Saturday, October 14, 2017

But I Digress... Too Much Spin? A New MIB Movie

 By Cat



Deadline ran an article on September 29, 2017 that launched a flurry of entertainment news articles related to Sony Pictures’ latest announcement regarding the Men In Black (1993) franchise. This time, it had nothing to do with the crazy mash-up in the works between the MIB world and 21 Jump Street (2012). That project is allegedly still in the works, but may be currently tabled.

This news was a bit more mind-blowing. 

Sony plans to create a spinoff movie to further the alien-fighting franchise in a more global story, and supposedly without the iconic Will Smith (Seven Pounds, Winter's Tale, Concussion) and Tommy Lee Jones (The Company Men, Lincoln, Jason Bourne). 

Say what?!

Image from imgarcade.com
This is too much spinning. I’m getting dizzy. But seriously, I’m not sure how I feel about this.
I read one article making a comparison to Jurassic Park (1993) by citing that this new movie would be to this franchise what Jurassic World (2015) was to that series. I don’t know about that. I see some original series names associated with the next Jurassic movie in production.
 
There’s a distinct difference between the two scenarios. For Jurassic Park and its sequels, the dinosaurs were the real focal point of those films. The people that were pitted against them for survival have always been secondary…at least to me. I don’t watch those for the people, at least. It’s all about that first T-Rex break-out, riding motorcycles with velociraptors, and the like. 


A large chunk of the MIB franchise core is the dynamic between Smith & Jones. The aliens, MIB agency along with other agents, and whatever other hapless humans the plot involves are all support in the same way Grant, Malcolm, InGen, and the remote islands built the framework around the anachronistic anomalies that were the man-made dinosaurs running amok.

Can this spinoff successfully expand the franchise without that core dynamic being present? 
Technically, there's certainly enough potential for additional material to draw from. Aside from J and K, there had to be a whole alphabet's worth of other agents at the very least; and the sky's literally the boundless limit imagination can stretch in regards to alien adversaries.


This seems like it’s really going to happen, though. Sony has announced the release date for the movie as May 17, 2019. There’s enough time between now and then that much could change, however, it’s currently on track with writers Matt Holloway (Iron Man, Punisher: War Zone, Transformers: The Last Knight) and Art Marcum (Shadow of Fear, Punisher: War Zone, Ultimate Spider-Man). 

The spinoff will have some tough competition by sharing the release date with John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019). Disney’s live-action version of Aladdin (2019) is slated to open the next week. With Smith playing the part of the Genie, it’s possible it could have been a factor in why he’s not appearing in the new MIB movie, though that’s just my speculation. 

I plan on keeping my eyes peeled for more information as this plot thickens. Hopefully the studio will give us some more tidbits about the production as time draws closer to release. I’m quite curious who they’ll cast – and how well they wear sunglasses. I can pretend, though, that Agent K got neuralized and was convinced that he could grant wishes. Yeah, that's the ticket.




But I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down to just one thing. It's our celebration of tangents, random references, and general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to bring you something completely different!

Friday, October 13, 2017

Come What May (2015) - Foreign Film Friday



Number Rolled: 52
Movie Name/Year: Come What May (2015)
Tagline: France, May 1940. Millions abandon all they have. One father searches for all that matters.
Genre: Drama, War
Length: 113 minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies: Nord-Ouest Productions, Pathé, Artémis Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Appaloosa Distribution, Clap Trap, Une Hirondelle Productions, Canal+, Ciné+, France Télévisions, SofiTVciné 2, Cofinova 11, Palatine Étoile 12, Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique, Tax Shelter Film Funding, Pictanovo Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
Producer: Jonathan Blumenthal, Philip Boëffard, Romain Le Grand, Ève Machuel, Patrick Quinet, Stéphane Riga, Christophe Rossignon
Director: Christian Carion
Writer: Christian Carion, Laure Irrmann, Andrew Bampfield
Actors: August Diehl, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner, Alice Isaaz, Matthew Rhys, Joshio Marlon, Thomas Schmauser, Laurent Gerra, Jacques Bonnaffe, Francois Godart, Florence Masure, Rose Lemaire, Simon Ferrante, Axelle Bossard, Franck Andrieux
Stunts: Clément Huet, Eddy Benguedih, Flore Guillermo, Franck Blanc, Frans Boyer, Frédéric Vallet, Gary Cothenet, Grégory Loffredo, Hugo Bariller, Jack-Alexandre Soufflard, Jean Adrien Espiasse, Jean-Charles Rousseau, Jean-Marc Bellu, John Medalin, Julie Guene, Julie Pinault, Laurent Chevalier, Louis-Marie Nyee, Mathieu Lardot, Michel Bouis, Nathalie Pujol, Pascal Guégan, Philippe Guégan, Sean Guégan, Sebastien Colaert, Sebastien Soudais, Sybille Blouin, Thierry Saelens, Thomas Rayr

Blurb from Netflix: Fleeing advancing Nazi forces in May 1940, a group of French villagers are trailed by a Scottish soldier and a German dissenter searching for his son.


Selina’s Point of View:
For a film that was so heavily based on a violent and awful time, there was also a lot of humanity featured.

Personally, I seek out films like this pretty often. The majority of my family is Jewish and, as a result, I was taught about World War II and the holocaust through my years growing up. There were always books and films to teach me about the bleak reality of the time.

This film looked at the war from a different angle than most.

Normally, I’m used to seeing films on WWII from the perspective of a soldier or a holocaust prisoner. It’s pretty rare to get a look at what life was like for other people. In this case, the majority of the film is told from the perspective of a German dissenter and a group of regular villagers from France.

It was such a new perspective to me that I was glued to the screen.


The creators of Come What May were clearly going for a feel that was as close to realism as possible – and they succeeded. What’s more is that they succeeded without finding it necessary to turn every scene into an absolute blood bath.

Each scene involving death was done well, and without the excess gore that a lot of movies tend to rely on.

I really enjoyed watching this film. It was well done from every angle.

Yes, there were a couple of scenes I felt could have been handled a bit differently, but that’s all just a matter of taste, not technique. In reality, those scenes were done perfectly well. Things I didn’t think were clear enough, became clearer later in the film.

I will probably watch this film again, and I’ll be suggesting it to people who don’t mind subtitles.


Cat’s Point of View:
When I saw Netflix’s sub-genre listing that this was a ‘tearjerker,’ I was fairly certain that there would be some ugly crying involved with watching this movie – if it was any good, that is.

I was rather surprised that my eyes remained dry in spite of my pangs of emotion as the film stomped me right in the feels. I must be dehydrated…or something. (Seriously. I have been known to cry over poignant commercials.) Needless to say, my lack of tears had nothing to do with the quality of the film. I thought it was rather good.

I tend to shy away from war films that focus on the grit in the trenches; showing combat from the belly of the beast in the battlefield. Lately, the only time you’ll find me watching one of those is by dice roll or by spousal cajoling.

The point is, I enjoy wartime films more when they center on a story – such as the plight of those fleeing Germany’s invasion of France in the opening volleys of what blossomed into World War II. This movie, which was dedicated to those very people, did just that.


I found it easy to connect with the central characters as they navigated their individual and collective dilemmas. All in all, the cast delivered beautifully. 

The only negative I have is that they cast someone for a ‘Scottish’ soldier that didn’t exhibit a lick of a Scottish accent. What’s up with that?! I liked his performance well enough; but given how much I love the musical quality of Gaelic accents, it was a bit of a let-down.

There were some moments that outright gave me chills, as it put aspects of the conflict in perspective – at least in this featured timeframe. The visuals of evacuees on congested roads and the speed at which panzers seemingly flew across fields in comparison are good examples of the contrasts shown.

While this might not be my favorite war drama, I can at least say that I didn’t hate watching it. I’m just not sure it would come to the top of my mind, though, if someone asked for recommendations.


Languages
Speech Available: French
Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 44%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 50%
Metascore - 45/100
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.6/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating4/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating3/5

Movie Trailer:

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Avalanche Sharks (2014)



Number Rolled: 27
Movie Name/Year: Avalanche Sharks (2014)
Tagline: Get ready for a snow day.
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 82 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Production Companies: Odyssey Media, Pulser Productions, Rogue State, The Cartel
Producer: Barbara Chisholm, Alexandra Julson, Christian McIntire, Michael Roddy, Keith Shaw, Kirk Shaw, Jacob Silver, Devi Singh, Stan Spry, Scott Wheeler, Eric Scott Woods
Director: Scott Wheeler
Writer: Keith Shaw
Actors: Alexander Mendeluk, Kate Nauta, Benjamin Easterday, Eric Scott Woods, Kelle Cantwell, Richard Gleason, Gina Holden, Jack Cullison, James Ouimet, Nicole Helen, Emily Addison, Mike Ruggieri, Erin Ross, Patrizia Cavaliere, Matt Gunther, Vinny Petengail, Richie Million Jr., Erika Jordan, John Hundrieser, Amy Ninh, Haley Stewart, Michael Dostrow
Stunt Doubles: None

Blurb from Netflix: A ski resort accident causes an avalanche to unearth ancient “snow sharks” that feed on human flesh, especially young spring break snow bunnies.


Selina’s Point of View:
Me and Cat were both looking forward to this film. We enjoy goofy, illogical creature features.

Sure, they tend to be a bit corny… but if you get a bunch of friends together and add pizza to the equation, it can wind up being a good time for all. You don’t watch B-creature features because you’re expecting a masterpiece. You watch to shut off your brain for an hour or so and laugh.

At least, that’s why I watch.

That said, there’s very little I hate more than a creature feature trying to take itself way too seriously. 

It’s one thing if the serious nature comes in the form of something like Jurassic Park (1993). That was meant to be a bigger film and it worked on trying to back up everything with science and real acting.


If you’re going to name your film something like Avalanche Sharks I expect to be kept amused by some silly bullshit.

The problem is, the creators of this film didn’t fully dive into what it could have been. It was like they kept one foot on a steady, serious shore the whole time. That’s not enough for a film like this.

If I could ignore that issue, it still wouldn’t have felt like a proper movie. It was disjointed and felt like a bunch of scene thrown together without any attempt at making them mesh.

All in all, it was lazy. It tried to be so bad it was good and wound up forgetting the second half.

I’m very disappointed.


Cat’s Point of View:
Time to put my ‘thinking cap’ on – because it’s going to take some serious effort to say something positive about this film.

This really had the potential of being a great creature feature B-movie.

I love shark movies. I’ve discussed my fascination with the toothsome terrors of the deep before. I love creature features, and also have an appreciation for off-the-wall films. This one, though, was so off the wall it went right into a dumpster.

Oh, I’ve got it. My one positive note about this movie is simply that the rendering of the sharks, when they were completely out of the snow, was interesting.

Everything else about it needed some serious help. The aesthetic they gave them was pretty cool – but it all fell apart the moment the effects interacted with people.

With a movie about events happening at a ski resort I did expect some sporty action sequences. This definitely wasn’t anywhere even in the same hemisphere with what I was hoping for.


I was actually shocked to discover that this film’s director is primarily working in cinematography in the visual effects department of many productions. Some of them were even well known, such as Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017). I just don’t understand where the disconnect happened.

Can we talk about the IMDb blurb? Was there a bikini contest in this movie? I honestly never picked up on that. It quite possibly could have been mentioned as an aside that blew past me at light speed – but it fell prey to what quite a bit of the plot here did… devoured by loose ends.

There were elements of the story that were introduced near the beginning and just never came to anything. You can’t always apply sound logic or reason to sci-fi productions on this level, but at least give the story some flow instead of bouncing around like a drunken pogo rider.

I’m surprised I don’t have a big red mark on my forehead from all the face-palming that happened during the course of watching this film.

Watching this was a trial of endurance. Needless to say, if asked for a recommendation, this film wouldn’t be among the contenders. 


Languages
Speech Available: English
Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 7%
Metascore - None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 2.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating1.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating1/5

P.S.  There’s an audio addition at the end of the credits that is important if you decided to care about the film.

Movie Trailer:

Monday, October 9, 2017

Clown (2014)



Number Rolled: 23
Movie Name/Year: Clown (2014)
Tagline: The kids aren’t alright.
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 99 minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies: Cross Creek Pictures, Dimension Films, PS 260, Vertebra Films, Zed Filmworks
Producer: Andy Cappuccino, Helen Cappuccino, Mac Cappuccino, James Holt, Robert Menzies, Brian Oliver, Eli Roth, Cody Ryder, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Director: Jon Watts
Writer: Christopher Ford, Jon Watts
Actors: Andy Powers, Laura Allen, Peter Stormare, Christian Distefano, Chuck Shamata, Elizabeth Whitmere, Victor Cornfoot, Lucas Kelly, Emily Burley, Matthew Stefiuk, Robert Reynolds
Stunt Doubles: Simon Northwood

Blurb from Netflix: For his kids party, a real estate agent dons a clown costume he found in one of his properties -- then discovers it’s cursed.


Selina’s Point of View:
Ugh.

Any film about the wolfman or someone turning into a vampire is basically this. Beginning to end. Just replace the words ‘werewolf’ or ‘vampire’ with ‘clown’ and there you go. Same shit.

For a few, I thought they were going to go the humor-infused route, which likely would have elevated the film. Unfortunately, they dropped that before the half-way point and started taking themselves very seriously. You can’t do that with a film like this.


Taking this antagonist seriously makes it a copy and paste of about twelve thousand other films. They easily could have gone the other route and made something decent. Going for pure horror was a terrible idea and produced an even worse film.

I didn’t enjoy Clown and I didn’t find it scary. People with Coulrophobia would find it frightening, up until the ‘clown’ in the film stopped resembling its namesake, but otherwise – it’s just a bloody bore-fest.

I don’t understand. This movie is by the same writer/director that made Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). What happened?


Cat’s Point of View:
I know a few people who are absolutely terrified of clowns. That’s never been one of my hang-ups. When I was little, I absolutely adored a Shriner clown by the name of Smiley. He walked an invisible dog as part of his act at the circus. Of course, part of what won me over was that he gave me a bright red felt Shriner fez. I was pre-school age and easy to please. The point is, I’ve never forgotten. I’ve found the evolution of clowns in the entertainment industry fascinating, frankly.

All sorts of urban legends center around bad things happening when you put on the clothes of the deceased – specifically fancy dress clothes or costumes. I guess Andy Powers’ (Northeast, Alpha House, Sweets) character didn’t get that memo. He was endearing in the part, trying to make-good as a dad before things went pear shaped.


The film had plenty of suspense and your expected jump scares, but I have to say that I haven’t quite seen something like this before. While the movie played on shades of urban legend and foreign folklore, it felt like something original. It’s not the only clown horror movie out there – but aside from what I’ve already mentioned, I haven’t really seen the others to compare.

There were some really satisfying moments, and some that just made my stomach churn when I put myself in the mom’s shoes, played by Laura Allen’s (Awake, Ravenswood, Nanny Cam).

I wouldn’t say the movie is flawless, but it was pretty good and definitely high on the creep factor just in time for Halloween.


Languages
Speech Available: English
Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 38%
Metascore - 42/100
Metacritic User Score – 5.2/10
IMDB Score – 5.7/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating1/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating3.5/5

P.S. Some weird music during the credits.

Movie Trailer:

Sunday, October 8, 2017

This Week in Crowdfunding (10/8/2017)

By: Selina


Through “This Week in Crowdfunding,” you’ll find five of the best projects Trust the Dice found hosted on crowdfunding sights this week. These are Films/Web Series’/Shows of varying lengths and genres that we believe in. If you like any of the projects you see here, donate to them, tell your friends, and/or post it on social media.

These projects don’t just need money, they need people to care and spread the word that they exist.

Support creativity. Support indie artists.

Remember that every actor, director, writer, and movie you have ever fallen in love with had to start somewhere.

Trust the Dice does not, and will not, accept payment from project creators for
appearance on this list. Projects are chosen solely on the merit of the idea,
proposal, and people involved.



5 – M.O.T.H.E.R Knows Best

       
Crowdsource Platform: Kickstarter
Director: Chris Mayo, Scott Kingsnorth
Writer: Chris Mayo, Scott Kingsnorth
Other Staff: Holly Mallett, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Evelyn Lockley, Hannah Warman, Jenny Walters, Emma Tansley, Megan Smith
Amount Requested: $1,707
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $2,052 raised by 32 backers.
Type of Goal: All or nothing

Between when I first saw this comedy series on Kickstarter and when I started writing this article, M.O.T.H.E.R Knows Best reached, and exceeded, their goal. That means that it made over $1k in a matter of days.

I think that says a lot about what the series is. Clearly, I’m not the only one that thought there was something worth paying attention to.

Even before checking out the video, I was attracted to this project because of the dystopian dark comedy factor. I’ve seen precious few films and shows that have fallen into that specific category. There’s a kind of unique quality to it that’s very interesting.

The only real problem I’ve seen with the series is that the page doesn’t do very well at explaining what it’s about. You get a couple of sentences, but the rest is dedicated to the technique, and people, involved. There’s nothing too wrong with that, I just prefer to know more about the project in general, which is why this series isn’t higher on the list.

Lowest Fund Reward: $13.07 – Hearty Thanks – You’re a modern day hero! You will receive hearty thanks either in a tweet or by email from the creators of the show.
Highest Fund Reward: $653.49 – Executive Producer Credit – Holy bananas! This is the big one. A large executive producer credit (just like George Lucas) plus: A poster, early access to all episodes, a drawing from Scott, a short story from Chris and a hearty thank you from M.O.T.H.E.R. herself. PLUS exclusive additional footage.

4 – Today in New York


Crowdsource Platform: Kickstarter
Director: Michael Labbadia
Writer: Michael Labbadia, Madeleine Meigs, Gus Halper
Other Staff: Andrea Goocher, Rob Levy
Amount Requested: $8,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $1,365 raised by 28 backers.
Type of Goal: All or nothing

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve lived in various neighborhoods, but always right here. There’s no naivety in my love for this place, so it’s almost amusing to me when I meet people who come here with that innocence still intact.

That was partially what drew me to this project, but then I saw the video.

The Kickstarter trailer that the Today in New York team put together was incredibly unique. It did a phenomenal job on not only drawing my attention, but of forcing me to want to learn more. The kind of stereotypical old-school New York accent combined with a mix of the older and current New York background brought up images of some of the great films created in the city.

As trailers for projects go, especially projects that don’t have too many scenes to show yet, this was one of the best.

Everyone involved in the making of this film has some kind of experience living in New York.

“Although we are all from different places, we have all spent enough time in the city as young artists to understand ‘the struggle’... And our main character in the web series is experiencing her very first day in NYC so it's actually great that we all still freshly remember our first days,” writer Madeleine Meigs told Trust the Dice in a short interview. “In fact, each episode is based off of our actual experiences that we had when we first moved here.”

Crew members from New York mixed with transplants to make this series. I think it’s very important to note that, because it indicates that every aspect of the series will be as true to life as it could be while still remaining fiction.

The only reason I could see this series failing to make their goal is because it seems to be directed only toward New Yorkers, but that’s not how Meigs sees it.

“We want the series to be relatable to anyone and there will be many themes such as being a ‘20 something’, naivety, humility, and independence that will be explored,” she wrote.

The target demographic has little to do with New York and everything to do with young adults starting to strike out on their own. Everyone can relate to that at some point in their lives.

Lowest Fund Reward: $10 – New Yorker – Like any real New Yorker you are there for your neighbors and friends when they need your help! We would like to thank you with a Facebook shout out and a more personal thank you email.
Highest Fund Reward: $1,000 – Rockefeller – Your generosity towards our vision blows us away! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please select two of your favorite songs, and Gus and Mike will sing them for you (via video). Along with that thank you, you will be credited as an executive producer, sent a monthly update on our progress with behind the scenes photos, and an exclusive digital premiere of “Today in New York” with interviews from key cast and crew members.

3 – Mara: The Seal Wife


Crowdsource Platform: Indiegogo
Director: Uisdean Murray
Writer: Uisdean Murray
Other Staff: Adam Keltie, Donald Coutts, Jason Weidner, Philip Smith, Kevin Kelly, Sarah Pritchard
Amount Requested: $13,070
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $3,836 raised by 16 backers.
Type of Goal: Flexible

Spending time browsing Trust the Dice would inform anyone that both Cat and I love myths and legends. We’ve both spent extensive amounts of time reading about various cultural creatures and stories. Cat is the one obsessed with Irish, Scottish and Celtic legend, but I still find plenty of interest in it myself.

Selkies are new to me, I just started reading about them a few weeks ago. That made this a prime time to run into a short film based around the myth.

I contacted the writer of Mara: the Seal Wife, Uisdean Murray, and found out some pretty interesting facts.

“The short film I am working on now and running a crowdfunding campaign for is essentially the backstory of two small but important characters from my feature film project,” Murray told Trust the Dice.

In fact, by supporting Mara: the Seal Wife people are actually giving life to one piece of a much larger puzzle. Not only is Murray interested in adding that original full-length film to the short, but he also seemed interested in exploring other folklore-inspired tales.


Supporting this one film tells the writer that his other ideas could have some serious backing as well. I think, in this case, that’s a very good thing. His short film looks heartbreaking and intriguing in ways that not every story could.

“Mara: the Seal Wife is set during the 80s and 90s and it contains a unique interpretation of the traditional Selkie tale,” Murray wrote. “The film is in part about a man suffering tremendous grief after the loss of his wife in tragic circumstances and years later happens upon a Selkie on the beach who appears to look like his long-deceased wife.”

I urge you to look up some of the selkie tales available on-line. They are a very mermaid-like species, but with some seriously dark twists. Seeing them used in a cinematic world is worth a few dollars in donations.

Lowest Fund Reward: $1.31 – Join us on our adventure – A shout-out on twitter and exclusive updates throughout the production.
Highest Fund Reward: $3,267.44 – Producer Credit – You will receive an Opening Credit and End Credit screen all to yourself with your name and ‘Producer’ credit!

2 – Around the World


Crowdsource Platform: Kickstarter
Director: Tom Cheve
Writer: N/A
Other Staff: Clement Reubrecht, David Amouzegh, Ricardinho Chahini, Laura Biondo, Jordan Meunier, Esteban El Pantera, Archie Crispy, Juan Roberto Aguilo, Michal Rycaj, Ibuki Yoshida, Fagerli Brothers, Caitlyn Schrepfer, Andrew Henderson, Sean Garnier
Amount Requested: $57,494
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $2,929 raised by 52 backers.
Type of Goal: All or nothing

Soccer is not nearly as popular in the United States as it should be. Of course, that’s coming from someone who hates American football. I’d much rather refer to soccer as football… but I was partially raised by an Englishman so… I guess that makes sense.

That said, something we do love here in the U.S. is freestyle. Doesn’t really matter what kind: rap, dance, hacky sack… pretty much anything that could possibly be considered impressive. Well, freestyle soccer definitely applies. People talented in that kind of freestyle can do things with their feet that would make even the best break dancers green with envy.

I spoke to the Around the World team and found out that freestyle soccer is a lot more than it seems to be.

“Most of the freestylers see freestyle as an athletic performance by surpassing its limits. You know, it's a young culture created around the beginning of this millennium. That's why the community needs time to be really openminded as well and accept the ‘sensitive’ part of freestyle,” the team told Trust the Dice about the sport aspect of freestyle soccer.

Athleticism, however, is not the only motivation behind the subject of Around the World. The team went on to explain that, to some freestylers, it’s all about the art.

“Some freestylers like Clem Keym,” the team wrote, “find inspiration in dance, and especially in breakdance. It's like a new wave in this culture and it's growing up each day!”

Now, most people know that documentaries aren’t really my thing. I find that they can get boring and monotone. I don’t see that being an issue here. Just go to YouTube and search for ‘freestyle soccer’ or ‘freestyle football.’ The sheer level of impressive feats the athletes are capable of will have you glued to the screen.

Take into account that this documentary is going into how freestyle soccer is approached by various countries, as well. It’s easy to associate soccer with England, less-so with some of the other areas they intend to hit.

I admit, I could be a little bias because of my love of the sport, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it. The Kickstarter page is incredibly well thought-out and, though ambitious, seems doable.

I’ll admit that they are asking for quite bit of money, but for what they need it for… it’s not that much.

The team of this documentary is passionate about the stories they want to tell, and they have a subject that could be interesting to people that know nothing about it. They don’t intend to stick to technique, they intend to focus on the humanity and skill of their subjects. I think all of that is a recipe for a great documentary that could even speak to people who don’t enjoy the genre.

Lowest Fund Reward: $1.18 – We Thank You – Hey every little counts at this point, so thank you for your generous support.
Highest Fund Reward: $8,861 – Executive Producer Credit – Your name or company will be in the credits at the beginning of the documentary. Everybody will see it, and see you as the Executive producer, and will associate our documentary to your name or brand. We’ll also make sure to bring forward your brand during our communication.

1 – Night Run


Crowdsource Platform: Indiegogo
Director: Erick Solis
Writer: Erick Solis
Other Staff: Elizabeth Salazar, Jake Hays, Tyler Cole, Rebecca Weaver, Tim Andrews, Cameron Tagge, Patricio Reano
Amount Requested: $28,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $1,360 raised by 16 backers.
Type of Goal: Flexible

I cannot explain how excited I am for this project.

In a world of sequels and remakes, we’re finally getting a brand new 80s film. Not a reboot of an 80s film just… an 80s film. Sure, movies were a bit cornier back then… but I’ll be damned if they weren’t pure.

As an 80s kid, this Indiegogo instantly spoke to me. Loudly. It had everything one could expect from the type of film the team was going for. They had an intriguing trailer, a sample of their music that sounds right out of Knight Rider (1982-1986), even the names of the characters are super 80s. Hell, there’s even a VHS available as one of the rewards! I still have some VHS tapes that I’ll likely never get rid of. They’re probably worth nothing, but they hold a strong place in my heart.

Clearly, this film isn’t made in the decade its representing, so the creator, Erick Solis, has to rely on manufacturing an 80s feel. The actors, the setting, the script… everything needs to feel right in order for this film to work.

The problem is, we live in 2017. Cars aren’t that old, the settings are modern, and it would take a lot of budget to change that. So, I asked Solis what his plans were in that regard.

“In terms of recreating 80's car chases, we'll be on the lookout for companies that rent out cars for commercial purposes,” Solis told me. “There's a lot of companies that provide rentals at a fairly decent price, the problem is finding cars from the 70's and 80's. Trying to avoid Computer Generated (CG) cars is my main goal, so I plan on shooting wide shots of the real cars and cutting to the close up of the actors inside a studio, it'll be a combination of many things, but I'll avoid as much CG as I can.”

He went on to add, “not a lot of the budget will go to make the world look older. You can get away with things seeming older just by not including a lot of modern cars, a right amount of budget will go directly into wardrobe and finding the right locations.”

The desire to steer clear from CG, on his budget, is an honorable – and difficult – one. However, it shows just how committed he is to doing this film correctly.

Just for fun, I asked Solis who he would have hired to play the characters in his film if he was actually making it in the 80s with an unlimited budget.

“I never thought about that,” he said. “I'd say Ralph Macchio as Daniel, Elisabeth Sue as Jennifer, Johnny would be played by Patrick Swayze, Sheriff Atkins by Tom Atkins!!! For Jason and Billy they'd have to be played by one of the guys from The Lost Boys!”

To show my confidence in this project, I have donated a small amount toward its success.

The promise of a new 80s film that’s handled the way an 80s film should be, is something I can’t ignore.

Lowest Fund Reward: $5 – Bragging Rights – Complete bragging rights that YOU made this movie happen, like for real. Without you we couldn’t make this.

Highest Fund Reward: $1,500 – Executive Producer – The Executive Producer credit which will be featured in the opening titles and posters and any promotional material involving the film. You’ll also receive the movies’ Blu-ray, the limited edition poster, a digital download of the film and soundtrack plus the official logo t-shirt and the Compilation Album.