Cinema

пятница, 7 января 2011 г.

'Three Stooges' Short List Includes Samberg, Knoxville and ... Jacobson?

Seems like it's been years that we've been hearing about some sort of 'Three Stooges' movie ... and that's because we have. Once upon a time, people like Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn were actually involved with the project, but let's get real for a second. Nobody ever expected to see Sean Penn playing a Stooge.

But now comes some intriguing word fromThe Wrap, and that word is this: Fox's"short list"for the flick -- which the studio recently took over from MGM, with Peter and Bobby Farrelly set to direct -- now includesJohnny Knoxville('Jackass'),Andy Samberg('Hot Rod') and an Australian comedian namedShane Jacobson, whom some may remember from the funny import called'Kenny.'For those who are unfamiliar with the actors' appearances, or (gasp!) The Three Stooges, the tentative line-up would have Knoxville as Moe, Samberg as Larry and Jacobson as Curly.

Here's an interesting tidbit, though:"The plan is to divide the PG-rated film into three, 27-minute segments driven by physical comedy, with a start date of March 14."Sounds like an interesting plan the Farrelly brothers are cooking up.

More information on this one as it becomes available.

Source

среда, 5 января 2011 г.

Roger Ebert Announces New 'At the Movies' Co-Host -- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

This past September, movie fans received a big gift -- 'At the Movies'would be back. Back in Roger Ebert's hands, back on public television and free of the folks (Disney) who ever thought thatBen and Benwas a good idea. The show would feature the AP's Christy Lemire and NPR's Elvis Mitchell, with a slew of rotating guests including Kim Morgan and Omar Moore.

But last month, the soon-to-be-revived show hit a snag. Mitchell was out of the program, leaving a starring spot to fill. However,sources revealedthat two replacement choices were already being pondered --"a young male in his mid-20s with little or no experience as a movie critic or as a TV talent,' or another critic said to be the"female version of tart-tongued former 'American Idol' judge Simon Cowell."

And now we'll just have to keep wondering who the female Cowell was because the 'At the Movies' team has decided to go with the young man -- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky.

Vishnevetsky might be a new name on the scene, but he's got a slew of solid references. He's a critic and essayist at Mubi.com (previously The Auteurs), which features streaming arthouse and foreign films, he co-founded Cine-File.info, writes for The Chicago Reader and is a programmer for the University of Chicago's Cine-File Selects series. Having moved to the U.S. from Russia when he was 9, he's also only 24 years old.

According to Ebert's press release, he was"struck by the depth and detail of {Ignatiy's} film knowledge, and by how articulate he was."To give you a feel forhis spin:

On 'My Little Chickadee':"Mae West is paired with (or, really, against) W.C. Fields, whose nose is roughly the shape and size of one of her breasts. West had by this point already graduated from plump, foul-mouthed sexpot to biologically female drag queen. Fields, vaudeville juggler turned hooch-scented misanthrope, misogynist, mis-everything, seems like the perfect foil to deflate her everything (not the least of which is her ego)."

On 'Centurion':"The writer/director's usual men vs. women dynamics (or, more accurately, characters governed by allegiances and social conventions against characters governed by principles) get a good workout, and there's almost enough ridiculously-hard-boiled dialogue and narration to qualify this as a 'Roman noir.'"

On 'True Grit':"'True Grit,' for better or worse, is an object d'art, and at a certain point it becomes impermeable. This makes it all the more ironic (and fascinating) that the character-driven non-plot of 'True Grit' -- a small group of people whose sense of identity, purpose and the world expresses itself through 'inevitable' petty actions, and ultimately through a selfless act -- is essentially the story of the old (still extant) cinema."

As for his televised persona,Ray Prideoffers up the below taste, at 1:03.

12.2fromRay PrideonVimeo.

The show debuts on January 21. Will you tune in?

Source

вторник, 4 января 2011 г.

Top Film Events of the Week: Midnight Movies Galore, Ben Affleck& 'The Thing'

Now that everyone's gotten through the holidays and the new year and exchanged all of their unwanted gifts and bought all of that stuff that went on sale and relaxed with their families and gorged themselves on delicious, decadent food, it's time once again to take a look at the best way to work off all of that end-of-year indulgence: by sitting in a movie theater. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of programmers spent more time watching movies than setting up screenings for them, which is why this week's offerings are fairly anemic, at least until the film festivals get cranked up.

But before we get to the stuff we think you should see elsewhere in the country, we would like to remind you to please leave comments and send in emails (leads AT cinematical.com) with any suggestions you may have for events, screenings, or other opportunities film fans may have to share with others in their celebration of the medium. Also, when and if you attend any of the events listed below, please let us know about your experiences, and let the organizers know where you found out about it!

Austin

For a truly bizarre and unforgettable moviegoing experience, head to the Alamo Ritz on Wednesday,January 5, for a screening of the so-underground-cult-doesn't-define-it flick'The Black Gestapo.'Recommended highly byBadass Digest Editor-in-Chief Devin Faraci, the film is a wild blaxploitation film from 1975 that must be seen to be believed. Check out theAlamo Ritz websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Tickets are going fast, but get thee into the Alamo Ritz''Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Hobbit FeastonJanuary 9. Seven courses are served over the course of all three films, so rest assured that you'll get a chance to have both first and second breakfast, as well as a few other dishes that even Hobbits might not have thought of. Check out theAlamo Ritz websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Dallas

At midnight on Friday and Saturday,January 7and8, cult luminary Tommy Wiseau will make an in-person appearance at the Inwood Theatre to introduce and discuss his long-running cult sensation'The Room.'Come on down and see if he always meant for it to be laughed at instead of with and make sure you check out theInwood Theatre websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Los Angeles

At the Aero Theatre onJanuary 6, seeBen Affleckin person as he hosts a screening of his two directorial efforts,'The Town'and'Gone Baby Gone.'The first film starts at 7:30 PM, but make sure you check out theAero Theatre websitefor screening details and ticket information.

On Friday night,January 7, head to the New Beverly Cinema for their monthly screening of theater-owner Quentin Tarantino's classic film'Pulp Fiction.'Rumor has it that Tarantino sometimes shows up to chat with attendees, but make sure you check out theNew Beverly Cinema websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Meanwhile, over at the Cinefamily,January 7marks the opening of their limited run for the acclaimed Greek film'Dogtooth.'A totally messed-up portrait of totalitarian rule as re-enacted in an upper-middle-class household, it's the sort of film you have to see, just so you can say you survived it. Make sure you check out theCinefamily websitefor screening details and ticket information.

And if you haven't had enough of movies after 'Dogtooth,' stick around the Cinefamily for a midnight show of the hilarious horror comedy'Tucker& Dale vs. Evil.'Not only is this an extremely rare screening of the film, which has yet to secure theatrical distributions, but director Eli Craig will appear in person to introduce the film and host the screening. Make sure you check out theCinefamily websitefor screening details and ticket information.

New York

In a shocking turn of events, at midnight on Friday and Saturday,January 7and8, the Sunshine Cinema is playing Edgar Wright's'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.'Make sure you check out theSunshine Cinema websitefor screening details and ticket information.

San Francisco

Thankfully not a midnight screening, but make sure you head to the Castro Theatre onJanuary 7thfor a double feature of'The Princess Bride'and'Time Bandits,'starting at 7:30 PM. Make sure you check out theCastro Theatre websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Washington D.C.

More midnight madness ensues at the E Street Cinema onJanuary 7and8with screenings of John Carpenter's remake of'The Thing.'Worth seeing as the only movie from Carpenter's career for which he didn't compose the score himself, or, we suppose, for being a totally awesome, scary movie on its own merits. Check out theE Street Cinema websitefor screening details and ticket information.

Source

понедельник, 3 января 2011 г.

'Little Fockers' Outfoxes 'True Grit' Again: Box Office Report December 31-January 2

On paper, this should have been'True Grit's'week to shine. The universally acclaimed western was supposed to outride last week's champ, the universally reviled'Little Fockers,'toward box office victory. There were no new wide releases to steal its thunder. Predictions for 'True Grit's' second-weekend take averaged about $24.8 million, very close to what it ended up earning. Yet it still couldn't surpass 'Fockers,' which ruled for a second weekend with an estimated $26.3 million, with a much smaller-than-expected drop-off from last week. Guess there's no accounting for taste.

Given its abominable reviews and mediocre-to-poor word of mouth (not to mention it's final weekend tally last week of $30.8 million, well below Universal's initial optimistic estimate of $34.0 million), 'Fockers' was expected to fall about 24 percent this weekend to a predicted $23.4 million or so. Instead, it lost only 15 percent of last weekend's business and earned enough to cross into nine-figure territory (its two-week total is $103.2 million). Maybe it's because the comedy added 18 new screens (but then, 'True Grit' added 36), or because it pretty much has the comedy-for-grown-ups niche to itself (sorry, 'How Do You Know'), while the more violent 'True Grit' is less family-friendly and skews toward an older audience.

Still, 'True Grit' grossed an estimated $24.5 million this weekend, very much in line with expectations and down just one percent from last week's take of $24.9 million. (Like Universal, Paramount initially overestimated last week's take, though not by much, at $25.6 million.) It did enjoy a higher per-screen average than 'Fockers' ($7,947 to $7,400). TheJeff Bridgesmovie's two-week total stands at $86.8 million, so it's poised to become one of the highest-grossing of this year's Oscar-hopeful movies. (It won't catch up to'Toy Story 3'or'Inception,'but it'll surpass'The Social Network's'$93.2 million sometime this week.)

Jeff Bridges' other movie,'TRON: Legacy,'held on strong as well. Coming in third, it scored an estimated $18.3 million this weekend, down just four percent from last week. With a three-week total of $130.9, it has a long way to go to surpass its reported $170 million budget, but it remains the first-choice 3-D spectacle currently in theaters.

Last week,'Yogi Bear'dropped more than 50 percent on middling word-of-mouth. It added no theaters this week, yet Warner Bros. is estimating a 66 percent increase in business, to a fourth-place finish $13.0 million. Pundits were predicting a slighter rise, to about $9 million, since more kids were out of school this week and there was no major East Coast blizzard to keep families away from the multiplexes. Either the accountants at Warners are overly optimistic, or else they're smarter than the average bear.

'Yogi's' major competition in the 3-D family-fare sweepstakes,'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,'earned an estimated $10.5 million this week, good for fifth place. Its studio, Fox, also predicted a modest Christmas-vacation bump in business over last week, even though the film lost nearly 600 screens this week. Still, its estimate was just a hair ahead of Disney's for'Tangled'($10.01 million) and Paramount's for'The Fighter'($10.0 million), so those films could all switch places by the time final figures are released on Monday.

The full top 10:
1.'Little Fockers,'$26.3 million (3,554 screens), $103.2 million total
2.'True Grit,'$24.5 million (3,083), $86.8 million
3.'TRON: Legacy,'$18.3 million (3,365), $130.9 million
4.'Yogi Bear,'$13.0 million (3,515), $66.1 million
5.'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,'$10.5 million (2,948), $87.1 million
6.'Tangled,'$10.01 million (2,582), $168.0 million
7.'The Fighter,'$10.0 million (2,534), $46.4 million
8.'Gulliver's Travels,'$9.1 million (3,089), $27.2 million
9.'Black Swan,'$8.5 million (1,553), $47.4 million
10.'The King's Speech,'$7.6 million (700), $22.8 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

Source

воскресенье, 2 января 2011 г.

Where Everyone Has Gone Before #24: 'Cannibal Holocaust'

Welcome toWhere Everyone Has Gone Before, the weekly column where I continue my film education before your very eyes by seeking out and watching all of the movies I should have seen by now. I will first judge the movie before I've watched it, based entirely on its reputation (and my potentially misguided thoughts). Then I will give the movie a fair chance and actually watch it. You will laugh at me, you may condemn me, but you will never say I didn't try!

The Film:'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980), Dir. Ruggero Deodato

Starring:Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen and Luca Barbareschi.

Why I Haven't Seen It Until Now:I have a serious moral quandary with one of the more infamous aspects of this film. But we'll get to that momentarily. It also has something to do with me being a little behind on my Italian horror cinema, but that answer just makes me look lame.

Pre-Viewing Assumptions:"It's an ugly film -- I haven't sat through all of it."

I expected my friend and fellow Cinematical writer John Gholson to be smiling when he said this, a way of him psyching me out because he knows I'm about to watch 'Cannibal Holocaust' for this column. But he didn't smile. He wasn't joking. John is my go-to horror enthusiast, the guy who I call up whenever I need an recommendation or opinion regarding the genre, and to see him so legitimately disgusted by this movie -- well, it left me uneasy.

And he's not the only one. Cinematical writer and editor Peter Hall left a comment under a previous column after I sent out a call for votes on what I should watch next:"Anything but 'Cannibal Holocaust.'"

Of course, so many people telling me that I shouldn't watch a movie will only result in my polar opposite reaction, so here we are. I'm going to watch it. I've committed to it. I can't turn back now. There's nothing you can do to stop me.

What do I know about 'Cannibal Holocaust'? I know it's a 1980s Italian horror movie. I know it involves a jungle expedition gone horribly wrong. I know it involves a handful of people meeting horrifying, gruesome ends (as they tend to do in Italian horror movies). I know it's at least partially a faux-documentary, making it the grandfather of"found footage"horror movies like 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Paranormal Activity.' I know the director was famously taken to court and brought up on murder charges until he could produce the living actors and prove that all of the carnage in the film was faked.

Nowthatis fascinating. That anecdote is the reason I've decided to watch this film -- well, that and being able to tell people I've seen it, since it's reputation as one of the more upsetting horror movies of all time precedes it and I want to join the Super Duper Movie Club that's seen it, thank you very much.

However, I know one more thing -- I know that live animals were killed on the set of this movie, making it the poster-child for irresponsible, inhumane filmmaking. You wanted to know the"moral quandary"that's kept me from seeing it until now? There you go. This is just a case where my thirst for film exploration has overpowered my deeply held personal sensibilities.

Post-Viewing Reaction:I want to get one thing clear first -- I will never recommend that anyone actually watch 'Cannibal Holocaust.' Not in a"this movie is waaay too intense for you!"kind of way, but in a"this is one of the worst film watching experiences of my life"kind of way. It's not the gruesome violence that makes this film so uniquely unwatchable ... it's the sheer, pointless nihilism of it all, the feeling that we're watching ugliness for the sake of ugliness.

So, here's the big question: what separates 'Cannibal Holocaust' from a similarly nasty film like 'Martyrs,' which is one of my favorite horror movies of recent years? It's simple -- the violence in 'Martyrs,' as unsettling and stomach churning as it is, acts in service of a story and a cast of characters embodied by capable actors. The violence in 'Cannibal Holocaust' is in service of nothing; it's just gory nihilism for the sake of it. There is some suggestion of a satiric point to all of this, something about how we're complicit in this violence by choosing to watch it, but it's not enough (and Michael Haneke did it infinitely better with his punishing 'Funny Games'). The best horror films are either fun or they have something to say (and if they don't, they at least act as spectacular thrillers like the batsh*t insane cat-and-mouse nightmare 'Inside') and 'Cannibal Holocaust' refuses to be fun and if a message does exist, it's just weak sauce.

All of this before you get the animal violence, which is just as reprehensible as you'd imagine, particularly since all of it could be cut and the film's story would essentially remain the same. A little bit of research tells me that director Ruggero Deodato has since condemned these aspects of the film, but it doesn't make it any less reprehensible. The DVD's opening scroll can cite freedom of speech and quote Thomas Jefferson all it wants -- nothing is going to convince me that a filmmaker needs to harm a living breathing creature in service of any movie.

Now time for a Slight Tangent That Couldn't Be Organically Incorporated Into the Previous Paragraph: what separates the animal killings in 'Cannibal Holocaust' from the climax of 'Apocalypse Now,' which features footage of an ox being sacrificed? Well, one is a filmmaker turning a camera toward an actual ritual that was going to result in the animal being eaten by a tribe of people and the other is a filmmaker decapitating and shooting animals for the shock factor. I'll let you decide which is which.

And with that argument nipped in the bud, it's time to move on.

In case I didn't make it clear, I'm not a fan of 'Cannibal Holocaust.' You know, just in case you didn't catch that. However, the film is undeniably effective and often incredibly impressive. From a technical standpoint, many of the make-up effects that convinced the Italian government that Deodato had actually staged a jungle massacre hold up incredibly well, with a"how-the-hell-did-they-do-that?!"penis severing being the image that has forever lodged itself into my gray matter. I also admired the actual nuts and bolts of the story -- I as expecting the tale of a team of innocent documentarians being butchered in the jungle and instead got the tale of a team of vicious documentarians who torment and murder and rape a tribe of natives so they can gather exciting footage and eventually face the sharpened-to-a-fine-point face of cannibalistic South American retribution. So, points for originality.

The film's brutal effectiveness goes beyond the blood and guts. There is a troubling authenticity to the grainy, handheld faux doc footage (which is almost completely undone by horrible acting, but this is an Italian horror film, so that goes with the territory) and the film does an admirable job depicting the jungle as a place full of things that can and will kill and eat you. More than anything, the documentary aspects lend a grimy reality to the film that makes you feel like an accomplice to the acts on screen. It makes you feel dirty. I don't think a film has ever made me want to jump into a shower quite like this one.

If it was traditionally shot and lit, would it prove this upsetting? Would the gore sell as well? Unlikely. The found footage genre has been become commonplace these days, mainly because it's a cheap, effective way to craft a movie. It's what makes 'The Blair Witch Project' feel so unsettling and real. It's what lends human intimacy to an epic monster movie in 'Cloverfield.' It's what so effectively makes us feel like voyeurs in 'Paranormal Activity.' Well, 'Cannibal Holocaust' was here first and for that, it deserves a hat tip. And while I'm saying nice things, an additional tip of the hat to the film's score, which is surprisingly lovely.

Perhaps the very fact that I'm reacting so virulently to this film proves its worth. Does 'Cannibal Holocaust' exist simply to provoke a reaction, whether it be positive or negative? Is it similar to the infamously grotesque 'Salo,' which actually received the Criterion Collection treatment, in that it depicts scenes of horror that force us to come to grips with the evil of the world?

That's probably a debate for someone who wants to linger on 'Cannibal Holocaust.' This movie is a piece of sh*t.

Next Week's Column:As promised, the revenge thriller 'Death Wish' will be next week's entry. However, a new batch of shameful blind spots is ready for your mocking and your voting. I've tried to keep it eclectic -- westerns, indie milestones, an Italian art film, a cult classic, '80s icons, a creepy children film -- so the next few months of columns will have something for everyone. Peruse the selection andvotefor what I should watch next in the comments below!

'On the Waterfront'
'Sex, Lies and Videotape'
'Mystery Train'
'Altered States'
'Pink Flamingos'
'La Dolce Vita'
'High Plains Drifter'/'Pale Rider'/'The Outlaw Josey Wales' (Triple Feature)
'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'
'Return to Oz'

Previous Entries:

'The 39 Steps'
'Bicycle Thieves'
'Moulin Rouge'
'The Sound of Music'
'Rebel Without a Cause'
'A Matter of Life and Death'
'Julia'
'Bride of Frankenstein'
'The Monster Squad'
'Solaris (2002)'
'Solaris (1972)'
'Soylent Green'
'Silent Running'
'Colossus: The Forbin Project'
'Cocoon'
'Enemy Mine'
'A Boy and His Dog'
'The Thing From Another World'
'Forbidden Planet'
'Logan's Run'
'Starman'
'Strange Days'
'Tron'

Source

суббота, 1 января 2011 г.

The Story Behind 'Die Hard' and 'Home Alone' Live On Stage

It's close to midnight in Austin, Texas and the temperature is falling fast. The crowd packed into the lot next to the charming dive bar are dressed appropriately -- hats and coats and gloves on everyone.

But the man on the makeshift stage is shirtless. And shoeless. And carrying a toy machine gun. And now, he's exchanging words with the man currently holding his"wife,"a male actor with a wig, hostage.

It's the climactic scene of 'Die Hard,' live on stage (or, as it was advertised,"In 3D!"). Soon enough, the villainous Hans Gruber gets the"Yippey Ki-Yay, Motherf*cker"treatment and plummets to his death by diving off the stage into the audience and John McClane gets into the cardboard limousine and exits stage left to the tune of 'Let It Snow.'

The video of this memorable performance went viral a few days back (and you can watch it after the jump), but surely you must be wondering: what kind of people would put on a stage version of 'Die Hard'? Or, more accurately, what kind of people would perform a live action double feature of 'Die Hard' and 'Home Alone'?

The answer? Old Murder House Theatre. It's founder and director? The same man that went shirtless in the freezing cold to play the iconic role of Detective John McClane: Sam Eidson.

The troupe originated in Savannah, Georgia, where Sam was attending film school at the Savannah College of Art and Design. It was a lark, really. What if they performed a low tech, stripped down, sped up adaptation of 'Jurassic Park' on the front porch of their house? Taking their name from the house itself (which was home to several murders in the 19th century), Old Murder House Theatre was born in a flurry of nostalgia and cardboard dinosaurs.

Riding off an enthusiastic response, they followed that up with 'The Lion King,' 'Predator,' 'Independence Day"and then ... graduation. By all accounts, Old Murder House had no reason to survive after its core team was split apart and scattered, but if there is one city where low budget re-enactments of summer blockbusters can flourish, it's the infamously"weird"city of Austin, home to one of the most spirited film communities in the world.

Sam sees the move as a boon to the group's continued existence:"Since we relocated to Austin, we're suddenly surrounded by a much richer film industry and people that will appreciate these more. We hope to up the ante in terms of level of production."

By"up the ante,"we can only assume he's talking about the frequency of performance, not necessarily putting on a smooth, polished production that operates just like the film it's based on. There is a charming, rough-around-the-edges quality to Old Murder House's performances, the encapsulation of our mutual memories of a film rather than an accurate adaptation."Telling the story logically doesn't matter,"Sam says,"as long as the we stay true to the energy of the movie."In a way, this is not so much a performance of 'Die Hard' as much as it's a performance of those post-midnight discussions about 'Die Hard' that happen after one too many beers.

Sam admits that these are"kind of put to together at the last minute,"but insists that there is a written script and a rehearsal process (and many, many viewings of the movies in question). The selection of 'Home Alone'/'Die Hard' double feature came out of Sam's desire to do a Christmas-themed show."'Die Hard' and 'Home Alone' aremyChristmas movies,"he says."I know everyone has their own, but those are ones that stayed with me. There are other great ones, but these two movies have many similar story elements and themes. One man against 'em all."Watching the two Christmas-themed stories of a lone warrior defeating a superior force, it's hard to disagree with him.

Watching videos of Old Murder House performances simply don't do them justice. There is an energy in the air that doesn't translate to a computer screen. Sure, there is a charming campiness to bloody gun battles being recreated using blasting caps and silly string (in place of squibs) and there is much joy to be had in watching someone"outrun"an explosion that's actually a makeshift umbrella covered with red and yellow streamers, but these performances act as more than parodies. By compressing 'Die Hard' into 45 minutes, large chunks of plot are gone, but tiny little details, the kind of things you only notice if you've seen the films twenty times, remain. Actor Nathan Sakulich does a fine Alan Rickman, but his take on Alan Rickman's fake American accent ("You know those guns that shoot red paint?") is just plain eerie.

In the 'Home Alone' half, Kirk Johnson gives an almost terrifying Macaulay Culkin impersonation, not only capturing the voice, but the swagger and physicality. Although there are certainly liberties taken (the creepy broken heater in 'Home Alone' didn't threaten to, er,assaultyoung Kevin in the original film and Sam's choice to play Old Man Marley as completely incomprehensible just kills), it's the straight-faced honesty in the face of cardboard-and-scotch-tape absurdity that makes these performances something to savor. Just as much as these productions ask you to laugh at these films, they also ask you to remember them, to treasure them and to take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane.

As the show goes on, passing pedestrians stop and watch from the sidewalk. Was it the general loudness of the show that attracted them or was it a recitation of a familiar line? Either way, they stay put and watch the thing to the end. There's no need for them to have seen this from the beginning -- everyone has seen 'Die Hard' and 'Home Alone.' When the audience isn't laughing, they're certainly smiling and not out of derision, but out of a mutual love for these movies.

A parody is easy. The balance between comedy and nostalgia struck here is simply one-of-a-kind. It's truly a case of"You just gotta' be there."

What's next? Sam is continuously working as an actor (his work in the gloriously weird short film series'Hard Gravel'borders on extraordinary and afeatureis on the way) and filmmaker (he's working on a full-length version of his hilariously twisted'Moon Buddy'short), but he's hoping Old Murder House will reach a bigger audience and maybe, just maybe, it will find some sort of sponsorship. Alamo Drafthouse, anyone?

In the meantime, Sam, his fellow actors and his small crew are still figuring out what film they'll take to stage next. He tosses out a few suggestions: 'Aliens,' 'Hook,' 'The Land Before Time' and 'Jumanji.' Whatever it is, they plan to have it ready for SXSW in March.

Sam and his team are putting in hours upon hours of work. They're performing in empty lots in the freezing cold. Deadlines and electrical issues and wardrobe and prop malfunctions are a constant concern. When asked what keeps him going, Sam shrugs:"I just remember what my dad always told me ... Don't pick your nose."

Words to live by, surely.