coming from them. Two, my good friend Joel Wear at Exemplar Films, LLC is willing to contribute a bit to the budget, but I will definitely have to LLC my production company beforehand. One of the producers is working on it, but I haven't heard any updates. I'll get those this weekend. Three, I have several untapped monetary resources in various family members. But I'm extremely hesitant about asking them. I probably will, but I want to get things more in order before approaching. So yeah, money. It's a big pain. Hell, there are still several options open to funding but I won't list them here. This paragraph is be enough as it is.

Third, we NEED locations! This has been another thorn in our side as we have hit several dead ends and we'd really like to nail them down ASAP. Another producer is pursuing this and I'm hoping he'll have some leads by the end of the week.

Speaking of the end of the week, the Director and I have several interviews with potential Special Effects Supervisors this weekend. I'm excited about it because there are some people with great talent and skill that have submitted applications. The trick is to nail down someone who knows what the hell they're doing and can do it on the cheap. We'll see how that works out and I'll keep the two of you updated.

Our tentative shoot date is looking like the end of March and/or the beginning of April. Hopefully we can get our shit together and pull this off. I know that we can, but like Mel Brooks says, hope for the best but expect the worst.

The New Age of Fratricide

Wow. It has been a while hasn't it? Well, I hope I still have my legions of adoring fans reading this. Actually this is a great outlet for me to let off steam and rant. Frankly I could give a damn if anyone reads this blog.

So onto relevant news from the Fratricide camp.

It has been about 5 1/2 months since the Prayers for an Apocalypse EP was released. Fratricide has received a couple of glowing reviews from Noose of the United States Black Metal Sect (USBMS), Belle and Blackmetal Jim from Black Belle Webzine, as well as a cool review and interview with moi from the almighty Septi-Gore Zine which is published exclusively in hard copy form.

Several line-up changes have happened. Some smooth; some not so smooth. Rob (aka Hellfire) has a distinct vision in mind for Fratricide and usually when he sets his mind on something, it is definitely going to get done one way or the other. This has worked in his favor but also to his detriment. A former member didn't like the way he was fired from the band. Admittedly it was rather sudden and informal which took me by surprise--Rob at least acknowledges it could have been handled differently but sticks by his decision. Of course the former member is very bitter about it (again, understandably) and has decided to mock Rob and carry on a venomous campaign to discredit the band.

I've tried to stay out of a majority of it. Afterall I wasn't there and didn't know the dynamics of what was going on. All I knew was from the e-mails I received both from Rob and the former band member. I actually thought things were fine.

So I guess I'm just trying to get the perspective of the former band member right now. He's bitter, pissed, and full of vinegar. I get that. I've been fired from bands unceremoniously (as well as Rob) and know the feeling very well. I've talked shit and the band has talked shit, but in the end, shit settled and that was it. That was the "grown up" thing to do. You can't harbor negativity for the rest of your life. It will just eat you up inside causing mental and even physical problems.

But what do I do when I see harsh things continually said about a band I helped establish? Obviously the former band member has some issues he needs to work out. This isn't all about Fratricide and if it is all about Fratricide, then that's even more disturbing. But to fuel the fire with responses just as mean as his is nonproductive to the band itself. Unfortunately this guy will more than likely be forever bitter about the experience and I'm truly sorry for that. I hope he can eventually move on and turn that anger into some brutal heavy metal music.

As Fratricide proceeds into 2008 and pushes past all the vitriol, new and exciting things have appeared on the horizon. An incredibly fast and skilled drummer (Warmachine) has joined the ranks as well as a talented new bassist (Cudgel). They form, along with Akula (guitarist) and Hellfire, the foundation of the New Age of Fratricide. A new lead guitarist will be found eventually but until then the boys are starting to write new material and are focusing their efforts on injecting a fresh new voice into the Black and Heavy Metal scene. I raise my beer to their success and hopefully I'll see them at a live gig in the future. Screw the drama, ignore the haters, and raise the horns high!

Review of "Mr. Brooks" with Kevin Costner

Ok, I'm going to admit it here. I like Kevin Costner. Sure he isn't the best actor in the world and he's been in some stinkers (I'm talking romantic comedies here, not his killer post-apocalyptic flicks), but there's something about him that I like. Maybe because he slightly resembles my good ol' pop (RIP) or perhaps it's his nonchalant demeanor that oozes from his "various" performances. Either way, the guy has presence on screen.

Costner plays Earl Brooks, a loving family man and successful entrepreneur. Unfortunately he suffers from a sort of schizophrenia where William Hurt (Marshall), the evil "Hyde" side of Brooks, consistently urges him to kill. We learn that Earl Brooks is actually the "Fingerprint Killer" and has been killing for years. It's not a sexual thing as with most serial killers but an addiction. Brooks even attends Alcoholics Anonymous just so he can help control the addiction (though he never reveals his secret).

"Mr. Brooks" is a moral dilemma for the watcher of the film. On the one hand, Brooks is a friendly character who loves his wife and college age daughter and exudes a certain likability. But on the other hand, he is a cold-blooded killer. We see this first hand as he ruthlessly kills a couple in their own home. Brooks is the quintessential "anti-hero." He is a man torn by his monstrous addiction and sickness but still lives with his own set of personal moral and family values. He wishes to escape, disappear, or even die because of what he has done, but the presence of his alter-ego Marshall pushes him over the edge. Even Marshall himself is an interesting beast. At first slightly annoying, we, as the audience, wish for Brooks to escape from Marshall's incessant ramblings. But as scenes play out, we come to like the conversations between the two. Marshall's insight is of course Brooks' own internal struggle visualized as a separate being and we discover that this separate being, while cold and ruthless, is incredibly intelligent and cunning.

The strengths of this film are of course the main storyline involving a psychopath equally, if not more screwed up than Brooks who tries to blackmail the lovable serial killer (played by Dane Cook), his family life, and the creepy and very cool sub-story with his daughter.

Weaknesses fell with Demi Moore's role as the cop who is (of course) obsessed over the "Fingerprint Killer" and her impotent attempts to catch him. But this sub-story is overshadowed by a divorce she is going through and another killer who has escaped from prison and stalks her. This specific sub-story could easily have been cut from the film or modified to interweave better with the main story. As it stands now, it's more of an annoyance and I found myself wanting to fast forward past it to the excellent story which it just interrupted.

Another weakness was Dane Cook. He added nothing to his "Mr. Smith" part and I wonder at the casting of such a weak "actor." I say "actor" loosely because Cook is anything but. At times it felt like Cook was reading off of cue cards and at others, it seemed like he felt like he had to amp things up until he came off very animated and cartoonish. A poor choice. I read a rumor that Zach Braff was actually picked to carry the role of "Mr. Smith" originally. I believe that probably would have been the better choice.

All in all, "Mr. Brooks" is very entertaining and despite his ghoulish and evil ways, I still found myself rooting for him in the end. According to Costner, this is the beginning of a trilogy. Let's hope we see the "Mr. Brooks" franchise take horror/thriller/suspense movies to a new level. So far so good!

In the Works: AoD Genesis Part 3

Continuing off from my previous post, Age of the Dead: Genesis is only the starting point. I envision AoD to be a series of chronicles and different stories. They would concentrate mostly on Barbara but also a diversion into another character's story as well. These would all lead up to maybe a full length feature. Anybody that had followed these AoD chronicles would recognize and know the characters in the full length. Another thought I had was that these chronicles could maybe play as a precursor to a series pilot for HBO or Showtime, similar to The Sopranos or Entourage. I'm really excited; especially as our talented crew is starting to assemble and people are getting just as excited as I am about this.

Stay tuned for more updates!

In the Works: AoD Genesis Part 2

AoD Genesis Part 2 you ponder? Actually this is the evolution of my Survival of the Deadest short that I was putting together. AoD = Age of the Dead and Genesis is my "beginning." You see, what started as a cobbled together quick short has turned into something a bit bigger which makes me very happy. Especially considering I'm putting together a great team that will make this a truly phenomenal 30 minute short film.

So a long time ago I wrote a full length screenplay called Age of the Dead. I've written about it here and I originally had this idea that it would be another chapter in the George Romero world of zombies. Except it would be amped up Mad Max style and much more grittier. The script has gone through many transformations, reviews, versions, etc... and sat on my shelf for a long time. After finally finishing my short film 3 Days, I knew I wanted to get back into pure horror. I wrote Survival of the Deadest as a 9-page short script involving a survivalist who doesn't know the zombie apocalypse is on him. Then I was visited in a dream by a naked lady who totally did me and afterwards she said that maybe I should revise the script and bring the main character from Age of the Dead as our hero. I rewrote the script and produced another 9-page short that was totally different from the survivalist story. This one involved Barbara from my Age of the Dead and her "origin" story. Where she was, what she was doing, how she became who she was, etc... I then plopped in Age of the Dead: Survival of the Deadest as the title since my hero Barbara was involved.

Once I thought my script was done, I approached my good friend Jason to help out with supplying the guns needed and the digital effects which he has access to. I talked to another good friend, Erik, who has a lot of knowledge about locations, safety issues, and would bring a lot to the table. The final person I approached was my next door neighbor, Clark who I had spoke with briefly before about movies. We had lived side by side for almost a year before realizing we had the same taste in movies and a desire to make them. Clark read my script and saw more potential in it than the mere 9-pages it was. We brainstormed briefly and ideas just projectile vomited from us onto the page. In less than a day I had pushed the page count from 9 pages to 18 pages. More brainstorming ensued and suddenly I had 27 pages written.

Last night we sat down and went over dialog and other issues and I think we are done! I changed the name from Age of the Dead: Survival of the Deadest because it started to sound more like a parody instead of what it was; which is a killer character driven zombie splatter short film. The name is now Age of the Dead: Genesis. It casts a little more seriousness on the film plus tells us that this is just the beginning.

Complete: Fratricide Demo (EP) Part 6

Okay, so the Fratricide Demo (EP) "Prayers for an Apocalypse" is supposedly out now. Vengeance Recording Group has the product but is waiting on explicit lyric stickers. Really? Explicit lyric stickers?? All we write about is the destruction of the world, God, and the human race. It's not like we're advocating the murder of some bitches and hoes while smoking doobies in our pimped out Cadillacs. I mean, come on!

So yeah, apparently that's what we're waiting on. I'm getting tired of waiting though. I just wish Vengeance would send Hellfire and me our copies. I know some of you are waiting to get your copy through he and I so you'll just have to be a bit more patient (like us).

Explicit lyric stickers??? Come on!!!

EDIT: Just a little update. Hellfire and I have our CDs. I've given out about 14 and he's going through his pretty quick. We're planning to start marketing and advertising the shit out of Fratricide by October 15th. Frankly we're just tired of waiting to push this out. We've been hit with so many delays that there's no excuse in continuing to drag our feet since there is an actual, solid, real-life product in our hands.

While my position in the band is now pretty much regulated to the background instead of main music contributor, I still feel integral into pushing the Fratricide name out there as much as possible. I'm really hoping to see Hellfire take Fratricide as far as it can go with the musicians he has gathered. I'm kind of like a cheerleader but not one of those gay ones in tights. I do have pom-poms though.

The full-length is already in the works and Hellfire and the boys will start up rehearsals around the beginning of November. Two tentative titles are on the board right now for consideration. They are "Of War and Extinction!" or "The Law of Fratricide". I'm really excited for the guys and I wish we did live closer so I could contribute a bit more music wise. But moving to Ohio would be like taking a step down from a wonderful, sex filled relationship with Nicole Kidman to dry humping a used couch on the side of the road. And that my friends, is unacceptable. No offense intended to anyone living in Ohio.

Below are the tentative songs that will be on the new full-length:

The Law of Fratricide

Betrayed Behind Enemy Lines

Of War and Extinction

Dedicated Infantry Combat Killer (DICK)

Through Scorched Heavenly Valleys, We March!

Preparing the Grinder for Angelic Remains

Evolution of the Wicked

Supreme Offering of the Vestal Virgin

Prayer for an Apocalypse

Bastards of the Battlefield

Attention to Orders

Bands of the Living Dead???

http://music.msn.com/music/features/bandsofthelivingdead?GT1=10293

Go to that link. Come back here when you're done.

Back yet? OK, I'll wait.

How about now?

Good. Now on with the rant.

"...as bands long thought to be disbanded soldier on, releasing albums and riding the tour jet (and later, tour bus) long after even loyal fans believed them to no longer be in existence." - John Moe

Mr. Moe seems to be a bit confused. You see, it's the loyal fans who already know that these bands still exist and put out releases. In fact most of the bands mentioned have a fan base (both young and old) so large that they sell-out arena concerts wherever they go.

Who are the people that think these bands are no longer around? Are these people that have attention spans that last as long as the edited radio version of the latest sugar-sweet, audience friendly, song? Are these the people so easily lulled into the sterilized world of terrestrial radio that they have no desire or will to look further into the bands they listen to? I just scared myself with that question because I suddenly realize it's true.

It's a shame that people such as Mr. Moe feel that just because a band has longevity makes them pop culture has-beens. One thing we should learn from our history classes and parents is to never forget our roots. Modern rock and roll and heavy metal was spawned from the classics. In fact many of todays popular rock and metal bands acknowledge and praise the masters who came before them.

A true connoisseur of rock and metal music doesn't debase older bands by calling them the "living dead" or a "robotic zombie monster." A connoisseur raises them on a pedestal and acknowledges the achievements these groups brought to their respective genres. If they still continue to stick to a tried and true formula that appeals to their artistic integrity and still can manage to sell-out shows all over the world, who are we to argue?

Mr. Moe seems like an intelligent individual. I would think he would be smart enough to know that we should respect our elders a bit more and give them the praise that they earned and deserve.

End of line.