(002) Joe Stauffer's Pieces of Talent

Intro: Well, today I bring you the indie experience that is Pieces of Talent. I have switched up my format a little adding a cinematography section. Which coincidentally this film contains some great cinematography, but I'll discuss that later. Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone that has checked out the blog so far, Scott Schirmer for the promotion of my found. review, and especially Joe Stauffer for presenting me with this film to review. Hopefully the next film I review will be James Bell's Dog Dick.

Plot:  Charlotte is a struggling aspiring actress who just cannot seem to get a break. She works as a cocktail waitress at a strip club, and one night while on a break in the alley she witnesses a fight between the bouncer and a innocent looking man. She takes a liking to the man who, as it turns out, makes movies. His name is David Long and he likes to make a films that are a little be different than the norm. David then gains a absolutely ludicrous obsession with Charlotte. From here the story just spirals into oblivion.

My Opinions: I found this film to be really intriguing. It has a lot going for. I loved David Long's performance as Himself. To be honest Kristi Ray's performance as Charlotte was great, but got overshadowed by David's in my opinion. The fact that she is overshadowed can be a good thing though because if she was too fleshed out and as ridiculous as David nobody could relate to her. I believe that David was the center point of the movie and that he is the character that is meant to be of central focus. The ridiculous things that he does are meant to horrify us, make us laugh, and disgust us. The special effects in this movie were quite good and I especially love a scene involving a head and a shotgun (you know where I'm going with this) and overall the gore was great. The cinematography of this film was amazing. There are some great shots that are wide pans of the country side. These shots really give the film a great feel of isolation. I like the rustic junkyard look of it. The camera work in this film is top notch and has to be seen!

Story: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Gore: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Conclusion: In conclusion this film is great and is fully deserving of all the praise it has gotten in the festival scene.  I'd like to congratulate Joe Stauffer and the crew for making a great film. As of 1/30/14 there is no physical copy available however they are working on a distribution deal. You can currently view the film digitally on demand here: Pieces of Talent . You can also check out the facebook page of Pieces of Talent here and the current film that Joe Stauffer is working on here: Sleepy Creek (Facebook Page) and here: Sleepy Creek (Site) . I highly recommend you check this out if you're into obsession, dramatic horror that can also be awesomely gore-filled at times.

Charlotte enjoying the film David has made for her

David conflicting with his inner demons

SERIOUSLY WATCH IT!

(001) Scott Schirmer's found.

"Found" release poster

Intro: Well, since this is my first post I feel as though I should explain myself. I have been an avid fan of horror for years but just recently I have gotten heavily into it. So heavily so that I believe that I am ready to share my opinions with others. This is a huge step so please bear with me. I will try and post rather regularly and review a vast array of films from the horror genre and many subgenres. This following review is going to be in the format that I will continually use. I have enabled user comments so please if you would state what you liked and didn't like about the review itself or we can also discuss the film.

Plot: Marty is the ideal fifth grade student. He gets good grades and keeps quiet. He loves horror movies quite a lot more than the average fifth grader should but that is about the end of the irregularities for Marty. Except that isn't true, because Marty is picked on relentlessly at school, his parents seem distant, and worst of all his brother has a secret. He kills people. Marty is the ideal fifth grader who just happens to be severely bullied, a loner, and is the little brother of a serial killer. Now he is tasked with growing up in a literal horror movie of a life.

My Opinion: I believe that found was one of if not the best independent horror release of 2013. The way that this film combines drama and the horror is amazing and could be impossible to mimic or recreate. The character of Marty (played by Gavin Brown) and Steve (played by Ethan Philbeck) were performed extremely well I especially respect Gavin's acting for his age (like 12-13 at the time) and Steve is played expertly and believably by Ethan Philbeck whose career I really hope takes off. Louie Lawless was great as the father (he just seems like a classic Midwestern hard ass pops) and Phyllis Munro played the mother as lovingly, sweetly, and sternly as you would expect. Overall the acting in this film is top notch for its level of independecy. Even the kids who play the bullies at the school are quite good actors. I have heard from many that the film runs long (103 minutes) which I honestly just don't understand. I sat through the whole film fully intrigued and captivated. The time passed extremely fast and was an enjoyable experience.

Story: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Gore: 3/5
Enjoyment: 5/5

Conclusion: This film is amazing and a must see for fans and non-fans of indie horror. It truly is that good. I would recommend to anyone that is interested to hold on as they are currently working on a wide distribution deal. I would also like to congratulate the director Scott Schirmer on making an amazing film and truly living up to the indie horror scene hype. You can check out the film on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/foundmovie   EDIT: I almost   forgot to link you all to the actual website: http://foundmovie.net/found/

Ethan Philbeck as Steve

Shane Beasley as the Headless Killer

Gavin Brown as Marty