For The Weekend

The Gallows – Interviews with Cast 

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20 years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy – but soon discover that some things are better left alone.

The Gallows will be hitting cinema screens nationwide today (July 17th). We at Indie Mac User have grabbed an interview with two of the films cast Reese Mishler and Ryan Shoos.

What inspired you to become an actor?

reese in Fresno 2R.M – I was a very introverted child and spent a lot of time watching movies and playing video games. The fictional and far away lives of people so distanced from me or anything I knew, I found fascinating.They took  me to places like nothing else seemed to do. I wanted the opportunity to live in those distant worlds and experience difference walks of consciousness. Being an actor seemed like the most logical method for obtaining these experiences. And then I got older and watched Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot and  I was sold on acting as a career.

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Review: Poltergeist

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Poltergeist is a 2015 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by Gil Kenan, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and produced by Sam Raimi.

This film is the latest Hollywood reboot and is a remake of Steven Spielberg‘s and Tobe Hooper‘s 1982 film of the same name.

The film has been released worldwide today (22nd May 2015).

The film stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett and Kennedi Clements as the Bowen family move in to their house which unbeknownst to them is possessed by evil spirits.

The iconic house and location is imitated well by the film; the only adjustment being bringing the film into the present; incorporating more modern elements such as the use of GPS technology and a TV reality star (Jared Harris).

Ben: This looked and felt very digital and I would prefer if the film-makers had held onto more of the charm of the original. However I enjoyed the performance of Sam Rockwell as out-of-work father Eric and Jared Harris is the slightly comical paranormal investigator Carrigan Burke. 3/5

Lewis: I found the film used CGI to much making it look on times tacky. The original managed to create supernatural occurrences without this technology and still provided a vision astounding cult classic. Also I found the portrayal of ‘Madison’  this films version of ‘Carol Anne’ (portrayed by the late Heather O’Rourke) flat and on times wooden. If you want to see this film done properly watch the original !!!!!! 1/5

If you like Horror articles, reviews and more check out our Horror Month running throughout June. We have interviews with horror genre icons and much much more !!!!!!!!

The original Poltergeist is available now on Amazon.

Lewis Mainwaring & Ben Gummery

The Indie Mac User Team

Documentaries or Shockumentaries? 5 of the best.

Posted on by indiemacuser

The trend in popular documentary film-making of recent years has been the ‘shock and awe’ approach. These are almost (anti)propaganda films in their use of music, graphics and shocking images and boldly covering a wide range of provocative subjects.

It is now also an acceptable and widely used device to include the film-makers difficulties during production in the film itself. Popularised by Michael Moore & Nick Broomfield this technique even forms the basis of MTV’s ‘Catfish: The TV Show‘.

The Corporation (2003)
https://indiemacuser.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/e51f8-corporation_ver2_xlg.jpg-A classic of the genre this film describes the concept of a corporation as a person in a way that all can understand and uses a series of well documented examples, interviews (including Moore & Noam Chomsky), excellent polished production and graphics.

Directed by Mark Achbar & Jennifer Abbott. Continue reading →

Objects of Desire: Special Edition Blu-Rays – Part One

Posted on by indiemacuser

As appreciated by film geeks everywhere; there is much more to a good DVD or Blu-Ray release than simply the film itself. The appeal comes equally from the packing, presentation, special features & promotional items that are included with the set. These range from well designed standard jewel cases all the way to through to full-blown promotional sets.  Here I examine a few such sets from my own collection and elsewhere.

Breaking Bad: The Complete Series (Deluxe Barrel Edition)

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This set is packaged in a stylish ‘barrel’ case in homage to the shows final season. The discs for each series are stored in plastics rings sealed with magnets (another reference to the show). Also included is a Los Pollos Hermanos apron, booklet and challenge coin. The top of the barrel contains a ‘secret’ compartment with a bonus features disc. Over 55 hours of special features are included as well as a brand new two-hour documentary.

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5 Films That Feature Radio DJ’s

Posted on by indiemacuser

1. The Warriors (1979)Warriors

While ‘The Warriors’ gang flee from New York City to Coney Island, the radio D.J. (Lynne Thigpen) provides coded information and updates to the gangs that are pursuing them. Continue reading →

For The Weekend: Time Travel Movies

Posted on by indiemacuser

This week we explore the much loved and discussed sci-fi sub-genre of time travel.
We’ve chosen not to focus on blockbusters like Back to the Future in order to bring you some of the lesser known films of the genre; although films like those arguably deserve their place as well.

Although this device is often used it is rarely mastered; as attested to by hundreds of posts on blogs and IMDB ‘goofs’ pages. The true time travel fan will not be fooled if the time travel concept is ill thought out or if there are obvious problems with the time-line. Similarly, the best examples of this genre will explore the consequences; both positive and negative, of travelling through time; pushing them almost to the extremes whilst at the same time avoiding convenient plot devices.

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For The Weekend: Great Workplace Comedies

Posted on by indiemacuser

This is a new semi-regular feature ‘For The Weekend’

For The Weekend – Great Workplace Comedies

This week we delve into the great font of comedy that is the workplace-orientated film. Some of these you might have heard of but hopefully others you will discover for the first time. The selection is fairly complimentary so if you have seen one of these films and enjoyed it you should at-least appreciate the others.

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