Once in a while you stumble across an earth shattering documentary. Or it may only happen once in your lifetime, but when it does occur you experience a lump in your throat that lingers. There's an urge to track down the filmmaker to offer your thanks; tell everyone you meet: SEE THIS FILM. Yes, you say it in big capital letters.

"Freedom To . . ." doesn't pull any punches. If we've been lulled to sleep by living the fat life, the film jars us back to reality. We haven't been paying attention to the political landscape, dear reader. We aren't really aware that we no longer have a free press; rather it's corporate controlled. We have an educational system that is under control of the global elite, as well, as we are not taught in high school about the Federal Reserve System and that it is not part of the federal government at all. Moreover only the Congress has the Constsitutional power to coin money, so who are these interlopers who would dare to move in, taking our currency off the gold standard thereby slowly reducing our money to sawdust? Did you know that there was no Federal Reserve prior to 1913? We don't know that the extortive IRS has no legal right to exist because we are not taught that in school, either.

'MICHAEL MOORE'S 'FAHRENHEIT 9/11' GOT THE PALM D'OR!!!

Following Moore's documentary "Bowling For Columbine," his new film is just certain to stir up waves, exploring the period before, during, and after 9/11. The film criticizes President Bush's handling of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and connects the Bush family with Osama bin Laden's.

The Palme d'Or of this 57th edition of the Festival de Cannes was presented to Michael Moore for his film, Fahrenheit 9/11.

"I can't begin to express my appreciation and my gratitude to the jury, the Festival, to Gilles Jacob, Thierry Frémaux, Bob and Harvey at Miramax, to all of the crew who worked on the film. [...] I have a sneaking suspicion that what you have done here and the response from everyone at the festival, you will assure that the American people will see this film. I can't thank you enough for that. You've put a huge light on this and many people want the truth and many want to put it in the closet, just walk away. There was a great Republican president who once said, if you just give the people the truth, the republicans, the Americans will be saved. [...] I dedicate this Palme d'Or to my daughter, to the children of Americans and to Iraq and to all those in the world who suffer from our actions. "

On the politics of the film:

Quentin Tarantino: "Judging a film by its politics is a bad thing. If it wasn't some of the best filmmaking, then I would not have chosen it. [...] You can't strangle this movie with the title documentary. Michael Moore is f... with the format to bring us a movie-documentary-critical essay."

Tilda Swinton: "One of the reasons it is radical in its politics is because of its relation to the media. It starts and ends with a question. It is sophisticated cinema. It wouldn't have served its political end if it wasn't a good piece of filmmaking. He has matured as a filmmaker since Bowling for Columbine. [...] It is not a film about Bush, nor Iraq but rather the system. In the words of Godard, ‘we spend so much time looking for the key to the problem; we need to begin looking for the lock.'"

Benoît Poelvoorde: "We had long and passionate debates. We put the politics aside so as to talk film. We are not here to give a morality lesson. Personally, I think that the Festival is very politically correct; on the other hand, it is hard to not be. [...] At the same time, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a political tract. His unique viewpoint is not a problem for me since we have the possibility to inform ourselves elsewhere and also listen to other opinions."

On awarding a documentary:

Kathleen Turner: "We felt it was more than a documentary. We believe this film creates its own category and that's why it stands apart."

Tilda Swinton: "The things Michael Moore says cannot be said on the media of TV. What he has to say has to be seen at the cinema. Who would have thought that cinema could get stretched this far."

Jerry Schatzberg: "I had to get over the mix of genres, to open my mind to animations, documentaries along side fiction. [...] Michael Moore has given us a film that makes you think in different ways."

Edwidge Danticat: "What struck me most was that I was laughing one minute, sobbing the next. I was taken to emotional heights. It let the voices speak for themselves, voices that are otherwise silent."

"The New York Times and trade publication Daily Variety confirmed that Disney is blocking distribution of the film."

"I would have hoped by now that I would be able to put my work out to the public without having to experience the profound censorship obstacles I often seem to encounter," Moore said in a statement Wednesday, referring to his agent's charge against Eisner. The whole story behind this (and other attempts) to kill our movie will be told in more detail as the days and weeks go on. All I can say is, thank God for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax, who have stood by me during the entire production of this movie."

Read the full article Disney may block anti-Bush film at cnn.com

'THE SHIELD' NEW SEASON & WALLPAPERS

'The Shield' Series 3 just started on this week's tuesday and the first episode was a blast as expected! Check out these two wallpapers:

	(courtesy of FXnetworks)		(courtesy of FXnetworks)

Film lovers have been starved for sustenance. The relentless diet of predictability and pretense Hollywood has been serving up just doesn’t cut it. Poultrygeist is hearty food for thought. In Poultrygeist, Troma takes on the the fast-food industry-skewering the soulless restaurateurs-in the world’s first horror-comedy film to feature zombie chickens, American Indians and a bit of singing and dancing!

It’s Poultrygeist!

GRAB THE WALLPAPER



VISIT THE WEBSITE

“Doug Sakmann’s lunatic love letter to bloodletting and mosh pitting is (a) big, brash power chord layered across the entire DIY mentality of the music and moviemaking he’s championing. And the results are amazingly insane.”
-DVDTalk.com

“Punk Rock Holocaust puts the "awesome" back in "constant bloodshed".”
-Tasteslikechicken.com

“Doug Sakmann’s mixture of tour commentary and George A Romero-style gore is the most original twist on the rock video genre in a long, long time.”
- Raindance Film Festival

“Roger Corman meets Herschel Gordon Lewis!”
-blacksmoke.org

“Punk Rock Holocaust” is purely entertaining, mindless fun”
- Rock Press Magazine

“Cheesier than a Vivid porno and gorier than the collected works of Lucio Fulci.”
-Jeffrey Morgan, Detroit Metro Times

"This is the way Holocausts ought to be. It's the best Holocaust ever!!! I can't wait for the next one!!!"
- Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and creator of the Toxic Avenger

Doug Sakmann blurs the line between Punk shockumetary and gut exploding documentary. If you love punk rock, you'll love seeing these bands play. If you don't, you'll love seeing these bands get gutted - literally! A true original from Mr. Sakmann. Loved every minute of it. This movie will shock your ass right off! It did for me, now I save a bundle when I go to my tailor!
- Ted Raimi, actor, scholar and gentleman (Evil Dead, Xena, Spiderman, The Grudge amongst many others)


VISIT THE WEBSITE AND WATCH THE MOVIE!

"In "Bubba Ho-Tep", B-movie extraordinaire Bruce Campbell (from the "Evil Dead" films) stars as Elvis Presley, who we learn switched places with an impersonator back in the 70's in order to lead a normal life. He broke his hip falling off a stage, though, and now a disgruntled, grumpy old man, he lives in a rundown Texas rest home. His only friend in the rest home is a senile old black man (Ossie Davis, yes, OSSIE DAVIS!) down the hall who believes he's JFK (and he just might be). The two of them must team up to stop a demonic, Egyptian mummy spirit who haunts the rest home and has been sucking the souls out of the elderly residents. And for some reason, the mummy is dressed like a cowboy.

I've just described one of the weirdest, silliest plots you've probably ever come across, and of course that's entirely intentional. Writer/director Don Coscarelli (he did all the "Phantasm" films) has obviously set out to make a campy B-movie that will become an instant cult classic, and he has pretty much succeeded. This is one kooky (and enjoyable) movie.

There is, bar none, no actor who can ham it up in a horror/comedy B-movie like Bruce Campbell, as anyone who has seen him battle his own demon-possessed hand in "Evil Dead 2" can confirm. As a physical comedian, he is a genius worthy of comparison to Charlie Chaplin. But in "Bubba Ho-Tep", we get a surprisingly low-key Campbell. His performance as an elderly Elvis is funny as expected, but also strangely moving. His deadpan, film-noirish narration often wanders dreamily into the regrets of his early life that the real Elvis must have felt.

What also gives the movie unexpected poignancy and depth is the relationship between Bruce Campbell's and Ossie Davis' characters. The two actors work great together, and their dialog is terrific and occasionally even meaningful. Also giving the movie a surprisingly emotional punch is the epic-sounding, spaghetti western and surf guitar score. Though it certainly succeeds on its own terms, it's not a perfect film. It gets off to a great start, but the middle section is poorly paced and repetitive. Good thing the last act is so awesome.

Of course, some people have no imagination or appreciation for B-movies, and aren't going to enjoy "Bubba Ho-Tep". But I say you haven't lived until you've seen an elderly Elvis Presley fending off a demonic mummy with his walker, while a black JFK rides to the rescue in a motorized wheelchair."

This is a movie that you really shouldn't miss! I don't want to tell you anything about the story - even one sentence could spoil everything and that'd be shame...


Almost 30% of the IMDB ratings are '10 out of 10' - and it really deserves the highest rating. So, just go and watch this awesome movie! Now!

• WATCH THE TRAILER
• VISIT THE WEBSITE
  
  

We find the King (Bruce Campbell) as an elderly resident in an East Texas rest home, who switched identities with an Elvis impersonator years before his “death”, then missed his chance to switch back. Elvis teams up with Jack (Ossie Davis), a fellow nursing home resident who thinks that he is actually President John F. Kennedy, and the two valiant old codgers sally forth to battle an evil Egyptian entity who has chosen their long-term care facility as his happy hunting grounds…

Mind-blowing in its originality, Bubba Ho-tep transcends the “late-night cult” genre by virtue of captivating performances by Campbell and Davis, and the assured direction of Don Coscarelli. Coscarelli handles the bizarre material with such precision that you actually believe that Elvis and JFK are alive and not quite well. He treats the characters, and old age for that matter, with such respect that no matter how absurd things become, you are completely with him. Bubba Ho-tep, with its cinematic flash and terrifically offbeat humor, is a fantastic story of redemption, courage and friendship.”
(CineVegas International Film Festival)

• WATCH THE TRAILER
• VISIT THE WEBSITE
  
  

My favourite TV series will both continue with new seasons in 2004! If you haven't heard about 'Six Feet Under' from Alan Ball and 'The Shield' you really have to find out about them on the linked websites.

"'The Shield' breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed every day. It focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions."
(http://www.fxnetworks.com/news/)

"One of the most acclaimed shows on television, 'Six Feet Under' is best described as a darkly comic look at the Fishers, a dysfunctional family who own and operate an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. Patriarch Nathaniel Fisher is no longer living (except in the hearts and visions of his family). So his wife Ruth, sons Nate and David, and daughter Claire are left to cope with the routine and not-so-routine aspects of life in the grief-management business. What emerges is the quirky, sometimes disturbing - but ultimately life-affirming - story of a resilient American family."
(http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/about/index.shtml)

• 'The Shield' Season 3 will premiere on March 9th 2004.
• 'Six Feet Under' will continue with Season 4 starting in June 2004.
  
  

Some photos from the set can be found here:
http://utenti.lycos.it/witchstory/reportage.html

WEBSITE OPENED
'Il Cartaio', the new movie from Italian's genius director Dario Argento, now has its own website with a trailer and 'making of' material. Unfortunately everything is only available in Italian, so most of you won't understand a word - which is a shame. If you want to read further information on the upcoming movie and other Argento related work, visit Nick Dawe's wonderful website www.darkdreams.org.


TWO WALLPAPERS CAN BE FOUND HERE.


And the best website on Dario’s work: www.darkdreams.org

My dear friend Doug Sakmann, former head of production at Troma, has started the production of a new independent movie, entirely shot on the Vans 2003 Warped Tour.

Punk bands and crew members are being slaughtered and it seems the tour is being sabotaged. The film follows various key members of the tour as well as featured musical acts and the Warped Tour crew, as they struggle to keep on the road and figure out who is behind the crimes. The film backdrop includes the Warped Tour's stages and production areas, as well as the various venues and landmarks that the crew encounters along the 48 date tour.

Production began on the first day of 2003 Warped Tour, June 19th 2003.

The film features many of the bands on this year's Warped Tour, including RANCID, SIMPLE PLAN, THE USED, ANDREW WK, SUICIDE MACHINES, DROPKICK MURPHIES, ATMOSPHERE, MEST, LESS THAN JAKE, TSUNAMI BOMB, BOWLING FOR SOUP, DESTRUCTION MADE SIMPLE and BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE amongst many others.

• Visit 'Backseat Conceptions'
• The 'Punk Rock Holocaust' website