Robert Frost Poem ‘HOME BURIAL’ Translated Into a Short Film

04/28/2013 by AIDY

‘Spurred by the sight of the months-old grave, a husband and wife finally confront their child’s death, uncapping their long growing resentment toward, and blame of, one another.’

Actor, writer and filmmaker Jeff Newburg is taking on an ambitious task–to translate poet Robert Frost‘s emotionally intense and dramatic poem Home Burial into a film. If funds are successful*, would be a phenomenally brilliant artistic transition of Frost’s poem to the digital age where Transmedia projects are breathing new life into decades old print medium.

The goal is to raise $10,000 to make Newburg’s project a reality, and he’s not alone–Arcade Fire‘s (an indie rock band based in Montreal, Canada) Will Butler, will compose the music for the short film project. Butler hopes that the short film will bring Frost’s dramatic lyric to life:

“The music for the short film will hopefully evoke Robert Frost–formal but conversational; embedded in the early 20th century but still relevant,” said Butler in a statement. “Darker than you might expect–Bartók meets John Carpenter.”

Joining Newburg and Butler on the film project is Matt Litwiller, director and producer based in Los Angeles. Litwiller began his career at Disney Studios. When an opportunity to work on a sci-fi and documentary film project, Litwiller quickly realized that filmmaking is something he wants to do full-time. Combining talents William Trowbridge (Producer), Molly Burgess (Art Director), Travis LaBella (Dir. Of Photography), Ashlie Kodsy (Costume Designer) and Jac Reyno (Prod. Manager), Frost’s Home Burial is now in its conceptual phase–the only need missing are the funds to help bring Newburg’s film concept through to fruition.

Now for the $10,000 question: Why should you help? Well, art in any form is an invaluable human experience. Art is not a luxury. It is of critical importance in a child’s development process. Visual arts strengthen critical thinking skills, is a safe form of creative expressionism, and art, in all it’s forms, is an important catalyst for cultural and historical understanding.

I understand that not everyone is in a position to give money to the Home Burial campaign. I want you to know that there are other ways to help be a part of the film: pass the word along by sharing the Indiegogo campaign because…

Art overall makes the world a better place.

Feel free to read Frost’s HOME BURIAL found on the Poetry Foundation website. For more, please visit the HOME BURIAL project on FACEBOOK and follow on TWITTER. If you mention the project on Twitter, feel free to use the hashtag #HomeBurial. Thank you.

*All of the monies raised will go towards equipment rentals, location fees, insurance, travel, costumes, production costs and festival fees.

NEW TRAILER: Gina Rodriguez in ‘FILLY BROWN’

04/17/2013 by AIDY

Gina Rodriguez is FILLY BROWN, a young artist striving to find her voice and seize her dreams without compromise. Director, Producer, Writer Youssef Delara started out in the film industry as a Visual Effects Associate on the highly successful Paramount Television series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where he moved up to Visual Effects Supervisor before going on to produce visual effects for Star Trek: Voyager as well as sequences for the popular Star Trek feature films Generations and Insurrection. In 2003, Mr. Delara devoted himself full time to his own projects.

Synopsis: With an incarcerated mother, and a father struggling to provide for his daughters, a record contract could be the ticket out for her family. But when a record producer offers Majo a crack at stardom, she is suddenly faced with losing who she is as an artist and the friends who helped her reach the cusp of success.

Filly Brown celebrates the power of music and family. Directed by Youssef Delara and Michael Olmos and fused with a fierce hip-hop score, and propelled by an exceptional cast that features Golden Globe® nominee Lou Diamond Phillips, Academy Award® nominee Edward James Olmos, legendary Latin music sensation Jenni Rivera in her final performance, Filly Brown heralds the arrival of Gina Rodriguez in the electrifying title role.

In theaters April 19, 2013

Youssef Delara‘s other film works include:

English as a Second Language (ESL) – Winner – Best Feature Newport Beach, Boston Latino, Orlando Latino, Portland Pine and the Santa Film Festivals.
Bedrooms premiered on the Showtime Network and released domestically and internationally in the fall 2011.

Simon Horrocks ‘THIRD CONTACT’ – Review

04/11/2013 by AIDY

A psychological trip into madness.

Simon Horrocks‘ Third Contact is the terribly unflattering, overly monochrome psychological thriller–sans the “thrill” bit–purposely set in a “proposed” world teeming with mystery and suspense. Patients flock to a hack therapist who offers an opportunity to escape “this world” with the aid of highly suspect pharmaceuticals. Between the unenthusiastic, hopelessly bland characters, unstable camera, uncomfortable angles–let’s just say by the end of it–you may have, through some form of photosynthesis, acquire pseudo-symptoms from just watching the film. Case in point:

Dr. David Wright (Tim Scott-Walker) is a psychotherapist conducting his own investigation into the murders of two of his patients. Dr. Wright isn’t much better off than his patients–he is dealing with the loss of his lover–through the liberal use of prescription drugs and alcohol. Rene Maurer’s (Jesse Rutherford) sister, Erika (Jannica Olin), shows up in town to sort through his worldly possessions. She spies a few novel items and a peculiar list of four memories. While searching for answers, Dr. Wright and Erika delve into a downward spiral of psycho-madness and resolving memories.

Luckily, the better half of the film was the last half of the film. The films overall concept became stronger as the rest of the story unfolded. There were brief displays of nudity–a little comedy where the scenes appeared suspenseful. The dramatic parts of the film were disorienting–Dr. Wright ran in a scene, and the cinematography was dissimilar and unstable. The overall production quality of the film suffered due to this and the instability of visuals may have been the aim of the film, perhaps to facilitate the erratic pharmacologically induced storyline. The second and third acts of the film were undoubtedly the better parts of the story.

I have to give props to a few of the acting performances in the film. The secondary characters helped to make this film much more entertaining than the two main characters, Dr. Wright and Erika. Rene (Rutherford) proved to be a fascinating character and carried his scenes well with passion and a tinge of sarcasm in his tone. He had a certain air of curiosity with his character that the film’s lead protagonists lacked in nearly every scene with him in it. Virginia Popova‘s role as the “Enigmatic Woman” is another compelling character in Third Contact. Her multi-layered persona, while cold and distant, had a comforting ability to lift the more somber moments of the film with her enigmatic smile.

Third Contact is one laborious trip to get through–surprisingly results to a good conclusion.

Andrew Sayre’s ‘Whatever Makes You Happy’ – Review

04/06/2013 by AIDY

ANDREW SAYER 'What Ever Makes You Happy'

Meet Anna and Alex.

Andrew Sayre’s Whatever Makes You Happy successfully combines romance, intimacy and drama in a film where twenty-somethings Anna (Rachel Delante) and Alex (Tyler Peck), two characters living two decidedly different lifestyles become entangled in curiosity and passion through an unfamiliar, creative rift that spreads and uproots everything and everyone around them. I am impressed by the excellent character development, the showing of fluidity in emotions, and showcasing genuine dialogue and familiar situations among all the cast. Filmed and produced on a micro-budget, Sayre’s romantic drama is in a new class of films that doesn’t need all of the exuberant expenses to make an intensely real and emotional impact. Absolutely a film you can see yourself in.

Anna (Delante) is a grad student living a comfortable, safe life with her upscale friends. Kevin (Jon Miguel), her boyfriend of five years, is usually busy at work and content with the predictable life that he and his circle of friends live. However, through adventurous friend, Betsy (Akex Aspiazu) she meets Alex (Tyler Peck), an urban hipster who performs in a local band and cruises through life without many accomplishments. Immediately, there is a spark between them, and both embark on a forbidden romance.

Truly, the heart of the story are the unique chemistry between its characters. The minor roles are distinguishable from one another, and even with only a few lines of dialogue–the scenes are still able to create a poignant impact. The tension between Alex and Anna’s friends makes itself evident as he is an outsider, through their perception of the world around them–”his kind” doesn’t fit in with theirs. His music hobby is nothing to take seriously in their eyes, and that Anna’s interest in him is a waste of time.

Both characters are attracted to each other because of their differences, giving them a potential to explore outside of their familiarity. The natures of both Anna and Alex come through as their characters continue to progress. Anna is used to the stability of long-term relationships while Alex is more spontaneous and prefers to enjoy the moment. But, when that moment is over he steps away and distance himself. While their coupling was intimate and carefree in the beginning–their different lifestyles were the cause of their conflict.

What Ever Makes You Happy proceeds at a steady pace allowing the magnetic story-line to evolve, and not mislead you into seemingly hurried situations–or dreading the long wait for the story to build up by revealing an uniquely emotional side to relationships. Indeed, a romantic drama worthy of your time.

Recommended

Official Selection Rome International Film Festival (2011)
Official Selection Philadelphia Independent Film Festival (2011)
Winner – Best Film Treasure Coast International Film Festival (2011)
Official Selection Louisville International Festival of Film (2011)
Official Selection Columbia Gorge International Film Festival (2001)

NEW TRAILER: KON-TIKI

04/01/2013 by AIDY

NEW TRAILER: KON-TIKI – Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans already back in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the sea and settle on Polynesian islands. After gathering financing for the trip with loans and donations, they set off on an epic 101 day-long journey across 8,000 kilometers, all while the world was watching.

Synopsis: In 1947, the world is gripped with excitement as the young Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl embarks on an astonishing expedition – a journey of 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean on the Kon-Tiki raft. From his days living in the Marquesas with his wife Liv, Thor suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by ancient South Americans from thousands of miles to the east. Despite his inability to swim and fear of water, Thor decides to prove his theory by sailing the legendary voyage himself. After replicating the design of an ancient raft in balsa wood, Thor and five fellow adventurers set sail from Peru.

Their only modern equipment is a radio, and they take a parrot along for company. A natural leader, Thor uses the stars and the ocean’s current to navigate the raft. After three dangerous months on the open sea, encountering raging storms, sharks, and all the dangers the Ocean can muster, the exhausted crew sight Polynesia and make a triumphant landing. Having sacrificed everything for his mission, even his marriage, the success of the Kon-Tiki expedition proves bittersweet for Thor.

IN SELECT THEATERS APRIL 26, 2013.