'Back to the Future III' and the WTF Ending

'Back to the Future III' and the WTF Ending

The Trail

The Trail from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

A horror movie trailer spoof about a deadly hiking trail. The announcer on the trailer decides its not such a good idea to take the trail and tries to make sense of it all. I decided to make this because there is this trail in my neighborhood that is really spooky looking. So I decided to make light of it and I grabbed my Flip cam and shot it, cut it, and did the Voice over on my laptop and boom, a little short was born. It also turned into a little homage to the opening credits of Tales From the Darkside. Hope everyone enjoys it, there is more comedy to come....

You can vote on its funniness at Funny or Die by clicking HERE

That's What She Said

That's What She Said from Megan Mullally

The Fresh Show Episode 4: Home Game Number One

The Fresh Show Episode 4 from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.

Hey there! The Fresh Show is getting really good now. Check out Episode 4 that is the directing debut of my assistant editor, Coleman "cooldaddy" Anderson. I think Coleman did a knockout job on this episode. I wanted drama and he went and out and got it. Great job dude! Episodes 5 and 6 are in the can and the show is just getting better! Thanks again to everyone at the North Texas Fresh basketball team and the ABA for continuing to give us unlimited access to this franchise. Come see The Fresh play by going HERE.

Carried Away trailer

I recently got the opportunity to edit a trailer for the film, Carried Away, directed by Fort Worth native, Tom Huckabee. The film was also produced by my good buddy and fellow Ft. Worth filmmaker James M. Johnston. The film has it's premiere at the Oxford Film Festival on Feb. 5! I will keep people in the mix when it hits town here. Congrats to everyone that worked on this film, they have done a tremendous job as the movie is quite good in my opinion. And thanks to Tom Huckabee and star Gabriel Horn for the opportunity to work on the film! Now get out there and kick some festival ass my friends! You can check out the official website by clicking HERE.

Carried Away (trailer E) from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

Zu's going big time again!

My cat, Zu did some modeling work for some cat food packaging for Food Lion store several months ago. Well he was seen and asked to do some more for a different client. And yesterday he did his second professional modeling gig! I took him in early to get him more comfortable, and after a while he knocked it out of the park. Zu is a cat that was found at my office who was abandoned and only has three feet. he was born without a back foot. So he's kind of a Pirate cat. I don't know when the packaging will be complete, but here are some pics and video from the shoot....

The Fresh Show Episode 3: Riders on the Storm

The Fresh Show Episode 3 from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.

Since July I have been following around (when I can) the new ABA expansion basketball team in Ft. Worth called, The North Texas Fresh. I knew that when I started this project that I wanted to do a documentary on a subject that I really loved. That being basketball. I had tried to do this with the Fort Worth Flyers a few years ago, but was cock blocked by the NBA. So next came this opportunity with the NT Fresh. At first I didn't really know where we where going. In fat this being my first doc, I'm still not sure myself. But I have enlisted some friends to help me with this labor of love. There is no pay in this, just love of the game and guys that are just trying to get a foot in the door of the pro level. They are hungry and play hard.

I started to make them more of a promotional video. In fact the first two episodes were very much promotional. So with this third episode I have tried to move more to a documentary style. I've been somewhat delayed in the filming due to some issues outside of my control, but with the help of my fillmmaker buddies, Coleman Anderson and Jason Todd Hampton they have picked me up and got me back into the grind of documentary filmmaking. Thank you guys! and thanks to Fresh CEO Jay Bowdy and the ABA for giving me total access to the team and operations. And also thanks to my day job at Immotion Studios for the use of the editing facilities and cameras to pull this off.

So I have decided to keep filming when possible, and also make a web series out of it for now so that i can practice my doc style on the fly while letting the series promote the team. Documentary filmmaking is rough going. Tougher than I ever imagined. It takes total and undying dedication. I am aspiring to get there, and my hat is off to all you documentarians out there. This is hard stuff. I plan on doing 10 episodes total. So here is the third episode in the series now re-nammed, The Fresh Show. Check it out above, and to see the others visit The Fresh Show site by clicking HERE.


If you want to catch a game sometime PLEASE come out and support your local ABA franchise by going HERE.

Texas Trust spot turns into a 78 reunion shoot!!

I recently produced a video for the Texas Trust Credit union web site. The fun thing was I got to hire Merk Harbour who played Renny in my movie "Seventy-8", and also hired my DP of choice, Jason Todd Hampton to be my DOP. So it was like a mini reunion. With Marija Gluscevic co-producing and newcomer to our team Coleman "cooldaddy" Anderson working the teleprompter, we had a blast. Check it:

Texas Trust's Relationship Benefit web page from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.

Article on "Seventy-8" in the Fort Worth Business Press

Mike Price wrote a new article on the release of "Seventy-8" on DVD and Cable/Sat. You can check out the article by clicking HERE!

Thanks for the article Mike!

Seventy-8 on Cable, Satellite, VOD and PPV!

Ahoy peeps,

Just to let everyone know that my little movie "Seventy-8" is now available on a bunch of cable, sateillite, VOD and Pay per view providers. Thanks for everyone who got the DVD over the holidays, please pass the good word on! Take a look at the following list of Sat/Cable providers to see if its playing on your system:

Here is where Seventy-8 is playing until the end of Mar 2010:

Charter

Verizon FiOS

Roger (Canada)

Mediacom

Suddenlink

Atlantic Broadband

DISH Network (VOD)

Blue Ridge

Cincinnati Bell

Click

Hargray

HTC Conway

NTELOS

VTMS

Wave

Seventy-8 on DVD only a Week away!

Hey everyone sorry for the lack of posts lately, been quite busy. Just wanted to remind everyone that my first movie, Seventy-8 will be released on Nov. 24th. You can order it on a number of on-line sites, like Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, or at the distributor's on-line store R-Squared. Here are the links for all of them:

Amazon

Best Buy

Barnes and Noble

R-Squared Store

Watch This: Karl Pilkington Reviews 'The Invention of Lying'

Watch This: Karl Pilkington Reviews 'The Invention of Lying'

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IGN: Breaking Bad: Season 2 Review

IGN: Breaking Bad: Season 2 Review

Shared via AddThis

DVD Review: Life On Mars - Series 1 (U.K.) - Video - Blogcritics

DVD Review: Life On Mars - Series 1 (U.K.) - Video - Blogcritics

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Flip Ultra HD Camera Demo

Flip Ultra HD Camera Demo from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

REVIEW: Crank 2: High Voltage

Well normally this isn't a movie i would see. I hated the first one, thought it was made by really immature post film grad students. (if they made it that far) But my old intern Coleman has a bromance brewing with Jason Statham or JS as he likes to call him. I have to say this film is much better than the last one, because this time the creators got the joke and embraced it. This is a full out cartoon the likes of Takashi Miike would revel in.

Let us sum up: JS survives falling out of a plane and hitting a car full force. Not a scratch. He is picked up with a shovel and has a heart transplant and given a battery powered replacement. And guess what, he has to keep the battery going. Shock! So with the help of Dwight Yokam he tries to find the people who transplanted his heart into an asian David Carradine. Still with me? Next is a series of cartoon like sequences that I have yet to fully understand. It all ends in a giant gang battle of the scum of LA. There is a pretty amazing sequence, (and when I say amazing, I mean they actually had the balls to do this amazing) where JS fights an asian guy in a dream like sequence where they are the size of Godzillas in a power plant. JS wears a deformed mask of himself. There is also a full out sex scene with (I'll do it if you put my name above the title) Amy Smart on a horse track during a race. Still living speaking decapitated heads in fish tanks, and Bai Ling and Pedro.

Go in prepared to have your mind raped and you'll enjoy the fun. I think this one works better, because the filmmakers embraced the absurdity of what they were doing and just went for it.

Guest REVIEW: Ip Man

Been so busy haven't had time to review movies, even though I've seen quite a few recently, so I am resorting to guest reviews..This one is for Ip Man starring Donnie Yen. I loved it!!!! Here is Koh So's review from Yes Asia...

Donnie Yen isn’t just the Man, he’s IP MAN. Hong Kong’s most prolific martial arts actor goes for FEARLESS-type cred in director Wilson Yip’s biopic of the legendary Wing Chun master. The film tells the tale of Ip Man (Yen) during the 1930s and 40s, covering his rise to prominence in 1930s Foshan, plus his involvement with the imperialist Japanese . Noted for its many famous kung-fu masters, Foshan comes under siege from surly kung fu master Jin Shan Zhao (Fan Siu-Wong), who’s looking to rob Foshan’s resident martial arts masters of their fame and face. They’re quick to jump to the challenge, and all are quick to lose - that is, all except Ip Man, who seems to have zero ego and is overflowing with serene modesty. Eventually Ip Man is required to accept Jin’s challenge, but as one would expect, Ip has no problem knocking Jin down to size. However, when the Japanese invade China, even Ip Man’s Wing Chun is of no help.

Or maybe it is. Though IP MAN is billed as a biography of the famed Wing Chun master, it takes massive liberties with actual history. Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen seem to be more concerned with capturing Ip Man’s spirit rather than his actual experiences and exploits. Ergo, his refusal to train the Japanese forces has been adapted to the screen as a framework for some physical one-versus-many battles between Ip Man and the Japanese soldiers, all culminating in a one-on-one match between Ip Man and the honorable, though still somewhat evil General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi). Can Ip Man beat up Miura and restore the honor of the Chinese people? There are currently two sequels in production to IP MAN, so the answer should be pretty obvious.

However, obvious answers can sometimes make for entertaining film, and that’s exactly what IP MAN is: entertaining. As a biopic, IP MAN doesn’t convince, and is historically inaccurate, not to mention over-the-top in its unflattering portrayal of the Japanese soldiers. However, as an action drama, IP MAN earns its wings, proving rousing and exhilarating, if not sensitive or particularly subtle. Sammo Hung’s action direction is top notch, and the one-versus-many beatdowns possess an entertaining and even emotional edge not seen since the days of FIST OF LEGEND. Donnie Yen brings the film to another level; besides being convincing when he’s whaling away at everyone in sight, Yen is surprisingly subtle, capturing Ip Man’s calm demeanor and also his buried inner emotion. IP MAN may not be the career turning point for Donnie Yen that FEARLESS was for Jet Li, but it’s surely a step in the right direction.

Music Video: 5BUGS-Maybe Tomorrow

I don't know anything about music anymore, but this band 5BUGS did the first 360 degree music video shot with a Canon 5d Mark II DSLR camera. So that's really why I'm posting it. It's pretty cool.

Grandpa Clapp's 95th Birthday Bash

My grandpa turns 95 on Thursday, we had his birthday party a little early this weekend. He had some grim advice to those of us getting older... And people wonder where I get my dry sense of humor. I decided to break out my new video camera to film the festivities. This is the mini Flip Ultra HD cams, that fit your pocket. Check it:

Lance Clapp's 95th Birthday Party from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

North Texas Fresh Episode 2: Final Tryouts

North Texas Fresh Episode 2 from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.

This is the second episode in the web series for the North Texas Fresh basketball team of the ABA. This episode goes further into the final rounds of tryouts for the team and introduces a new coach and trainer to the team.

I had a little help in this episode thanks to our former intern, Coleman "cool daddy" Anderson, coming along to help out with camera and everything else. We got to have a little more fun this time, getting closer with the staff as they move closer to a final roster. Thus far this web series has been a learning process. We are making the rules up as we go along, and discovering what paths are best taken for our production.

I had a lot of fun editing the end sequence here. I went back to kind of an old school 70's way of stopping the action and zooming into the still. This is another example of us finding our sea legs while making things up. Pretty soon we will have a clear direction of where to take the series, but for now this is a lot of fun for all involved. I just hope I can focus when the NBA/ABA season begins! Till Episode 3...

Seventy-8 FINALLY out on DVD Nov. 24th

Just wanted to let everyone know that my little movie Seventy-8 is coming out on a special edition DVD on November 24th by R-Squared Films. You can already pre-order it on Amazon, and it should be available to order soon at Best Buy, Barnes & Nobles and Target. We are currently finishing up all the bonus features for the DVD.

You can also join the Facebook page for the release by going to the link below or by searching for Seventy-8 DVD Release on Facebook by clicking HERE.


More news to come closer to release date! Hope everyone is doing well.

The Best thing I've read in a while....

Seems John Hughes had a pen pal who wrote this tribute to him on her blog. This is truly an amazing article. Could be a movie!

Click HERE to read the post.

REVIEW: Breaking Bad: Season 1

Where to start? Granted I am only reviewing Season 1 here, as I have not watched any of Season 2 yet, but holy crap what a great show. And I don't think I know of anyone else who watches it but me. What a shame... I hate to rehash someone else's review, but Seth Amitin's review over at IGN.COM of Season 1 is right on cue. So instead of breaking my neck here is Seth's review. But please please people gotta get into this show. Buy the DVD's!!! It's great writing and brilliant character work from the entire cast.

Breaking Bad: Season 1 Review
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river on this show.
by Seth Amitin

March 19, 2008 - You were probably skeptical about this show, too. The promotional poster, the one of Bryan Cranston standing in his underwear, holding a gun, with the RV and the plumes of red smoke in the background, seemed forced, like they were aiming for a 14-year-old demographic, someone that had this gangster-like image of cool. To anyone who's past that phase, it looked, well … stupid.

Instead, we got something completely different. A dynamic and deep show with some realistic insight into the world of meth dealing, and creating characters you care about, too.



We don't want to discount the drama, but the science is what captivated us to start the show. When Pinkman says his stuff is the best, he's Captain Cook, he's the alpha and omega of cooking meth, but then Walt's stuff puts his to shame. Walt's decided professionalism about it (taking off his shirt and pants on his first try and telling Pinkman that "we don't use") is kind of cute, too, in the same way as watching a kid ride a bike for the first time. The idea that a chemistry teacher could so easily create high-quality grade of meth is flat-out awesome.

Then came the drama – the really nasty stuff, the deadly chemicals, the hydrofluoric acid, the complete and utter failures and the rest of the nitty-gritty details of trying to be a drug runner in the world and just how awful it is to be dealing meth (on both the creation and selling sides).



But what really kept us in the show was the depth of character. Walt's unwillingness to tell anyone about his cancer and his subsequent reasoning to not get treatment, Skyler's refusal to accept Walt's bizarre behavior and being proactive about it, Pinkman's time with his family (and especially his genius brother) … everyone has weaknesses and strengths; faults and virtues. Here's where this show gets really cool:

Walt was a simple character to begin with. He's book smart, but not street smart, and he gets involved in meth dealing because he wants to provide for his family after he's dead – he's in the advanced stages of lung cancer, by the way. He's the character to root for, the guy you want to see win, but at the same time, you know there's an oncoming train wreck and that this is perhaps the stupidest get rich quick scheme anyone has ever had.

There's also Jesse Pinkman, who's stupid, but street smart. He failed Walt's chemistry class in high school and now deals meth. He's a born loser, but happens to make a good team with Walt, who is aces when it comes to producing meth.

(There's a point coming up, I swear).



Skyler, Walt's wife, isn't a dummy. She's quick as a whip and loves her husband and son and is protective of both of them.

Then the secondary characters are the enablers: Hank, Marie, Walt Jr., Crazy-8, Emilio and Tuco. You can make a pretty strong case that the cancer is a character in itself because of its broad repercussions and affectations on the lives of each character, but we'll leave that out for now.

And then you throw all of these characters together and you see what happens. Walt with Skyler is protective (see: refusing to tell her about his cancer). Walt with Pinkman works, but it's highly unstable and dangerous. Skyler and Pinkman rarely interact, but when they do, they don't go together well. Walt and Hank work pretty well together, though you wouldn't think that, since Hank's a DEA agent. Walt's interaction with Crazy-8 basically changed his makeup altogether (for anyone who hasn't seen this show yet, boy howdy are you in for a surprise on that one).



If you read all of that, you might know what it sounds like: chemical reactions.

This is what we're talking about. Everything about this show was thoroughly thought-out and it's a true joy to watch a show that can be dissected so much and make it more enjoyable. If you haven't watched this show yet, it's time to get on the bandwagon.

REVIEW: The Hurt Locker

OK, I'll admit it, I was in love with director Katherine Bigelow back in the day. She came into my life about the time I started worshiping directors, and then Near Dark came out and I crapped my pants, cause to this day its still my favorite vampire flick by far. Then I saw her picture and I was in love. She only makes movies every 3 to 5 years, so when one comes out i get all tingly inside. This brings us to 2009's The Hurt Locker, a movie that details the everyday life of a US bomb patrol unit in Bagdad.

Shot in Jordan, the film is based on recently declassified information about a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) (bomb squad) team in present day Iraq. The Hurt Locker is written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad.

First off the movie is tense. The jobs these guys do is insane to say the very least. The Hurt Locker follows a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit as it works to defuse a series of improvised explosive devices (IED) in the streets of Iraq. Jeremy Renner plays the leader of the EOD team, as he contends with not only defusing bombs in the backdrop of a war, but also the psychological and emotional strain that it inflicts. As the unit deals with one explosive device after another, it confronts the unpredictable and extreme violence of a growing Iraqi insurgency. Team members struggle constantly to distinguish enemy insurgents from innocent Iraqis and to protect themselves while avoiding civilian casualties.



The mental stability that it takes to deal with this kind of pressure is one that if closely looked at is one that is probably one step closer to insanity than sanity. You can see it in all of the actor's performances. Every character is a timebomb waiting to explode like the damn bombs they have to diffuse day in day out. With only about 30 days left on their shift, two of the group played by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty just want to do enough work to get home in 30 days. Then they get a new diffuser played by Jeremy Renner. He likes the rush of diffusing these complex bombs. He almost admires the work, and considers them art. He even keeps a box of fuses under his bed to remind of him each time he almost died. He's walking a line the other two men in his group are not really on board with. And things get a little tense not just in the field but off it as well. This is where Renner starts to lose touch with reality and himself in the process.



This is a great film, and I'd say the best of the Middle East war movies to date. Its a small film, but expertly crafted. And knowing that it was shot in Jordan in the middle of the shit makes it even more tense watching it. In fact they had a hard time getting crew people to begin with or even stay on for the whole movie it was that insane. Visually its gritty, yet fluid and never feels artsy for cool sake. It's a very grounded movie that does not preach to you about the horrors of war. It just shows you that war can be a drug like anything else in life. Some run from it, others run into it.

Great film. One of the years best by far.

John Hughes Tribute RIP

Very sad about the passing of writing/directing legend John Hughes. He defined my generation of teen movies and beyond. He will truly be missed.

There is a great recent article about him HERE. But be sure and check out the video tribute from youtube below. Its really great. Sad day.

Premiere Video

I recently re-discovered the greatness of Premiere Video off of Mockingbird and Central in Dallas. I found this groovy article on the local CW33 site, so mucho props to them as I am simply re-posting it. I encourage people who read this site to venture out of the Netflix/Blockbuster zone and experience a video store run by people who actually LOVE, and I mean LOVE movies. No corporate BS here, just love of film. I could spend the whole day in there, but alas I have a Job...

Premiere Video
A Dallas Institution Catering to Families and Film Buffs

Premiere Video, an unassuming independent video store on Mockingbird across from the train station, stands as a beacon and a hub for the fervent Dallas film community. Oh yeah, and you can rent just about anything you can think of there, too.

So how awesome is Premiere Video? Let's put it this way, the 2005 "Best Of" Dallas Observer issue named Premiere Video "The Best Video Store in the World, So Stop Asking" and retired the entire category in 2007. Given the rise of video home delivery services and video vending machines, how does Premiere - an old school "Mom and Pop" video store - continue to thrive after 25 years?

Chatting with Heather Hankamer, general manager and buyer for Premiere Video, she attributes the store's success and longevity to their diverse and loyal customer base. Their location places Premiere within easy distance to the students and academic crowd of SMU, as well as smack dab in the middle of the M Streets/Lakewood/Park Cities families and retirees. As Hankamer states, "we get a kind of mishmash of different customers, and that keeps us strong."

You're Here Renting Barfly Because No One Else Has It

Premiere has been able to stay successful by listening to the customer, catering to a clientele that might be looking for anything from the latest big Hollywood release to the most obscure documentary. One walk through the shop and their vast collection becomes obvious. In addition to your usual "New Releases," "Kids," and "Classics" sections, the store also features rows of documentary categories, British TV series, and an entire wall of foreign films.



Premiere's collection is unique due to a variety of factors. For one, unlike most video shops, Premiere still maintains a large VHS list. Not only does this allow Premiere to have rare titles not yet released on DVD, but there are still a lot of people who rent exclusively on VHS. Additionally, Premiere's relationship with local independent filmmakers and close ties to the AFI Dallas International Film Festival has resulted in gaining access to films that have never been distributed in the United States.

Hankamer does admit however, "the store isn't for everybody." While Premiere has an open and friendly atmosphere, it isn't a store that stocks 100 copies of the latest new release. Though they are sure to have the latest Hollywood movies, Hankamer explains, "The Dark Knight brings them in, but it's the specialty stuff that keeps them coming back."

Premiere's allegiance to keeping things local also gives the video store its distinction. A small crew of eight, including Premiere owner Sam Wade, run the shop, giving the Premiere folks an opportunity to know their customers. "What other job - in a retail environment - do you get to go to that you actually know your customer?" Hankamer asks. Indeed, Premiere's core top 100 customers tend to rent the majority of the movies.



In a further nod to their customer service, Premiere provides a video drop off box in the Bishop Arts District. The drop box was originally the suggestion of a longtime customer who was moving to Oak Cliff. After realizing a sizable percentage of their members lived in Oak Cliff, the drop box was a logical decision. And it had the benefit of increasing the store's visibility and their subscriber count.

One area where Premiere has resisted customer suggestion, indeed pleadings, is for a website. Google search "Premiere Video Dallas" and you will, at best, find a description of the store on citysearch or yelp. Why no website? Hankamer cites economics and inventory protection as the chief reasons for resisting a website. "Our goal has been to retain our inventory for our community and customers. If we put everything up there, we're afraid we'll attract collectors, and we don't want to have to implement a cash deposit policy for rare titles," Hankamer explains. By now, circa 2009, Premiere's "no website" status only fuels its "Mom and Pop" video store mystique.

And, What About that Mom and Pop Mystique?

Premiere Video (under the name Video Works) first opened its doors in 1985 by owner Sam Wade as part of a three-store franchise. At the time, it's hard to remember, the home rental industry was beginning to crest in awareness among the average person. This was an era before Blockbuster Video had arrived - but just barely. At that time, home video rental businesses rented VCRs as well as videos and the videos themselves cost upwards of $70.

Within the next five years, home video became as commonplace in the home as cable TV, and monster video chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video had squeezed out many of the small, independent video stores. In 1990, Wade left the Video Works franchise and renamed the Mockingbird store, Premiere Video.

Since then, Premiere has been able to wade (no pun intended) through the continuing evolution of the home rental industry. The introduction of DVDs, according to Hankamer, has been instrumental to Premiere's ability to thrive. The lower cost of DVDs gives the store an opportunity to experiment with lesser known titles. Unlike VHS films that were still expensive for more obscure titles, all DVDs were lower in cost. This enabled the staff there to fill their inventory with specialty titles.



One recent change in the industry that has hurt independent video stores the most is the "No Late Fees" campaign aggressively pursued by Blockbuster, Netflix and others like Red Box. The symbolic death of any late fee policy at these national retailers has helped recruit new members. Of course, it's only a game of semantics. It may no longer be called late fees, but $1 a day for every day you have the rental still translates into a $10 fee if you have the video for 10 days. According to Hankamer, the advent of no late fees was a "Big turning point for the industry, especially for the mom and pops because this new policy made it [video rentals] almost seem like a free thing in people's minds."

At Premiere, all videos rent for $4 and do charge for late returns. However, they don't receive too many complaints about this when signing up new customers. As one person wrote on yelp.com "It's four dollars to rent a vid [sic] which seems a little pricey, but isn't that comparable to b-buster? Plus, they're local, so spending a little extra to rent from premiere = good karma headed your way."(larua n. Dallas, tx, yelp.com) Another user notes that Premiere has "the best selection of indie films and music documentaries, no question. And very affordable. Give your Netflix account some rest and go support some locals!" (Nico M. Dallas, TX)

Premiere's fan base continues to grow and stay vital as the Dallas film community becomes stronger. At a time of contracting niche markets for books and local theaters, Premiere Video has seen the local film community take hold and thrive. Hankamer notes, "Dallas does have a strong film community. That's only been proven true by a very successful Angelika and Magnolia to be so close together yet still be able to compete. For years, it was just us and the Inwood."

For a glimpse of Dallas' film community and movie buffs, you're first stop has to be Premiere Video.
Copyright © 2009, KDAF-TV

REVIEW: Warlords

This is the first Jet Li movie I have really enjoyed in quite some time. The film is directed by Peter Chan and starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei.

The film is set in the 1860s, during the Taiping Rebellion in the late Qing Dynasty in China. The story, based on an unresolved crime in 1870, tells of three sworn brothers (played by Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) who are forced to turn against one another due to the harsh realities of war and political intrigue.

This film is brutal. With only a 120 minute running time it packs a lot of history and battles. Some of which are truly amazing. The canon scenes are crazy ill. Jet Li is great, and really shows some serious acting hops way above of that of peer Jackie Chan. No offence JC... There is not a lot of martial arts fighting, but there is in spats. This movie worked for me on a dramatic level, an action level, and a historical level. So it clicked in my head as one of the better Hong Kong films I've seen in quite some time. In fact as a result of this film I am curious to get back into that old Hong Kong movie binge I used to have back in the college days.

This film has not yet been released in the states. Its been out in Asia and Europe i think since 07. Not sure what the hold up is. If your looking for an alternative to overly stylized films like Crouching Tiger and Hero, then this gritty action flick will leave you wanting more. The cinematography is also top notch. If you want to score a copy of it, try HKFLIX.COM. They have it in SD and HD. I want Jet and Jackie to stay in HK! No more bad US movies...

REVIEW: Moon

You really can't review Moon, without spoiling it. I'll say this I really enjoyed it, and thought Sam Rockwell was very good. The basic premise is very "2001". An astronaut is the only one on a moon base camp on a 3 year contract to retrieve energy from the sun. He has a computer robot buddy named Gerty that keeps him company. He is set to go home before an accident happens, and well things get a bit out of control. Like i said its hard to say much more without ruining it, but I found it to be good solid film, by Duncan Jones( David Bowie's son) If you liked 2001, you will really dig this. It is almost a companion piece if you will. Good double bill maybe...

North Texas Fresh Episode 1: Tryouts

North Texas Fresh Episode 1: Tryouts from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.

This summer my company, Immotion Studios had the opportunity to meet with Jay Bowdy, the CEO of a new ABA basketball team in this area called The North Texas Fresh. They start their season in Fort Worth later this year. Right now they are just trying to get a team together by looking at local talent. I had several conversations with Jay about doing a documentary at some point, so on my vacation, I went out as a one man band with the HDCam and some mics, and filmed for most of the day at one of their tryouts. I'm not totally sure where this is all headed yet, but it was certainly a lot of fun melding my two loves of filmmaking and basketball. My ultimate goal is to do a documentary on a few players that might find there way to the NBA. If you know much about basketball, its a hard road to go from the minors to the majors. But many have done it, and I hope to capture the sweat and tears of those few players that do make it. So stayed tuned and we will see where this journey will take us...

Cheese Zone!

I WANT TO PRODUCE SPOTS LIKE THIS!!!!!!