Entertainment Earth

10/30/2011

NYCC 2011: Matthew Senreich on Robot Chicken

Matthew Senreich is, along with Seth Greene, the creator and executive producer of Cartoon Newtork's popular and highly enjoyable stop-motion animated Robot Chicken. The series is currently airing it's fifth season, and I had the pleasure of attending a press meeting at New York Comic Con last Friday. Senreich was quite funny and entertaining, as well as giving us really good answers to all our questions. I been a fan of the show since it's inception so getting to do this, a first for me, was very cool.

Seth Green was not present for this, unless you count the doll that Senreich has with him. He was, however, present for the panel, which I did could not attend.

The following is video I shot, which features some highlights from it. If you are curious, I am the one who asked if George Lucas contacted them, or if it was they who contacted Lucas. Enjoy.







NYCC 2011: Day 1
NYCC 2011: Day 2, Part 1
NYCC 2011: Day 2, Part 2

10/29/2011

16 Questions with The Twisted Twins: Jen and Sylvia Soska

I reviewed the amazing Dead Hooker in a Trunk last month and was blown away by it. I greatly admired the work put into by the two talented and beautiful film making twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska, who wore multiple hats in front of and behind the camera. It was such a pleasure to talk to the both of them. They talked to me about making this kick ass flick, their love for horror and movie making, and even talk a little about their highly anticipated second movie American Mary as well as lots other exciting and cool things. As a matter of fact, after conducting this interview my admiration for them grew even more.

1. Where did the idea for “Dead Hooker in a Trunk” come from?
Sylvia: We had been huge fans of Robert Rodriguez since we were little girls. Not only were his films uber cool, but he had these Ten Minute Film School segments where he showed the viewers how he made it cool with a limited budget. Jen and I had been acting since we were young, but we never got anything close to a Rodriuguez-level-of-cool for parts - as we got older the roles had less substance and more overt sexuality. We decided to leave acting to focus on stuntwork (if the roles did change, at least the type of work could) and found an excellent stunt program in a film school to get us trained - little did we know that it was an outsourced program and we were going to one of the biggest film scams in the city.

Thank God that GRINDHOUSE was in the theaters at the time. We would go to 'classes' were nothing was being taught and go to the theaters right after to watch the flick, so we could actually learn something that day. The fake trailers blew my mind - especially HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. A Canadian filmmaker named Jason Eisener was part of GRINDHOUSE - it made me want to be a part of it too. One day while leaving the theater, Jen just turned to me and said 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk', everything came from that.

Jen: Almost out of nowhere, actually. We had been attending this film school at the time that was really a bad experience. The lessons were non-existent. So instead of sitting and waiting for something to be taught, we went out to the best kind of film school there is. The theaters. It was the summer of Tarantino and Rodriguez's joint beast, GRINDHOUSE, and we found ourselves hitting the theaters more often than spending time in class. One day leaving the theater, I turned to Sylv and said, "DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK". And that was the start of it all. Yes, it was a film title, but that was everything. We started there. The words DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK really sets up a film and a feeling. We wanted to make a film and we wanted the title to stand out, be unforgettable, and make people say, "I have to see that movie."


2. How did you get the budget together for it?

Sylvia: We already had a few credit cards when we started - we maxed them all out to pay for the film. The movie's actual cost was very modest because everyone who came onto set to make it was there because they love making movies and waived their fees. The hardest part was not having a job and working on the film - post took over a year and during that time we didn't eat, didn't pay bills, every additional dollar went into making the film or marketing it. A lot of people think that you make a movie and get paid, but that's not the case. You have to work on your project for years before you see any success and even longer before you see any money.

Jen: ha ha, yeah. That's a common misconception. We didn't get a budget for it. We just went out and made it cleaning out our modest savings and maxing out our credit cards. We are hugely inspired by Robert Rodriguez and his story of EL MARIACHI. His book that he wrote during the "making of" process is invaluable. It's a must have item for any filmmaker and everyone that loves film in general. He made that film with a mere $7,000. Sure, that might be easy to pull off, but the amazing thing is that the film doesn't look like it was made for 7 grand. Creatively, you can overcome many of the obstacles that big studios would just throw money at. I will tell you right here and now there isn't an easy way to do it, but there is a way. And it's worth every minute of it.


3. How was it working on such a low budget and doing so many different tasks on set?


Sylvia: It was definitely a challenge but we had the best team on the fucking planet. We lost our original Goody Two-Shoes two days before our first filming day and couldn't find an actress to replace her - there was no money and the subject matter turned a lot of people off. CJ Wallis came onboard to take to role, which was rewritten as a male part, and he brought a world of experience with him. The three of us became very close on set and worked very closely to make things run smoothly throughout the insanity.

The people you have on your team, supporting the project are so important. We had such a phenomenal team. A lot of what we wanted to do was incredibly ambitious and the word around town was that we were insane, but the people who actually came on board really got what we were going for. It became this big film family where everyone would work together to make the insanity come to life. No one was above any job - we were the first to arrive, set decorate the location, set up the action or scenario, film, wrap, and then we would stay until the location was completely cleaned.

There were things that went to hell but that's how every set works. What sets you apart is how quickly you can creatively problem solve - something that Rodriguez really promotes in his making of book - Rebel Without A Crew - which outlines how he created EL MARIACHI.

Jen: Not horrifying as you might expect from a production with so little money. I have our outstanding cast and crew to thank for that. Most of the time, cast and crew were one and the same. They were really the best of the best. We had the good fortune of shooting during that big writers strike a few years back. The result was that a lot of very talented people found themselves out of work with some free time on their hands. I'm so grateful to each and every person who helped out on DHIAT.

It was rough at times. I know that a lot of people wore a lot of hats, so to speak. Just check out the final credit scroll and see how many times the same names appear in different positions. We had to work very closely together to make sure that everything. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Doing so many tasks can be exhausting, but I imagine if you're working on a film you are as passionate about as we were about DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, it does give you this energy and drive. It's like a constant flow of second wins. I will tell you that it is tough and you should make sure to surround yourself with the best people. People with great attitudes. I would gladly take someone with a little less experience but a stellar attitude over someone with a shitload of experience that I know is gonna bitch and complain when the going gets rough. There are long days when you're filming. You need someone who is a pleasure to work with even after 16 grueling hours.


4. How does one exactly go about directing themselves in a movie?

Sylvia: Jen and I can be so brutal to one another, but we are best friends, so when we talk creatively - we don't bullshit one another. If I think something is shit, I tell her so. It's nice to not have to sugar coat things. She's an excellent actress - she's auditioned against me a lot and they usually cast her instead, ha ha. As for Badass, I wanted her to be like the badass heroes I grew up watching. She was my version of El.

But there are disadvantages to not being solely behind the camera, sometimes things get overlooked when you're not there overseeing everything. For that reason and a few others, we'll be stepping back from acting to focus on writing and directing. We have a pretty fun final cameo in our upcoming AMERICAN MARY.

Jen: Oh, I'm very hard on myself, ha ha. You check the monitor after the fact a whole lot. I'm a bit too in my own head when I act usually, but I found that with so many other things to be focused on, I didn't get caught up in all that. I think I'm a better actor because of it, which is a bit too bad as after we have a brief cameo in AMERICAN MARY we will be retiring from acting.

Sylv is great to direct. You don't have to worry about her not wanting to do something, she's always game. We like to say, "anything for the shot."


5. How do you two split duties and is there any difference in the way you two do things?

Sylvia: It can be confusing when you have two directors and even more confusing when they look the exact same. We make sure that we have pre-planned everything before walking onto set so we can be unified. Jen is very compassionate and kind - she has really good relationships with everyone and gets to know everything about them. She has this really crazy sense of humor that she puts into all our work which is amazing to counter-balance the dreadful, depressing shit I tend to enjoy. I'm a lot more stern than Jen. I will give people the benefit of the doubt, but I also tend to be the one who removes problematic people from a project. Life's too short to work with shitty people.

Jen: We thoroughly discuss everything between the two of us before even setting foot on set. We're both very passionate about what we do and we're siblings so it's possible that our usual Hungarian discussions can appear to be an argument to the untrained eye, ha ha. We have our preferences. We'll discuss who gets to write which scene. We come up with the concepts and outlines together. We compromise, even slightly. Like, you can write the opening if I can have the end scene. That sort of thing. We also divide what areas we'll be focusing on and which actors we'll be working more with. We decide who gets the final say on directing days, too. Thankfully, we think very similarly and understand one another very well. You'll never hear us say two very different things on set. We're already identical twins, no need to build on the confusion.


6. There is a great dark sense of humor in the movie, which is one of the aspects I really like about it, where did that come from?


Sylvia: We really got into horror through Stephen King novels. After seeing POLTERGEIST, our mom came up with a new horror movie rule - if you read the book, then you can watch the movie. She was genius - she tricked her ten year olds into reading at an intermediate level and love it. If there was anything we didn't understand, then she would explain it. I really feel bad for people whose parents censored the world for them. I learned about swearing and all sorts of foulness, but it was part of a story and it wasn't glorified to be something it wasn't.

With Stephen King's books, there is always this dark sense of humor in everything. CHRISTINE joked about how young men become possessed by their first car, CARRIE played with the prom obsession, everything was cleverly grim but with humor there to add levity. A story can go into much darker territory without alienating your audience if you have a few laughs in there. Like in DHIAT, we castrated a character then had a dog eat the severed penis - I remember hearing the laugh/groan in the theater and being very proud.

Jen: I completely blame mister King for our dark and demented senses of humor. Reading his novels at such a young and impressionable age, we inherited his humor. I always like my horror with moments of levity thrown into the mix. There's nothing quite like making your audience laugh in spite of it being one of those "oh, shit, I really shouldn't be laughing" instances. Horror should be like this emotional roller coaster. If there are no tone shifts, it's just kind of boring to me.


7. How did you get in contact with Carlos Gallardo of “El Mariachi” and how was it working with him?


Sylvia: It was so fucking surreal. We were still in production and we were making our film in the style of EL MARIACHI - real DIY/no budget creative filmmaking. The word was getting out about what we were doing - some people thought it was cool, others wanted to just see us fail. The story was posted on an independent film site by our friend and Carlos saw. We started talking and he was so incredibly supportive. It was like nothing else to be working on DHIAT and having Carlos there to give you advice.

We put a small cameo character of God in the film. We wanted to get someone like Carlos and never imagined we would actually work together. He is truly one of the most down to earth, kind, and generous people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Filmmaking was still very new to me and meeting someone like Carlos made me so nervous - but meeting him, all that went away. He makes you feel like family, he loves filmmaking and it shows in everything that he does. I remember showing him the semi-truck scene and he turns to me and says, 'Just like El.' His character from EL MARIACHI and who I based Badass on - one of the coolest moments of my life.

Jen: It was unbelievable. I mean, we love EL MARIACHI. We carried REBEL WITHOUT A CREW on us at all times while shooting DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK and called it "the Bible". To not only have the opportunity to meet Carlos, the original El, but to get to work with him? It was a real thrill and a true pleasure. The man is a huge inspiration not only to us, but to every independent film maker out there. If it wasn't for EL MARIACHI, we would have never made DHIAT. Carlos is as much a supporter now of independent film and artists as he ever was. He's a professional and a great actor. We couldn't have asked for a better and more fitting "God".


8. There is some real exciting stunt work in the movie including my favorite where Badass is pulled by a horse, how was it shooting that scene?

Sylvia: We had gone into film school to put our extensive martial arts training to good use, so having some very fucking cool stunts were very important. We shot the horse drag scene twice - once for the fake trailer and once for the feature. The first time we did it for the trailer - it was all me and the horse. Unfortunately the actor who we had be the Cowboy Pimp for the trailer had one of the biggest hissy fits I had ever seen. It ended with him giving us the ultimatum of firing our camera crew or he would leave.

Well, you can't shoot without cameras and seeing as he was the one that decided to pick a fight - I chose my crew and Jen convinced him to stay for the final shot. He had decided that I was a cunt, his word usage, and wanted to teach me a lesson. We started the take and he took off down the road, slicing me to ribbons. I lost about five inches of skin. After that, our stunt coordinator on the feature, Loyd Bateman, decided to bring in the uber talented stunt lady, Maja Stace-Smith, to be my double. She did the two leg drop kick and the horse drag. For my coverage, I got tied to a truck that would drag me down the street.

There had been so much insanity with so many jobs on set, that by the time I was in my harness tied to the truck, I hadn't thought about the stunt at all. Loyd came over to me and asked if I was ready - I said yes. The engine started and I thought to myself, oh shit, this could be really stupid. The stunt guys were just phenomenal - we got some extremely gritty, high action, reality based stunts in the film. My favorite was Badass versus Killer, played by Loyd. He's such a fucking pro and a pleasure to fight with. After the sequence with the bag over my head, the whole team looked horrified and we were just laughing. You feel good when you know you're doing the work and getting what you were going for.

Jen: It was pretty easy for me, ha ha. You know, the best thing about having your twin as an actor is that you can really ask her to do anything and you won't get any complaints. Sylv is as tough as nails and never bitches. I put her through things I really couldn't have asked of anyone else. I spat blood in her face to match some earlier blood continuity. I had her dragged behind a truck through horse crap (not intentionally). I asked her to never ever zip up her coat in the dead of a Canadian winter. And she never complained.


9. Did anyone get hurt in in any other scene?

Sylvia: It was very important to us that the stunts were very realistic, so a lot of the cast were actors as well as stunt performers. The harshest day was also the harshest scene in the film - the Hooker's death at the hands of the Killer. We had the brilliant, Lauro 'Lash' Chartrand guest coordinate the sequence. He was our instructor at film school and without his generous support, there wouldn't have been a DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK.

The feeling had to be a severe tone shift because we wanted to show the complete horror of the destruction of this human being. Lauro came up with a hardcore scene that our Hooker, Tasha Moth, and Killer, Loyd Bateman, would create. We shot for sixteen hours and I have to say that these people are some of the hardest working, most balls to wall artists I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Like any huge sequence, there are a couple of things that are hard on the body, but you would have never known because everyone was such a professional. Tasha called me the next day and, between giggles, told me that she was pissing blood. I hope that was a joke, but there's a good chance it wasn't.

Jen: We had some of the best stunt professionals anyone could ever ask for on DEAD HOOKER. Loyd Bateman, our producer, camera operator, and Killer, was on set every single day to ensure that any and every stunt was carefully planned and executed. Laura Lee Connery did our stunt driving for us. It was awesome. I got to body double as Junkie next to her playing Badass and it was so epic to be in the passenger seat as an incredibly stunt driver whips around in a '69 Firebird. Insane. Even the bit in the hotel room where Badass chokes out one cop and knocks out the other was carefully walked through before we shot.

What a lot of people might not realize is that when a stunt performer goes through a glass table, even if it's made of candy glass, it fucking hurts. Often break away furniture is used and it's really just hard wood furniture sawed through in key areas to help make it fall apart more easily when met with an impact. Tasha Moth, our Hooker, really took a beating during her death scene. She's a very strong woman.

There was a full stunt team in on the night that Loyd Bateman did his full body burn. It was his first and it was outstanding. It's unheard of for a stunt performer to do such an intense stunt for an independent film.


10. How long did the shooting process for this film take?


Sylvia: At first, the shooting was very casual. We had no money, so we shot on evenings and weekends to accommodate everyone's schedule. We started in October, missed a few weeks because people had to go out of town, availability, etc. so, by the time it was December, I was getting nervous about getting everything shot by early next year. We increased shooting days in January, then shot very regularly in February - almost every day.

Our total shooting days were about twenty. We had some crazy fucking days. Our last big shooting day, we shot 23 different scenes on CJ Wallis/Goody Two-Shoes' birthday. He didn't get a party, but we set Loyd on his full body burn at the end of the day - so that beats a candle on a cake any day.

Jen: It was very helter skelter. We tried to work around people's schedules, which is the most considerate thing you can do given that these people were volunteering their time, but it just wasn't working out. Too much time was being lost and, it being winter, we kept losing more and more hours of sunlight daily. We had to shoot more regularly. We picked up the pace big time and shot through Christmas. It was a little bit sad. If you haven't read REBEL WITHOUT A CREW, go grab a copy. Seriously. There's this part in it around Christmas when Robert flies to LA to try to sell EL MARIACHI. He's spent everything he's got on the film and doesn't make the sale. He describes what a piece of shit he feels like for not being able to provide for his family, who have stood by him through his film making, for Christmas. It's really heart breaking. It made our own rough Christmas a little less rough. It was like, "if Robert can make it through this, so will we."


11. The reaction to this film has been very positive. I, myself, loved it. How do you two feel about the all the good word it has been getting?

Sylvia: Thank you for saying that. We made this movie because we weren't seeing the kinds of movies that we wanted to see being made. We grew up on all these crazy flicks and wanted to make something you can just watch and have a great time. I'm actually blown away by the response that the film was gotten. The horror community is the reason why the film has been so successful. At first, many festivals turned the film away on title alone and we wondered if it would ever get a chance to play in front of an audience.

Then the first annual Women In Horror Recognition Month happened in February 2010, brainchild of Ax Wound's Hannah Neurotica, and there were all these festivals that were focusing on female filmmakers. That was the big beginning. We premiered at the Ghouls on Film Festival in the UK - courtesy of Nia Edwards-Behi, then at the DOA Pretty Scary Bloodbath Film Fest in the US - courtesy of Andrew Rose. Once people watched the flick - they started talking about it. Like pimping it out hardcore.

Every person who talked about the film, reviewed it, screened it, supported it in any way is the reason why it has spread so far. By the time we went to the film market, every major studio had already heard about 'this Dead Hooker film.' It was surreal.

Jen: It's very humbling. I honestly wake up every morning and think about how damn lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing. I'm a horror fan myself. It's a dream come true for me and Sylv to be able to bring our stories to life. It's astonishing that people dig what we're doing. We had two dreams for DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. One was to make a film that was pure enjoyment for our audiences and the other was to share that film with as many people as possible. Thanks to the horror community and their never ending support, we have been able to do both. I feel that this film belongs to every horror fan. You ever watch a movie and think, "fuck, I wish a semi would drive by and take that chicks arm off" or "wouldn't it be funny if that girl's eye popped out"? Well, we think that weird shit all the time and thought why not?

I hope that people not only enjoy our work, but that our story inspires others to chase after their dreams. When I first started telling people I was a film maker, many laughed in my face. People said we were crazy to try to make a movie without a budget. That it was the wrong way to do things. They said the film would never be released and certainly never be in theaters. And just look how far we've come. The film has been picked up by IFC Midnight, is in theaters and Video On Demand, out already on DVD in the UK and Australia, and will be out on DVD worldwide in January. Never listen to someone who tells you your dreams are unrealistic. More often than not they're just people who gave up on their own dreams.


12. How did you go about selling your movie once it was done and did you face any issues due to the film’s title or content?


Sylvia: I'm surprised that we didn't have problems with the title or content with distributors, but the title kind of gauges whether you will like the film or not. We have very creative partners on our sales team at Industry Works and they wanted to get us what we really wanted. The most important thing was that people would see the film. The companies that ended up distributing it - IFC Midnight, Bounty Films, and Monster Pictures - are very supportive of their artists and have done everything in their power to keep our vision as we intended it.

The team you work with makes a big difference. The team at Industry Works was spoiled us rotten. We wanted theatrical - we got limited theatrical midnight screenings throughout the US. We wanted a television premiere - we got screened on The Horror Channel. We wanted to follow up with AMERICAN MARY - they made it happen and they let us keep some very high concept, envelope-pushing material in the script. Actually, no one has ever asked me to tone anything down. I think I was asked if I could make a safe for TV cut, which ended with laughter and that is would be a twenty minute hack job.

Jen: The only instance where there was an issue with the film's content or title was earlier this year when it was banned by the Roxy Theater in Saskatoon. That was a real disappointment. They had said it was out of consideration for escorts who had been killed in the area, but I must respectfully ask, where in the world do prostitutes not get killed? It's not something I at all think is okay by any means, actually quite the opposite. It is absurd to say that it is a problem in Saskatoon alone. The Pickton Killer in Vancouver preyed on escorts and we didn't have a problem at all screening the film here. The film's title is intentionally ridiculous and satirical. To name a film something so blunt and then totally disrespect the title character would be tasteless. The theater refused to even watch the film. Had they, they would have seen that despite the body count and disregard for human life, the four unlikely heroes do everything in their power to lay the hooker's body to rest.

They had at one point suggested we change the title and we flat out refused. That title alone has made people check the film out in the first place. We intentionally chose something that would stand out, be unforgettable, and that would make people say, "I've gotta see that film!!". In the immortal words of John Cleese, "some people deserve to be offended." I remember watching SNL as a child and it was so not PC. Now it's like everyone's afraid of offending anyone. I say, offend everyone. That way no one's singled or left out. Life's too short to take yourself so seriously.


13. You girls are clearly horror fans, what are some of you favorite horror films?

Sylvia: Is it that transparent? Ha ha. My all time favorite horror is AMERICAN PSYCHO, directed by the amazing, Mary Harron. It's not a coincidence that the title character of our new feature shares her name. SUICIDE CLUB is beautiful - I wish I made it. It's that good. MARTYRS is unlike anything I've ever seen. Hardcore, unrelenting brutality with a predominately female cast. Brilliant. HELLRAISER changed my life. I recently met Clive Barker and told him about the influence he had on me and how his work inspired AMERICAN MARY. One of the nicest, coolest human beings ever. That man redefines what horror should be.


Jen
: ha ha, obviously all the same ones as Sylvie. I love Japanese horror, anything Miike. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a masterpiece. I like the original. Never been one for remakes. We're big fans of Stephen King. THE SHINING was wonderful. "Come play with us, Danny." I can't believe we never dressed up as those twins for Halloween. I'm a huge admirer of prosthetics and the outstanding artists that create them. I love JACOB'S LADDER, THE THING, SLITHER, and, of course, THE EXORCIST. I do love a good horror musical. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE are incredible.


14. Who are your biggest film making influences?

Sylvia: Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo taught me how to make a film with no budget, creatively. Not only were the movies hip, but the Ten Minute Film School segments showed you how to do it yourself. The eye gag in HOOKER was learned from the Film School on the ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO DVD extras. Every director involved in GRINDHOUSE hugely inspired us because that movie changed our lives.

Eli Roth is not only a badass filmmaker that broke the 90s trend of PG horror with his flicks, but when we contacted all the directors involved in GRINDHOUSE, he was the one who responded to us and really helped us get the project to the next level. It was a conversation with him that brought the script for AMERICAN MARY. It was while talking to him that I learned how to pitch a movie. And through conversations with him that I learned more about the process about making a film. He's a wonderful friend and a honest to goodness, horror aficionado. The bloodbath sequence that he did in HOSTEL 2 is one of my all time favorite sequences.

Mary Harron is a big influence. I was introduced to her when Toronto was trying to keep AMERICAN PSYCHO from filming in the city because of its content. I saw this beautiful, painfully intelligent, and eloquent woman defending the artistic merit and satire of the film - and I wanted to be her. Same thing when I saw Lars Von Trier defend ANTICHRIST at Cannes. I not only love their brave approach to their work, but also how they defend their rights to express that work. Maybe that's partly why I am pushing the envelope so much with MARY - I want to see if I can do that too.

Jen: No one can deny that Tarantino and Rodriguez are masters of cinema. They are both huge inspirations to us and surely everyone else.

I, twinly enough, love the same directors Sylvie has mentioned and for the same reasons. We also love Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park. I love Asian horror. It's so original and unique. I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon. It's actually a bit much. I love his dialogue and the way he plays with language. His characters are so unique and go through these amazing and thoughtful arcs. He also kills off his lead characters without warning which keeps his audience always on alert. He can write wonderful comedic moments and then have you all teary in the next. I couldn't be more excited for THE AVENGERS.

I adore Hideo Kojima. He's a genius. For those of you who may not know him, he's the creator, director, and writer of the METAL GEAR SOLID series.


15. I am very much looking forward to the movie you two are currently working on “American Mary” with Katharine Isabelle. What can you tell us about it?

Sylvia: The story follows medical student, Mary Mason played by the intoxicatingly talented Katharine Isabelle, as she grows increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school and the surgeons she once admired. The allure of easy money sends her into the messy world of underground surgeries that leaves more marks on her than her so-called 'freakish' clientele. We are in heavy prep right now and going to camera very soon. I don't want to give away too much because I like to surprise people. I promise you won't be disappointed. This film is a thank you to the horror community that got us here. It going to be something else.

Jen: Very little, ha ha. The project is very unique and original. We've taken great care to keep its content, plot, and characters as secret as possible. The script itself is carefully guarded. It's rough because I'd love nothing more than to speak in depth about the film. I can tell you that we have an incredible team assembled. I'm privileged to be working with Todd Masters and his phenomenal team at MastersFX. We have a truly wonderful cast and crew. The film is going to redefine horror.


16. What do you think the future holds for you two?

Sylvia: It feels like some many things are possible. I want to help bring that excitement in horror that I felt with the films I watched while growing up. AMERICAN MARY is my main priority right now. After that, we will be traveling with the film and promoting the holy hell out of it. We had started prep on another feature, BOB, when we were struggling to find the right home to make MARY, that we would like to start on next year.

Brainmachine Comix has a series where they based two vampire twins on Jen and I called Kold and Shades Blood which will be out in April. The issue and series is The Unforgivable #4 Necrowpolis. Girls like us have long dreamed to be comic book characters, so we hope to be able to pimp that out next year and hopefully get some cool plastic costumes in the process.

The big goal is to build Twisted Twins Productions to the point where we can not only finance our own films, but also develop and produce new indie artists. There's an onslaught of soulless studio crap being pumped onto screens and I want to do my part to counter-balance that with fresh, fearless films.

Jen: I couldn't have said it better myself. We have so many stories to tell between the two of us. BOB will likely be the next one. I look forward to making THE MAN WHO KICKED ASS. That one is really special to me. It's way too early to talk about yet. We have a TV series we've been writing ideas for and talking about since we were teenagers. We have a couple video games we'd like to do, too.

I'd like to continue to build the Twisted Twins brand. I love the Massive Blood Drive we started as a world wide event for Women In Horror month. We've recently joined the Women In Horror Board of Directors and we'd like to help make that event grow and grow in the coming years. We release an annual PSA to encourage blood donation each February and are always trying to top ourselves.

It's a dream of ours to co-host the Scream Awards. It's the horror awards show and we religiously watch it every year. I know we could put on one hell of a show. I'd also love to co-host SNL. Who doesn't? I've always thought it would be cool to have directors and writers host.

We've got so many things we'd like to do and so many films we'd like to make. It would be ideal to be able to finance our own films and help independent artists make theirs. We are right now dabbling in distribution. I hate hearing horror stories where film makers get screwed out of making anything on their work. If you've got a film and you're ready to get it out there, drop us a line at twistedtwinsproductions.net.

All pictures come courtesy of Twisted Twins.

10/27/2011

NYCC 2011: Day 2, Part 2

There were a lot of celebrities at NYCC, but I have to say unlike say, Chiller, this con is not as easy to meet celebs. Many charge a lot and ask that you buy their autographs in advanced. Really?! Sorry, but I ain't using my credit card for that.

But, I did really want to meet Nicki Clyne, IE Callie from Battlestar Galatica. I thought she was great in the series and cute to boot. She was only charging 20 bucks, which ain't bad. Well, plus 10 for a pic with her. I didn't do that. In fact, I don't think I was suppose to take pics of her at all. But, I'm press damn it! So here ya go. See, what I do for you, my loyal friends and readers?

In all seriousness, when I went to pay for her autograph (as I said you ain't going get me to pre-order a fraking autograph), I told them I wanted my DVD of season one signed. They said, that's it 20, and I get the 8x10, if I wanted it.

Well, I figured, hey, I'll get both signed! So, I get up to her, and she is very sweet and friendly. She signs my DVD, and we talk about her character getting killed and, thus, being fraked (sorry, if this ruins it for someone out there). But, she says that I have to pay for the 8x10 to get signed. I tell her they gave it to me regardless. She says next time. Uh, no next time babe. Still, I enjoyed meeting her. Well, other than the whole 8x10 fiasco.

I attended the Robot Chicken press conference, but that'll get it's own up-coming psot, so instead let's go to what I saw at the Marvel/ Avenger's booth.

It is the S.H.I.E.L.D. set from the film, and it looked cool! They had three hotties cosplaying, and then invited others that did Marvel cosplay to join them on stage. Some did not wear Marvel cosplay, yet got onstage. Since, they didn't follow orders you won't find them here. Sorry.


I am pretty sure Domino is carrying weapons of mass destruction.


Damn! Wasp is a cutie!


My boy Nelson is the best Deadpool. Dude IS Deadpool!
This Deadpool was the oddest, though!
As a HUGE fan of the Punisher and Captain America I loved this one!



And, before we bid Friday farewell, I should mention one cosplay that was so fucking awesome, and seen all weekend at the convention: Pedo-Bear!! Everyone's favorite pedophiliac bear from Attack of the Show would come up to you and play the role awesomely! I was dying and laughing my ass off, as I saw him over the course of the next few days! Definitely one of my favorites!

But, the craziest day was still to come...

TO BE CONTINUED...

10/24/2011

10/23/2011

NYCC 2011: Day 2, Part 1

While, yesterday had been a relaxing day; this one proved to be the beginning of pure insanity. Was I up to the task? You bet your ass I was!!!

Now, I neglected to mention in my first post on NYCC, that the NYCC app was an epic fail and crashed when I updated it at the con, the day before. I woke up extra early to redo my schedule, and I redownloaded the app (despite the fact that it's an awful app, I really needed to have it for my benefit). I then got ready to leave and meet up with my friend Alan, again.

As would soon be my tradition, I got on line to do coat check then on another line to buy some Starbucks (hmm, Starbucks!). The line was long. It was clear that they made a killing at this show! I soon noticed that the amount of cosplay grew considerably, from yesterday. Yep, that was THE first sign of just how much bigger this day was in comparison to the day, before.

Here is a taste of some of my favorites from that day:
Yoko was one of the most popular cosplays of the weekend. It's hot, so you won't see me complaining much!

This Dr. Who inspired costume was sexy, cool, and original.


Super Chicken Nugget boy! Defender of yummy processed chicken meat!


Two of the cutest girls doing cosplay.

Do you like hot goth chicks? Well if you are like me, then the answer is, "Fuck yeah!!" And, so one of my favorite booths to visit and photograph was VampireFreaks. Admit ably, I used to be on that site ages ago. While, I no longer use it, it was fun to see them there. On this day, a hottie was dancing her butt off.
In keeping with the vampire/ goth theme the next booth I hit up was the awesome Vamplets booth. Now, as some of you older readers might recall I did a review and covered them after Toy Fair, earlier this year, for the Gorezone. I really love their product, and they were very grateful of what I wrote about them.

This was also the first day that I met a celeb, at this con. At the G4 table Blair Butler was signing. The line was slow moving and long, but my friend tagged along to keep me company. We talked to some guys on the line so, it went by faster. Well OK, faster than if could have, otherwise... One thing, though, some dude doing Joker cosplay jumped the line to talk to her. It pissed off the people on the line, needless to say. But, I soon learned that Blair is far to sweet to tell this guy off. She liked my Marvel Civil War shirt. And, she was flattered when I gave her my buisness card. Her wonderful personality, made it and utter and compete pleasure to meet her, despite the long wait.

There was even more insanity on Friday, but that is for the next installment. Stay tuned!!!!

NYCC 2011: Day 1

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Now playing: Disturbed - Violence Fetish
via FoxyTunes

10/19/2011

NYCC 2011: Day 1

Make no bones about it, New York Comic Con (NYCC) is THE biggest convention on the Eastcoast. And, after years of not going, I, the Master, returned with a vengeance. Extended to four days, instead of the regular three and with a ton of guests, panels, and exclusive toys, this promised to be THE biggest one yet.

The very first day was on Oct. 13, 2011, a Thursday. This day was open only to pros, press, and those who bought a four day ticket. So, it was nice an quiet and a great day to walk around the Jacob Javits Center (where the con is held). It started at 4PM, and I, along with my friend Alan, got there about that time.

First and foremost, as soon as you walk you in are reminded just how big this convention is. There are so many rooms and three floors that are used, so it is very easy to get lost. We certainly did. We even lost certain tables. It's insanity!

The first booth I visited was Hasbro. They had an amazing display of some of their Marvel comics figures. It was really an amazing looking set-up.
Here a quikee vid I shot of it.


I also took the chance to pick up the exclusive Compound Hulk figure. He appeared in issue #30, when they were both joined as one. I admit I ain't read a Hulk comic in ages, but even if this whole thing is silly I loved the figure. I had to own it, moreso at a mere 11 bucks. Here it is with some other figures (including an exclusive Deadpool Mini-Mates) I got over the course of the next fews days.

I also had the chance to become an official Avengers action figure! Well, OK not really, but I think this pic, taken by Alan, aka NegativePop, is pretty cool. What do you think my assecories would be, if I was a real action figure?

Also, at Hasbro was a cutie who worked for them cosplaying as Jem. For those who may not know Jem was a cartoon based on a girl's doll about a pop singer named Jem and her band the Holograms. I admit to watching that show. You know you did, too! Don't deny it!

Next up was a visit to Mattel, where I there were awesome displays for WWE, DC, and Master of the Universe action figures.
Evil-Lyn has long been one of my fav MOTU characters.


Shadow Weaver finally gets a figure!!!




The Alberto Del Rio figure kicks ass! Gotta love the chihuahua!






There are beauties all over the show. Some of them are working at booths, like this stunning lady. She worked at the Vixens of Virtue, Vixens of Vice booth. She didn't reveal on which side her character will be, but one cool thing she told me is that she is a fellow writer. I actually got a bunch of pics of her, so look for future installments, of this series of posts, for more of her!

I did a little wondering here and there and saw more cool things. Due to the relaxed feeling this was easily my second favorite day of the whole event. But the REAL craziness was yet, to come...
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Now playing: Bruce Dickinson - Tears Of The Dragon
via FoxyTunes