Wednesday, November 28, 2012

CineKink Announces Dates for Tenth Annual Kinky Film Festival

New York, NY - November 28, 2012 - Scheduled for February 26-March 3, 2013, the tenth annual CineKink NYC will feature a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, audience choice awards, a special adult entertainment showcase, and a gala kick-off event, along with retrospective screenings commemorating a decade's worth of kinky programming. A national tour will follow, showcasing audience favorites from the NYC festival selections.

Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event is presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television. With offerings drawn from both the independent cinema world and the adult, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, slightly spicy to quite explicit--and everything in between.

"It's so amazing to me that we've made it to the decade marker," said Lisa Vandever, Co-Founder and Director of CineKink. "Looking back on all the films we've presented since 2003, it's incredibly gratifying that we've been able to connect such smart and sexy works, and such talented filmmakers, with an appreciative, like-minded audience. And we're looking forward to another year of it!"

The organization is currently seeking works for CineKink/2013, with a call for entries open until December 11, 2012. The festival line-up and schedule for CineKink NYC will be announced in January.

For more information visit http://www.cinekink.com.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Cashiers du Cinemart 17 Now Available

Cashiers du Cinemart #17 is now available! Get it for the low price of $8.00 US directly from Lulu.com. They accept most major credit cards and paypal.

Here are more details:
ISBN978-1-300-35140-5
Cover ArtTom Bagley
LanguageEnglish
Pages200
BindingPerfect-bound Paperback
InteriorInkBlack & white
Weight1.38 lbs.
Dimensions (inches)5.5 wide x 8.5 tall

ArticleAuthor
After Last Season By Jim Donahue
The Fifty Greatest Philippines Parodies By Andrew Leavold
Dogfight By Kristy Jett
Dismembering Mama: Lost Boys, Grave Spit And Other Schlock By Don Takano
Dream Home By Dan Tabor
Flesh On Fire: The Damaged Male Psyche In Mike And Roberta Findlay's Psychosexual Trilogy By Bob Moricz
Nashville Rebel: Waylon's Good Ol' Boy Story By Zachary Kelley
The Early Films Of Andy Sidaris By Jason Coffman
The Actor Who Slunk In From the Shadows: Brad Dourif By Calum Syers
Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil By Mike Faloon
Pierre Maheu's Le Bonhomme: Whale In A Shoe Box: Communal Life, Self-Surrender And Tree-Hugging Routines In A Revolutionary Quebec By Ralph Elawani
Ricky Six By Josh Gravel
Bloodsucking Freaks By Rob St. Mary
Gunfight At The Exotic Locale By Mike Malloy
Rural Mayhem: Eat My Dust & Smokey Bites The Dust By Rich Osmond
R-Rated Films Of Chuck Vincent By Paul Frietag
The Films Of Gaspar Noe By Scott Lefebvre
Opening Credits Sequences Vs. The Disappointing Film That Follows Them By Mike Sullivan
Keith Shapiro Interview By Skizz Cyzyk
Get Yourself A College Girl By James Sanford
Edge Of 17 / Adventureland By Chris Cummins
The Making Of Vino Veritas; Or, There Is Truth In Nebraska By David MacGregor
White Collars And Lost Spoons In Olmi's Il Posto By Jef Burnham
Film Reviews By Josh Gravel
Sid Haig Interview By Mike White

Friday, October 12, 2012

Goodbye, Farewell, & Amen

I don't know why we did it but we didn't watch any of the final season of "House, M.D." when it was on. Instead, we DVRed every episode and kept them in storage... until this week when we went on a bender.

As I watched the build up to the final episode, I kept thinking of another final episode of a beloved series that infuriated me. No, I'm not talking about "Lost", "The Sopranos" or even "The Prisoner." I'm talking about "Seinfeld".

The last episode of "Seinfeld" has stuck in my craw since it aired on May 14, 1998. I didn't like the use of a trial and the sentencing of George, Elaine, Jerry and Kramer. Sure, they were kind of jerks and maybe they deserved that as characters but I think that the fans of the show deserved something better.

My idea for the finale, and it may not be very original, is that the show should have ended more in line with other episodes. Over the years, "Seinfeld" had parodies of everything from Star Trek II to The Godfather. Why not weave parodies of other famous finales into the plot of that last episode?

I'm not a good writer of fan fiction but what I've had kicking around in my head for a while goes something like this...

Jerry manages to get a gig outside of town but stuff just keeps delaying him from leaving. The whole episode has Jerry getting further and further delayed. I can imagine it playing a lot like After Hours with Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer going around New York while Jerry tries to get to the airport. If we wanted to have characters returning (like they did in "The Finale"), they could. And, if they wanted to pay back Jerry and company by delaying him, this would be the time.

At some point, George and Elaine get separated from Kramer and Jerry (perhaps in an homage to The Warriors). George and Elaine head home. Jerry manages to line up a helicopter ride to his gig that will leave shortly. Kramer manages to get a motorcycle and gives him a ride to Central Park and the waiting helicopter. As Jerry flies off to his gig, he looks down and sees Kramer standing there with "Goodbye" written out in rocks ("M*A*S*H").

We go from that to George Costanza waking up in his apartment and hearing the water running. He goes to the bathroom to find the shower running. Who's in there? Why, Susan, of course. Alive and well ("Dallas").

We go from that to Elaine also waking up as well... next to Suzanne Pleshette ("Newhart").

And, finally, we pull out from New York City... pulling out and out until we realize that all of New York was inside of a snow globe ("St. Elsewhere"). A large hand picks it up and shakes it, laughing maniacally. It's Newman.

The end. And, to me, a much better end.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Blue Water Film Festival announces 2012 Celebrity Judges Panel

Official Selections to have their films critiqued by leading industry professionals.


Port Huron, Michigan September 20, 2012 - The Blue Water Film Festival (BWFF) is proud to announce the esteemed members of the official Judges Panel for their 4th annual festival. Each judge brings an extensive resume in varied backgrounds such as the fields of acting, production, direction, animation and education; these acclaimed professionals bring a wealth of credentials and a respected career reputation to the table. The monetary prize awards given to the Michigan and Ontario filmmakers during the Blue Water Film Awards ceremony on Saturday, October 6, 2012 totals $2,500 and will be presented live on stage to the winners by the Judges Panel.

All 27 BWFF Official Selections that will be shown on that Saturday at the McMorran Place Theatre will be screened by the following group of industry leaders:

Stacey K. Black - Stacey K. Black is a two-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Hairstyling for her work on the hit TV Series, "Glee," an accomplished musician, a television director, and a documentarian. Some of her other hairstyling credits include "The Stepfather," "Running With Scissors," "Major Crimes," "The Closer," "Nip/Tuck," "EZ Streets," "Providence," and "CSI:NY."

Stacey made the leap from Hairstylist to Director on "The Closer" starring Kyra Sedgwick. She directed the episodes "Last Woman Standing," and "Star Turn," which featured a song she wrote specifically for the episode, and she recently directed "Major Crimes," the episode titled "Cheaters Never Prosper." She has written and directed two short films, "Blue Moon," and "The Truth is Underrated," and is currently shooting a documentary centered on songwriters who have moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue their dreams in music. This passion project, "Send My Mail To Nashville," should make it's festival rounds in 2013.

Some of her soundtrack credits include "The Closer," "CSI:NY," and three songs on the feature film, "I Am Death," in which she appears as "Herself."

A native of Port Huron, Michigan, Stacey was raised by her loving and supportive mother, Martie Black, who lost her battle with cancer in 2002.

Kathleen Rose Perkins - Kathleen Rose Perkins is currently a Series Regular on Showtime's hit comedy series, "Episodes", starring opposite Matt LeBlanc. On film, she has a starring roles in upcoming feature films "Lamb of God" (written and directed by Diablo Cody in which Perkins stars with Octavia Spencer, Holly Hunter and Julianne Hough) as well as the UNTITLED NICOLE HOLOFCENER PROJECT (alongside Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini). This past year, Perkins starred in "The Pact" (2012 Sundance Film Festival Selection) and "Cowgirls n' Angels" (alongside James Cromwell), both of which released theatrically in 2012. On Television, Perkins has recurred on a number of shows including "Tell Me You Love Me" (HBO), "Trust Me" (TNT), "NCIS: LA" (CBS), "Gary Unmarried" (CBS) and "Til Death" (FOX). Some notable guest appearances include turns on "American Horror Story" (FX), "Private Practice" (ABC), "NIP/TUCK" (FX), "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC), "Royal Pains" (USA) and "Lie To Me" (FOX). Kathleen is a native of New Baltimore, Michigan.

John Webber - John Webber began his animation career with Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1994 when he started in the clean-up department on the "Pines of Rome" sequence in Fantasia 2000. He worked with some of the top Supervising Animators on "Pocahontas" and "Hercules" and then moved to Disney's Orlando facility where he animated on the character of "Mushu" in "Mulan". John followed things up with animating on lead characters for "John Henry", Lilo in "Lilo And Stitch" and Kenai in "Brother Bear". He completed his digital training with Disney when the Orlando facility was shuttered and became a founding partner in a full-service animation studio called, "Project Firefly". "Firefly" was responsible for completing over 20% of the CURIOUS GEORGE movie among other client-based projects. After three years at Firefly, John worked for several months as a digital animation lab assistant with Full Sail University before joining his current position among the faculty at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) as an animation professor. John is a native of St. Clair, Michigan.

Mike White - Often mistaken for the ginger screenwriter/actor of the same name, Mike White is noted as a frequent contributor to publications such as "CinemaScope," "Paracinema," Detroit's "Metro Times" and Detour-Mag.com. White was featured in the documentaries "David Goodis: To a Pulp" and "The People Vs. George Lucas." He authored "Impossibly Funky: A Cashiers du Cinemart Collection" and weekly co-hosts "The Projection Booth" podcast.

"One of the most exciting aspects of this year is the broad and unique judges' panel we are providing for the filmmakers," states BWFF Judge Concierge Ryan Charron. "This allows them the opportunity to receive feedback from accomplished individuals with professionally diverse backgrounds who have had amazing careers in the film industry."
This year, comedian/actress and Michigan native, Loni Love (E Nework's "Chelsea Lately", Tru TV's "World's Dumbest..." and VH1's "I Love the '70s/'80s/'90s"), will kick off the BWFF with a live comedy performance at McMorran Place Theatre featuring her candid and outspoken stand-up on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. Tickets ($10 in advance and $15 at the door) are on sale now at bluewaterfilmfestival.com, ticketmaster.com and the McMorran Box Office.

The 27 Michigan and Canadian-made Official Selections of the BWFF will be showcased at McMorran Place Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012.

Visit www.bluewaterfilmfestival.com for more information.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Chris Lawhorn Announces Charity Album Based Around Fugazi Samples

Fort Wayne, IN – September 12, 2012 – Chris Lawhorn will release his fifth album Fugazi Edits on October 30th on Case/Martingale Records. Fugazi Edits features 22 tracks, which were pieced together using excerpts from every song in the band Fugazi's discography.

The album's been in the works for almost two years. It's entirely instrumental and combines 100 Fugazi samples with a variety of effects. Ian Mackaye (from the band and their label Dischord) has authorized the album for release. And, the profit from will be donated to a pair of charities—one that works with senior citizens in Washington, D.C. and another that provides aid globally to folks impacted by disaster and civil unrest.

Lawhorn started the Case/Martingale label in 1996, while playing drums for the (admittedly Fugazi-influenced) band Cataract Falls. A decade of disastrous tours and middling solo albums followed. Along the way, he became the staff DJ at a spring break company—playing for drunk, college students on South Padre Island each March—and recorded the rap album Pole Position.

This gradual switch from rocking to beat-making isn't exceptionally unique. But, it led to an 18 month stint as the resident DJ for Marie Claire magazine. When that wrapped up, Lawhorn began work on Fugazi Edits—in an attempt to make something that touched on both the musical influences of his youth and his current love of cutting up tracks and reassembling them.

Interested folks can visit http://www.chrislawhorn.com to check out samples from the album, the artwork, and so on.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

THE MASSACRE - 24 Hours of Horror Film Insanity

October 20 at 12:00pm until October 21 at 12:00pm
Doors open at 11am, show starts at Noon.

Special Guest Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead)

Portage Theater
4050 N. Milwaukee Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60641
773.736.4050

Current line-up of films (more soon):
THE BLACK CAT (Karloff & Lugosi!)
WITCHFINDER GENERAL (Vincent Price!)
FRENZY (Rare Hitchcock!)
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (with Linnea Quigley in Person!)
DEAD SNOW (Modern Monster Mayhem!)
HALLOWEEN II (Michael Myers is Back!)
NIGHTMARES (80's Anthology Awesomeness!)
PRINCE OF DARKNESS (Carpenter Craziness!)
PHANTASM II (The Ball is Back!)

More films & Guests TBA.

Tickets are $20 until Sept. 24
$24 until October 19
$25 at the door - day of the show.

Tickets AVAILABLE NOW through Brownpapertickets:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/268053

Plus: Free Autographs & Photo Taking (with Linnea Quigley) Vendors, Vintage Trailers, Short Horror Film Contest, Costume Contest, Zombie Make-Up Station, Short Films, Prizes, Surprises a live charity auction for Vital Bridges (www.vitalbridges.org)...

Films, Times and Guests are subject to change.
No Refunds, No Returns.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Blue Water Film Festival to honor actor Curtis Armstrong

Curtis Armstrong will appear at this year's Blue Water Film Festival and be receiving the one-of-a-kind "Honorary Nerd Award" presented by international computer service company, Nerds on Site.

The presentation will take place on the final day of the BWFF during the Blue Water Film Awards at McMorran Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Armstrong is from Berkley, Mich., and has been a working actor for nearly 30 years. Armstrong has guest-starred or played recurring roles on over 65 television series (The Closer, CSI, House, Grey's Anatomy, My Name is Earl) and a full spectrum of feature films including Risky Business, Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer, the Academy Award-winning Ray as well as this summer's musical hit, Sparkle with Jordan Sparks and the late Whitney Houston.

Armstrong is probably best known as "Dudley Dawson" or "Booger" in the 80's cult-favorite, Revenge of the Nerds, "Bert Viola" on the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Moonlighting and as the voice of "Snot" on Fox's animated hit, American Dad.

David Everitt of Nerds on Site is excited for this opportunity. "The Revenge of the Nerds movies have a bit of a cult following among the Nerds on our team worldwide. Our corporate leadership team has talked about finding a way to recognize the actors and characters of those movies but we didn't know where to begin. Now with the festival in town we are thrilled to be able to make this actually happen. We are planning to have a lot of our North American Nerds come in for this event and we couldn't be happier to be presenting this award to Mr. Armstrong."

Tickets for the event can be bought at the McMorran Box Office, TicketMaster or online at www.bluewaterfilmfestival.com.

Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 at the door.

Advance tickets are $10 and $15 at the door and are available on sale now at www.bluewaterfilmfestival.com

27 of Michigan and Ontario's finest independent films will be showcased at McMorran Place Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Blue Water Film Festival.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Like a Rhino in a Record Shop by Skizz Cyzyk

In honor of the upcoming screening of Rhino Resurrected at Montreal's Film POP festival, I'm pre-releasing the following interview of Rhino Resurrected's director Keith Shapiro by Skizz Cyzyk. Find more details about the event via Facebook.

This interview will be available in Cashiers du Cinemart 17:

Pittsburgh native Keith Shapiro began making films when he was five years old, shooting Star Wars inspired films with a Super 8mm camera. He took film classes at Penn State University before relocating to Los Angeles in 1998, where he makes a living as a filmmaker, editor and musician. Like most musician/filmmakers, music is a big influence on his filmmaking. His first documentary feature, Rock God (2007), focused on the supremely talented musician, Peter Himmelman, and how he has dealt with getting older while holding onto his dreams in the rock n roll business. His second documentary feature, Rhino Resurrected, is about Rhino Records, the legendary record store-turned-label that released records by Wild Man Fischer, Barnes & Barnes, the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra, and many other novelty, blues, obscure, cult and reissue acts. Rhino Resurrected premiered at the Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival in January 2012, won Best Feature Documentary at the Oxford Film Festival, and is currently making the rounds on the film festival circuit.

Skizz Cyzyk: How did you decide to make a documentary about Rhino?
Keith Shapiro: The genesis of this film goes back to my 13-year-old self in dreary old Pittsburgh enlivening my life enjoying the Dr. Demento show with my friends. He mentioned Rhino Records from time to time and they seemed to be responsible for all my favorite tunes. The Dr. created this sort of Ed Wood, ‘50s Wrestling, sleazy “Los Angeles of the mind” that resonated with my adolescent brain. Some years later when I decided to move out West, I was thrilled to see there was a real place called Rhino Records that was weird and fun like I pictured it. I became a customer and watched them sadly decline and go out of business but didn’t have any personal relationship with anyone there. Then in May of 2010, a music friend of mine alerted me to the Rhino “Pop Up” Store (a retail space temporarily hosted in a vacant location) that was about to happen. I showed up, saw them setting up and immediately felt a strong vibe that I better start filming. I asked Sam Epstein (director of the Pop Up Store and later producer on the film) if I could shoot and proceeded to shoot for the entire two week run of the store. I thought I’d make a cool short about the pop up but as I met more and more fascinating people there and the insane history of Rhino Records began to reveal itself I knew I was on to something bigger.

SC: Tell me about the process. How long did it take? What difficulties did you encounter?
KS: I had about 50 great hours of footage from the pop-up store with tons of interviews and even some multi-camera shoots of live performances but now needed to go out and do some proper sit-downs with key players. I had a wish list and Sam was instrumental in getting people to commit to interviews and filled me in on people I wouldn’t have known (he worked at the store for 25 odd years and was an assistant director on the side). It was a long semi-haphazard process in which Sam and I would go out and interview people and I would continue to edit the film continually shaping it out of what I had available. A great thing about the subject is that all the research I did was all my favorite stuff so that aspect was a pleasure.

The biggest challenge was (and still is of course) money because we had no proper funding, just made it up as it went along. But luckily Sam and I were able to shoot it ourselves and I’m an editor by trade so nobody had to be hired. Eventually I used a couple of cinematographers for later interviews but they basically volunteered because the subjects were so cool.

A more esoteric challenge was the mercurial nature of many of the record geek subjects and trying to get the best out of them. I was very adamant that people not just talk about the “look and feel” of vinyl. I wanted to go much psychically deeper than that in regard to the record store and music listening experiences that have been so irrevocably altered in this modern era. Also, many of the less “public” interview subjects were very introverted by nature so it was always important to dig a little deeper.

SC: Your film features some big names in it. Well, big names to people like me at least. I’m always glad to see people I admire, like Dr. Demento and Steve Wynn, pop up in documentaries, knowing that, to the average person, they might not seem as important as they do to me. Who are some of the people in the film that you were most excited to include? Was there anyone you really wanted to put in the film that you weren’t able to get?
KS: Dr. Demento was always a hero – I was so excited to interview him and he didn’t disappoint. His record collection is a real thing of beauty! I love meeting all those people that only “true believers” like us know are so important. It was great to go to William Stout’s studio and get him to draw a Rocky Rhino and also a real joy to spend time with Nels Cline on one of his brief respites from touring with Wilco. Richard Thompson’s a personal favorite of mine so I couldn’t believe my luck when he walked into the pop-up store to pick up his son who was volunteering there (RT also played a stunning set that week). I was floored by Little Willie G and thee East L.A. Philharmonic and was honored to get to know him a bit. There’s a lot of “behind the scenes” people in the film that I knew were so crucial but were hard to explain in their onscreen lower thirds! I hope I conveyed what everybody was all about through the film, I feel like the ‘80s underground scene, at least in L.A., is a little under-heralded.

I do wish I could have interviewed the infamous writer Richard Meltzer, he was a big presence at the Rhino Store in the ‘70s and ‘80s and I’ve been a huge fan of his writing for years. He’s up in Portland now and I had to keep the filming confined to southern California for budget purposes.

SC: As a record collector myself, I got excited every time I saw a record onscreen that I know is also in my collection, and not just Rhino releases. Are you a big record collector too, and have you collected Rhino releases over the years?
KS: I thought I had a solid record collection ‘till I met many of my interview subjects, I wish you could have seen some of these gems. At some point you have to stop filming people in front of their giant record collections and pick another spot in the house. But I’ve been a collector for many years and had more Rhino records than I realized. I had to track down some early Rhino rarities for the film like Rhino Royale, Demento Royale, Saturday Night Pogo, and The History of Latino Rock that I’m happy to have in my collection now.

SC: What has the response been for the documentary so far? Have the subjects seen it, and what do they think of it?
KS: We had an amazing sold out show at the Cinefamily last summer (a really cool film venue in L.A.) as part of the “Don’t Knock the Rock Festival” and a lot of the subjects were there. It was great to hear the thunderous rounds of applause for people who don’t usually get to be on the big screen. I was petrified to find out what some of the subjects thought of the film because anyone who knows Rhino knows they were opinionated to say the least. However, their responses have been positive, appreciative, and thankful that people will hear this story.

The film made its official festival premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival where it touched a nerve with the “well heeled” crowd and then won Best Feature Documentary at the insanely fun Oxford Film Festival in February. I made it so anyone can appreciate the independent spirit of the story but if you love the music and history you’ll love the film that much more. There are lots of layers for the true record geeks to explore – I wanted to recreate what it “feels like” to listen to a Rhino record.

SC: Making a documentary about a record store that becomes a record label that becomes a huge resource for cultural misfits all over the world, I would imagine you must have encountered a nightmare of rights issues. Do you want to talk about that?
KS: NO! Just kidding, it’s a struggle and I’m in the process of trying to raise a modest amount of money so some of the essential stuff can stay in the film. I wouldn’t call it a nightmare because I tried to stay smart about it but I wish it was a little easier to “sample” for documentaries like this. I’m really working hard to make sure this film gets out to the world in a non-neutered form, I believe it will.

SC: Do you have any inside news regarding the future of Rhino? Will there be any more pop up stores?
KS: Gary Stewart (formerly A&R at Rhino, a subject in the film) was so inspired by the first pop-up that he actually did a second one last spring. It was well attended and fun but I garner it’s hard to make enough money for charity to keep it all going. I know everyone wants it to happen every year but I’m not sure it’s possible. Sadly, we all love the era of gathering at the record store and it’s just different now. Although there’s a few great stores left and the funky niche vinyl shop has been flourishing, it will never feel like it used too, that’s why I say the film is an elegy and a celebration of what once was without being nostalgic. We’ll see what the kiddies come up with, but I know that music was everything to people in a way that’s hard to reproduce nowadays.


For more info on Keith Shapiro and his work, visit www.kwsfilms.com


Tuesday, September 04, 2012

From the Eyes of Director H. G. Lewis

I wrote the introduction for this book...

For Immediate Release:

Albany, GA – BearManor Media proudly announces the release of The Godfather of Gore Speaks: Hershell Gordon Lewis Discusses His Films.

Exploitation filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis is credited with single-handedly creating the gore genre with the 1963 release Blood Feast. This low-budget shocker would ultimately influence nearly every horror movie which has followed, as well as “high-brow” films as varied The Wild Bunch and Reservoir Dogs. Lewis, dubbed “The Godfather of Gore,” crafted more than thirty-five films in his ongoing career. In The Godfather of Gore Speaks: Herschell Gordon Lewis Discusses His Films, the filmmaker explains his choices and motivations—from concept to finished product—in much more detail than ever before. Assisted by noted film historian Andrew J. Rausch, Lewis shares often hilarious anecdotes and provides analysis for the thirty-nine films which he either directed or assisted with direction.

To learn about this or other BearManor Media titles, please visit our website at www.bearmanormedia.com.

ISBN: 1-59393-297-9
Format: Softcover; 6" x 9"; 141 pages
Price: $14.95

Monday, August 27, 2012

Submit to Cinekink

CineKink --"the kinky film festival"--is seeking films and videos, of any length and genre, that explore and celebrate a wide diversity of sexuality. Dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, we're looking to blur some boundaries and will be considering offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy to artsy experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit--and everything in between.

Cutting across orientations, topics covered at CineKink have included--but are by no means limited to--BDSM, leather and fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, roleplay and gender bending, sex work and sex geekery. Basically, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self expression is fair game. (Far be it from us to define "kink" - if you think your work might make sense in this context, please send it along!)

Scheduled for its tenth annual appearance in February 2013, the specially-curated CineKink NYC will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, a special adult entertainment showcase, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off event, along with retrospective screenings commemorating a decade's worth of kinky programming. A national tour will follow, showcasing audience favorites from the NYC festival selections.

Discounted, early-bird entries have a post-marked deadline of September 28th, while the regular deadline is November 9th and the final deadline is December 4th.

For more information, please visit http://cinekink.com/programs-and-events/call-for-entries.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Job Hunt

Let's get it out of the way: I'm not hunting at the moment. I'm writing about earlier this year (2012). It's just taken me a while to get to it.

My mom and my wife went on vacation together in January over to Hawaii. I stayed home, taking a week off to watch the dogs and catch up on bad movies. I was also doing a little work from home. I sat buried under five little dogs, working on some documentation, when the phone rang. As soon as my boss's name came up on the screen I knew that there was no good news in my future.

I should have seen the writing on the wall that business sucked and that firings were in the future but I had been assured time and again that the people doing my job at the moment, "Technical Analysts," were so fully entrenched and desperately necessary that we would never be fired. We sat in the fabled cat bird seat. My immediate supervisor told us this so many times -- without ever being prompted -- that I had been lulled into a false sense of security. Plus, I was single-handedly managing the project I was on. There used to be a Project Manager on the case but, when he left the company (seeing that wall writing before me), I took over in a dual role of TA/PM.

Kind of like Ice Cube, I got fired on my vacation (although, this was a Thursday).



I don't know why but I didn't get thrown into a panic with this sudden loss of a job. My best guess is that I was in a vacation headspace and this just lengthened my vacation... indefinitely. Before the afternoon ended, I had already jumped onto the State of Michigan website, applied for unemployment benefits, and shot my updated resume to a few local agencies.

I spent a few hours every day after that looking at various job sites and contacted the headhunter who helped land me a job in the past. We met for coffee the next day and he already had a few ideas for me. Great!

We touched base here and there and, per his directions, I stopped sending out my resume completely. Really not a big deal since I hadn't started job hunting in full force.


Within a few weeks the headhunter got me a job interview at one of the two companies he had mentioned over coffee. Alas, almost from the first word at the interview I knew that this wasn't the place for me. They were looking for a JAVA programmer and that's not me. Afterward I gave the headhunter a call and the lowdown on what went on, telling him that the next person he sends should be skilled in JAVA.

Not to worry, he said, he would also be talking to another company for me. One where I really wanted to try but that he had pooh-poohed in an earlier conversation. Suddenly, he could line up a lunch with some hiring mucky-muck and he'd get me the details shortly.

A week passed. I would call once every two days to check in. I wanted to keep myself front of mind while not being a pest. I finally got good news. The meeting would be set within a few more days.

Then everything fell apart.

I had a day of running errands. While I was out I got a call from the headhunter.

"Hey," he asked, "Have you sent your resume over to this company?"

"No, why?"

"No worries. Just one of the peons told me that your resume was already in the system."

"It must have been from the last time I was looking for work," I assured him. "I've not sent out my resume since you told me not to."

A few hours later I got another call. Oddly, it ran almost identically.

"No, I promise, I haven't sent my resume to anyone," I assured him again.

And, again, an hour after that.

"Are you sure you didn't send your resume there?"

Now I started to doubt myself. Why was he being so insistent? Had I sent it?

"I don't remember ever sending my resume over there, but I'm out all day today so I can't look. Can I call you again when I get home?"



Hours later I was home and looking through all of my email records. Nothing there. Then I went into LinkedIn.

Sure enough. That Thursday I got fired I had sent in my resume to the company in question. I got right on the phone and gave my headhunter a call to tell him on my mistake.

If you're not familiar with how headhunters work, they have to be the source for a lead, otherwise he (or she) can be blown off as in, "We were going to look at this candidate anyway so screw you and your commission. We're not paying." That I had sent in my resume on my own suddenly nullified his claim on me, meaning that he had been working for nothing to get me the appointment with the mucky muck.

The headhunter was livid to say the least. He told me that I had to write to the mucky muck and her two assistants (who he had basically been calling liars throughout the day [unbeknownst to me] based on my emails) to apologize and tell them that he had been mislead.

Oh, great. This would be a good way to get a job.

So help me, I did exactly what the headhunter asked, throwing myself on my own sword with an apology where I had to basically admit that I was a dumb ass for forgetting that I had sent my resume to the company where I wanted to work. Doesn't that just scream, "Hire this guy!"?

Apology sent (with a BCC to the Headhunter), I waited a day or two for the dust to settle before calling him again. My next call went straight to voicemail. My subsequent texts a few days later went unanswered. I was going through my Headhunter's neighborhood (where we'd met for coffee beforehand) so I asked if he'd like to grab another cup. No response. After a week without phone, text, or email I finally texted again to say, "Are you mad at me or something?"

That started a torrent of responses. Yes, he was mad at me for being a "fucking liar" and besmirching his professional standing. He unloaded on me with a series of texts telling me how disappointed he was with me. Basically, he was firing me as a client.

Suffice it to say, this put my job hunt off the rails for a while.



Despite this mea culpa, I still pursued a job at this place. I sent reached out again only to be told, "You're not technical enough for this job." Meanwhile, the position for which I was applying sounded tailored to me. I called back a few days later and told the human resources liaison, "You need to look at my resume again. I'm very technical."

Surprisingly, she called me back to say that someone else looked at my resume and that he'd give me a phone interview in a few days. That got cancelled only to be rescheduled as an in-person with that guy along with a few members of his team.

Even after all that, I didn't get the job. Though the human resources person told me that she thought the guy who interviewed me was crazy for not hiring me.



I found that there were few-to-no companies doing actual hiring but there were plenty dealing with contract places. It seems that this is the way things are going at least that was my experience. Contracting seems to avoid sticky and/or expensive things like health benefits, vacation time, and loyalty. A contractor can be terminated in a heartbeat. A contractor doesn't earn vacation time via the company but only via the contract company -- if available. A contractor isn't a drain on the company's health care expenses.

I got involved with several contract companies and, as it was, apart from the two interviews I had previously on (see above), I went over a month without any. The, suddenly, I had several interviews all set for a two week period.

One contract company didn't want to send me on an interview unless I agreed that I'd take the job if it was offered. "I don't want to waste my time or their time if you don't intend on taking this job." It seems that this guy had already had had his time wasted by someone else who had interviewed, got an offer, made a counter offer, got it matched, and then turned down the job regardless. Oddly enough, that person was a former co-worker of mine.

I went ahead and agreed, feeling obligated a bit to make up for my coworker's mistake. Plus, I felt that I could do her job with my eyes closed where we worked (and often did) so why not do it and get paid a lot more than I had been making?

And that brings me to the end of this long-winded story. I ended up taking the job when it was offered and have been here ever since. It's not the job I wanted but it's the job I got and I've learned a lot while I've been here, albeit not necessarily about the position for which I was hired.

I also learned a lot about how people are hired (or not) around Detroit.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

World's Greatest Sinner Now on iTunes!

World's Greatest SinnerAs discussed on this episode of The Projection Booth podcast, the Timothy Carey estate has just released World's Greatest Sinner on iTunes. Purchase it today and listen to the Projection Booth podcast about the film.




Wednesday, August 08, 2012

2012 Official Selections for 4th Annual Blue Water Film Festival

Michigan-based film festival announces filmmaker finalists in monetary prize award competition.

Port Huron, Mich., August 8, 2012 - The Blue Water Film Festival (BWFF) has announced the Official Selections of their 2012 festival.

Independent films are submitted to the festival each year from all over the State of Michigan and the Province of Ontario.

The Blue Water Film Festival features short, feature, documentary and animated films and is designed to give Blue Water Area residents the opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow in Port Huron today.

2012 Official Selections of the Blue Water Film Festival

(In Alphabetical Order)

  • Acheron - Kris Sundberg (Williamsburg)
  • Amendment - Tom Nahas (Macomb)
  • Bare - Katherine Nofs (Portage)
  • Beauty Queen - Jacqueline Wilton (Waterford)
  • Being Custer - Denn Pietro (Taylor)
  • Breaking Bread - Anna Wafer (Plymouth)
  • Camp Chapel - Bhanu Chundu (California) (Filmed in Michigan)
  • Cupcake Bandits - Jeffery Schultz (Detroit)
  • Falling Horse - Dan Falicki (Byron Center)
  • Goat Years - Michael Pfaendtner (Macomb)
  • Grasp - Andy Fortenbacher (Grand Rapids)
  • Hank Danger and the Woman from Venus - Joshua Courade (Comstock Park)
  • Heart-Shaped Man - Kristen Miller (Livonia)
  • Hi, Honey - Peter Henderson & Kelly Winsa (Toronto)
  • Holy Car - Mike N. Kelly (Ann Arbor)
  • Hooked - Jeremy Olstyn (Berkley)
  • Jane of All Trades - Chris-teena Constas (Hamtramck)
  • La Tour: Un Voyage Du Cinema - Mike Madigan (Troy)
  • Lifeless - Abhijit Ghosh (Auburn Hills)
  • Love Succinctly- Anna Fleury (West Bloomfield)
  • Olivia's Cross - Robert Joseph Butler (Ortonville)
  • One Decision Away - Allen Maldonado (California and Michigan)
  • Pucker - Paul Lenzi (Lake Orion)
  • Slow Burn - Michael McCallum (Lansing)
  • The Tank II - Scott Galeski (Wyandotte)
  • White Wine - Joseph Parcell (Okemos)
  • The Zombie Factor - Matt Cantu (Rochester)

Kelly Kennedy, Chairperson of BWFF Film Selection, states, "After a record-breaking submission season, the largest in our history, we are thrilled to welcome 27 unique and diverse filmmakers to the fourth annual Blue Water Film Festival. This year, independent filmmakers from the State of Michigan and Province of Ontario flooded our mailbox with exceptional films comprised of phenomenal talent." She continues, "Our chosen 27 represent the best in all that the regional independent filmmaking community has to offer by emerging as masters of the art form. We are incredibly proud to showcase these gifted filmmakers in October."

Loni Love - Blue Water Film Festival

Comedian/actress and Michigan native, Loni Love (E Network's "Chelsea Lately", Tru TV's "World's Dumbest" and VH1's "I Love the 70s/80s/90s"), will kick off the Blue Water Film Festival with a live comedy performance at McMorran Place Theatre featuring her candid and outspoken stand-up on Friday, October 5, 2012. Advance tickets are $10 and $15 at the door, available on bluewaterfilmfestival.com and on sale now.

The Official Selections of the Blue Water Film Festival will be showcased at McMorran Place Theatre on Saturday, October 6, 2012.

Visit http://bluewaterfilmfestival.com/ for more information.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hacked!

After being on the internet since 1995, yesterday was the first time I've ever been hacked -- at least that I know of.

Strange things started happening on Tuesday night. I got an email from Paypal saying that I sent a request to Skype for $100 with the message "Plz send me."

I contacted Paypal to let them know that I hadn't sent that request. Since their requests for payment don't have transaction IDs (that I can see, anyway), I wasn't able to report the exact transaction.

Yesterday at 1PM I got an email from Skype telling me that I had changed my email address to vvaridtel@gmail.com.

I immediately got on my phone and tried to surf over to Skype.com to inform them than I'd been compromised. Unfortunately, Skype.com kept trying to resolve to m.skype.com and I was getting a nice blank white page when I went there. (Still happening today).

I couldn't get to Skype.com from my PC at work since it's been flagged as an improper URL. To say that security at my job is tight is an understatement. As of Monday a "security hole" was closed so that I can't copy any files off of my computer to any external device. Forget about synching my iTunes to my phone anymore.

Eventually I found a URL for the Skype help chat page and, amazingly, it wasn't blocked. I was able to get on with a customer representative where we had a painfully slow chat to basically prove who I was and change the password on my account. That's it. No investigation of how this happened. No reinstatement of the money this person spent calling all over the place.

During this hour-long conversation with Skype, I got a tweet from a friend who informed me of the strange conversation he was having with "me." Here it is for your amusement.

Luckily, I was able to get into Skype on my phone via another way and saw that phone calls had been made that day to Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. I found out today that these calls had actually been going on since June 30 with most calls lasting 0.00 seconds(?). There had been 425 calls made between June 30 and July 25. I thought that my money was going quickly on Skype but didn't realize just how fast... or why.

Here are the top twenty charges that this person (or persons) made:

DateNumberCountryLengthCost
7/24/12 13:31966591613770Saudi Arabia18:135.190
7/24/12 13:33966508967921Saudi Arabia15:194.380
7/24/12 13:3397334070038Bahrain15:594.170
7/15/12 14:31923138490997Pakistan27:474.150
7/24/12 13:1996566575864Kuwait29:284.050
7/25/12 3:26971507137127United Arab Emirates11:283.390
7/24/12 13:2297333917176Bahrain10:442.900
6/30/12 18:13923212212615Pakistan11:361.830
7/25/12 3:15971507137127United Arab Emirates5:541.740
7/1/12 16:21923347885036Pakistan10:141.690
6/30/12 16:40923312016458Pakistan10:231.690
7/16/12 10:48923005050123Pakistan7:531.250
7/25/12 3:40971507137127United Arab Emirates3:221.190
7/24/12 13:1296566575864Kuwait7:011.150
7/3/12 11:44923312016458Pakistan6:251.110
7/2/12 14:48923013994747Pakistan6:101.110
6/30/12 17:39923158797225Pakistan5:240.960
6/30/12 16:52923312016458Pakistan5:500.960
7/4/12 17:01923312016458Pakistan4:290.820
7/2/12 12:18923316338929Pakistan3:280.670

Of course, Skype wouldn't reimburse me nor would they tell me if they were looking into this security breach. Blame the victim. Must be my fault.

I'm thinking of contacting Homeland Security. Hacking? Middle East? Sounds like something they might be into. In fact, I just did. My US-CERT Incident ID number is: 2012-USCERTv33XYCXG.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Remixing the Remixer

Here are a couple of interesting remixes of Tarantino movies as songs:







And here's a nice montage:


Sunday, May 20, 2012

The Projection Booth - Special Episode

Cinetopia and the State of Michigan FilmSpecial Guests: Russ Collins & Amanda Bynum
On this special episode of The Projection Booth, Mike looks at the Cinetopia film festival in Ann Arbor and the state of the state's film scene. This episode also includes upcoming festival deadlines, festivals, screenings and a very special event at the Corktown Cinema in July that you won't want to miss.

Download Episode Now:
Download Now

Or, listen to the episode here:


Music Used This Episode:
David Bowie - "Panic in Detroit" - Aladdin Sane
Alex Skolnick Trio - "Detroit Rock City - Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation
Uncle Leon & the Alibis - "Telegraph Road" - Drunk
John Linnell - "Michigan" - State Songs
Fedde Le Grand - "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" - Output
The Dirtbombs - "Broke in Detroit (Again)" - If You Don't Already Have A Look
The J. Geils Band - "Detroit Breakdown" - Blow Your Face Out: Live


Transcript:

Welcome to a special episode of The Projection Booth.

I’m Mike White, Rob St. Mary is currently on a mission to the heart of Lake Woebegon. He’s been sent by butchers to collect a bill.

On this episode I’m flying solo and talking about the state of the state. That is, the state of Michigan and the state of film at the moment. This is by no means a comprehensive look but just a cursory glance at some of the highlights.

In a little bit I’ll be playing back an interview I did with Russ Collins and Amanda Bynum of the Michigan Theater about the Cinetopia International Film Festival. Also, I’ve got a very important announcement about The Projection Booth that I’ll share a little later on. But first, I want to announce the call for entries at a few Michigan film festivals.

First off, the Blue Water film festival is currently accepting entries with a deadline of Friday June 15, 2012. The main rules for entry is that the film -- feature or short -- must have been shot in the State of Michigan or Ontario, Canada OR The individual submitting the film must have participated in the production of the entry and have a permanent address in the state of Michigan or Ontario, Canada. Yes, the Blue Water has opened up their catchment area to include not just Sarnia and Windsor but all of Ontario. All the way from Hudson Bay down to Peelee Island.

If you haven’t been to the Blue Water film festival up in Port Huron, I can’t recommend it enough. I was up there last October and it was a great time. Not only is the area gorgeous but the films were great and the folks running the festival are some of the nicest you could hope to ever meet.

For more information, visit Blue Water Film Festival.

That’s the thumb. Right in the lower middle of the state we’ve got the East Lansing Film Festival
. They’re celebrating their 15th year this year with their festival in November. Their cut off date is July first, 2012. They’re accepting entries via WithoutABox.com.

Be aware that if your film was 1/4 produced, directed, or financed in one of the states bordering Lake Michigan (if you’re bad a geography that’s Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin), you can submit it to the Lake Michigan Film Competition.

I’m not aware of any other Michigan film festivals currently accepting entries. Unfortunately, there’s not a really good central repository for that kind of information -- or at least none that I know of. The list that I made of Michigan film festivals a few years ago is completely out of date with most of the URLs leading to 404s.

In more pleasant news, let’s talk about some festivals that are still alive and kicking.

Cinetopia is a brand spanking new film festival that’s taking place May 31st to June 3rd in Ann Arbor. They’re kicking off events on May 31st with movies running all day on June first, second, and third at the Michigan Theater, State Theater, and Angell Hall in beautiful Ann Arbor.

Let’s play back the interview I did with Russ Collins and Amanda Bynum of the Michigan Theater.

ROLL INTERVIEW

Welcome back to the Projection Booth. That was Russ Collins and Amanda Bynum of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor talking about the first annual Cinetopia International Film Festival. For the full schedule of what’s playing and when; visit the Michigan theater’s website.

I’m definitely going to be there as much as I can. It’s going to take a lot to make me miss the screenings of The Stewardesses in 3D, Cane Toads, Superman, and What’s Up Doc.

I was going to say that June begins a busy month for folks interested in attending film festivals in Michigan...

However, the Media City Film Festival isn’t in June, it starts May 22nd at the Detroit Film Theater with the rest of the week happening at the Capitol Theater in Windsor. This is the 18th edition of this annual fest and it features more than 75 new film and video artworks by artists and filmmakers from across the globe. $20 Canadian gets you the full festival pass.

There are nightly screenings, as well as receptions, panels, artists’ talks along with other special events. As a bonus to American cinephiles, the Detroit Bus Company will be offering free cross-border shuttle service from Detroit and Ann Arbor to the fest. For a schedule, tickets, bus reservations and more, visit media city film festival dot com. As MC Hammer would say, a run for the border is in order.

Over on the west side of the state, the Waterfront Film festival happens June 14th through 17th in Saugatauk. If you need an excuse to get over to Saugatauk / Douglas, this is it. Check ‘em out online:
Waterfront Film Festival.

The fifth annual Detroit Windsor International Film Festival will take place June 20th to 24th in Downtown Detroit. Their opening night gala -- with the films Beauty Queen and Surf Detroit -- will happen down at the Detroit Film Theater. Visit their website for details. I once tried to surf in Detroit. Didn’t work out so well.

Up in Traverse City we’ve got the Traverse City Film Festival... funny how that works; the name of the festival is the same as the city in which it takes place... That’s happening July 31st to August 5th. One of these years I’m going to get my butt up there -- whether it’s for the festival or just to enjoy the area.

It’s a little early to announce this one but the Detroit Docs festival will happen in November - the 15th through the 17th - down at the Corktown Cinema. Rob and I have mentioned Corktown a few times before on the show. They’re set to open their indoor theater by the end of the summer. It will be a 150 seat art house slash rep theater with screenings Tuesday through Sunday every week down at their new space at 2051 Rosa Parks Blvd.

I say new space because these are the same guys that used to run the Burton Theater where I had the kick-off event for the launch of Impossibly Funky. They were *thee* source for seeing out of the ordinary flicks that just weren’t going to play the more -- and I know this is a bit of a oxymoron -- mainstream art house theaters. Stuff like Enter the Void, Santa Sangre, Double Take, et cetera.

So, the *indoor* space opens at the end of summer. In the meantime they’re doing outdoor double feature nights starting in June where the Corktown Cinema is teaming up with other local businesses like Supino’s Pizza, Bikes and Murder and.... drumroll please.... The Projection Booth.

Yes, Rob and I have been asked to come down and host a special live version of The Projection Booth on Saturday July 7 where Corktown Cinema will be playing a double feature of Jack Woods’s Equinox and Ishiro Honda’s Mothra. We’re not exactly sure how a live version of The Projection Booth is going to work -- if we’re going to talk about both films and give them the PB treatment or just one, how easy or hard it’s going to be to find appropriate interviews for one or both features... But we’ll nail that down and let folks know what to expect as we get the details worked out.

Personally, I’d love it if we could get in touch with one of the stars from Equinox, Frank Bonner, who’s known to most folks as Herb Tarlek of WKRP. Otherwise, I’d love to interview those tiny little ladies, The Peanuts, who sing the Mothra song....

I’m not allowed to share the rest of the films being shown the other nights... at least not yet... but there are some great ones. There’s even one night of films that we’ve covered on The Projection Booth before so you know I’m going to be pimping the hell out of that. And, no, it’s not Salo and Free Enterprise, though those two films might make a good combination. Salo could definitely help get the bad taste out of one’s mouth after watching Free Enterprise.

There’s a special night of Detroit-themed pics, too but I’ll tell you that neither Action Jackson nor Robocop will be in effect. Visit their website: Corktown Cinema.

Once again, that’s Saturday July 7th down at the Corktown Cinema at 2051 Rosa Parks Blvd. in Detroit. Visit our website - for more details.

All right, that wraps up this special episode of The Projection Booth. Be sure to join us next week at our regular time and place or, to put it another way... See you next Wednesday.

Monday, May 14, 2012

2012 East Lansing Film Festival Call for Entries

2012 East Lansing Film Festival Call for EntriesThe Call for Entries for the 15th Annual East Lansing Film Festival (ELFF) is now open!

ELFF screens more than 100 films from around the world as well as from local and regional filmmakers. All genres of Feature, Documentary, Short film and Student film are shown in venues and on the campus of Michigan State University and in East Lansing. Submit your film to the 15th annual East Lansing Film Festival!

Submit online via withoutabox.com or download an entry form (see side bar) and mail it in with along with 3 DVDs and a check made out to ELFF.

**If your film was 1/4 produced, directed, or financed in one of the states bordering Lake Michigan (MI, IN, IL or WI), please submit to the Lake Michigan Film Competition (LMFC). The LMFC awards cash prizes to the best films in the following categories: Feature, Documentary, Short Film, and Student Film. Click on LMFC for more information about the competition and to download a submission form for LMFC or visit withoutabox.com to submit online.**

EARLYBIRD DEADLINE May 15, 2012!



Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Blue Water Film Festival Announces 2012 Dates

March 6, 2012 - Port Huron, Mich. The Blue Water Film Festival is proud to announce the dates of their upcoming fourth annual festival as October 5 and 6, 2012.

"Every year the Blue Water Area has embraced what the festival offers in terms of entertainment, culture and cutting edge film making by Michigan talent," said Jeremy Stemen, the festival's Executive Director. "Our goal is to become an established annual event attended by locals, tourists and of course, the film industry. We feel a strong connection to the local community that has supported us and we're pleased to announce that we will be presenting an exciting fourth festival this October."

The Blue Water Film Festival made its mark in previous years by bringing movie premieres, celebrities and critically acclaimed independent films to downtown Port Huron. It features the best in film making created in or by residents of Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario.

Fans of the Blue Water Film Festival can "Like" the event's page on Facebook or follow @BWFF1 on Twitter. For more information about the Blue Water Film Festival, please visit www.bluewaterfilmfestival.com.

The annual Blue Water Film Festival strives to bring movies, movie stars and movie makers to Port Huron. The movies shown at the festival are diverse and enjoyable to people of all ages. For one week a year, our community has the opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow in Port Huron today.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

New Novella from CdC Contributor!

I'm very excited to announce a new novella by Cashiers du Cinemart 16 contributor Karen Lillis, WATCH THE DOORS AS THEY CLOSE, which has just been released on the Spuyten Duyvil Novella Series. The story is set in both Brooklyn and Appalachian Pennsylvania, as it looks back on a troubled relationship that has just ended. In the tradition of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion or Jean Rhys' city novels, the narrative traces the dynamics and subtle shifts in the affair, all while painting vivid scenes of New York Bohemia and American rural poverty at the turn of the Millennium.

Find out more about the book and Karen's East Coast & Midwest book tour, buy a book AND support the upcoming book tour in a few clicks.

What Readers Are Saying About WATCH THE DOORS AS THEY CLOSE:

"What I love most about Karen Lillis? writing is it makes me want to be a writer. We need more writers excited about the world than people who neuter it."

—Scott McClanahan, author of Stories and Hill William

"Aren't you tired of 'literary fiction'? When a writer assumes she knows you already, that you two are just alike, the same kind of clever, the same kind of ironic, but in her case maybe a little more so? This book cuts right through all that. It's naked. Naked as a knife."

—Mike DeCapite, author of Creamsicle Blue

"This brave new work tracks a thoroughly modern relationship, told as reflective, moody missives to the reader in the days after the doors have closed on love. The intimate feel of the read explodes and exploits the failure of the central relationship. Lillis is a master of the hauntingly-focused close-up."

—Connor Sites-Bowen

Be sure to visit IndieGoGo and support Karen's tour!

Rob St. Mary Joins The Projection Booth Podcast

For Immediate Release:

February 29, 2012 - Detroit, MI - Filmmaker & journalist Rob St. Mary officially joins The Projection Booth podcast (http://projection-booth.com/) with the latest episode. Having previously participated in discussions about Peter Watkins's “Punishment Park,” Daniel Minahan's “Series 7: The Contenders,” Kinji Fukasaku's “Battle Royale,” and Harold P. Warren's “Manos: The Hands of Fate,” St. Mary officially joins the podcast with the special anniversary episode of the show on Frank Henenlotter's “Frankenhooker.”

"It's been a crazy year," says Projection Booth co-founder Mike White. "With more than sixty episodes under my belt, I can say that the show started big and has continued to just get bigger ever since." Indeed, The Projection Booth boasts and all-star roster of guests including Menahem Golan, Uwe Boll, John Waters, Monte Hellman, Miguel Ferrer, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Patrick Warburton, and many more.

White promises that the show is just getting started and lays out plans for future discussions of fantastic films like “Salo: 120 Days of Sodom,” “Freejack,” “Miami Blues,” “Silent Partner,” and “Zardoz.” "I'm incredibly excited about the ‘Raw Talent’ episode," White confides. "We're talking to the writer, director and star of this ground-breaking adult film. There aren't too many movies where Ron Jeremy gets in a karate fight. Only two come to mind."

"Before I was a part of the podcast, I was a fan," says St. Mary. "Mike has a great eye for underappreciated films and I hope I can return the favor." No stranger to cult films, St. Mary has been connecting people to great cinema past and present. St. Mary worked at what is considered the first video store in the nation, Thomas Video, and one of the better art house theatres in the Metro Detroit area, the Main Art Theatre. Before that, St. Mary made his own foray into filmmaking with a feature length documentary, “The Separation on State Street,” and an independent vampire/comedy, “Tainted” (available via Troma Entertainment).

Since 2001, St. Mary has been a radio news professional. During that time, he's been honored over two-dozen times for his feature and investigative work by statewide and national journalism organizations. Now, St. Mary is bringing his keen investigative spirit and sharp interview skills to The Projection Booth.

Started in March 2011, The Projection Booth is a weekly podcast with new episodes available every Wednesday via iTunes or Stitcher. The podcast is also syndicated via Jackalope Radio (http://jackaloperadio.com/) out of Kansas City, Missouri where it plays every Thursday at 7PM EST/6PM Central.

Follow The Projection Booth on Twitter at http://twitter.com/proboothcast

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Get Cashiers du Cinemart 16 for FREE

Do you have Amazon Prime? Then get a free copy of Cashiers du Cinemart #16 right now for your Kindle (or Kindle app -- the one on your phone, iPad, etc). Get it here.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Projects

Being without a day job sometimes has its advantages. I've had ample opportunity lately to begin researching in earnest some upcoming projects including helping Greydon Clark out on an autobiography and writing a book tentatively titled "Gould and Sutherland in the '70s." This may just become "Gould in the '70s" as I'm having some trouble connecting with Donald Sutherland.

It's kind of funny. Sutherland's publicist has been blocking me, asking why I would want to write about both of these guys "since they were only in one movie together." I had to really restrain myself from being a know-it-all and saying, "Actually, your client was in three films with Mr. Gould; M*A*S*H, Little Murders, and SPYS." I'm going to try to go around this person if I can but things aren't looking so good at the moment. If anyone has a better line to Donald Sutherland, I'd love to try it.

In the meantime, I'm having a heck of a lot of fun watching and re-watching Elliott Gould's output from the '70s and researching these films. I've even been lucky enough to track down some of his appearances on TV in things like an Olivia Newton-John special. Whoo-boy! I've re-pitched Gould on working with me on this project (if it were a non-Gould/Sutherland book) and await his response. Regardless, I'm going to go ahead with the project and just hope that he'll see fit to be a part of it. He has had a fascinating career and his work in the '70s was something of a microcosm of what that decade represents to me.

Of course, work on the podcast still continues. I've been very fortunate to speak to some fascinating folks and have had a blast recording these with a wide range of co-hosts. I can't believe it's been almost a year since that started. It's been both a highly-frustrating and rewarding process.

Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive while I've been off. I appreciate all the books that people have been buying and the links folks have been passing my way.

Friday, January 27, 2012

CineKink Announces Kinky Line-Up for Ninth Annual Festival

CineKink NYC returns for its ninth annual appearance on Tuesday, February 7th, bringing with it a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, presentations, audience choice awards, a fund-raising kick-off gala and a concluding afterglow party.

Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event will run February 7-12, 2012. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

The kink-filled festivities begin Tuesday, February 7th, at 8 PM, with a fundraising kick-off extravaganza to be held at Katwalk (2 W. 35th Street), a pansexual celebration that, in addition to music and sexy performances, offers several cinematic gems up on the screen.

The festival then moves to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, NYC), Wednesday, February 8 through Saturday, February 11, with several different film and video programs scheduled for each day. An awards celebration and an AfterGlow party complete the festivities on Sunday, February 12.

WEDNESDAY
Among the headliners, first up on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00 PM, the festival's CineKink Season Opener screening of CABARET DESIRE, inspired by New York’s real-life Poetry Brothel, weaves together several erotic vignettes. Then, at 9:00 PM, AFTER FALL, WINTER is a sexy, funny and darkly poignant story about two people who desperately crave intimacy, yet resist revealing their true selves.

THURSDAY
On Thursday, February 9 at 7:00 PM, it's (A)SEXUAL, a documentary look at what it’s like to be without sexual desire in a society that is otherwise obsessed. Then, at 9:10 PM, KINK & KINSHIP is a program of short works that celebrate the special sense of community a shared kink tends to engender.

FRIDAY
On Friday, February 10 at 6:30 PM, the lives of several people are turned upside down when they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes DESIRE. At 9:00 PM, COUPLINGS is a sexy collection of shorts about two-somes, three-some and more-somes. And in SEXUALLY FRANK, at 10:40 PM, a group of long-time friends finds that sex is no less befuddling now than it was during puberty.

SATURDAY
Kicking off Saturday, February 11 at 12:30 PM, many hijinks ensue in SWEET PRUDENCE & THE EROTIC ADVENTURE OF BIGFOOT, when the mythical beast is spotted at a remote nudist resort. At 2:45 PM, a special industry showcase, BRING IT!, features a dazzling array of talent from today's adult cinema, all stepping up with a hot sampling of their recent creative endeavors. At 5:00 PM, STAGE BROTHER follows the quest of a young woman who dreams of making it in the world of adult entertainment. At 7:15 PM, in SIRWIÑAKUY, two Bolivian strangers participate in their own kinky version of a sirwiñakuy, an indigenous tradition where a man brings home a trial “wife.” And, closing out the festival's regular screening schedule at 9:45 PM, the romantic drama “3” tells the story of Hanna and Simon who, on the brink of their 20th anniversary, separately become enamored with the same younger man.

SUNDAY
CineKink NYC concludes the evening of Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 PM, with an Awards Celebration, including encore screenings of jury-selected best shorts from the week and presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 9:0O PM by the CineKink Afterglow Party, one last chance to mingle with like-minded festival-goers and enjoy a few additional screenings, this time in a relaxed play party setting. The locations for both events will be announced at a later date.

For more information and advance tickets, visit www.cinekink.com.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cashiers du Cinemart 17 - Call for Entries

I've gotten some questions if there's ever going to be a Cashiers du Cinemart 17. Why not? The last issue worked out well in terms of print-on-demand (not so much on the hand-printed issues as I have yet to get those all stapled, folded, and mailed).

Do you want to be a part of CdC #17? Here's the breakdown of what I'd need when:

  • Idea/pitch of what you want to write about by 2/29/12
  • Rough draft by 5/31/12
  • Final version by 7/4/12

Don't forget that I'm a fairly harsh editor. I take a lot of pride in what goes into each issue of CdC -- except when it comes to my own shameless stuff.

Send your ideas/pitches to mwhite at impossiblefunky dot com. Just beware of my spam filter.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Orgasm Inc. (Elizabeth Canner, 2009, USA)

It’s no secret that the pharmaceutical companies are cash-laden, corrupt entities but it’s still sobering to see them in action in Elizabeth Canner’s documentary Orgasm Inc.. After the phenomenal success of Viagra, it was a cinch that what was good for the goose should be good for the gander. And, suddenly, a new disorder was discovered. Women who had unrealistic expectations about orgasming via vaginal intercourse or who maybe weren’t even always in the mood weren’t just “normal,” they were suffering from FSD – Female Sexual Dysfunction, a disease defined by the drug companies.

Canner was given a gift. She was brought in by the company Vivus to document their quest for a “Viagra for women.” Their product, Alista, was one of several being developed. Canner demonstrates the “race for the cure” via a clever visual metaphor of several anthropomorphic products running across an expansive bed, trying to reach the goal of FDA approval.

Along the way, Canner demonstrates the fallacy of FSD by looking into the way questionnaires are manipulated to provide the answers that make 43% of women seem abnormal while ignoring the hard facts that women exposed either product or placebo both responded favorably to pornography! Canner also features a brief history of female sexual stimulation (a la Passion & Power: The Technology of Orgasm) and interviews with several sex therapists including shyster Laura Berman who’s been on Pfizer’s payroll doling out Viagra to women despite the FDA’s discouragement. There’s also discussion of female sexual plastic surgery which could be a documentary unto itself.

In all, Canner brings to light a shameful scenario in which a cadre of drug companies works hard and spends untold millions of dollars, banking of a huge payday for a disorder that doesn’t exist. Imagine if this same time, effort, and funds were spent on a real disease! Alas, that just isn’t as lucrative or as sexy.

Buy the DVD.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Downsized!

I don't like saying that I was "fired." That implies that I did something wrong. Maybe I did but it wasn't just my head on the block last Thursday. It was a number of people. How many? I'm not quite sure yet since I wasn't there.

I don't like saying that I was "laid off" as that implies that I'll be called back. There's no other word for it that "downsized," I suppose.

You see, it was my first day of vacation. Well, "staycation," really. Andrea and my Mom headed off to Hawaii that morning while I stayed at home with our three dogs and my Mom's two. I had plans of hanging out, watching movies, doing some writing, and taking the occasional phone call from work to keep my project there on track. I had brought home my work laptop in anticipation of some documentation updates.

When the phone rang and my boss's name came up I knew something bad was about to happen. Ever since I came back to work after my layoff in 2010, I'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I thought that I was going to be able to make it through the current round of cuts, especially as my supervisor kept saying, "Oh, there's nothing to worry about. We've proven just how valuable we are and have so much work coming down that we're safe."

Despite these assurances, I still put two and two together when the phone rang. I'm not sure just how many other people got let go that day but maybe I'll find out Tuesday when I bring my laptop back to work and sign my separation paperwork.

Oddly, things haven't sunk in yet. Maybe because I was in vacation mode. Maybe when next Monday, the day I was supposed to return, rolls around it'll hit me.

I'm trying to take it all in stride and look at the positive things like being able to dedicated more time to a few book projects, my podcast, and some other things. And then the job hunting begins...

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Indy Fix

Mr. Plinkett has given us a new review of Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I always appreciate these dissections.

Part 1

Part 2

Also, be sure to check out Raiding the Lost Ark: A Filmumentary -- full-length documentary about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Get more parts as they're available at Vimeo.

More fun stuff:
When George Lucas Had Talent
Jonesing for the New Indy Film (Revised in Impossibly Funky).