The Gargyle: April 2017

Friday, April 28, 2017

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: The Devil's Candy

I've been providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Devil's Candy was:

When Filmmaker Sean Byrne's criminally underrated debut feature The Loved Ones was released a few years ago, we fell in love. The film was fiercely intelligent and ferocious. Often, when a filmmaker makes such a strong debut it's easy to worry that there could be a sophomore slump. With the spellbinding and strangely satanic The Devil's Candy, Byrne not only didn't fall victim to any slump, he's been added to our short list of filmmakers who truly get and respect the horror genre and its audiences. In The Devil's Candy, a struggling painter is overtaken by satanic forces after he and his family move into what they thought was their dream home in rural Texas. Starring another CFF favorite, Ethan Embry (Empire Records, That Thing You Do) and Shiri Appleby (Roswell), The Devil's Candy is a critically acclaimed film with a metal AF soundtrack and one of the creepiest performances we've ever seen by the great Pruitt Taylor Vince.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check out the rest of my reviews in my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Buster's Mal Heart

I'm providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Buster's Mal Heart was:

From her very first feature, the eerie and mysterious The Midnight Swim, filmmaker Sarah Adina Smith cast a spell on us. At the center of Buster's Mal Heart, her brilliant follow-up, Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) stars as a mountain man on the run from authorities, surviving the winter b scavenging and breaking in to empty vacation homes. He's plagued by recurring dreams of being lost at sea, only to find that he is the man lost at sea. He's one man in two bodies. This is the story of how he split in two. Malek, whose haunting work on the hit television series Mr. Robot propelled him to stardom, is excellent here. "Firmly in the tradition of actors like Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Shannon, or even Peter Lorre, who perform in their own transfixing rhythms, Malek is thoroughly convincing as a man at odds with himself," wrote Variety. Breathtaking visuals and an excellent supporting cast featuring beloved veterans Lin Shay and Toby Huss and indie favorite Kate Lyn Sheil lend much to a film that is not only beautiful, it's nearly impossible to get out of your head.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Dayveon

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Dayveon was:

After his older brother's death, 13-year-old Dayveon spends sweltering summer days roaming his rural Arkansas town. When he falls in with a local gang, he becomes drawn to the camaraderie and violence of their world. Amman Abbasi's first feature-length film - which he wrote, directed, edited, produced and composed music for - was a long time in the making. His earlier career prepared him for such a multifaceted role: by his early 20s, Abbasi had already become an internationally acclaimed musician, opened a restaurant, and worked extensively in the film world. Dayveon can be traced back to Abbasi's time in high school, where he met the Renaud brothers, Brent and Craig, award-winning documentarians who would later enlist Abbasi's help for a film project that followed Chicago gangs. During this experience, Abbai, who was increasingly interested in exploring gang affiliation from the angle of personal narratives, conceived Dayveon. "I wanted to focus on affiliation, friendship, and the many layers of the humans within gangs," Abbasi says.

One of the aspects that I loved about Dayveon was that it was shot in 4:3 aspect ratio. Amman Abbasi discusses his decision to use this format in an interview on nofilmschool.com, found here.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Hard Times

No one in their right mind would deny that the ultimate human was Charles Bronson, a primal force of detached anger, burning vengeance, and near-toxic levels of masculinity. But he had this thing about faces: He loved to destroy them. Across the best cinematic decades of the 20th century, Bronson ruined more faces than a busload of cross-eyed plastic surgeons on meth. Facial annihilation was Bronson's gift and the world's curse. In 1975, first-time director Walter Hill (The Warrior, Southern Comfort) convinced him to set aside his signature face-wrecking firearms for plain old bare knuckles, an arguably humane move that resulted in one of the icon's greatest - and most under-appreciated - action epics. In the train yards and back alleys of Louisiana, a leather-skinned, unstoppable transient (Bronson, of course) makes a meager living by beating other hobos to a pulp in makeshift boxing matches. James Coburn plays his flashy manager Speed, accompanied by an incredible performance by southern legend Strother Martin as the lovably self-destructive Doc Poe. Hard Times is a massively entertaining, charmingly brutal exploration of mankind's desire to triumph at the animal level. Packed with busted lips, shattered dreams and an impossible amount of vicious, no-rules shirtlessness, this is not only one of the best movies of the 1970s, but it's a genuine, no-bullshit, straight-up blue collar masterpiece.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: The Hitcher

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Hitcher

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The Hitcher was one of the secret screenings at the Chattanooga Film Festival, so there wasn't a description in the CFF program. But, the IMDB description for The Hitcher is:

A young man who escaped the clutches of a murderous hitch-hiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: The Award

artist Matthew Dutton, creator of the CFF awards

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Award

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The Award played before one of the secret screening films, so there wasn't a description in the CFF program. But, The Award is a horror short inspired by an award won at last year's CFF. Seeing the award (made by artist Matthew Dutton), I can definitely understand why it would be the inspiration for a horror movie. The award is a disturbing, fleshy, globulous thing with bits of hair and teeth. There certainly aren't many (if any) other awards out there like it, which makes CFF awards something completely unique.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: The Void

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Void

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Void was:

We've been following the work of filmmakers Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski since the days they were making hilarious and incredible fake movie trailers for films with titles like Laser Ghosts 2: Return to Laser Cove as part of the Astron-6 collective. Not long ago, they finally made the leap into feature films with the festival circuit favorites Manborg and The Editor, and thought both films worked beautifully as genre offerings, they both still traded heavily on Astron-6's comedic sensibilities. For The Void, Gillespie and Kostanski took things deadly seriously, and the result is a creepy little flick with doomsday cults, burned-out hospitals and some of the coolest practical creature effects you're likely to see on a screen this year. Funny enough, The Void was made largely by the same effects team behind last year's Suicide Squad, which moonlighted with this spooky skin crawler and made a far more satisfying film, in our humble opinion.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Undress Me

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Undress Me

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Undress Me was:

Undress Me follows Alice, a socially awkward freshman desperate to fit into the typical college lifestyle. A chance encounter at a frat party sets into motion a series of horrifying events.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Everything is Terrible!

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Everything is Terrible!

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Everything is Terrible! was:

EIT! makes its triumphant return to CFF after wowing the audience last year. In the last five years, EIT! has put on more than 500 shows all over the world. As a live event, Everything is Terrible! not only includes the screening of thousands of insane clips mashed together in a style unmatched in its pace and range of truly psychedelic comedy, it also gives the audience an unforgettable sensory experience that is just as crazy as it is funny. Shows in the past have included a depressed Christian Robot, three seven-feet-tall party dogs, cloaked monsters with arms that stretch across a stage, and rapping Christmas trees doing battle with a 10-foot Santa God.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Bleeding Skull presents - Jungle Trap

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Jungle Trap, presented by Bleeding Skull

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Jungle Trap, presented by Bleeding Skull, was:

Exploitation demigod James Bryan's decapitation-fueled shot-on-video masterpiece about a jungle hotel haunted by kill-crazy ghosts in loin cloths, made in 1990 and unreleased until THIS VERY MOMENT. Beginning his career in the '70s, Bryan moved from adult movies to action epics like Lady Street Fighter to drive-in horror ragers like Don't Go in the Woods. But the straight-to-video distribution market was evaporating, a realization he had only after he'd completed photography on Jungle Trap. The few remaining distributors were not adventurous enough to handle the project. Heartbroken, Bryan shelved the movie and never directed again. We were shocked that he had an entirely unseen feature just waiting to be pieced together. We watched it and confirmed that all the parts were there. And they were UNBELIEVABLE. We hired an editor to assemble the movie, as well as cover a final reconstructing and mastering of the audio. Also, a new score was recorded by Taken By Savages, using '80s synthesizers and perfectly emulating the era's sound. In its raw state, the movie was HUGELY entertaining, but it's a monumental video era triumph in its long-delayed final form. It was not only James Bryan's final directorial effort (to date), but his collaboration with the might Renee Harmon. The duo spent decades together in the exploitation trenches, and Jungle Trap ranks among their best work. Seriously. - Zack Carlson

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: David Lynch - The Art Life

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: David Lynch - The Art Life

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for David Lynch - The Art Life was:

When CFF opened its pop-up art house theater Cine-Rama in 2016, we were proud to offer a screening of cult legend David Lynch's Eraserhead. Years after that film's release, its raw power still hypnotized a room full of Lynch fans, a magical site for us to behold. That's one of the many reasons, along with the other incredible films about the medium of film in our lineup this year - S is for Stanley and SCORE: A Film Music Documentary to name just two - this is a rare documentary that fans or newcomers can walk away from with equal appreciation. David Lynch: The Art Life did something that we hardly thought was possible - it made us love David Lynch and his body of work, as an artist and filmmaker, even more. Seldom has a film been so aptly titled. "Hearing about Lynch's life, we discover how his art and films have become colored by it," director Jon Nguyen said, "reflecting ideas and moods that have originated from his personal experiences."

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Interview with Zack Carlson of American Genre Film Archive and Bleeding Skull

Mass Listeria and I were able to sit down with Zack Carlson and discuss genre films, low budge cinema, and the rescuing of movies that otherwise would have been lost forever. The AGFA and Bleeding Skull movies have been some of my most favorite movies of the Chattanooga Film Fest for the last two years, so being able to talk to Zack was a huge highlight of the film fest for me!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: The Monster Squad

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Monster Squad

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Monster Squad was:

Among connoisseurs of classic '80s cinema, there's a film many hold so dear that they dare to mention it in the same breath as bona fide classics The Goonies and Gremlins. But unlike The Goonies, who just saved their neighborhood from some evil developers, the Monster Squad saved the world. At CFF, we submit that The Monster Squad, from its classic script by legendary screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys) to its breezy crowd-pleasing direction by the underrated Fred Dekker, deserves a place in those hallowed cinematic halls. That's why we've invited the film's cast members Andre Gower and Ryan Lambert to join us for a special screening (make sure to catch their live Squad Cast podcast during the festival as well). When you leave the theater and feel compelled to purchase the film's soundtrack, we promise not to say we told you so.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: AGFA presents - The Zodiac Killer

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Zodiac Killer, presented by the American Genre Film Archive

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Zodiac Killer, presented by the American Genre Film Archive,
was:

If you've ever wanted proof that the world is insane, you've found it. Produced and directed by Tom Hanson, who had previously owned a chain of Pizza Man restaurants, The Zodiac Killer was made with one goal in mind: to capture the real-life Zodiac Killer. That plan didn't work. Instead, we got the most outrageous and compelling "tabloid horror" vortex in the history of planet Earth. And beyond. Did you know the Zodiac Killer wore Groucho Marx glasses while stalking his victims? Did you know the Zodiac's pet rabbits commanded him to kill during black mass rituals? You won't get insight like this watching a David Fincher movie. But you WILL get it while watching The Zodiac Killer. Balancing cinema verite grimness with outta-this-world absurdity, this movie is an ultra-bizarro time capsule that features authentic recreations of the Zodiac's crimes contrasted with dialogue such as, "Why are evil people allowed to live, but innocent rabbits must die?" During theatrical screenings in San Francisco, Hanson and actors from the movie constructed in-theater "traps" to lure the killer from hiding. These included a raffle with a motorcycle as a prize. Because even the Zodiac needs to get around. AGFA is beyond excited to provide a brand new 4K transfer of this crown jewel from the Something Weird archive. Next step: capture the Zodiac Killer.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Joe Bob Does Tennessee

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Joe Bob Does Tennessee

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Joe Bob Does Tennessee was:

Hundreds of movies have been filmed in Tennessee or dealt with Tennessee subject matter - thousands if you count Elvis movies - and who better than Joe Bob Briggs to separate the crap from the crapola and tell you:

Why Nashville hates Robert Altman even though he's dead
Why you should never make a movie about Andrew Johnson
Why 50 percent of all country music movies feature Ferlin Husky
Why we don't care about the Battle of Franklin

Using hundreds of stills and clips from the history of the Volunteer Stat - and telling us what Tennessseans volunteered for in the first place - Joe Bob delivers the third in his ongoing Chattanooga Film Festival series of presentations about the dark underbelly of southern film.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Kedi

Before watching Kedi, we wouldn't necessarily have considered ourselves "cat people." Sure we'd petted a few cats in our day, but we never really understood what all the fuss was about. Dogs were our pets of choice. After watching Ceyda Torun's glorious and unique Kedi, we're seeing cats in a whole new light. Following the lives of seven cats in Istanbul - where multitudes of strays roam the streets and have been part of the city's culture for thousands of years - the filmmakers pull of a rare feat and craft a heartwarming and endlessly watchable film in which these brave, resourceful felines are hustlers, lovers and fighters. Kedi is one of the coolest and unique docs we've seen this year. If you've ever spent even 30 seconds going down a YouTube rabbit hole of cute cat videos, Kedi is - if you'll pardon the pun - pure catnip.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: 24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: 24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for 24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters was:

Among our most prized possessions in the CFF office is a limited edition poster of one of our all-time favorite films, Repo Man. That alone could explain why we wanted to show this documentary that explores the birth, death and resurrection of illustrated movie poster art. But there's a better reason: 24x36 is as entertaining as it is informative, the hallmarks of any good documentary. Through interviews with a number of key art personalities from the last four decades, 24x36 aims to answer the question: What happened to the illustrated movie poster? Where did it disappear to, and why? In the mid 2000s, filling the void left behind by Hollywood's abandonment of illustrated movie posters, independent artists and galleries began selling limited-edition, screen-printed posters, a movement that quickly exploded into a booming industry with prints selling out online in seconds, inspiring Hollywood studios to take notice of illustration in movie posters once more.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Happy Hunting

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Happy Hunting

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Happy Hunting was:

Co-directors Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson describe their debut feature as "grind house throwback with a modern twist," and a "boiling pot of horror genres." Intrigued yet? We thought so. Happy Hunting follows Warren, a degenerate drifter, suffering from debilitating alcohol withdrawals. On his way to Mexico, he becomes stranded in Bedford Flats, a one-horse town nestled deep in the American desert. It was a once-prosperous hunting community that has been reduced to an impoverished dust bowl. Unfortunately for Warren, it turns out the town's pastime is rounding up drifters and hunting them as part of an elaborate sporting event. To make matters worse, he'll go into alcoholic withdrawal unless he finds a way to stay loaded. It all builds to a blood-soaked, live-or-die showdown deep in the desert. The film stars Australian born Martin Dingle Wall (Home and Away, Strangerland, Salty), Ken Lally (Heroes), and Kenny Wormald (Footloose, Love & Mercy, Fear the Walking Dead). Happy Hunting was filmed on a 21-day schedule throughout various locations of the California desert, including Bombay Beach, Barstow, Trona, and Winterhaven.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: AGFA presents - The Dragon Lives Again

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: The Dragon Lives Again, presented by the American Genre Film Archive

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Dragon Lives Again, presented by the American Genre Film Archive was:

Bruce Lee is dead! Long live Bruce Lee! Not even slightly inconvenienced by the lack of an actual living Bruce Lee, opportunistic producers unleashed a late 1970s tidal wave of Brucesploitation movies starring martial artists with names such as Bruce Li, Bruce Le, and Bruce Leong. As the trend reached peak saturation, the gimmicks (and titles) got weirder: Bruce Lee vs. Superman, Bruce Lee vs. The Clones of Bruce Lee, and The Notorious Bruce Lee vs. Gay Power! And none of them are as weird as The Dragon Lives Again, which begins exactly where Bruce's life ended. The now-dead Lee finds himself in Hell, where after incurring the wrath of the King of the Underworld, he meets Popeye the Sailor Man at a bar. Sound weird yet? A coalition of criminals led by "The Exorcist" and including such illustrious members as James Bond, Clint Eastwood, "The Godfather," Emmanuelle and Dracula begin plotting against the King and attempting to kill Bruce. This is lawless, fearless, out-of-control genre filmmaking at its best. Expect wacky slapstick, weird sex jokes, and genuine kung fu fighting set to music stolen from every popular soundtrack of its day.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Sequence Break

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria! I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers! To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually. Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is: Sequence Break

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available. The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Sequence Break was:

If you've caught the films Almost Human, The Mind's Eye, Beyond the Gates, or Feeding Time at one of our CFF screenings over the last few years, chances are that like us, you're a big fan of leading man Graham Skipper. Just like those films, Graham's debut feature proudly flies the flag of its influences, and the result is best seen rather than explained. This film is an ultra-Cronenbergy video game Videodrome. It's a surreal and shocking sci-fi romance in which a beautiful young woman and strange metaphysical forces threaten the reality of a reclusive video arcade technician, resulting in bizarre biomechanical mutations and a shocking self-realization. We love this movie, and we're honored to have Graham and much of the film's cast and crew joining us for its world premiere screening.

I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival! So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage! And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!! In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

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Friday, April 28, 2017

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