Anti-H announces "Strife"

Projected for release in 2015, Strife is a disturbing cat-and-mouse psychological thriller about a man, Trevor Stiles, who is terrorized by his brother - Andy Stiles. Andy has been released from incarceration after 15 years for killing their mother and feels that it is Trevor who is responsible for his incarceration. 

After his release, Andy seeks out his brother Trevor to perhaps kill him - only to discover that Trevor is a closeted homosexual whom is married to a beautiful wife named Celena and has a 5 year-old son. However, Trevor is cheating on his wife Celena and is embezzling money from his workplace. Upon discovering this, Andy’s plans change. He instead blackmails Trevor and pulls him into a violent and disturbing world of psychological warfare and intimidation. Trevor is so fearful of Andy and his threats and the fear of losing his son, Celena, and his job, that he has no choice but to play his games – no matter how berserk or deranged.

Christoph Kulling is to produce, Rod Webber is to direct, and Danny Trejo is attached.

Uncle Jim

Arnie Messer of Phoenix Pictures is producing a title called Uncle Jim which Kevin Bernhardt wrote with Kyra Pahlen.

The Logline is: An American teenage girl abandons her studies in the Middle East to live with her boyfriend in a religious cult there. Her helpless parents call in her favorite Uncle, a down-and-out ex-boxer, to appeal to her better senses. But once Uncle Jim arrives, he finds that she has not only been brainwashed but is also unwittingly taking part in a drug running scheme. As such this quickly proves to be the biggest fight of his life.

Recruited by an attractive man near the Wailing Wall, an American teenage girl abandons her studies in the Middle East to live with him in a religious cult. Her helpless parents call in her favorite Uncle, a down-and-out ex-boxer, to bring her back. But once Uncle Jim arrives to the Middle East, he finds that she has not only been brainwashed but is also unwittingly taking part in a drug running scheme - and getting her out quickly proves to be the biggest fight of his life.

Press Release: Ethyrea Announced

Check out Ethyrea: Code of the Brethren, by Producer, Danica Fontaine. Their press release sounds very promising!

Press Release from Ethyrea LLC:
Sci-fi and fantasy fans rejoice! Coming to theaters in 2014 is an all new, all original, fantasy adventure series, that features Knoxville Native Cylk Cozart as the General of All Ethyrea’s Armies in the role of “Takeo SilverWing”, alongside Sci-Fi/Fantasy Icon, Kathy Krantz Stewart, and a cast and crew that includes some of the biggest names in today’s entertainment industry. (Special Announcements Coming Soon!) Cozart was the recent recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Urban League, Presented by Hollywood Icon, Louis Gosset, Jr, with stars such as Martin Luther King III, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., Tennessee State Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and former Knoxville Mayor Daniel Brown, along with some of Tennessee’s young professionals to heads of major corporations in attendance to honor him. Cozart, known especially for his work in the film industry with an impressive list of film credits to his name, including: “Conspiracy Theory,” “White Men Can't Jump,” “Three to Tango,” “Love Affair,” “Eraser,” “Play It to the Bone,” “Blue Chips” and Steven Spielberg’s mega Hit, “Eagle Eye.” also has an absolute “heart of gold”; heading up multiple non-profit causes, including his very own non-profit 501-c (3) Foundation, The “Keeping Dreams Alive Foundation”, which continues to uplift, educate and give more than hope, to many children across the Globe. More on Cylk’s foundation can be found online at http://www.KeepingDreamsAliveFoundation.Org ™. One of the things that attracted Cylk to the Ethyrea Franchise is the heart and the number of Non-profit causes that will be supported throughout every phase of the project.

"I don't pick projects. When something hits me that I feel I can help or make a difference in, then that's what I do," Says Cozart. "That's what drew me to this particular project. Throughout the entire production process, every stage, a different non-profit cause will benefit from the project. Danica has some impressive plans up her sleeve that will be a blessing to a lot of people. It’s pretty amazing! And I really look forward to the challenge of the role of Takeo SilverWing as well as working in a creative capacity as a Producer as well. I think a lot of good will come from this project!”

With distribution already guaranteed, this independent blockbuster is a four picture franchise based on the young adult book series, The Order of Ethyrea, from Author Danica Fontaine and Old Line Publishing. One of the freshest, most exciting, and unique concepts to hit Hollywood in a long time, this film franchise is Clash of the Titans meets Lord of theRings. With an A-list crew of seasoned veteran Hollywood filmmakers including Billy Badalato, who is known for his work on Walden Media's Around the World in 80 Days, Dear John, About Schmidt, Alien Resurrection, Broken Arrow, Top Gun and even the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, this film is steeped in the Hollywood elite and some of the finest independent and mainstream studios, as well as internationally award winning animation houses in the world especially with their partners Sandman Studios and Paralight Films. Also, already signed on board and bringing their vast expertise to the franchise are Steve Old and Peter White as Horse masters, having just wrapped up filming on The
Hobbit, War Horse, Clash and Wrath of the Titans, as well as the Canadian Stunt Team run by Stunt Master Stéphane Lefebvreand his team who did most of the stunt work in films like Red, Total Recall 2012, 300, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2012, and even some of the Twilight Saga’s such as “ New Moon” and more, help round this Independent film out as an International “Phenom in the Making.”

“I am extremely excited to be able to work on a film of this caliber. In my thirty years in the industry, I have never had a script draw me into another world so unique and so completely, that I couldn't put it down! Danica has worked very hard reaching out and pulling in the cream of the crop and the most elite that Hollywood has to offer, and I just can't wait to get started”, says Producer Billy Badalato.

Danica, who will be a featured Author and Guest on the film panel for Mysticon in Virginia in 2013, and the rest of her team have been being very tight lipped when it comes to their lead actors and top candidates for the position of Director, and Art/Creature Design, as well as about these “secret non-profit plans incorporated in the project.

“I will only say this,” says Danica as she smiles slyly, “Hollywood isn't going to know what hit them! We have some of the wildest and most completely unheard of marketing plans that are going to make this one of the most fun and exciting film experiences of all time: Experiences that will change a lot of lives for the better. On top of that, Ethyrea will be filmed in some of the most beautiful places on Earth inclusive of Hawaii, Louisiana, Mexico, possibly China or Bulgaria and potentially (fingers crossed) the jewel of the Mediterranean: the Majestic and Mystical Islands of Malta!”

Danica's business partner, Lou Rawls, Jr, the son of the late, great Lou Rawls, is no stranger to the Entertainment Industry and, has been with Danica on this venture for over four years now. He says, “I'm just excited to be a part of this. Danica is a force of nature. Ethyrea is unlike anything Hollywood has ever seen; And Code of the Brethren is just film one. Wait till you see what else is in store with the rest of the franchise. This is definitely not just another remake of an old movie, which seems to becoming typical for Hollywood these days. It's fresh, it's exciting, it's family oriented. Even the very special marketing plans are going to be a magical roller-coaster for the audience, the cast, and the crew alike!

Ethyrea: Code of the Brethren, based on the book series, The Order of Ethyrea by author Danica Fontaine, is the first installment in a franchise that revolves around a world in another realm - a realm where every kingdom has mastered the control of an element. The Brethren are fierce warriors of high moral character, imaginative power, and unrivaled mastery of battle skills and sorcery. The first film’s story revolves around a curse by an evil Sorceress. Ethyrea and its Kingdoms begin to fall prey to an attack from her army of Nightmares, forcing the Royal Brethren of every Kingdom to come together before the Oracle and seek out a long foretold prophecy that will save Ethyrea from a fate far worse than destruction. Together, the Brethren will undertake a perilous quest to reunite the pieces of remembrance that were lost in realms destroyed by their opposite element long, long ago. Alongside of some pretty outstanding magical elements and special CGI effects and techniques, Ethyrea features unique creatures and Guardians rarely seen in fantasy films. There not only be dragons here.... but along with griffins, gargoyles, harpies, and sea serpents, and Draconians there are other wonderful and completely brand new mythical creatures. Ethyrea features no gore, no foul language, and is an exciting, imaginative thrill ride for the whole family. Some of Hollywood's greatest minds: Dean Cundey, Billy Badalato, Stephen Sobisky, Lee Baker, renowned Casting Director Robyn Owen, Troy Edwards of ITM-Entertainment, DQ Entertainment (Winner of the 2012 International Animation Studios of the Year Award) alongside numerous “Oscar” Winning Candidates and companies that have been brought together by the creator of this new blockbuster fantasy franchise that is most definitely going to be a "must see" come Spring 2014. A full list is available on Ethyrea.com, including some "BIG" surprises sure to be announced soon.

To learn more about Ethyrea, check out Ethyrea.com. A second edition release of The Order of Ethyrea: Code of the Brethren is being prepared for a second print run and will feature some bonus elements including a map, and a reference guide. The Order of Ethyrea: Tribe of the Lost has also been recently released from Old Line Publishing. The second edition print runs for this series is underway and will soon be available where ever fine books are sold. First editions are still available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and of course, through the publisher, Old Line Publishing or at Ethyrea.com. A discount is available if purchased online from Old Line Publishing. Order your copy today, and then ask yourself: Are you of the Brethren?

Whatever Makes You Happy

You could call them the inbetweeners. Early on in Whatever Makes You Happy, bassist Alex (Tyler Peck) is invited to a dinner party by an old college friend. “Aren’t you too young for a dinner party?” his neighbor asks.

The characters of Whatever Makes You Happy, a group of friends hitting the end of their 20’s, are all in the same place: stuck between where they started and where they’re going. We join them not at point A or point B, but on a dark, Cambridge street somewhere between. Anna (Rachel Parsons) became a teacher, no doubt with high aspirations to reach students and teach them what she never knew. The reality is far less magical. She’s deep into a relationship but not deeply in love, and she sees the same in everyone around her. Those who are committed to something seem to have settled for it. When she’s introduced to Alex at that dinner party, she realizes that she’s even less sure if what she has is what she wants.

Feelings like this probably spawned the terrible term “quarter-life crisis,” but director and writer A.T. Sayre wisely avoids any labels and pat scenarios. Instead, Whatever Makes You Happy plays out in the  cadence of real life in a refreshing way.

When Alex sends a friend request to Anna after the dinner party, he amusingly types and re-types his message several times. Starting out bland, then getting too personal, then just wacky, he finally decides to send it without any message at all. These people know they should be something, but despite having left college years ago they’re still learning what that is. The question that we watch them answer is: what do they have to do to find out?

Ultimately, Whatever Makes You Happy is a thoughtful character study, and the director will be interesting to watch as his career progresses.

Written by S.M. Crowningshield

Whatever Makes You Happy Website

The Bothersome Man

The Icelandic film The Bothersome Man begins with the protagonist on a random bus in the middle of nowhere. He’s quickly shuffled off to a very clean, drab city where he is given an apartment and job, but still no explanation for where he is or how he got there. He finds that all the people in the city are friendly and accepting, but still there is something off about the place. Nobody can die, the food doesn’t have any taste, and all the alcohol in the world will not get him drunk. It is a purgatory that seems eerily similar to normal life.  In a time where audience hand-holding is standard operating procedure for most films, it is refreshing to watch a movie that doesn’t involve copious expository dialogue. In fact, there isn’t any, at all, and it works all the more because of it.

Part of the effectiveness of The Bothersome Man comes from the performances, which are subtly distant. At no point does anyone raise their voice, or swear, or even genuinely smile. They all smile, but nobody actually seems happy. Everyone is both accepting and oblivious, which leads to some dark, absurdist humor later in the film. The human behavior on display in the city is like watching humanity on its best behavior, yet also uncaring, and detached. Very rarely has sex on screen been so passionless and perfunctory. The muted, nearly absent score also helps with the otherworldly calm of the movie.

While a philosophical Icelandic film that deals with the nature of humanity, has little score, and no identifiable actors may not sound like an enjoyable or engrossing film, it is actually rather entertaining, thanks to a wealthy vein of dark humor, and the good sense of the screenwriter, Per Schreiner, and director, Jens Lien, to not give out any overt answers. The movie lives and dies with its ambiguity. If any answers were given, they would, no doubt, seem either clumsy or cheap. Besides, questions of this magnitude are best left unanswered.

The framing and lighting of the movie seems to match the aesthetic of the city where the majority of the action takes place; the shots are well composed, yet nothing is too artistic or daring. It is similar to the technique used recently in the comedy The Invention of Lying, but there is a bit more polish to the shots in The Bothersome Man, much like how the city has much polish, but no real character.

While the tone of the film never waivers, it is tough to figure out just what kind of movie it is. While at times it feels something like a drama, and occasionally a black comedy, and sometimes a horror movie, and also an existential mystery, it isn’t an easy piece of cinema to nail down. It can be both shockingly gruesome and subtly subversive, all without even a hint of violence or even much dialogue outside of the banal language of everyday business. It is a sly piece of cinema, one that removes all the flash, and replaces it with ambiguity, subtlety, and a good dose of absurdity.

Written by Mark Donovan

Solari and Nasser

Producer and Boston Girls actress Camille Solari has just announced she will produce T.J. Mancini's script Hitman's Funeral, about a man who goes up against the Irish mob. Jack Nasser and Nasser Entertainment will executive produce. Universal Studios has agreed to distribute in the States, while Studio City Pictures is handling the foreign rights. Solari also recently struck a deal with Nasser for Lady Luck on which Randal Klieser is set to direct. Al Pacino is said to be in talks to star in "Funeral."

Buddhists In Toy Land

I am lucky enough to have been enjoying the offerings from Reel Groovy Films and their prolific creator, John Mayer Hartman, for a number of years on the independent/underground film scene. Until now, I had only been exposed to Hartman’s quietly quirky brilliance in short-subject form. I have found these white dwarves of movie magic to be universally entertaining, artistically striking, and technically impressive. For all of this, I’ve been hard-pressed for a single, summative word for what this unique experience is. With my recent viewing of the feature Reel-Illusionary Zone, I have found the word that eluded me, and it is Fearless.

Zone is a powerful, stylistic fusion of classic German minimalist cinema, the New American Independent esthetic, Buddhist philosophy, and vintage stop-motion animation techniques. It approaches deep, introspective themes with both a subtle beauty and a genuinely whimsical sense of itself. In light of how risky being so true to one's art really is, fearless is the only fitting adjective, which is good, since 'Pygmalian Drops Acid' with the 'Vampire in Wonderland' as performed by the Buster Keaton Players is nowhere near as snappy or dramatic sounding.

The film makes the most of a mixed bag of low-budget, high-impact special effects, expertly chosen scoring and nuanced, high-theatrical performances. Bringing together these elements to highlight an otherwise very sparse, mostly black & white, silent production, the mad coven at Reel Groovy films present a truly affecting and enjoyable Odyssey of oddity. Hartman and Co. craft a psychedelic epic beyond the frontiers of the individual mind, through the interwoven fringes of our shared consciousness, across the assumed boundaries of what is ‘real,’ into the very heart of the human experience.

We embark on this journey along with the Toymaker (Hartman) a cursed, dimensionally displaced hermit. His only companions are his lovingly crafted, creepily human toys. When his beloved creations, Groovy Girl and Bean Pole, are lost and stumble into the Reel-Illusionary Zone, the mystical border between the land of toys and the ‘real’ world, the saga begins. First, the Toymaker builds replacement toys, including a disturbing, faceless creature and 2.0 versions of Groovy Girl and Bean Pole. The Toymaker charges these creations with finding their predecessors, and they, too, get lost in the mysterious landscape.

The two sets of toys have a variety of misadventures, my favorite of which involves a beautiful homage to the gold standard of German minimalist film, Nosferatu, complete with gothic European castle and buck-toothed vampire. Eventually, the toys each emerge into the ‘real’ world, attaining humanity as they do so. With all the new knowledge, and needs of humanity, the toys attempt to make their way in our world. Their travels leave them (in succession and ultimately mistaken for each other) at a movie set, where the story has its conclusive epiphany.

The Toymaker, for his part, has gone in search of his ‘children’ himself. Following the advice of a supernatural princess, he retraces the steps of his creations. His path is advanced by super-trippy visions, transcendental trances, saints, and sorcerers. He is challenged with his own fears, misconceptions, and prejudices of perspective. It is only by facing and overcoming these inner limitations, including his attachments to a lost love and his toys, that he is able to navigate the Zone and find his way back to his rightful dimension. When all the players are reunited on the movie set for the climax, the development and depth of the characters is fulfilled.

The Reel-Illusionary Zone is a deep meditation cleverly disguised as whimsical, art-house experimentation. Hartman and, indeed, all the talented creators and performers who bring this delightful fantasy to life can be proud. It’s a visual treat, a true work of art, full of thought and emotion that really shows off excellent mastery of classic minimalist film-making.

Written by Joseph James Bellamy
Editor: Deb Bellamy