Of Masters, Bond and DVDs
One of the drawbacks to being a writer for a living is that, by the time you are able to write your own stuff, your mind is tapped out. Sadly, with this blog, that has been the case since I went to work for Anchor Bay and Monsters & Critics.
Not that I'm complaining. I have been fortunate enough to write film reviews and produce DVD "making of " pieces for some very high profile projects. The current one is MASTERS OF HORROR.
There are 13 "masters" in this series due to air on Showtime starting October 28 (the "masters" are John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Mick Garris, John Landis, Don Coscarelli, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, William Malone, Dario Argento, Takishi Miike, Tobe Hooper, Lucky McKee and John McNaughton). Essentially MOH is an anthology series where each "master" directs an hour long tale of horror. When these come out on DVD, each "master" will get a DVD dedicated solely to them and their episode. That's where I come in. I will be writing, producing and directing what is, for the moment, being called a tribute piece. I interview all manner of actors, producers and writers who have worked with the said "master". Essentially this means I'm producing a series about a series. They'll be called WORKING WITH A MASTER and the first set of DVDs come out in March 2006.
For a film geek like myself, this is a dream. I get to meet many of the filmmakers I grew up on AND make a film of my own about them. So far (and these names may only mean something to horror film fans) I've had the privilege to interview: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Sheryl Lee, Keith David, Ken Foree, Keith Gordon, Julie Carmen, Greg Nicotero, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Max Landis and PJ Soles.
For the upcoming EVIL DEAD 25th Anniversary disc, I am also producing a retrospective piece entitled IT SWALLOWED THEIR SOULS!! For this I was able to interview SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright. To say the man is nice barely begins to cover it. In addition to being quite a cinephile, Edgar is a well spoken interview and probably the most in depth I've ever conducted. Being a huge fan of SHAUN and Edgar's British series SPACED, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Edgar is as approachable as his work.
In other Anchor Bay news, my first pair of DVD featurettes for Bruce Campbell's MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN is on shelves now. I think Best Buy has it for $10.
Now... on to 007. Daniel Craig has just been cast as the new James Bond and he's been getting all sorts of flack on the bulletin boards. For those who think he doesn't have the charisma, check out LAYER CAKE. This man can take Bond the closest to Fleming than any actor yet. For those who think Craig has no talent, I say again... see LAYER CAKE. For those who think the world's first "Blond Bond" is physically wrong because Bond is a dark haired gent, Fleming also described Bond as having a scar on his cheek and bearing a remarkable similarity to Hoagy Carmichael. I don't know if any of you have seen a picture of Hoagy, but no Bond actor has ever looked as Fleming described (Thank God!). Give Craig a chance. He may just surprise you (that is if the script is any good -this is what hampered Brosnan in a lot of people's minds).
That's all for now. I promise a more constant stream of postings and a few more political rants (still pissed about Katrina response? So am I... and they still won't separate FEMA from Homeland Security! UGH!!!)
Not that I'm complaining. I have been fortunate enough to write film reviews and produce DVD "making of " pieces for some very high profile projects. The current one is MASTERS OF HORROR.
There are 13 "masters" in this series due to air on Showtime starting October 28 (the "masters" are John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Mick Garris, John Landis, Don Coscarelli, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, William Malone, Dario Argento, Takishi Miike, Tobe Hooper, Lucky McKee and John McNaughton). Essentially MOH is an anthology series where each "master" directs an hour long tale of horror. When these come out on DVD, each "master" will get a DVD dedicated solely to them and their episode. That's where I come in. I will be writing, producing and directing what is, for the moment, being called a tribute piece. I interview all manner of actors, producers and writers who have worked with the said "master". Essentially this means I'm producing a series about a series. They'll be called WORKING WITH A MASTER and the first set of DVDs come out in March 2006.
For a film geek like myself, this is a dream. I get to meet many of the filmmakers I grew up on AND make a film of my own about them. So far (and these names may only mean something to horror film fans) I've had the privilege to interview: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Sheryl Lee, Keith David, Ken Foree, Keith Gordon, Julie Carmen, Greg Nicotero, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Max Landis and PJ Soles.
For the upcoming EVIL DEAD 25th Anniversary disc, I am also producing a retrospective piece entitled IT SWALLOWED THEIR SOULS!! For this I was able to interview SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright. To say the man is nice barely begins to cover it. In addition to being quite a cinephile, Edgar is a well spoken interview and probably the most in depth I've ever conducted. Being a huge fan of SHAUN and Edgar's British series SPACED, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Edgar is as approachable as his work.
In other Anchor Bay news, my first pair of DVD featurettes for Bruce Campbell's MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN is on shelves now. I think Best Buy has it for $10.
Now... on to 007. Daniel Craig has just been cast as the new James Bond and he's been getting all sorts of flack on the bulletin boards. For those who think he doesn't have the charisma, check out LAYER CAKE. This man can take Bond the closest to Fleming than any actor yet. For those who think Craig has no talent, I say again... see LAYER CAKE. For those who think the world's first "Blond Bond" is physically wrong because Bond is a dark haired gent, Fleming also described Bond as having a scar on his cheek and bearing a remarkable similarity to Hoagy Carmichael. I don't know if any of you have seen a picture of Hoagy, but no Bond actor has ever looked as Fleming described (Thank God!). Give Craig a chance. He may just surprise you (that is if the script is any good -this is what hampered Brosnan in a lot of people's minds).
That's all for now. I promise a more constant stream of postings and a few more political rants (still pissed about Katrina response? So am I... and they still won't separate FEMA from Homeland Security! UGH!!!)
posted by FHW | 6:56 PM
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