“Frank & Zed” Interview | Writer, director Jesse Blanchard | The Filmcraziest Show | Fantasia Film Festival

Back at last October’s first edition of the Nightstream Film Festival, I was able to watch the wild puppet horror film Frank & Zed, written and directed by Portland filmmaker Jesse Blanchard. I loved it a lot as a love letter to the horror genre and monster movies, and I loved seeing all the effort that went into a puppet film of nature, especially with the climactic Orgy of Blood. I spoke with Jesse at that festival, but as our conversation came at the very end of the festival, we thought it best to hold the conversation for either its release (On Demand or what have you), or its next big festival stop. It’s now playing at the Fantasia Film Festival – available On Demand through Wednesday, August 25 – and I’m super excited to unveil our conversation.

Review: Sound of Metal (2020)

On what is nearly the 9-year anniversary of my website, this review is the first post written by someone other than myself. The author of this review is Arpit Nayak, a good friend of Filmcraziest.com and a regular staff writer at TheMovieBuff.net., where you can read more of his in-depth reviews here. Here's his review of Sound of Metal: The story kicks off with a hard punk music performance in a club. We see the band's drummer, Ruben (Riz Ahmed), playing it all out with lead singer and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke), snarling indistinguishable lyrics at the multitude. You want more of it, but it shifts gears as it pitches into a more piercingly pacific world where the agitation is profound and you can't vigor your way through.

CONTEST: Giveaway of a DVD of “The Honeymoon Phase”

I’m doing something a bit different today and hosting a DVD giveaway for The Honeymoon Phase, which is a sci-fi thriller about a newlywed couple who are offered $50,000 to stay in a house together for 30 days. Obviously, it goes terribly wrong, as the film blends science fiction, thriller, and a bit of horror. It’s directed by Phillip G. Carroll Jr. in his directorial debut, and stars Chloe Carroll, Jim Schubin, and François Chau. The special features on the DVD include bloopers, deleted scenes, a making of and featurettes, too. 

Review Re-post Round-up: Fried Barry, The Paper Tigers, Undergods

Here are some re-posted reviews of some new releases this weekend: The bonkers experimental sci-fi film FRIED BARRY, a Kung Fu story with a lot of heart in THE PAPER TIGERS, and an interestingly bizarre anthology from Chino Moya called UNDERGODS.

Oscar Nominee, Short Film Review: Feeling Through (2020)

Here's a review of Doug Roland's FEELING THROUGH, nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short, a film about a homeless teen making a profound connection with a DeafBlind man who's trying to get home.

My Experience Drawing in an Animation Workshop for “Wolfwalkers”

For a different kind-of article, I was able to take part in an animation workshop for the film WOLFWALKERS. I've included some coverage of the event in the form of quotes and interesting tidbits, as well as my experience trying to follow along in the tutorial and how my own drawings turned out (like the one seen in the featured image).

Interview: Michael Abbott Jr. for The Dark and the Wicked (The Filmcraziest Show – Podcast, video, written transcript)

Here's a written interview transcript of a conversation I had with Michael Abbott Jr., who plays Michael in the new Shudder Exclusive film THE DARK AND THE WICKED. I've also included the podcast audio of the conversation, as well as the YouTube video of the conversation.

Netflix Review: The Prom (2020)

Ryan Murphy, showrunner of American Horror Story, revisits some of his Glee roots by directing The Prom, a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. The story features a troupe of self-obsessed theater stars wanting to find a cause to make themselves feel better. They settle on a small conservative town in Indiana in support of a high school girl, Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom.

Shudder Review: The Dark and the Wicked (2020)

Editor’s note: This is a repost of a review from August 29, 2020 that originally appeared as a review for the Fantasia Film Festival. Directed by: Bryan Bertino. Starring: Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., Xander Berkeley. Runtime: 1h 35 min. Released: This film had its International Premiere at Fantasia Film Festival on August 28, 2020. …

Review: Chick Fight (2020)

In Chick Fight, Malin Akerman's Anna discovers her late mother's fight club when Anna is at rock bottom. She trains and with misguided confidence challenges the film's villain, Olivia (Bella Thorne) to a fight. This starts one of the most boring underdog stories I've ever seen, with flat acting and a lot, a LOT of slow-motion. Read more to learn why you should skip it.