Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Jones County News Middle GA movies magazine article




Tomorrow, 3-28, in the Jones County News, their magazine insert will have a 5 page article about Middle GA movies written by my friend Neill Calabro
It talks about the big productions as well as us local movie makers. There are photos, including the headliner of Joseph Lavender's Exit 101, and there even is the great shot in front of the bus during "42" that has all of us Middle GA Talent peeps.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

[DVD] Tuesdays with Mell 03/05/13 Wreck-It Ralph, Red Dawn, Unconditional, The Bay, Playing for Keeps

Image of Wreck-It RalphImage of Red DawnImage of UnconditionalImage of The BayImage of Playing for KeepsImage of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to YouImage of Collaborator



Wreck-It Ralph 2012 Oscar nominated (Best Animated Feature) Animated Comedic Adventure. Director: Rich Moore. Voiced by: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman  Trailer Plot: A video game villain (Reilly) wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

Red Dawn 2012 War Action. Director: Dan Bradley. Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutcherson, Josh Peck Trailer Plot: A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers. 

Unconditional 2012 Faith Drama Director: Brent McCorkle Stars: Lynn Collins, Michael Ealy, Trailer Plot:  Inspired by a true story, a woman's idyllic life is shattered when her husband is killed in a senseless act of violence. As she prepares to take matters into her own hands, two unexpected encounters begin to change everything. 

The Bay Plot: Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs. Trailer Review: One of the best epidemic movies I've seen and THE best found footage movie I've ever seen. The Oscar winning director was able to put different recording mediums together that actual made sense, added to the story, and came from the plot rather than just using it as a gimmick. More than that, he actually works with home video camera, digital cameras, iPhones, and more rather than just using more expensive cameras than making them look like found footage. The plot is based in actual scientific facts that he acquired while filming a documentary about the Chesapeake Bay. The result is a tense, intelligent, well acted, brilliant piece a horror cinema. Why this movie didn't blow up like other indie horror gems like Paranormal Activity I will never know. This is a must see. Rating: Epic! Watch with: Outbreak & Paranormal Activity.

Playing for Keeps 2012 Heartfelt Sports Rom Com  Trailer Plot: A former sports star who's fallen on hard times starts coaching his son's soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms who pursue him at every turn Review: More like playing for tears. This film tried to be a tearjerker when it was better off as a comedy. Those comedic moments were the only good parts about this movie. The pacing was slow and there was no character development. This could've been a good movie if either of 3 things happened. 1. They had actual flashbacks when Biel & Butler were married so you would understand their relationships & characters better. 2. They dropped the love story with the ex wife from plot to subplot and concentrated the story on a character driven story line about an messed up former pro soccer player trying to get his life back together. or 3. Hired someone other than Biel as the ex wife. Butler was good and Biel wasn't bad at crying or anything, but it was always as if she was never really looking into Butler's eyes, like she was looking past him. He was trying, but she wasn't connecting with him at all. Rating: Stamped Out so why bother? Watch instead: Bend It Like Beckham if you want a sports movie with a little love on the side, Remember the Titans if you want a heart wrenching sports film about a great coach, or Ghosts of Girlfriends Past if you want a romance about a messed up ex finally getting his act together. 

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You  Starring:   Trailer Plot: A vulnerable teenager with a deep perception of the world and no idea how to live in it. 

Collaborator  Trailer Plot: A playwright whose marriage and career are in a free fall has an explosive run-in with his former neighbor, a right-wing ex-con. 


Monday, March 11, 2013

[DVD] Tuesdays with Mell 02/19/13 Argo, Fun Size, Sinister, Anna Karenina,


ArgoFun Size (2012)Sinister (2012)Anna Karenina (2012)
Riddle (2012)The Factory (2011)

Argo 2012 Best Picture Oscar winner Starring: 2X Oscar winner Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting), 3X Emmy winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Oscar winner Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Emmy winner John Goodman ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), 6X Emmy nom Victor Garber (Will & Grace"), Indie Spirit nom Tate Donovan (Inside Monkey Zetterland)), Clea DuVall ("American Horror Story"), Indie Spirit winner Scoot McNairy (In Search of a Midnight Kiss), Rory Cochrane (Empire Records), Emmy winner Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"), Chris Messina ("Damages"), Emmy winner Zeljko Ivanek ("Damages"), Titus Welliver ("Touch") & Taylor Schilling (The Lucky One). Directed by Affleck (The Town). Written by: Chris Terrio based on the book  "The Master of Disguise" by Tony Mendez (as Antonio J. Mendez) & the article "Escape from Tehran" by Joshuah Bearman. Trailer Plot: A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran. Review: Let's ask the hard question shall we? Did this movie deserve the Best Picture Oscar? Umm, no, but it was still a great movie. I know the ending of this movie cuz I know the history behind the story, but the film still managed to be filled with tension. The acting was believable by everyone, particularly McNairy who I believe should've gotten a nomination over Arkin (sorry dude). The movie weaved drama, war, comedy, narrative, story boards, & documentary footage together seamlessly. Rating: Noteworthy Watch with: The Town.

Fun Size Trailer Review: I'm a sucker for a theme movie and Halloween. So a Halloween themed movie is right up my corny alley. I wasn't expecting to actually like it. In the same way I like ICarly, the writers of this Nickelodeon film stay relatively uncheesy and use some definite adult humor. This movie didn't really feel tweeny. It seemed like a teen sex rom com without the unoriginal sex humor and random boobs. Some of you have probably already thought, "Then what's the point?" Check that. All the males reading this have already thought that. Well, here's why. It was actually funny. It had a few boob/sex jokes thrown in for any older viewers but done in a subtle way. Like when animated films thrown in adult references for the parents sitting in the theaters. Aside from those, this movie had the funniest little fat kid ever, made me laugh, reminded everyone that Chelsea Handler can actually act & has more in her vocabulary than F-bombs, P words & C words. My gender prevents me from repeating those last 2 so I can't write them either. Figure it out. Or just YouTube Chelsea Handler. Lastly, it managed to have heart in a non-cheesy way, and the characters actions reflected the deep seated issues in this movie. A tween comedy with actual character development that explains the actions of the characters? DRGRRGR???

Sinister Trailer

Anna Karenina Trailer Review: Stylized but fragmented adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy classic. At first the theatre aspect of the adaptation was quite confusing. The majority of the film was actually filmed on a stage built in likeness of an old opera house. Even outdoor scenes were done on that stage. Characters walked from one part of the stage to the other as scenes & locations changed. It takes a few minutes to get used to it. After that I was able to enjoy the movie up until the last 20 minutes or so. Knightly's performance was fine but nothing new or special. Johnson was so miscast. It's as if he didn't realize he was being filmed and actually thought it was a stage performance. His acting was so stylized while everyone else's acting was subtle. There was barely any chemistry between the 2 leads. Law, however, was the best thing in the movie besides the subplot of Kitty & Levin. I loved his portrayal of Karenin. He was an honorable man. I think it woud've been better if he had been cast as both Karenin & Vronsky. That would've been interesting, and there would've been better chemistry between the 2 & better acting. Oscar nod anyone? The Oscars this film got nominated for are well-deserved. The music, production design, costumes, & cinematography were all quite beautiful. The last 15 minutes were a convoluted mess. Anyone who hasn't read the book would've been so confused, especially about Levin's epiphany (a part of the plot completely left out of the script except for that line). I love Tolstoy's morality which is the whole point of his writing. That essence wasn't clear here. A.K. is a cautionary tale. Some of the dialogue goes against Tolstoy's original meaning. Still beautiful to behold though. Watch it for the production value and the theatrical element. The subplot is better the the main story line.  Law continues to make me wonder how he hasn't received an Oscar yet. After you finish, read the book and all will be revealed.

Riddle Trailer

The Factory Trailer




Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Church of Redemption IndieGoGo Page & Trailer!!!

I'm sharing with you all the indiegogo page for a new movie I'm in called Church of Redemption. Please support this movie by clicking on the link below & donating what you can through Paypal. It's safe & there are some great perks in it for you. Please share with your friends & fam. (Look for me in the trailer & the stills)
Below are some promotional pics, screenshots, stills & behind the scenes photos.
All stills taken by Terry Wilson.
 See more & the new trailer on the indiegogo page. 

 
Promotional Still
 
 Behind the scenes
 Screenshot (Michele Nichols [me])
 Actors Chris Payne, Lisa Fulford, & Derrick Barrett talking on set
 Still from Scene 1 (Tiara Mason & Mista Martel)
Assistant camerawork by Director Joseph Lavender
 
 Still (Roger HuntAvery Sellers)
 Actors Alexander Raines & Tammy Woods between takes
 Screenshot featuring Michelle Marshall
 Behind the scenes (AD Renee Alday, Writer/Director Corey Dinkins, actors Michele Nichols [me] & Lisa Fulford)
 Behind the scenes (actors Michele Nichols [me], Chuck Clark, Elizabeth Warren, & A.C. Joseph Lavender) 
Still 
Behind the scenes-Tybee Island (AD Renee Alday)