Haunted Sunshine Girl of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl fame has released a little sneak peek of her upcoming Black Eyed Kids movie...
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Peephole Review: Dark Shadows (2012)
As a childhood fan of the 60s soap opera Dark Shadows, I was one of those unhappy campers who moaned and shook their walkers at the ridiculous fish-out-of-water trailer, released only a few short weeks before the film's release, and after months of negative speculation of a possible disastrous Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration. I can't say that I wanted to hate this movie, as so many other DS fans were looking to do. I actually wanted it to be good. If not for my own desire to see something good come of my fav television programs (especially after the yawn inducing 90s remake, and the failed 20-ought WB teen-oriented show), but also for the possibility of reawakening interest in this classic piece of pop culture phenomenon.
And a phenomenon it was! Dark Shadows, an afternoon network soap opera, had kids and teenagers swarming for vampires and werewolves long before social media forced them to choose between Team Edward and Team Jacob. There were board games, cereal box trinkets, comic books, novelizations, Halloween costumes, toys. And then there were the hit record singles from cast members, television and personal appearances, and major motion picture adaptations. But most peculiar of all was the teen heart-throb status of Barnabas Collins, the 200 year old vampire who became an overnight sensation after being added to the cast of the Gothic soaper. Odd because the actor whose image plastered the covers of Tiger Beat mags, and drew the adoring shrieks from teenage girls was a 43 year-old Canadian stage actor, Jonathan Frid. His craggy complexion and middle-age looks were in deep contrast to the cherubic, smoothness of his fellow idols, Davy Jones, Bobby Sherman or Donny Osmond.
Unfortunately, those days have passed. Stories with middle-aged characters, who look like middle-aged characters, and act like middle-age characters, just don't become record breaking phenomenons anymore. That's too bad... And I don't say that because I'm a middle-aged codger, shaking his fist at the young 'uns who've taken over. I say it because I think that the good stories involve characters of all ages, and shouldn't have to feature just the finest looking, most well dressed and coiffed specimens of human attractiveness. I mean seriously... God love him, but have you seen Jonathan Frid? He's no Johnny Depp.
And this is the dilemma that faced the latest resurrection of Dark Shadows... how to market it to the fickle youth AND to the diehard older fans. In my opinion, they blew it. The marketing, that is, not the film. The stranger from another time period schtick has gotten overplayed as of late -- either that, or it's been done too damn well (Life on Mars) by others -- that the corny Brady Bunch Movie gimmick of 70s groovy meets 21st Century hipness in the Dark Shadows trailer shredded the turntable needle to bits. It upset the old skool fans, and bored and confused the newer, younger target audience.
The film, however, I have to admit, was kind of fun. Hurried, indulgent, overreaching, and scattered... but fun. I don't know that it'll gain an audience, because Burton seems never to find a real focus in the story to make it universal. He's most likely still smarting from the whooping he took after all but killing the return of another momentous 60s phenomenon The Planet of the Apes. The result is, he made a safe movie. Part Gothic, part horror, part light comedy, and much too safe.
The film's saving grace -- and I check myself for saying this -- is Johnny Depp. He would have been the furthest from my choice to play my childhood hero, Barnabas Collins. But, Depp is, and always has been, a daring actor, unafraid to put himself out there to try something different. He did a commendable thing by capturing Jonathan Frid's grace and chivalry, instead of mocking it, as I would imaging so many other actors would bow to. I don't know that I agree with the Nosferatu fingers and pale skin, but a great performance by Depp did wonders for this film.
The rest of the cast did wonderful jobs, as well. I was not buying that Chloe Grace Moretz could pull off the haughty teen Carolyn Stoddard the way Nancy Barrett did on the original soap. But, she did well by turning in a more spaced out, vapid version of Carolyn. Michele Pfeiffer matches the stoicism of Joan Bennett, as the Collins Family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Bella Heathcote brings a nice sense of wide-eyed, innocent sexiness that nicely counters Alexandra Moltke's prudish turn as the virtuous Victoria Winters. Stand outs would be Helena Bonham Carter's enjoyably martini-doused twist on the overly dramatic Dr. Julia Hoffman, and Eva Green as the delicious Angelique Bouchard. Green takes the wickedness of Lara Parker's original soap performance, and dresses it up with some shocking red glamor. Of course, with the good, there is the bad... I was greatly disappointed in the two people who I was expecting greatness. Johnny Miller is not my ideal choice to play Elizabeth's cad of a brother, Roger Collins, but I thought for sure that Jonny Lee Miller would lay it all out. Instead, Miller plays the scoundrel with so little luster that he'd not even make a good bad guy on an episode of Charlie's Angels. The other downer was Jackie Earle Haley as Barnabas's sidekick Willie Loomis. If any of the characters needed a big performance behind it, I would think it be Willie's. The great John Karlen pulled off, easily, the best performances on the original show, as the demented, sly and troubled caretaker. He added such a genuine pathos to the character that it endeared you to him, and generated true shock when he went bad. What a great downer that Haley, who generated similar audience reactions as the child molester in Little Children merely played Loomis as a clueless cast off.
It's not clear why Burton steered clear of the original Bob Cobert theme music. It's theremin infused, Gothic tone is instantly recognizable and very much a part of the Dark Shadows experience that it's unimaginable that it does not appear at any point in the movie. Films like Mission Impossible and A-Team and television shows like Hawaii Five-O reused and re-infused their original theme songs with great success. It's mind boggling why Burton chose not to. Thankfully, however, he did use some of the terrific music cues that Cobert designed for the original soaper.
It's not the most charged up recommendation I could give for a movie. Like I say, I was not a big supporter of the remake, and surely not of Tim Burton's involvement... but I did enjoy the movie. Twice. I hope that just as Planet of the Apes managed to return to the screen, despite Burton's trouncing, Dark Shadows will rise from the grave, to continue on in much grander form.
And a phenomenon it was! Dark Shadows, an afternoon network soap opera, had kids and teenagers swarming for vampires and werewolves long before social media forced them to choose between Team Edward and Team Jacob. There were board games, cereal box trinkets, comic books, novelizations, Halloween costumes, toys. And then there were the hit record singles from cast members, television and personal appearances, and major motion picture adaptations. But most peculiar of all was the teen heart-throb status of Barnabas Collins, the 200 year old vampire who became an overnight sensation after being added to the cast of the Gothic soaper. Odd because the actor whose image plastered the covers of Tiger Beat mags, and drew the adoring shrieks from teenage girls was a 43 year-old Canadian stage actor, Jonathan Frid. His craggy complexion and middle-age looks were in deep contrast to the cherubic, smoothness of his fellow idols, Davy Jones, Bobby Sherman or Donny Osmond.
And this is the dilemma that faced the latest resurrection of Dark Shadows... how to market it to the fickle youth AND to the diehard older fans. In my opinion, they blew it. The marketing, that is, not the film. The stranger from another time period schtick has gotten overplayed as of late -- either that, or it's been done too damn well (Life on Mars) by others -- that the corny Brady Bunch Movie gimmick of 70s groovy meets 21st Century hipness in the Dark Shadows trailer shredded the turntable needle to bits. It upset the old skool fans, and bored and confused the newer, younger target audience.
The film, however, I have to admit, was kind of fun. Hurried, indulgent, overreaching, and scattered... but fun. I don't know that it'll gain an audience, because Burton seems never to find a real focus in the story to make it universal. He's most likely still smarting from the whooping he took after all but killing the return of another momentous 60s phenomenon The Planet of the Apes. The result is, he made a safe movie. Part Gothic, part horror, part light comedy, and much too safe.
The film's saving grace -- and I check myself for saying this -- is Johnny Depp. He would have been the furthest from my choice to play my childhood hero, Barnabas Collins. But, Depp is, and always has been, a daring actor, unafraid to put himself out there to try something different. He did a commendable thing by capturing Jonathan Frid's grace and chivalry, instead of mocking it, as I would imaging so many other actors would bow to. I don't know that I agree with the Nosferatu fingers and pale skin, but a great performance by Depp did wonders for this film.
The rest of the cast did wonderful jobs, as well. I was not buying that Chloe Grace Moretz could pull off the haughty teen Carolyn Stoddard the way Nancy Barrett did on the original soap. But, she did well by turning in a more spaced out, vapid version of Carolyn. Michele Pfeiffer matches the stoicism of Joan Bennett, as the Collins Family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Bella Heathcote brings a nice sense of wide-eyed, innocent sexiness that nicely counters Alexandra Moltke's prudish turn as the virtuous Victoria Winters. Stand outs would be Helena Bonham Carter's enjoyably martini-doused twist on the overly dramatic Dr. Julia Hoffman, and Eva Green as the delicious Angelique Bouchard. Green takes the wickedness of Lara Parker's original soap performance, and dresses it up with some shocking red glamor. Of course, with the good, there is the bad... I was greatly disappointed in the two people who I was expecting greatness. Johnny Miller is not my ideal choice to play Elizabeth's cad of a brother, Roger Collins, but I thought for sure that Jonny Lee Miller would lay it all out. Instead, Miller plays the scoundrel with so little luster that he'd not even make a good bad guy on an episode of Charlie's Angels. The other downer was Jackie Earle Haley as Barnabas's sidekick Willie Loomis. If any of the characters needed a big performance behind it, I would think it be Willie's. The great John Karlen pulled off, easily, the best performances on the original show, as the demented, sly and troubled caretaker. He added such a genuine pathos to the character that it endeared you to him, and generated true shock when he went bad. What a great downer that Haley, who generated similar audience reactions as the child molester in Little Children merely played Loomis as a clueless cast off.
It's not clear why Burton steered clear of the original Bob Cobert theme music. It's theremin infused, Gothic tone is instantly recognizable and very much a part of the Dark Shadows experience that it's unimaginable that it does not appear at any point in the movie. Films like Mission Impossible and A-Team and television shows like Hawaii Five-O reused and re-infused their original theme songs with great success. It's mind boggling why Burton chose not to. Thankfully, however, he did use some of the terrific music cues that Cobert designed for the original soaper.
It's not the most charged up recommendation I could give for a movie. Like I say, I was not a big supporter of the remake, and surely not of Tim Burton's involvement... but I did enjoy the movie. Twice. I hope that just as Planet of the Apes managed to return to the screen, despite Burton's trouncing, Dark Shadows will rise from the grave, to continue on in much grander form.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
American Mary Goes to Cannes!
The fabulous Soska Sisters broke the news that their follow up feature to Dead Hooker in a Trunk is heading to Cannes. The hotly anticipated American Mary will have it's premiere at the next week at the cool ass Cannes Film Fest.
To celebrate, the Twisted Twins have donned red (hot), white & blue bikinis on their website. Go there to check them out. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek still from the movie American Mary, featuring the amazing Katherine Isabelle as Mary Mason.
Can't. Friggin. Wait.
To celebrate, the Twisted Twins have donned red (hot), white & blue bikinis on their website. Go there to check them out. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek still from the movie American Mary, featuring the amazing Katherine Isabelle as Mary Mason.
Can't. Friggin. Wait.
Monday, April 16, 2012
BadRonald Sez -- I Can't Friggin' Wait For This!
This is the first trailer from a low budget, local made post-apocalyptic action horror hybrid -- Winter's Kill. Made in and around Jamestown, NY. It looks these guys have pulled off something special here.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Peephole News: From the Set of Adrian Garcia Bogliano's Here Comes the Devil
FIRST DAY OF PRINCIPAL
PHOTOGRAPHY HAS WRAPPED ON HORROR MASTER ADRIAN GARCIA BOGLIANO’S
‘HERE COMES THE DEVIL’
 |
| Adrian Garcia Bogliano on set of Here Comes the Devil |
MPI/Dark Sky Films today announced the first day of principle photography on Adrian Garcia
Bogliano’s latest film, HERE COMES THE DEVIL has been completed in Tijuana. The
film stars Francisco Barreiro (We
Are What We Are) and
rising actress Laura Caro.
Shooting is underway in Tijuana and will take place on locations in the Mexican city and its environs, including ominous caves that figure
prominently in the story. HERE COMES THE DEVIL is a co-production
from MPI’s Dark Sky Films and Bogliano’s Salto de Fe Films. Adrian Garcia
Bogliano is the creator of the international horror sensations Penumbra and Cold Sweat.
HERE COMES THE DEVIL is the first full-length
feature from Salto de Fe Films, which is based in Mexico City. In addition to
the recent Penumbra and Cold Sweat, Garcia Bogliano’s many films
include such independent genre achievement as Rooms for Tourists, 36 Steps, Watch ’em Die and The Accursed.
 |
| Cast and crew on Here Comes the Devil |
With HERE COMES THE DEVIL, he moves into a
supernatural realm: A
married couple loses their children while on a family trip near some caves in
Tijuana. The kids eventually reappear without explanation, but it becomes clear
that they are not who they used to be, that something terrifying has changed
them.
The
Spanish-language movie is the most recent addition to MPI/Dark Sky’s solid
slate of original productions, which include the The Innkeepers, Stake Land, Hatchet II and Frankenstein’s Army, which is currently shooting in Prague.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
BadRonald Interview with Evalena Marie: Watch Those Eyes!
The first thing you notice about Evalena Marie is her eyes. Wide and bright, and telling a story. They grow big with fear, and then smolder with fire. Just a glimpse from her and your imagination runs wild.
The second thing you notice is that she can kick your ass! Holy crap is this girl rock solid killer!!! She's Joan Jett, all leathered up and raging with hot punk grrl angst. She's Milla Jovovich, sleek and long and battle tested. She's Audry Hepburn sweet and smart. She's Rooney Mara, recondite, and quiet beauty. She's the whole deal.
The second thing you notice is that she can kick your ass! Holy crap is this girl rock solid killer!!! She's Joan Jett, all leathered up and raging with hot punk grrl angst. She's Milla Jovovich, sleek and long and battle tested. She's Audry Hepburn sweet and smart. She's Rooney Mara, recondite, and quiet beauty. She's the whole deal.
Born
and raised in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, Evalena had no aspirations for the acting life. It was while studying architecture in Boston that she happened on fashion photographer Kim Kennedy and became the subject for his
work. Once in front of his camera, she began to fall in love with performing. Her modeling quickly led her to her first acting role in Kevin James Barry's femme fatale feature
Serena and the RATTS. In 2010, she was
awarded BEST ACTRESS at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood for her
role as Desiree in the short film Asleep in Child's Park. Since then, Evalena has been busy acting, producing, and writing. Her most recent
role as Tori in the film adaptation of Steve Niles' (30 Days of Night) graphic
novel Remains is on the Chiller channel.
Evalena has
enjoyed playing many unusual characters, and with several exciting projects in
development for 2012, Evalena is looking forward to even more challenging roles. I know I'm keeping an eye out for her.
BadRonald: You can now be seen in Steve Niles' Remains on Chiller
TV, and you are featured in a number of other genre films this past year, including
Exhumed, with Debbie Rochon. Are you a horror fan? And what is it
about horror you enjoy?
Evalena Marie: I am a horror fan. I am a sci-fi fan. I am an action fan. Fantasy, comedy, drama, romance, I'm just a movie fan period. I love a great story and a fun ride, and I love getting that from a horror film because the characters and the circumstances are usually intense and visceral, and I just happen to really enjoy playing those types of characters in those types of extreme circumstances. I love imaginative people doing their thing, finessing their craft, and the horror genre in an excellent playground for them to dream bigger and really flex their muscles. Everyone gets to work together to create something maybe only previously known in dreams. And of course, if doesn't hurt that I happen to love chainsaws and shotguns and prosthetic skin!
BadRonald: Whatever role you're playing, you have this vulnerability about you. Of course it works well when you play a victim or a troubled soul, but it's most impressive when you're the tough tomboy ass-kicker. Your performance in Serena and the RATTS, reminded me of what was so great in the performances in Le Femme Nikita, Run Lola Run, and the Lisbeth Salander movies. Where does that vulnerability, juxtaposed with guts come from?
Evalena Marie: First of all, wow. Thank you for even mentioning me in the same sentence with those films. That juxtaposition that comes through successfully is the result of a beautiful collaborative partnership between myself and a brilliant director, whether it be a photo shoot or a feature film. It's that relationship between myself and my director that provides me sanctuary to approach and balance on the ledge with knowing I won't fall. It's kind of like being able to fly while Superman is holding you up!
BadRonald: You've now taken a role as producer. What did you see in Serena and the RATTS that attracted you to the role, and how did you use your position as producer to pull it all together?
Evalena Marie: Being a producer kind of just happened, but then again, so did being an actress. I met Kevin James Barry (writer and director of Serena and the RATTS) on my first gig ever, playing a background concentration camp prisoner in Shutter Island just for fun. He was a film student at the time, and thought it would be fun to make a skinheads short since he now had access to all these bald people, and he asked me if I wanted in on it. Now, at the time I was studying architecture and had zero interest in acting, and was actually mortified by being on camera, but I would have agreed to anything to get to see him again, so I said sure! We were waiting for the red line at South Station when he remembered his little script he had on the back burner, Serena. We did some tests where he put me on camera in character, and then he offered me the role. My first role, my dream role. And producing the movie together was just a result of our partnership. I promised him we would finish the movie, and producing the movie alongside him was the best way to ensure I kept that promise. I never expected to fall in love with acting or producing but here I am, not able to imagine my life without it.
BadRonald: Your modeling work stands out, as well. There are a couple pieces that are very striking. The first is a photo I've come across online with you in a punk role, your head is shaved (by the way, you look amazing bald!), and with those big beautiful eyes just sort of staring back into the lens. What's going on in that photo?
Evalena Marie: I know the exact photo you're talking about, it's one of my favorites. I loved being bald, so it's great that it actually worked since I plan to do it again as soon as I can. The photographer Peter Martin and I had ventured out into the streets of Boston that day, spring was just starting to take its first breath of the season, and as we lost the sun that day, we ended up in a dark back alley somewhere in Beacon Hill. I crouched down against that coarse brick wall and just soaked in my environment. The atmosphere is the real star of that photo, it was so thick and undeniable. I just ingested it and made it everything I was for that moment. And that's what you see in the photo.
BadRonald: And the other is the rooftop photos with photographer Jackie Puwalski... there's some wild sci fi action girl costumes going on. You have this feminine strength that breaks through, and it's not just from the sexiness of you and the wardrobe. Many models demure to the camera, to try to seduce the viewer, but your shots are different. There's a lot more going on. You command attention from sheer will and strength, and your state of undress is as much a part of the wardrobe as the clothing. You have a great confidence that comes through in these photos that's very engaging. It seems to come natural to you. How important is it to you to portray strength -- physical and emotional -- in your characters (whether in modeling or acting).
Evalena Marie: I think strength comes in many forms and it is just compelling and engaging no matter how you serve it, so I believe strength is a crucial component for creating a fascinating and captivating character. When I'm in the front of the camera (still or movie), the farthest things from my mind are trying to seduce or be pretty for the camera. I mean, when I look in the mirror, I don't see pretty. I see the same face I see every day; the same doofy, awkward girl I've always seen. So when I'm on set, I'm just having a blast playing pretend. I'm a super hero! Or I'm a monster! Or whatever sounds like fun at the time, just like playing Dungeons and Dragons or writing my stories. I've always loved making new characters, long before I ever took on a role in a movie. So that is still my favorite part.
BadRonald: What, to you, defines strength in a woman?
Evalena Marie: My confidence in my imagination and my willing surrender of inhibition is where my strength in front of the camera comes from. However, strength might just be one of those things that cannot be tamed with a definition. I don't know that it has boundaries and defined edges, I think it may be more of a fluid concept that will be different in every woman. But maybe the common denominator you can anticipate would be confidence. Confidence in whatever form. Maybe she's confident of her sense of humor, and that gives her strength. Maybe she's confident in her kindness, and that gives her strength. I'd like to think that once you achieve true confidence, it cannot be taken away from you (a goal I'm still working to achieve myself!).
BadRonald: What are the films and art and artist that influenced you when you were young. And who and what still make an impact?
Evalena Marie: Most of my early artistic influences are actually musicians. Harry Connick, Jr. is a huge influence. Fiona Apple. Stevie Wonder. Otis Redding. Without them I don't even want to think about how numb I would be to all the beauty that surrounds me. Since falling in love with acting, two of my influences are Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Holy cow, if I ever become half the actors they are, I will blow my own mind. My goal is someday to be completely unrecognizable in a role, that my own mother wouldn't even be able to see me. But that's a long road ahead of me. Got a lot of hard work to get to that point, and I cannot wait for the challenges that will help me grow to that level.
The most influential person in my life, however, is not an actor or a filmmaker, but an artist of capturing moments of inconceivable beauty. A photographer named Kim Kennedy. Meeting Kim was a life long gift. In front of Kim's camera, I felt beautiful in front of a lens for the first time. And not because I felt pretty on the outside, but because he had the magical talent of really seeing me, making it safe for me to come out of my shell, and capturing that moment of emergence from deep underground. Not only a huge source of inspiration and drive in my life, he was also a dear friend and creative partner. Last May, he passed away from Lymphoma. With an unmatched zest for life, he loved diving in the ocean, and wanted the Atlantic to be his final resting place. Before we laid him to rest, I made a final promise to him that I would help him take care of his girls so he could enjoy the ride. His best friend Tom Clancy set up a charity in his name, Everybody's Brother, to benefit his beautiful wife Marina and daughter Misha. Anyone reading this can join me in helping him take care of his girls, helping me keep my promise to him, by making any amount of donation to www.everybodysbrother.com. 100% of the donations go straight to Marina and Misha and no donation is too small to make a difference. Thank you, guys.
BadRonald: You've made an impact in horror and genre films. How do you see the role of women in horror and genre films growing, and what would you, as a producer and creator, like to do, or see done?
Evalena Marie: I've had a lot of conversations with my friend and film director Mike Pecci about this actually. We've talked about what we want to see in the modern heroine. As a movie goer, actress, writer and producer, I look forward to seeing and portraying more female characters that are heroic without trying to be men. There's certainly a charm to seeing a masculine chick kicking ass and taking names, but I'm really looking forward to seeing more roles where a woman is kicking ass and taking names as a woman; where the femininity is not only still intact but also remains valuable.
Some behind the scenes footage of Evalena Marie's latest photo shoot!
EVALENA MARIE Oscar Night at the Beverly Hilton from Evalena Website on Vimeo.
If'n you're loving these photos as much as I know you are, here are some links to find out more about Evalena and about the fine work she'd done:
www.evalenamarie.com
www.horroblepictures.com
www.yellowlinephotography.com
www.kerishea.com
Evalena Marie: I am a horror fan. I am a sci-fi fan. I am an action fan. Fantasy, comedy, drama, romance, I'm just a movie fan period. I love a great story and a fun ride, and I love getting that from a horror film because the characters and the circumstances are usually intense and visceral, and I just happen to really enjoy playing those types of characters in those types of extreme circumstances. I love imaginative people doing their thing, finessing their craft, and the horror genre in an excellent playground for them to dream bigger and really flex their muscles. Everyone gets to work together to create something maybe only previously known in dreams. And of course, if doesn't hurt that I happen to love chainsaws and shotguns and prosthetic skin!
BadRonald: Whatever role you're playing, you have this vulnerability about you. Of course it works well when you play a victim or a troubled soul, but it's most impressive when you're the tough tomboy ass-kicker. Your performance in Serena and the RATTS, reminded me of what was so great in the performances in Le Femme Nikita, Run Lola Run, and the Lisbeth Salander movies. Where does that vulnerability, juxtaposed with guts come from?
Evalena Marie: First of all, wow. Thank you for even mentioning me in the same sentence with those films. That juxtaposition that comes through successfully is the result of a beautiful collaborative partnership between myself and a brilliant director, whether it be a photo shoot or a feature film. It's that relationship between myself and my director that provides me sanctuary to approach and balance on the ledge with knowing I won't fall. It's kind of like being able to fly while Superman is holding you up!
BadRonald: You've now taken a role as producer. What did you see in Serena and the RATTS that attracted you to the role, and how did you use your position as producer to pull it all together?
Evalena Marie: Being a producer kind of just happened, but then again, so did being an actress. I met Kevin James Barry (writer and director of Serena and the RATTS) on my first gig ever, playing a background concentration camp prisoner in Shutter Island just for fun. He was a film student at the time, and thought it would be fun to make a skinheads short since he now had access to all these bald people, and he asked me if I wanted in on it. Now, at the time I was studying architecture and had zero interest in acting, and was actually mortified by being on camera, but I would have agreed to anything to get to see him again, so I said sure! We were waiting for the red line at South Station when he remembered his little script he had on the back burner, Serena. We did some tests where he put me on camera in character, and then he offered me the role. My first role, my dream role. And producing the movie together was just a result of our partnership. I promised him we would finish the movie, and producing the movie alongside him was the best way to ensure I kept that promise. I never expected to fall in love with acting or producing but here I am, not able to imagine my life without it.
BadRonald: Your modeling work stands out, as well. There are a couple pieces that are very striking. The first is a photo I've come across online with you in a punk role, your head is shaved (by the way, you look amazing bald!), and with those big beautiful eyes just sort of staring back into the lens. What's going on in that photo?
Evalena Marie: I know the exact photo you're talking about, it's one of my favorites. I loved being bald, so it's great that it actually worked since I plan to do it again as soon as I can. The photographer Peter Martin and I had ventured out into the streets of Boston that day, spring was just starting to take its first breath of the season, and as we lost the sun that day, we ended up in a dark back alley somewhere in Beacon Hill. I crouched down against that coarse brick wall and just soaked in my environment. The atmosphere is the real star of that photo, it was so thick and undeniable. I just ingested it and made it everything I was for that moment. And that's what you see in the photo.
BadRonald: And the other is the rooftop photos with photographer Jackie Puwalski... there's some wild sci fi action girl costumes going on. You have this feminine strength that breaks through, and it's not just from the sexiness of you and the wardrobe. Many models demure to the camera, to try to seduce the viewer, but your shots are different. There's a lot more going on. You command attention from sheer will and strength, and your state of undress is as much a part of the wardrobe as the clothing. You have a great confidence that comes through in these photos that's very engaging. It seems to come natural to you. How important is it to you to portray strength -- physical and emotional -- in your characters (whether in modeling or acting).
Evalena Marie: I think strength comes in many forms and it is just compelling and engaging no matter how you serve it, so I believe strength is a crucial component for creating a fascinating and captivating character. When I'm in the front of the camera (still or movie), the farthest things from my mind are trying to seduce or be pretty for the camera. I mean, when I look in the mirror, I don't see pretty. I see the same face I see every day; the same doofy, awkward girl I've always seen. So when I'm on set, I'm just having a blast playing pretend. I'm a super hero! Or I'm a monster! Or whatever sounds like fun at the time, just like playing Dungeons and Dragons or writing my stories. I've always loved making new characters, long before I ever took on a role in a movie. So that is still my favorite part.
BadRonald: What, to you, defines strength in a woman?
Evalena Marie: My confidence in my imagination and my willing surrender of inhibition is where my strength in front of the camera comes from. However, strength might just be one of those things that cannot be tamed with a definition. I don't know that it has boundaries and defined edges, I think it may be more of a fluid concept that will be different in every woman. But maybe the common denominator you can anticipate would be confidence. Confidence in whatever form. Maybe she's confident of her sense of humor, and that gives her strength. Maybe she's confident in her kindness, and that gives her strength. I'd like to think that once you achieve true confidence, it cannot be taken away from you (a goal I'm still working to achieve myself!).
BadRonald: What are the films and art and artist that influenced you when you were young. And who and what still make an impact?
Evalena Marie: Most of my early artistic influences are actually musicians. Harry Connick, Jr. is a huge influence. Fiona Apple. Stevie Wonder. Otis Redding. Without them I don't even want to think about how numb I would be to all the beauty that surrounds me. Since falling in love with acting, two of my influences are Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Holy cow, if I ever become half the actors they are, I will blow my own mind. My goal is someday to be completely unrecognizable in a role, that my own mother wouldn't even be able to see me. But that's a long road ahead of me. Got a lot of hard work to get to that point, and I cannot wait for the challenges that will help me grow to that level.
The most influential person in my life, however, is not an actor or a filmmaker, but an artist of capturing moments of inconceivable beauty. A photographer named Kim Kennedy. Meeting Kim was a life long gift. In front of Kim's camera, I felt beautiful in front of a lens for the first time. And not because I felt pretty on the outside, but because he had the magical talent of really seeing me, making it safe for me to come out of my shell, and capturing that moment of emergence from deep underground. Not only a huge source of inspiration and drive in my life, he was also a dear friend and creative partner. Last May, he passed away from Lymphoma. With an unmatched zest for life, he loved diving in the ocean, and wanted the Atlantic to be his final resting place. Before we laid him to rest, I made a final promise to him that I would help him take care of his girls so he could enjoy the ride. His best friend Tom Clancy set up a charity in his name, Everybody's Brother, to benefit his beautiful wife Marina and daughter Misha. Anyone reading this can join me in helping him take care of his girls, helping me keep my promise to him, by making any amount of donation to www.everybodysbrother.com. 100% of the donations go straight to Marina and Misha and no donation is too small to make a difference. Thank you, guys.
BadRonald: You've made an impact in horror and genre films. How do you see the role of women in horror and genre films growing, and what would you, as a producer and creator, like to do, or see done?
Evalena Marie: I've had a lot of conversations with my friend and film director Mike Pecci about this actually. We've talked about what we want to see in the modern heroine. As a movie goer, actress, writer and producer, I look forward to seeing and portraying more female characters that are heroic without trying to be men. There's certainly a charm to seeing a masculine chick kicking ass and taking names, but I'm really looking forward to seeing more roles where a woman is kicking ass and taking names as a woman; where the femininity is not only still intact but also remains valuable.
A BAD RONALD EXCLUSIVE
Evalena did a huge kindness for me by lending me some exclusive photographs from her latest photo shoot with Daniel Rosenthal. If you thought you were having a good time on Oscar night, check out the wild time Evalena was having at the Beverly Hills Hilton... So nice. So cool. So smokin'.
Photography credit: Daniel Rosenthal
Makeup and hair credit: Keri Anne Shea
Cinematography credit: Kevin James Barry
EVALENA MARIE Oscar Night at the Beverly Hilton from Evalena Website on Vimeo.
www.evalenamarie.com
www.horroblepictures.com
www.yellowlinephotography.com
www.kerishea.com
Friday, March 2, 2012
Dear God No! -- BadRonald Sez F&#k Yes!
So long ago I caught the red band trailer for Dear God No! plastered all over FaceBook and various genre blogs. It started out a little something about "sissies and individuals with heart conditions should not watch..." Um... press play, goddamit!!
What followed was an onslaught of retro 70s grindhouse mayhem: bikers posing with the backdrop of a drive-in screen and explosions, limbs ripped in two, Bigfoot attacks on Frenken-nazis (whaaaat!) -- but, wait.... they had me at gun-totting dancers with Nixon masks. Dear. God. Yes.
Dear God No! director James Bickert did me an awful kindness by sending out an advanced screener of his crazy-ass mash up of genres. Holy shit did I have a good time watching this acid freakout! There have been countless films that flash the grindhouse badge, but rarely none have the actual credentials. Even the Tarantino/Rodriguez headlined titular ode -- with all its "lost" reels and roughed up negative antics and CG replicated old skool FX -- failed to really captured the essence of real grindhouse fare. That studio stuff was a little too tongue in cheek, and self gratifying. Where Bickert succeeded was not just in the look of the old grindhousers -- shooting on 16mm Fuji film stock, and using hands on FX -- but also with the mood and feel of the 60s and 70s experimental weirdo flicks.
DGN! wastes no time on pleasantries, fouling the minds of the viewer with the opening scene. An eagle swoops majestically in the clear blue skies, over an open field where the notorious biker gang The Impalers rustle themselves awake after a night of debauchery. Strewn amongst them are bodies of the nuns they've violated and left for dead. Holy shitniks! We're not in your average smiley Hollywood grindhouse rip-off anymore!!! This is the real deal Neal Sedaka! This film does exactly what the narrator of the red band trailer says The Impalers do -- "ravishes and rapes and destroys everything that's decent."
Meanwhile, back at the house in the woods... Nutty scientist and weirdly awkward daughter conduct secret experiments and monstrous studies. When the Impalers come roaring in for a night of raping and pillaging... well, as the movie trailer warns "What happens in this house will freak you out."
Dear God No! hits the grindhouse on the head. It works as a hot blooded ode to the trash flicks of 42nd Street, without wallowing in fanboy worship, as well as as a legit piece of drive-in exploitation. There's even a sappy hippie Last House on the Left song in the closing credits! So, what more can you ask for? You've got nun-violatin', kid-slayin' bikers, rampaging Bigfoots, stiched up Franken-nazis, Trcky-Dick strippers with machine-guns, and Manson Family style abortions. Seriously, Dear God No! rips the heads off all the other grindhouse wannabes, and shits down their puny necks. It's pure bloody rock and roll trash gold! Dear God No! -- fuck yes!
Check out my interview with director James Bickert here.
What followed was an onslaught of retro 70s grindhouse mayhem: bikers posing with the backdrop of a drive-in screen and explosions, limbs ripped in two, Bigfoot attacks on Frenken-nazis (whaaaat!) -- but, wait.... they had me at gun-totting dancers with Nixon masks. Dear. God. Yes.
DGN! wastes no time on pleasantries, fouling the minds of the viewer with the opening scene. An eagle swoops majestically in the clear blue skies, over an open field where the notorious biker gang The Impalers rustle themselves awake after a night of debauchery. Strewn amongst them are bodies of the nuns they've violated and left for dead. Holy shitniks! We're not in your average smiley Hollywood grindhouse rip-off anymore!!! This is the real deal Neal Sedaka! This film does exactly what the narrator of the red band trailer says The Impalers do -- "ravishes and rapes and destroys everything that's decent."
Meanwhile, back at the house in the woods... Nutty scientist and weirdly awkward daughter conduct secret experiments and monstrous studies. When the Impalers come roaring in for a night of raping and pillaging... well, as the movie trailer warns "What happens in this house will freak you out." Dear God No! hits the grindhouse on the head. It works as a hot blooded ode to the trash flicks of 42nd Street, without wallowing in fanboy worship, as well as as a legit piece of drive-in exploitation. There's even a sappy hippie Last House on the Left song in the closing credits! So, what more can you ask for? You've got nun-violatin', kid-slayin' bikers, rampaging Bigfoots, stiched up Franken-nazis, Trcky-Dick strippers with machine-guns, and Manson Family style abortions. Seriously, Dear God No! rips the heads off all the other grindhouse wannabes, and shits down their puny necks. It's pure bloody rock and roll trash gold! Dear God No! -- fuck yes!
Check out my interview with director James Bickert here.
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