Author: indiemacuser

The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

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The Internet’s Own Boy tells the tale of programming genius and privacy/information activist Aaron Swartz who is known for his involvement in development of web technologies such as RSS & Creative Commons as well as co-founding the website Reddit. Often labelled as a ‘hacktivist’ his political activities and campaigning garnered him many enemies as well as supporters. He was heavily involved in campaigning to stop the SOPA(Stop Online Piracy Act) bill. In the age of the internet these issues are increasingly important and no clearer for most individuals to understand. Continue reading →

Better Call Saul – Online Comic

Posted on by indiemacuser

Written by Lewis Mainwaring

AMC has launched an online Better Call Saul comic.

Better Call Saul: Client Development comicTitled ‘Client Development’ spins out of Breaking Bad season 2 episode ‘Better Call Saul‘, and deals with Saul Goodman’s initial investigations into Walt and Jesse.

The artist (Steve Ellis)-  is collaborating with writers Jenn Carroll and Gordon Smith and colourist Jon Haeffner.

Better Call Saul – debuts next week as a Netflix Original – is initially set six years before the events of its sister show.

Check out the comic on the AMC website here

Big Finish presents: Doctor Who – The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure

Posted on by indiemacuser

Written by Lewis Mainwaring

September 2015 sees the release of a very special story from Big Finish, as Doctor Who – The Sixth https://i0.wp.com/www.bigfinish.com/img/news/sixthdoctorthe_last_adventure_image_large.jpgDoctor: The Last Adventure at last provides a heroic exit for Colin Baker’s much-loved Time Lord.

Something very extra special is coming for fans of the Sixth Doctor at Big Finish, with the September release of Doctor Who – The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure. Continue reading →

Score – A Film Music Documentary

Posted on by indiemacuser

Coming soon from production company Epicleff Media and Director/Producer Matt Schrader is the much anticipated film ‘SCORE: A Film Music Documentary’.

scoreSo much attention is paid in the media to Actors & Directors; but very little notice is given to the production team behind the scenes that help bring the film together and take very little of the credit for the end result. One such group of un-sung heroes is Composers and this is who this documentary focuses on.

A good or bad score can make or break a film and in some genres is crucial to support the action and/or emotion of the piece. This is no simple task; the composer must shape their score around the director’s vision and work within the constantly evolving nature of a film in production. Continue reading →

Review: Chastity Bites – Horror/Black Comedy

Posted on by indiemacuser

Written by Ben Gummery & Lewis Mainwaring

Chastity Bites is a 2013 black comedy/teen horror film written by Lotti Pharriss Knowles and directed by John V. Knowles. (See our interview with John here)

image5Notorious serial killer Elizabeth Bathory (Louise Griffiths) believed that bathing in virgin blood would keep her young and beautiful forever. Still alive in present day America she’s found a perfect hunting ground promoting celibacy in the young girls at San Griento High School under the banner of the V.A.G. society.

Continue reading →

DVD Review: Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) – Out 16th Feb

Posted on by indiemacuser

Dolphin Tale 2 is the sequel to the 2011 Dolphin Tale which was loosely based on the true story of bottlenose dolphin ‘Winter‘ that was rescued from the Florida coast and taken to the Clearwater Marine Park (which is also used in the film) who sadly lost her tail and had to be fitted on a prosthetic. This film centred on the friendship between Winter and 11-year-old Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble).

dolphin1The film stars Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff & Morgan Freeman; all of whom returned from Dolphin Tale. Writer/Director Charles Martin Smith also returns. Continue reading →

Blu-Ray Review: Toy Soldiers (1991) – Out 2nd Feb

Posted on by indiemacuser

The 1991 thriller Toy Soldiers is being released for the first time on Blu-Ray on the 2nd June by 101 Films as part of their ‘Cult Film Collection’. It is probably arguable however whether this film deserves cult status. It fits in with the typical action/military films of the late 80s/early 90’s; but this is no WarGames.

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This was the directorial debut of Writer/Director Daniel Petire Jr.  who is better known for his comedic writing on films such as Beverly Hills Cop an Turner & Hooch. Some of that humour is also seen here but is not nearly as effective as his other works. The cast includes Sean Astin(The Goonies, Lord of the Rings), Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me), Louis Gossett, Jr. (An Officer and a Gentlemen), Andrew Divoff (Air Force One), Mason Adams (Lou Grant) and Denholm Elliott (Indiana Jones).

 

toy1Regis High School, an exclusive prep school for delinquent teens becomes the target of a terrorist hostage-taking when Columbian drug lord and terrorist Luis Cali (Divoff) travels to the US to negotiate the release of his father and it is left to a group of student pranksters (Astin, Wheaton etc.) to outsmart the terrorists.

Continue reading →

The Turning (2013) starring Cate Blanchett – In cinemas 6th Feb

Posted on by indiemacuser

The Turning is based on the best-selling book of short stories by Australian author Tim Winton.This big-screen adaptation is a collaboration between many writers and directors; each working on one the books segments.  The film stars Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Hugo Weaving (The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies) and Rose Byrne (X-Men First Class).

The Turning

Compilations like this run the risk of feeling disjointed however this film seems mostly to avoid that as the various tales intertwine and cover the whole range of the human experience from relationships to death. Continue reading →

Interview: Daphne Ashbrook

Posted on by indiemacuser

Written by Lewis Mainwaring

Daphne Ashbrook is known for both her comic timing and deeply complex emotional portrayals on both the big and small screen. One of her best known roles (and my personal favourite) is that of Dr Grace Holloway in the Doctor Who TV Movie (1996). We recently caught up with her for an interview about her life both on and off screen.

IMG_0093-794x800“I love, love, love getting lost in a character’s reality. Quite fun leaving my own boring life at the door. Ha!”

 

 

 

 

Continue reading →

Atari: Game Over (TV Documentary – 2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

atari_game_overThis documentary (a joint venture between Fuel Entertainment and Xbox Presents) explores one of the great urban myths in video gaming, the dumping of around 700,000 copies of the Atari game ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ for the classic Atari 2600 console at a dumping site in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This game has often been referred to as one of the worst games in history and blamed for the ultimate financial failure of Atari.  This propels the stereotype we still have today that video games based on films are invariably terrible.

Typically at the time Atari would spend many months developing a game but after making a multi-million dollar deal with Steven Spielberg (who approved the game himself) for the E.T. game gave the company just 12 weeks to get the game to market in time for Christmas. Following the games release the companies finances took a turn for the worst and it went on to lose $536 million. Continue reading →