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Oscilloscope Pictures to release Kelly Reichardt’s Cannes hit, WENDY AND LUCY |
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RON PERLMAN Exclusive Interview -- THE
LAST WINTER on DVD July 22 |
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PRODUCTION
WRAPS ON JAMES FELIX MCKENNEY'S SATAN HATES YOU |
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The Horror of Global Warming Comes to
DVD
|
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PRODUCTION WRAPS ON WRITER/DIRECTOR
TI WEST'S THE HOUSE OF
THE DEVIL
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DARK
SKY FILMS announces THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL from writer/director
TI WEST |
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Post
production on Glenn McQuaid's I SELL THE DEAD commences in New
York City; Fall Premier targeted
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Halloween Treats from Glass Eye Pix “Scareflix”
Label |
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THE LAST WINTER Opens on
Wednesday, September 19 at the IFC Center |
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AUTOMATONS
invade Comic-Con 2007
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POSTER
BOY FOR L.A. FILM FESTIVAL has projects in all phases.
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PERLMAN AND MONAGHAN grapple with the Undead |
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FESSENDEN'S
SCAREFLIX complete and ready for distribution. |
| |
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Oscilloscope Pictures to release Kelly Reichardt’s Cannes hit, WENDY AND LUCY
Michelle Williams starrer will open in theaters in December 2008
New York, NY (July 22nd, 2008) – Oscilloscope Pictures announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Kelly Reichardt’s poetic road drama WENDY AND LUCY. The film, which stars Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, premiered to great acclaim in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It will be released at the Film Forum in New York City on Dec. 10, followed by a national expansion in early 2009.
In the film, Wendy Carroll (Williams) is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. When her car breaks down in Oregon, however, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions, with far-ranging repercussions for herself and her dog.
WENDY AND LUCY addresses issues of sympathy and generosity at the edges of American life, revealing the limits and depths of people’s duty to each other in tough times. Williams has already garnered critics’ attention for her haunting performance, as she conveys “an inexorable sense of longing for something more than life has given her” (Scott Foundas, Variety).
Reichardt — “one of the few masters now working in American independent film” (Larry Gross, Film Comment) — previously directed OLD JOY (2006) and RIVER OF GRASS (1994), which each premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, with OLD JOY earning the VPRO Tiger Award for Best Film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Now, with WENDY AND LUCY, Reichardt has made “palpably, tragically real what it means to be struggling at the very edge of the economic abyss…with uninflected realism, an attentive camera and no weeping strings” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times).
Based on Jonathan Raymond’s short story Train Choir, WENDY AND LUCY also features Walter Dalton, Will Oldham, Larry Fessenden, John Robinson and Will Patton.
David Fenkel of Oscilloscope Pictures negotiated the acquisition of the film with Tanja Meissner of Memento Films International, Neil Kopp and filmscience’s Anish Savjani, who represented the filmmakers.
About Oscilloscope Laboratories:
Oscilloscope Laboratories is a NYC-based recording studio, film production and distribution company, and post-production facility founded by Adam Yauch. Oscilloscope Pictures’ recently released Yauch’s GUNNIN’ FOR THAT #1 SPOT (June 27th), and their theatrical lineup includes Irena Salina’s FLOW (Sept. 12th) and Caroline Suh’s FRONTRUNNERS (Oct. 15th).
Contact for the film:
George Schmalz, Oscilloscope Pictures: 212.219.4029 x35, george@oscilloscope.net
##
Friday,
July 18, 2008
RON PERLMAN Exclusive Interview -- THE LAST
WINTER on DVD July 22
Glass Eye Pix celebrates the July 22 release of Larry Fessenden's THE
LAST WINTER on DVD with an exclusive video interview of HELLBOY star
Ron Perlman speaking about becoming an actor.
The video is now available at
http://www.glasseyepix.com/html/perlmantalks.html
This charming visit with Perlman is an excerpt from a series of recorded
discussions with cast and crew during the shooting of the THE LAST WINTER
in 2005.
Many of these interviews appear on THE LAST WINTER DVD in a feature-length
"making of" which tracks Fessenden's film from conception
through postproduction in a candid, informative and often surreal account
of making a low budget horror film in the desolate landscape of Iceland.
The DVD also includes an interview with Fessenden and a full-length
director's commentary.
Says Fessenden, "I'm glad the film is finally available. It's
been a long road from inception to DVD distribution, and I'm sad to
say the issues in the film are more relevant than ever. But I don't
make Propaganda movies. I know I'm not going to change minds. I make
movies to express the things I find frightening. The end of the world
as we know it qualifies."
HELLBOY II and PAN'S LABYRINTH director Guillermo Del Toro says: "Fessenden
is one of the most original voices to emerge in the horror field and
THE LAST WINTER is his most accomplished work to date."
Also available is THE LAST WINTER soundtrack and the graphic novel
for Image Comics available at amazon.com. Posters can be bought for
$10 (includes postage) at order@glasseyepix.com
http://www.thelastwinter.net
http://www.glasseyepix.com
# # #
Thursday,
July 3, 2008
PRODUCTION WRAPS ON JAMES FELIX MCKENNEY'S SATAN HATES YOU
FILM STARS DON WOOD, CHRISTINE SPENCER, ANGUS SCRIMM, REGGIE BANNISTER, MICHAEL BERRYMAN,
LARRY FESSENDEN and DEBBIE ROCHON
BROOKLYN, NY, July 3, 2008 - Glass Eye Pix and MonsterPants Movies are proud to announce that principal photography was completed in New York City on Tuesday for SATAN HATES YOU, written and directed by James Felix McKenney.
The film's cast
is led by Don Wood (TV's COLONIAL HOUSE, IN A FIX) and Christine Spencer
(AUTOMATONS) and also includes Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM, TV's ALIAS),
Reggie Bannister (PHANTASM, BUBBA HO-TEP), Michael Berryman (ONE FLEW
OVER THE CUKOO'S NEST, THE HILLS HAVE EYES), Debbie Rochon (TROMEO AND
JULIET, TERROR FIRMER) and Producer Larry Fessenden (HABIT, THE BRAVE
ONE) with appearances by Pauley Perrette (TV's NCIS, ALMOST FAMOUS),
John Levene (TV's DOCTOR WHO) and author Max Brooks (WORLD WAR Z, THE
ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE).
The film is inspired by Christian "scare" cinema of the 1950's - 70's and tells the story of two troubled individuals (Wood and Spencer) who find themselves on the fast track to losing their immortal souls.
"This film is significantly larger than anything we've done before," says McKenney. "With a huge cast and multiple locations around New York, Los Angeles and even Hell itself, I went into this shoot fearing I bit off more than I could chew. But our incredible cast and amazing crew made getting this ambitions project in the can a breeze. It was almost too easy."
SATAN HATES YOU is McKenney's fourth feature film, following the critically acclaimed AUTOMATONS. The film is produced by Larry Fessenden's company Glass Eye Pix, along with director McKenney's MonsterPants movies, Lisa Wisely and Jeremiah Kipp. Eric Branco is the Director of Photography.
Says Fessenden, "It is always very special to team up with the Monsterpants gang. They make films the way I like it: seat of the pants resourceful, lotta heart, lotta love on set. That's what Glass Eye has always been about and collaborating with McKenney keeps us honest. As for Satan Hates You, I think the title says it all."
Look for SATAN HATES YOU in early 2009.
Web Links:
satanhatesyou.com
glasseyepix.com
monsterpants.net
# # #
24 May 2008
The Horror of Global Warming Comes to DVD
July 22, 2008 from Genius Products Starring Ron Perlman
“The SCARIEST MOVIE of the YEAR…” - Bob Strauss, L.A. Daily News
“…Socially relevant and genuinely suspenseful...” - Aaron Hillis, Premiere Magazine
SANTA MONICA, CA – Discover the horrifying evil frozen beneath the arctic tundra as Genius Products presents the psychological thriller/ environmental message movie The Last Winter on DVD July 22. Starring Ron Perlman (Hellboy), James LeGros (Vantage Point), Connie Britton (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”), Zach Gilford (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”) and Kevin Corrigan (Definitely, Maybe), and directed by Larry Fessenden (The Brave One), The Last Winter will be available to own for $19.95 SRP.
Nominated for a 2007 Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast, The Last Winter blends real-life environmental concerns over global warming with the a suspenseful supernatural storyline. Named one of last year’s top movies by many critics including Greg Lamberson of FearZone.com, Bob Brodmerkel of HorrorReview.com and Scott Perry of Colonelscrypt.com, the Environmental Defense Fund called The Last Winter “a stunning wake up call, a bold exploration of the horror of unchecked global warming that is sure to move new audiences to action.”
THE LAST WINTER includes the following special features:
- Making of The Last Winter – a feature-length documentary including deleted scenes and interview with Director Larry Fessenden
- Director Commentary
SYNOPSIS: In the Arctic region of Northern Alaska , an oil company's advanced team struggles to establish a drilling base that will forever alter the pristine land. After one team member is found naked and dead in the snow, an environmentalist suspects sour gases may have accidentally been released in the area, provoking hallucinations, disorientation and insanity in the group. After a shocking second fatal incident, he convinces their boss to travel with the team to a hospital for examination. However, mysterious events begin taking place, effectively trapping the group in the base as they succumb to an unknown fear.
For more information on the film, including a trailer, photos, and press notes, please visit www.thelastwinter.net.
###
17 April 2008
J E R E M Y W A L K E R + A S S O C I A T E S, I N C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
CONTACT: Jeremy Walker , 212-595-6161
PRODUCTION WRAPS ON WRITER/DIRECTOR TI WEST’S
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
FILM STARS JOCELIN DONAHUE, GRETA GERWIG, TOM NOONAN, MARY WARONOV,
AJ BOWEN and DEE WALLACE
LIME ROCK, CT, April 17, 2008 – Principal photography was completed here yesterday on THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, writer-director Ti West’s new horror-thriller starring Jocelin Donahue (JT Petty’s forthcoming THE BURROWERS), “mumblecore” ingénue Greta Gerwig (BAGHEAD, opening in July), Tom Noonan (SNOW ANGELS, MANHUNTER), Mary Waronov (EATING RAOUL) AJ Bowen (THE SIGNAL) and Dee Wallace (E.T., Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN).
Donahue plays Sam, an attractive but broke college sophomore who answers an ad seeking a baby-sitter and ends up trapped in a big scary house and fighting for her life. Noonan and Waronov play Mr. and Mrs. Ulman, the Satanist couple that lures Sam into the house just in time for a lunar eclipse; Gerwig plays Sam’s best friend while Bowen plays the Ulman’s murderous son. Wallace makes a cameo as Sam’s landlady.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is produced by Roger Kass, Josh Braun and horror impresario Larry Fessenden along with Peter Phok. The director of photography is Eliot Rockett. The production designer is Jade Healy. Special effects makeup artist is Ozzy Alvarez. The film is financed by Dark Sky Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of MPI Media Group.
THE HOUSE is West's fourth feature film following such cult hits as THE ROOST and TRIGGER MAN and the forthcoming Lionsgate release CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER.
Early plans call for THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL to be completed by late summer.
# # #
7 February 2008
DARK SKY FILMS announces THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL from writer/director TI WEST
Dark Sky Films has partnered with A History of Violence producers Roger Kass and Josh Braun and horror impresario Larry Fessenden’s Glass Eye Pix to produce the original horror-thriller The House of the Devil, written and set to be directed by Ti West. Braun, Kass and Fessenden are producing along with Peter Phok as it was announced today by the MPI Media Group, Dark Sky’s parent company.
The film is in pre-production now in Connecticut, with casting commencing immediately and production anticipated to start in mid March. The House of the Devil was brought to MPI Media Group’s Malik Ali and Greg Newman via Marie-Therese Guirgis.
The House of the Devil tells the tale of a job gone horribly awry when a college girl answers a babysitting ad and gets much more than she expected. The House of the Devil is Ti West’s fourth feature film; his resume boasts the writing and direction of the critically acclaimed films The Roost, Trigger Man, and most recently, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever.
Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix stated, “I am excited to be working with Ti again, and with this team and a few more resources. Ti’s ability to root his genre films in the rhythms and details of everyday life is what makes them resonant and startling. This one will be a doozy.”
Kass, who is producing through his Studio Bang banner, added, “I’ve wanted to produce a Ti West movie from the moment I saw the bats go rabid in The Roost, and teaming up again with Glass Eye and its aces crew on this one is a great follow-up to the energy we generated together on our last effort, Ilya Chaiken’s Liberty Kid.” Braun added, “This film is a horror classic in the making and we are excited to be working with MPI Media on this and hopefully future projects.”
In addition to steering A History of Violence to the big screen, Kass and Braun set up the graphic novel feature film adaptation of Button Man by John Wagner which is currently in development at DreamWorks.
Glass Eye Pix has been responsible for a slew of genre films, indie dramas and documentaries from such filmmakers as Kelly Reichardt, JT Petty, Ilya Chaiken and Ti West, as well as Fessenden himself (Habit, Wendigo, The Last Winter).
###
2 January 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Post production on Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD commences in New York City; Fall Premier targeted
After waiting for Ron Perlman to finish up work on HELLBOY II; THE GOLDEN ARMY, filming of I SELL THE DEAD finally recommenced on December 10th 2007 and officially wrapped on December 19th. The film had begun principal photography May 21st 2007 and shot until June 11th before taking a six month hiatus while Perlman did duties on Guillermo Del Toro’s HELLBOY sequel. The second phase of shooting on I SELL THE DEAD took place during frigid days and cold December nights in Staten Island, NY, doubling for the 18th century British Isles where the film is set.
Ron Perlman plays a priest who transcribes the gallows speech given by Arthur Blake, a puckish street criminal condemned to die by the guillotine for a life robbing graves. Arthur Blake is played by Dominic Monaghan (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) in his first film role since his character perished in the 2007 season finale of J.J. Abram’s LOST TV series. Blake recounts his years stealing corpses with his mentor Willie Grimes, played by Larry Fessenden (HABIT, BROKEN FLOWERS, THE BRAVE ONE), also the film’s producer.
In supporting roles I SELL THE DEAD features Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM), Eileen Colgan (THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, TARA ROAD) and a cast of character actors plucked from previous Glass Eye Pix productions (John Speredakos, THE ROOST, WENDIGO; Brenda Cooney, AUTOMATONS, THE OFF SEASON; Heather Robb, I CAN SEE YOU, TRIGGER MAN; James Godwin, WENDIGO).
I SELL THE DEAD is a scrappy low-budget extravaganza produced by Fessenden and Peter Phok in 35mm, 16mm and super 8mm. Written and Directed by Glenn McQuaid, it marks the sixth and most expansive of Glass Eye Pix's Scareflix, a line of auteur-driven horror movies. Says Fessenden, "The idea is that each Scareflick is wholly different from all of the others, and Glenn's sensibility is unlike anything we've done, in fact anything we've seen in theaters of late. It will feel familiar and fresh at the same time."
McQuaid explains “I Sell The Dead is influenced by Hammer Horror and the portmanteau films of Amicus and there is no small amount of Abbott and Costello thrown into the proceedings. Dominic Monaghan and Larry Fessenden have great chemistry as the grave robbing leads and Ron Perlman was fabulous to work with, he is playful and imposing all at once. It was amazing to finally get Ron and Dom on the same set, t heir scenes are very intense, intimate, scary and funny. It's going to define the whole film. There will be fog, scares, laughs and lots of twists and turns.”
Says producer Peter Phok: “Turning the pages in the ISTD script into a reality on screen in the New York area under a modest budget is a challenge and quite the thrill. This production really demonstrates what a fantastic group of people can pull off when everyone believes in such an exciting script. Every set piece is more amazing then the last and lends a huge hand to bringing the audience into the world McQuaid has created. I’m excited to wrap principal photography and continue the adventure into post production where Glenn’s editorial skills and years of experience in visual effects will bring all this wonderful material together into a truly exceptional movie.”
Post production commences immediately, encompassing a great many visual effects as well as an ambitious score by Glass Eye Pix regular Jeff Grace (THE ROOST, THE LAST WINTER, TRIGGER MAN, LIBERTY KID, I CAN SEE YOU). Also in the offering, there will be a comic book adaptation by Brahm Revel. The film should be completed this summer in preparation for a Fall premiere.
All news and updates can be found at
isellthedead.com
glasseyepix.com
scareflix.net
###
30 October 2007
Halloween Treats from Glass Eye Pix “Scareflix”
Label
TRIGGER MAN and AUTOMATONS leaving the roost.
HOUSE OF THE DEVIL set to lense.
Oct 31 - Glass Eye Pix is pleased to announce the sale of domestic and
foreign rights to Ti West’s sophomore effort, the critically acclaimed
TRIGGER MAN.
Domestic distribution will be handled by New York-based Kino International
which will capitalize on the outstanding reviews that have evoked such
cinema legends as Tarkovsky and Chantal Ackerman. The DVD will be available
this spring and will include a commentary by the director and sound
designer and a second commentary by the boisterous cast.
Foreign sales will be handled by Screen Media, which will be offering
the film at the AFM, beginning appropriately enough on Halloween this
year. Prospects are high that this unique genre offering will translate
well.
Roger Kass made both sales for Glass Eye Pix, negotiating with Don Krim
at Kino and Michael Dwyer and David Fannon at Screen Media Ventures.
Kass also dealt world rights to Ti West’s first feature, THE ROOST,
to Showtime and Fabrication Film Sales.
TRIGGER MAN takes a naturalistic and wholly existential approach to
the story of three friends on a bonding and hunting trip during which
things go horribly wrong. Achingly played out in real time, the film
is so startling in its pacing and conviction that it has won over critics
of all stripes. Blending horror genre conventions with the sensibility
of a new generation of indie films dubbed “mumblecore” for
its “kitchen sink” realism, Ti West has forged a new type
of subtle dread. His third feature, CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER from
Lion’s Gate films is currently in post-production.
TRIGGER MAN is part of a slate of ultra-low budget genre films produced
through Larry Fessenden’s production company Glass Eye Pix under
the Scareflix banner. Scareflix is a series of no-budget auteur-driven
films in the horror and sci-fi genre. Through Scareflix, Ti West wrote
and directed his first feature, THE ROOST, celebrated for its pacing
and mood, killer bats and zombies.
West’s next feature, HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, is being prepped now
for a January start, with Fessenden, Kass, Peter Phok and Josh Braun
producing.
Glass Eye Pix is also pleased to announce along with Monsterpants Movies
the upcoming release of AUTOMATONS, James Felix McKenney’s extraordinary
S8mm b&w apocalyptic robot movie that the New York Times called
“enormously endearing” and Wired magazine awarded the “Best
shoestring sci-fi of 2006.” AUTOMATONS will be available from
Facets Multi Media January 29, 2008. The DVD will include a blow-by-blow
account of the making of the film by the resourceful and scrappy Monsterpants
crew and will also contain interviews with its star Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM).
The deal was handled by Robert Seigel for Glass Eye Pix and Marvin Mason
for Facets.
Glass Eye Pix proprietor Larry Fessenden is himself an award-winning
director of scary movies including HABIT, WENDIGO and the highly acclaimed
THE LAST WINTER, which recently unspooled in theaters from IFC First
Take and will be released on DVD this coming winter.
Glasseyepix.com
Scareflix.net
Monsterpants.net
thelastwinter.net
###
July 13 2007
THE LAST WINTER Opens on Wednesday, September
19 at the IFC Center
THE LAST WINTER, a gripping psychological thriller from indie-horror
maverick Larry Fessenden (WENDIGO, HABIT). The harrowing tale of an
Alaskan oil-dredging expedition gone mysteriously awry, the film mines
timely, very real fears for classic chills – a grown-up ghost
story for our ecologically unstable times. Gorgeously shot on sub-zero
Icelandic snowscapes, it stars Ron Perlman (HELLBOY, CITY OF LOST CHILDREN),
James LeGros (ZODIAC, DRUGSTORE COWBOY), Connie Britton (Friday Night
Lights), Kevin Corrigan (BUFFALO 66, WALKING AND TALKING), and rising
star Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights). Featured at the Toronto and
Los Angeles film festivals, THE LAST WINTER will open in New York on
Wednesday, September 19 at the IFC Center, followed by a national roll-out.
In one of the most pristine landscapes in the world, a team working
to exploit Alaska’s oil reserves begins to encounter troubling
delays. Scientist and outside observer Hoffman (LeGros) warns of unseasonably
warm temperatures and disruptive atmospheric changes, but gruff team
leader Pollack (Perlman) presses on with the mission, even as crewmembers
become strangely afflicted. Disdainful of Hoffman, who’s also
begun an affair with his ex, Abby (Britton), Pollack moves to have him
relocated, but not before a cataclysmic accident leaves the whole crew
exposed to the elements. With sanity and survival hanging in the balance,
Pollack and Hoffman are forced to journey together for help –
racing against darkness and deadly cold, haunted by demons that have
risen from within.
Evoking the stark terrain of John Carpenter’s THE THING, Fessenden
urgently explores the frightful consequences of man’s disruption
of the natural world – mother nature’s coming wrath in the
era of global warming. Distinguished from the current glut of splat-pack
diversions, THE LAST WINTER is an intense and soulful work of true horror,
with unshakable images and compelling performances by its ensemble cast.100
minutes. An IFC First Take release. Not rated.
###
July 12 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUTOMATONS invade Comic-Con 2007
Glass Eye Pix and MonsterPants Movies' retro ScareFlick AUTOMATONS
will be the closing film of the Science Fiction / Fantasy program at
the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festival! Director James
Felix McKenney and Producer Lisa Wisely will be on hand to talk about
the film and hand out some very limited quantities of Comic-Con Exclusive
Automatons Trading Cards and other goodies. An announcement regarding
the DVD release of AUTOMATONS will also be made at the Comic-Con screening.
AUTOMATONS is a black & white, low-tech effects film about the horrors
of war and robots starring newcomer Christine Spencer, Brenda Cooney
(I SELL THE DEAD, THE OFF SEASON) and Angus Scrimm (the PHANTASM films,
"Alias"). Also featured are Don Wood ("Colonial House",
CANNIBALLISTIC!), Larry Fessenden (HABIT, SESSION 9) and John Levene
("Doctor Who", PSYCHOMANIA).The film has enjoyed theatrical
runs in New York City and Chicago and has gained some impressive reviews
from The New York Times, Village Voice, Wired, New York Post, New York
Sun, Film Threat, Shock Cinema and more.Be sure to make time in your
busy Comic-Con schedule to check out this uniquely unusual film that
Joe Horror called a "Must See!"
AUTOMATONS
Saturday, July 28
4:30 pm
Film Festival - Room 26AB
http://www.comic-con.org
For more information, contact: mail@monsterpants.net
or visit the official website: deathtotheautomatons.com
###
June 23 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POSTER BOY
FOR L.A. FILM FESTIVAL HAS PROJECTS IN ALL PHASES.
Dubbed the unofficial poster-boy of the L.A. Film Festival by L.A. Weekly,
filmmaker Larry Fessenden is presenting three movies produced under
his New York based production company GLASS EYE PIX at this year’s
festival.
Coinciding with the announcement this Friday of IFC’s purchase
of Fessenden’s directorial effort, THE LAST WINTER, starring James
Le Gros and Ron Perlman, Fessenden unspooled the film as part of the
festival’s Summer Previews section. The film hits theaters nation-wide
and on V.O.D. September 21.
Also at the festival Glass Eye Pix will be world premiering LIBERTY
KID, the sophomore effort from Sundance favorite Ilya Chaiken (MARGARITTA
HAPPY HOUR). The film, starring Al Thomson and Kareem Saviñon
is the story of two Liberty Island food-service workers whose lives
are radically altered after the attacks of 9/11. The film was produced
by Fessenden, Michael Ryan (FAY GRIMM, PALINDROMES) and Roger Kass (A
HISTORY OF VIOLENCE).
The third Glass Eye Pix entry in the Festival is up-and-coming horror
director Ti-West’s minimalist art house thriller TRIGGER MAN.
West and Fessenden’s previous collaboration, THE ROOST, made under
Glass Eye Pix’s Scareflix banner, was acquired by Showtime at
the 2005 L.A. Film Festival. West is currently in post-production on
Lion’s Gate Films’ CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER.
“My mission at Glass Eye Pix is to support the singular voice
in movies, both in the horror genre and beyond. Says Fessenden “We’re
about getting films made in a true independent spirit, with a community
of like-minded artisans. We have shared the same actors, composer (Jeff
Grace has scored four of the films) and director of photography. It’s
like a theater troupe, and that’s how we can work economically
and organically.”
Fessenden’s company is responsible for a slate of independent,
auteur-driven films by a group of artisans and veterans of the business.
Glass Eye Pix recently finished principal photography on his sixth Scareflick,
Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD, produced by Peter Phok, which
stars Dominic Monaghan (LOST), Ron Perlman (HELLBOY), Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM).
###
01/31/07
For Immediate Release
PERLMAN AND MONAGHAN GRAPPLE WITH THE UNDEAD
In a recent interview with teentelevision.com, Dominic Monaghan, star of "Lost" and Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, leaked the news that he will be starring in the upcoming Glass Eye Pix production, I SELL THE DEAD, alongside Ron Perlman (HELLBOY, BLADE II) and Larry Fessenden (HABIT, SESSION 9).
Glenn McQuaid directs this latest installment in the Glass Eye ScareFlix Series of low budget auteur-driven genre fare, which includes Ti West’s THE ROOST and James McKenney’s AUTOMATONS as well as the forthcoming TRIGGER MAN, also by West.
I SELL THE DEAD is an extension of McQuaid’s period short film, The RESURRECTION APPRENTICE, in which a pair of graverobbers (here to be played by Monaghan and Fessenden) find themselves digging up the dead… and the not so dead. Perlman appears in the role of the imposing Father Duffy.
Shooting of this supernatural epic begins in May, with a considerably larger budget, cast and overall scope than previous entries in producer Fessenden's ScareFlix series. Says Fessenden: “we haven’t abandoned our no-budget model, but each scareflick requires a unique approach, and to get the period details right we’ll need a few extra hands on deck. Glenn’s script and the world he’s created will be worth the extra effort, and of course we’re thrilled with the cast”
Fessenden & McQuaid previously worked with Perlman on Fessenden's THE LAST WINTER, on which McQuaid was Visual Effects Supervisor. McQuaid is also responsible for the bat effects in THE ROOST. Perlman is joined by ScareFlix alumnae Brenda Cooney (AUTOMATONS, THE OFF SEASON), John Speredakos (WENDIGO, THE ROOST), and Daniel Manche (HEADSPACE, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR) as well as another genre veteran or two, to be announced…
Stay tuned to www.glasseyepix.com for updates, and visit the official site www.Isellthedead.com. Going on line today!
###
Oct 21 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLEASE CONTACT: Glass Eye Pix (212) 253-5733
FESSENDEN'S SCAREFLIX COMPLETE AND READY FOR DISTRIBUTION
Preview screenings of THE OFF SEASON and THE ROOST announced.
Angus Scrim and directors James Felix McKenney and Ti West to host.
NEW YORK, October 21, 2004 – Just in time for Halloween, Glass
Eye Pix is pleased to announce that the first two films in Executive
Producer Larry Fessenden's ScareFlix series, THE OFF SEASON and THE
ROOST, have completed post production.
Larry Fessenden, director of the indie features HABIT and WENDIGO, created
the ScareFlix line of low budget horror films in order to inject some
new blood into the genre: “ScareFlix came from my celebrating
the grass-roots impulse to make movies. I have a romantic attitude towards
that, since it’s the world I come from. I hope to carry on that
no-budget tradition, which is dying as more people try to make a career
out of the film business from the get-go. I’m trying to nurture
that first moment when filmmakers make movies without commercial calculation,
when they really are possessed by the medium. And I’m confident
that in an age of DVD, even the most eccentric film can find its audience.
Of course we have very cool DVD extras planned for both features. We’ll
also be offering these films for theatrical presentation, preferably
at drive-ins and midnight shows.”
The first in the series is James Felix McKenney's THE OFF SEASON. Described
by Fessenden as “a quirky ghost story set in a desolate Maine
motel,” the film stars Christina Campanella (THE ADDICTION) and
Don Wood (CANNIBALLISTIC!, TV's “Colonial House”, “In
a Fix”), as well as Fessenden himself. Genre legend Angus Scrimm
rounds out the cast. Best known as the sinister “Tall Man”
in the PHANTASM film series, Scrimm was McKenney’s first choice
for the role as the lead couple’s oddball neighbor. “Jim
is a great fan of PHANTASM, and he had a role written for Mr. Scrimm,
so we decided to get in touch with the Tall Man and see if he’d
want to play a quirky, retired rodeo cowboy. He liked the script and
accepted the role.” grins Fessenden.
THE OFF SEASON was shot in Hi Definition video with cinematography by
David W. Hale. The crew of five work for ten straight 20-hour days in
the coastal town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Unfolding in long restless
floating camera takes, the film plays like a theater piece observed
by a demented stalker. In fact, writer-director McKenney first collaborated
with actor Don Wood and the crew in the notorious Boston underground
theater group House of Borax in the 1990’s.
Theatrical flourishes give way to darker themes in THE OFF SEASON: McKenney
speaks of his influences: “I wrote the script in 1996 after seeing
Lars von Trier’s THE KINGDOM. I was inspired to do a ghost story,
but I wanted to do something a little different. Rather than having
it set in a haunted mansion, on an old castle or other giant structure,
I wanted my film to take place where there's nowhere to run -- no comfort
zone.” McKenney continues, “you see this now in a lot of
Japanese horror, starting with RINGU, so the concept doesn't seem quite
as novel it once may have. But what really sets THE OFF SEASON apart
from the Asian ghost movies are the characters. My taste is a bit more
John Waters than John Carpenter, so I like to explore the more absurd
sides of people and how they behave in various situations, while giving
the audience a good shock or two.”
THE ROOST, affectionately called “The Bat Movie” during
production, was shot in Super 16mm film on the camcorder-sized Aaton
A-Minima camera by Director of Photography Eric Robbins. Filming in
rural Southern Delaware in the massive barn Hitchcock used for MARNIE,
the tiny crew of THE ROOST found itself vying for access to country
roads with M. Night Shyamalan’s production of THE VILLAGE during
a 23 day shoot during Fall of 2003.
THE ROOST features a young cast led by Wil Horneff (THE SANDLOT, BORN
TO BE WILD) and his real-life sister, Vanessa Horneff in her film debut.
Glass Eye Pix veteran John Speradakos (WENDIGO) is featured as Sergeant
Mitchell, and the film is hosted by a gaunt bald Tom Noonan (MANHUNTER,
MONSTER SQUAD, THE PLEDGE).
Writer-director Ti West has made “the definitive raw slacker-revenge-of-nature-zombie-horror-host-special-effects-splatter
film,” says Fessenden, who also appears as a hapless tow-truck
driver. He continues: “I will be able to add this one to my growing
roster of onscreen deaths: by gunshot, ice pick, death-dive, and now--
bat-attack.” Ti West says: “I love pulp horror. Tales from
the Crypt got me through middle school. The host stuff comes out of
my love for late night TV, and the old school approach to horror. I
think horror movies should be fun to watch. October is the only time
of year I watch TV. How great is it when your flipping trough the channels
at like 2 in the morning and find some horror movie or TV show you have
never seen. You get all into it, and can’t wait to see more. I
love that feeling. I hope I can be responsible for creating that for
someone.”
Preview screenings for both THE ROOST and THE OFF SEASON have been included
as a month of horror films at New York City's Pioneer Theater. THE ROOST
will be shown on October 27th at 7pm as part of a double bill with Sam
Raimi’s EVIL DEAD. THE ROOST director Ti West will be in attendance.
The following night, October 28th, features a double feature of THE
OFF SEASON with PHANTASM. Angus Scrimm, star of both films will be at
the 7:00 PM screening along with THE OFF SEASON director, James Felix
McKenney.
Fessenden is also Executive Producer with Steven Beer and Sam Downey
of writer-director Dave Gebroe’s “instant Classic”
ZOMBIE HONEYMOON, showing October 22 at the Hamptons Film Festival.
Glass Eye Pix wishes you a very happy SHOCKTOBER!!
More information:
ScareFlix: www.glasseyepix.com
The Off Season: www.monsterpantsonline.com
The Roost: www.TheRoostMovie.com
Pioneer Theater:
155 East 3rd Street (at Ave. A)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 254-3300
www.twoboots.com/pioneer
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