An interview With Zach Green, Producer Of Heir

While “HEIR” is running the festival circuit during 2016 we of Skatronixxx.com had an interview with one of the man behind this short, producer Zach Green from Fatal Pictures.

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Can you tell us how you got in being a producer / casting director / editor?

I attended film school back in 2002 in Toronto for film post production, which was initially what first drew me to the industry. In my final semester at school, I applied to be an editor on a short drama which happened to be written and directed by Richard Powell.

As Richard and I would go on to produce more films throughout the years after graduating film school, I started taking on the role of producer, so Richard could focus on the creative aspects and elements. Such as writing and directing. So slowly but surely I would go on to produce our films that Richard would write and direct. As for casting director, that’s just another role I felt I would take on myself and cast the best talent I felt fit for the role, and bring them to Richard’s attention, and we would go from there, and have auditions etc.

So far you have worked on several shorts. What would your next step be?

The next step for myself and Fatal Pictures, is to try and tackle the feature film world. And hopefully be producing our feature debut next. But with such strong love and passion for the film industry, you never know what will happen. We might just produce another short film if the stars line up for it.

What would your dream production be? And who would star in it?

Something written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, produced by Eli Roth, Jason Blum and of course Harvey Weinstein.

Is there somewhere the readers/fans can see any of your previous work?

Absolutely, I would love everyone to head over to iTunes, and check out Fatal Pictures’ previous film, entitled Familiar (2012). Check out the full film via this link here.

Our first feature film might possibly be the feature length story of Familiar. The award winning short is a great proof of concept for the feature.

What would you like to share about this short with our viewers? 

The short film “HEIR” is a very powerful and thought provoking film that deals with a very sensitive and taboo subject matter, but done in such a brilliant and artistic way, I really do feel any cinema lover will be able to appreciate this twisted little tale.

You’ve been round the festival circuit; can you tell me anything about what these festivals are like, and how someone would go about entering a film into a festival?

I couldn’t be happier with the festival run “HEIR” has received thus far. Sure there will always be some festivals you won’t get into; you can’t get into them all.

The festivals have been great. It’s always a pleasure if I am able to attend them. But that’s unfortunately that’s not always the case. I like to think the cream of the crop will always rise. So if you make a great piece of cinema, it will get noticed. But with that said, you still need to push it out there. You can make the best film, but if no one sees it, it might as well be a coaster for my beer.

To go about getting into the festivals on the circuit, you would just apply to them via WithOutaBox or Film Freeway or whichever way you’re instructed to submit to the festival.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

You can expect to see a lot more from Fatal Pictures, a few more film festivals in the upcoming months for “HEIR”, and then it will be available digitally in 2017 via iTunes, Google Play etc

Also, we are hoping to produce our feature debut in the upcoming months, but either way, expect to see a lot more of Fatal Pictures.

Could you tell our readers one fact about yourself that they may not know already?

I was first drawn to the film industry through editing and post production, and organically became the producer I am today. Naturally wanting the best for my films as possible. You usually do end up wearing multiple hats as an indie filmmaker, but that’s actually a good thing if you ask me, it gives you a little taste of different areas of producing a film.

Finally what advice would you give to people who are new to the trade?

I’m not going to say something cliché like follow your passion etc. etc. etc. But what I will say is, Good luck.

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

I would like to encourage everyone to head over to http://www.fatalpictures.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and screening dates. And follow us on Twitter & IG @FatalPictures.

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For more information about Zach, check out his IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm237423  and find out more about his upcoming projects as well.

HEIR: a great horror short!

Heir is a 14 minute horror short starring o.a. Bill Oberst Jr, Robert Nolan, Justin Major, Jane Pokou, and Mateo D’Avino. This short is written and directed by Richard Powell, who did an excellent job I must say on both the writing and directing.

IMDB describes the plot of the movie as follows:

“After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his young son Paul embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.” (Written by Richard Powell)

I have absolutely nothing to add to that, without giving anything away. The storyline itself is haunting. It has left me guessing and wondering; what if. The scariest part about it is that is often not a what-if scenario. It actually happens and that is the most terrifying of all.

Heir has done something that horror movies haven’t done to me in a while; scare me. Recently horror movies have made me laugh, however this short with little dialogue and excellent music score made me shiver at times. So a job very well done.

The subtle sound of a clock ticking while you wait for what comes next is terrifying in itself. Without even looking at the screen what happens . There are more scenes like this; which I must admit I like very much. Have a look at the teaser from the film and you know what I mean.

To be honest I haven’t seen many shorts and from what I have seen they didn’t impress me much. This short surprised me in so many positive ways: the directing, the music, the casting and the acting.

Seeing this short it didn’t surprise me however that the short was nominated for Best Horror Short & Best Supporting Actor (Bill Oberst Jr.) at FilmQuest this year. (The results of this festival will be announced the 23rd of June.) Bill Oberst Jr. is perfectly cast in his role as Denis. His physique has added to the creep and scare factor of this short. His acting was suburb and gave me chills as to how scary it was.

So in conclusion Heir is a brilliant horror short in my opinion. To me this is horror at its finest. It will gross you out and haunt you. I for one am curious to see if you all share that same opinion. Unfortunately it won’t be released to the public until 2017 via ITunes, Google Play and other platforms. But let me assure you the wait is worth your while.

Heir was a cooperation between writer and director Richard Powell and producer Zach Green from FatalPictures.  We had an interview with the latter about this film and about what we could expect to see from him next.

‘Justice League’ Synopsis Revealed

DC just released the first official synopsis for the ‘Justice League’:

“Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of newfound ally, Diana Prince,  to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Women work quickly to recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes – Batman, Wonder Women, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash – it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”

Director of Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zack Synder, returns to the DCCU to direct the ‘Justice League’. The film is set to star; Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher.

We do not yet know the ‘even greater enemy’, but there will not be just be one villain the justice league will have to face. Jessie Eisenberg has confirmed he will return as Lex Luthor and Steppenwolf has been described as a primary villain for ‘Justice League’. Also, as heavily hinted in  ‘BvS’, could the ‘even greater enemy’ be Darkseid? In addition, it seems Superman will be brought back to life, but as highly speculated, on his return will he be a friend or foe?

Justice League is scheduled for release on November 17th 2017.

 

‘Bryan Cranston’ Cast In ‘Power Rangers Movie’

Bryan Cranston’s Power Rangers past seems to have caught up with him, as the popular actor revealed via Twitter that he will step into the famous shoes – or would that be floating head – of Zordon in Saban’s Power Rangers Movie.

When the Breaking Bad actor roared to prominence back in 2013, Cranston’s past voiceover work for the seminal children’s show came to light.”One of my jobs as a young actor starting out was voiceover. I also did dubbing. A lot of dubbing and a lot of voiceover” explained Cranston in an interview with IGN. “One of the places that did a lot of that was Saban Entertainment. And they would take movies and then cartoons from all over the world and we’d go and do the English dub. And the Power Rangers came in and I did some voices for that.“

It is also a little known fact that the Blue Ranger Billy was given Cranston’s surname in honour of the actors work on the show. A piece of trivia that Bryan himself is more than happy to tweet about.

With filming already wrapped in Vancouver back in May, the movie is on track for a release date of March 24, 2017.

For all your Movie News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

The Devil’s Mom Is Revealed

One of the big questions going into Season 2 of Lucifer is, who is the Mother of the devil? And the second big question is who is going to play the mother of our handsome devil Lucifer? There has been much debate across several forums as to who is the mother of lucifer but ultimately Lilith seemed to be the front-runner for Mother dearest, also in debate was who would be cast as mother dearest. Well I can now answer those two big questions!

Today the two big questions were answered and it is revealed that Tricia Helfer has been cast as mother who in the finale of season 1 was portrayed as a force to be reckoned with. Helfer recur on season 2 as Charlotte in what is expected to be the seasons main plot. Charlotte, God’s ex wife has been trapped in Hell for thousands of years, untill now. The mother of angles is now free and on earth, Charlotte is fearless and has a strong conviction for who she is and what she deserves, it is clear that Lucifer takes after his mother but the pair do not share the same opinion when it comes to humanity.

Humanity repels Charlotte and much to her disgust she will be trapped in a human body whilst she is on earth. Lucifer is eager to find out why mommy dearest is up to, however Charlotte claims that all she wants is to spend time with her boys Lucifer and Amenadiel, but can we really trust that’s all the handsome devils mom is on Earth for? I think not!

So who is Tricia Helfer you ask? Well she is a Canadian model and actress, who is best known for playing the human Cylon Number Six in Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series from 2004-2009 and for voicing Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, in the starcraft 2 trilogy, she was also a recurring guest star in Two and a Half men.

To refresh your memory here is the teaser for Season 2

 

 

The CW & Netflix Making a Deal

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the deal that The CW is hammering out with Netflix.  Variety and several other websites have done articles about the deal in the last several days, and there’s a few points that all of you that watch the shows on the network (including Supernatural, Arrow, and The Flash) need to know.

• The deal would be “exclusive” to Netflix.  With the exception of The CW showing the “rolling 5” on their website and other media (apps, etc), Netflix would be the only place to watch the shows.  In other words, no more watching shows the next day on Hulu…. which is a real bummer to me, since that was where I watched next day stuff whenever I missed it for whatever reason the night before.
• Netflix would have the newest complete season just weeks after the finale.  This is a big deal.  You would then be able to stream whole seasons of shows like Supernatural, Arrow, Vampire Diaries and The Originals in less than 2 weeks from their finales.
• The Hulu contract expires in October.  Hulu wasn’t willing to re-up their contracts without being able to stream all episodes in a stacking deal, but the network wouldn’t agree to that, so Hulu bowed out.

Five years ago, when The CW and Netflix first became friends, The CW didn’t have nearly as much bargaining power as they have now, but with the popularity of their comic book super hero shows like Arrow and The Flash and the longest running genre show on television… Supernatural (starting Season 12 in October) they’ve got some major pull at the bargaining table.  So, when they unveil the deal later this week, I’m sure both parties will be happy with the outcome.

But will the viewers?

Miss Peregrine Flies Into Theaters September 30th

I love Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. This book and it’s two sequels is incredible. Written by the fantastic Random Riggs with actual old photographs throughout it really is something to behold.

A story about a young boy discovering his powers in a time loop a long with new friends is enchanting. Plus it has the historical element which just makes it that much better.

Now that Tim Burton is directing it, I am sure it will be just wonderful. This second trailer is amazing. Yes it does have its differences from the book but that is okay. It’s all been done after talks with Riggs.

With a stellar cast of the lovely Eva Greene to Samuel L Jackson as the Wight and even young talent Asa Butterfield as Jacob Portman this is sure to be a great flick.

Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children swoop into theaters on September 30th 2016.

The Conjuring 2 Review

Director James Wan returns to his horror roots with The Conjuring 2 after the colossal success of Fast & Furious 7, showcasing his formidable ability as a spine-chilling-provocateur and upping the ante on the Warren Ghost-busting franchise.

We reunite with Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they close the door on arguably one of their most famous cases in their career The Amityville Horror. As the action jump starts, we watch as  Lorraine’s physic walk around the house – a trope pulled straight from Insidious, Wan’s other horror franchise – bumping into a particularly scary Demonic Nun who will serve as an ever-increasing nefarious presence for the Warrens throughout the film.

This not only raises the stakes for the Warrens but it makes it clear that although we are meant to care about the Hodgson family of the Enfield Haunting case. It is in the Warrens were a majority of our focus and concern lies, a complaint I had with the first instalment that largely portrayed Ed and Lorraine as unsympathetic to the victims of their cases and seemingly held at arm’s length from the viewers.

Characterisation on whole, is a markable improvement this time around. As mentioned, not only do the Warrens feel more approachable as characters, but the Hodgson clan portrayal as a poor-working-class family brings a kitchen sink drama to a story that could easily have overlooked dynamics within the family in favour of the supernatural element. It is the moments in-between the investigation into the ghostly presence in the house where we find those human elements. One particular moment when Ed busts out an Elvis classic on the guitar does come out of left field but unites everyone and highlights the underlining theme that we are stronger together than alone.

Although The Enfield Haunting does tick all the boxes for horror clichés. Old house, tick, Jump scares, tick. Heroes placing themselves in needless danger, tick-tick. Wan impresses with his unique take on paranormal horror with fans of his other works finding some surprises mixed in. Spoiler avoidance here, but pay particular attention to Ed’s first meeting with the spectre of Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian). Pure genius.

That being said the film does have problematic use of CGI when The Crooked Man enters the fray. I get that the film was going for a obvious fairytale-come-illstration depiction to the character (which is further explained at the films end) but the overall appearance was jarring to the overall aesthetic of the movie. Ultimately pulling me out of the film, spoiling my emergence, albeit for a brief moment but it stuck in craw never-the-less.

The Conjuring may have introduce us to Warrens but The Enfield Haunting makes you care about our heroes as they traverse a disturbing case that places their lives in danger like never before. Although Wan utilises all the tricks in the book, there are surprises to be had, which makes the wait for Conjuring 3 all that much more painful.

Oh, and you’ll never look at a Nun the same way again … you’ve been warned.

For all your Movie News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Hawaii 5-0 S6 EP24 & EP25 – ‘The Entrance Is Stopped With A Spider’s Web’ & ‘My Desire Is Only For The Chief’

In the explosive penultimate episode, the 5-0 have to protect a wounded Gabriel Waincroft, this seasons big bad. They’re trapped in a building surrounded by Michelle Shioma’s men, as she wants revenge for the death of her father and she’s willing to kill 5-0 and SWAT if they get in her way. With SWAT preoccupied and unable to call for back up, 5-0 must shoot their way out. Running out of ammo and cornered, they are forced to jump between buildings. They attempt to escape by commandeering a bus but are followed. Taking heavy fire, Grover arrives to help allowing Chin to get away with Gabriel.

Meanwhile, Abby works fast to find the mole, as there is no other way Shioma’s men could have found Gabriel and 5-0 so quickly. She reluctantly turns to Coughlin for help, who happily abides when he finds out its Gabriel, as Gabriel killed Coughlin’s brother and he wants justice. They find out the mole is the sister-in-law to the dirty prison guard on Michelle’s payroll from a previous episode. In a surprise twist, Gabriel dies of his injuries, but not before having a heart to heart with Chin about his daughter Sara. This could be considered a little bit of redemption and there was no need for a big showdown between Gabriel and Chin as we had already seen this in a previous episode.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had managed to fake his death and returns in a later season, as he was one of the worst enemies the 5-0 have had and it just seemed too easy. This episode was excellent, action-packed and kept my attention throughout. They could have concluded the series here, with everything wrapped up, it would have been just as satisfying an end to the season.

The finale begins with a call back to Steve McGarrett’s nemesis Wo Fat, as he is taken to a CIA black site in Morocco. Where he meets Wo Fat’s father who forgives him for his son’s death. This all seems a little random and unnecessary, but maybe this is setting up a storyline next season, could we see the return of Doris McGarrett?

Back in Hawaii, Steve and Danno go undercover as drug runners in attempt to stop a meth epidemic. This episode the stakes are raised, as Steve is shot and Danno is forced to break their cover and land the plane. With Steve in critical condition and in desperate need of a liver, the 5-0 reminisce.

Meanwhile, Danno makes the decision to give Steve half of his liver. This episode was very focused on the Steve/Danno friendship and the lengths they are willing to go for each other, it shows just how far they’ve come. Even with their constant squabbling, they are willing to die for each other. The episode came to a close after the procedure, with Steve and Danno squabbling in their hospital beds. Danno sure won’t let Steve forget what he did for him and I’m sure he will keep reminding us next season.

Hawaii 5-0 will return with season 7 in the fall.

Game of Thrones SN6 E9 – ‘Battle of the Bastards’

Welcome back Knights of the Vale, to your weekly review of Game of Thrones. The episode I shall be recapping is episode 9 of season 6 — ‘Battle of the Bastards,’ which just happened to be on Father’s Day. Nice one HBO. Let’s get started!

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Meereen 

Daenerys argues with Tyrion about how to deal with those attacking Meereen. Tyrion thinks that Meereen is under attack because it is seen as a threat as long as it has no Master(s). Daenerys says that she’s glad that it’s seen this way, as we all know she doesn’t approve of slavery. She believes in a different method of “negotiating”… killing all those who oppose her. On a stretch of land overlooking Meereen, Daenerys along with her trusted advisers and small group of Unsullied meet with the three Masters leading the attack. They seem to think that she is here to negotiate the terms of her surrender, but she quickly clears away the confusion. Drogon lands behind her, and she rides him to Meereen. Daenerys’ other two dragons, Rhaegal and Viserion, free themselves from the pyramid and take to the sky following the mother of dragons. They begin burning the ships attacking Meereen. Back on the stretch of land overlooking Meereen, Grey Worm tells the Masters’ soldiers that they can leave and be with their families or die fighting, they choose to leave. The Masters are then given a choice: choose one among them to die, as to send a message to never attack Meereen and break their truces again. Grey Worm approaches but kills the other two masters. Tyrion warns the surviving Master to warn the others that if they seek retribution they will be met by the wrath of Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons. The Dothraki army arrives led by Daario Naharis and they slaughter the Sons of the Harpy. Later on, Theon and Yara arrive and speak to Daenerys in her throne room. They suggest an alliance as Yara has the ships Daenerys needs to cross over to Westeros. In return, Daenerys will give Yara the right to be Queen of the Iron Islands. Daenerys agreees, noting that both their fathers were horrible, and both Westeros and the Iron Islands have not been ruled by a Queen yet.

Winterfell

A small party including Jon, Tormund, Sansa, Davos and Lady Mormont talk with a party of Ramsay Bolton and a few other Lords. Ramsay declares that he has 6,000 men at his disposal which is double than what Jon has. Jon suggests that he and Ramsay battle it out one on one, but Ramsay admits that he knows Jon is superior in fighting skills, and therefore is safer letting his 6,000 men kill Jon’s. Sansa tells Ramsay to sleep well, as tomorrow he will die. Later that night, Jon discusses strategy with Tormund and Davos, while Sansa watches. After the meeting is over, Sansa and Jon argue about her opinion on Ramsey’s tactics. Both of them do not seem to know any other better plan, as they don’t want Rickon to die but it’s inevitable. Sansa knows that because Rickon is a true born Stark, neither bastard nor a girl, he is a greater threat to Ramsay and will be killed weather or not they fight. Jon visits Melisandre and asks her to not bring him back to life if he dies this time, but she says she will do whatever the Lord of Light will command her to do. Ser Davos wonders off from the camp because he can’t sleep the night before a battle, and comes across a pyre. Shireen’s bones are still in the pyre along with the wooden carving Davos made her (someone is out for blood, Melisandre watch your back). The war horn is blown signalling to arms! The Bolton army has a stare down across the snowy field with the Stark army. Ramsay releases Rickon Stark from his neck rope, and tells him to run to his brother Jon. Ramsay begins firing arrows at Rickon, who continues to run in a straight line (WHY?!), Jon mounts his horse in the hopes of making it to his brother in time, the distance is closing, but a few metres apart Ramsay’s arrow hits home. Blood sputters from Rickon’s mouth, he is dead. The battle commences with the archers, followed by the mounted soldiers and finally the pikemen using the phalanx formation. Ramsay doesn’t risk getting his hands dirty. Jon Snow nearly dies TWICE, leaving us all forgetting to breathe. It looks like Jon Snow and the survivors are going to die as they are completely surrounded, but suddenly a horn sounds. The Knights of the Vale (really predictable move) arrive led by Sansa and Littlefinger, to save the survivors. Jon leads the final attack against a retreating Ramsay. Wun Wun the giant breaks down the gate of Winterfell, taking countless arrows, and eventually dying because Ramsay shoots an arrow through his eye. The army kills Ramsay’s remaining men, and Jon bashes Ramsay’s face in, only stopping after seeing Sansa watching nearby. Later on Jon takes Rickon’s body to be buried in the family crypt beside his father. Sansa talks to Ramsay shortly, before his hounds tear into him, after not being fed for several days.

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Watch the trailer for the finale, episode 10 of season 6, below:

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Wow. Our insider scoop about Ramsay’s death was spot on. Terrific acting Iwan Rheon, you really brought Ramsay Bolton to life. I absolutely loved the scene between Daenerys and Yara, talk about powerful women. The Starks have Winterfell again, but at what cost? Will the Lannister army come knocking before the White Walkers? Or is it Littlefinger they have to watch out for? Comment, share and like below, or tweet me @SohoDoll. And as always, “Winter is coming.”