Since I can't seem to find a spare second to catch up, I’m basically just gracefully trailing behind the rest of the crew who binged the whole thing at once... Finally sat down yesterday and watched the Making of, and honestly, the behind-the-scenes stuff hit me even harder than the actual movie did—not that you guys are surprised, considering I'm a total sucker for those filmmaking documentaries... 😁I’d go as far as to say the whole thing looks more professional than the actual movie itself—not that I mean that in a bad way, obviously... 🙂...because that's where you really see all that raw enthusiasm and creativity—you know, all that effort poured into making something happen when you're working with basically zero dollars in the bank...
First off, the layout is super clean—every segment has its own dedicated section, including the commentary and the whole backstory of how things came together. The guys actually treated it with a lot of respect too; they went full professional mode, giving us a real deep dive into the entire production process for each part. Personally, I’m a sucker for the bits where they leaned harder into the props and really went all out with the costume design and special effects... I mean, that tank was actually built on a Hyundai chassis...🤣Everything looks like it’s made of cardboard—which leads right into those bloopers where the entire set starts wobbling every time someone sticks their head out... And that "blood effect" bit? Where the guy almost suffocates because there's just too much liquid hitting him in the face? I was dying, literally... Also, the submarine sequence was actually pretty fascinating—the whole segment about building the sets feels like a total beginner's guide for enthusiasts who don't have a dime to spend on the real deal. Both rooms look phenomenal, honestly, considering the circumstances. But the absolute funniest part has to be the Mozart bit, when Luka talks about the materials they used for the costumes. Using actual stuff for... $167 In about a meter, he’s gonna head home with his tail between his legs... 🙏Look, it’s true—it took some serious time to pull all this together, grind through the footage, and put in the actual sweat equity... but honestly, looking back after four years, I think everyone can be pretty damn satisfied with where we landed. I'm just patiently waiting to see what else comes down the pipeline because, from what I can tell, actually pulling off those wild, imaginative scripts isn't even that much of a hurdle if you have the guts to do it... 😁
If anyone's interested—
Making of
I mean, you can pretty much find everything online these days... turns out you don't even have to leave your couch to see it all.
Alright, heads up... this one’s gonna be long and hard... if you aren't in the mood for a deep dive, just skip it.
Dwayne Johnson really hit the jackpot with his career—the guy is just genuinely likable, one of those actors who can slide into pretty much any genre without looking weird. Though, he figured that out a little late and spent some recent years churning out total garbage (if I can call it that) aimed at the more... mature crowd. Last year, he decided it was finally time to actually break someone's face again. For that, he picked Speed, a legit kick-ass flick that definitely makes up for the nonsense like Tooth Fairy. Billy Bob Thornton is back being his usual self, we've got the gorgeous Carla Gugino (hey, age is just a number, right?), there's actual grit, better shootouts, and even the soundtrack isn't half bad. You need more than that? Go watch something else.
The movie hits you right in the head from minute one—Dwayne rolls out of prison, walks up to this high-octane four-wheeled beast, takes it for a spin, ducks into some office, and KA-BOOM, some pale dude who looks terrified of his own shadow ends up dead with a ventilated skull! And that's just the kickoff. Right then, you realize this is going to be one hell of a ride. Mind you, Speed isn't quite what a lot of people might expect based on the trailer (which screams pure action), but it doesn't disappoint because of that.
Revenge flicks never go out of style; it's all about how you execute them. Once the real story behind why The Rock is doing what he's doing comes out, you can tell they were definitely trying to play to the crowd, but our hero is framed as someone who had ten years of isolation in some Small town in Ohio to sit around and think things through—even if he still acts like a total kamikaze. Questions about morality, forgiveness, and stuff like that pop up throughout, but don't worry, it's just background noise that fits the flow perfectly. What works best is honestly just Dwayne. He's a tornado, a hurricane, an unstoppable force that doesn't just burn bridges behind him but levels them with way too much C4 (metaphorically speaking) and, best of all, he is absolutely perfect in this role. After all that fluff in family comedies, Dwayne is clearly having the time of his life smashing people. And killing. Of course, it depends on your vibe, but if you dig the whole "two plus two equals death," heavy weaponry, and intense fights... this movie is soul food.
It might actually surprise you that Dwayne did a bit of acting—not a ton, mind you, but those scenes that require a shred of emotion are handled well. A little substance in the rough material. Even though the reason for the revenge is designed to make the audience feel for him, the focus smartly shifts to the hitman dealing with his own mess, and then there's Billy Bob with his own set of issues, mostly family stuff. Three sides, three characters, one shared plot. All the way to the end. It's smooth, with a twist at the finish (a little predictable, let's be honest) and that good old-fashioned structure that modern movies seem to run away from like the devil. Makes you wonder if Hollywood still has a fighting chance, doesn't it?
So... total madness 😁 (shout out to Anthony Smith3 for the DVD copy)
First off, the whole thing hit me like a slap in the face—not in a bad way, just unexpected. You can tell these guys actually had the drive and the guts to pull this off with more substance than your run-of-the-mill indie project. It’s definitely an "out of the box" kind of concept, pretty ambitious stuff, and honestly, even the thin threads connecting the stories—like the Vinar bit and the Western—didn't really bother me. And man, I have to say, that ending... it’s pure Keyser Söze 😁 (I didn't see that twist coming in the fifth act, not by a long shot). I won't get bogged into the technicalities—cinematography, lighting, all that jazz—since that's not really my lane, but I couldn't help noticing how the Western felt distinct from the rest; visually, it breaks away from that consistent gray tone the other segments share. As for the camera work and framing, it worked for me. It wasn't blurry, there was some decent experimentation going on, but it stayed sharp and dynamic (especially during the Western and the Skot scenes). Also, props department deserves a nod. Everything from the swords to the MP-40 (where on earth did they dig that up?) was solid... though I seriously have to ask—what kind of tank was that? 🤣 There are also a few perfectly timed gags—like the chaos in the Submarine where the guy on the radar is completely clueless 😁 Or when the Americans toss a grenade back to Sven Hassel, basically telling him it didn't work too well and giving him a second chance.
That said, it wasn't all perfect. First, the acting. Yikes. And the dialogue. Oof. Actually, those two are pretty much the same problem. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but that over-the-top delivery and exaggerated pronunciation isn't exactly landing the laughs. I don't think anyone will hold it against me if I say the whole thing works best when they aren't talking 😁 It leans a bit too hard into that hyper-local, neighborhood joke vibe—except, you know, we don't all grew up in the same suburb. That's probably my only real gripe with the whole thing. Everything else was fine by me (I certainly didn't regret sitting through 😛) and hopefully, their next project will be a bit more tuned for a wider audience—meaning, less of that niche, local humor
Nicole Torres97 said:So, I’m basically bringing Jack Ryan back into my rotation... he's just that impressive to me. Out of all the agents I've ever watched—and look, I love James Bond as much as the next person—Ryan is the one guy I'd actually trust without a second thought.
Look, Ryan is great, but we've already talked about this—he's an analyst who just happens to stumble into high-stakes chaos. His strength is that he feels like a real person. If they had made James Bond exactly how he was originally written, we'd be looking at a completely different genre of movies today...
Frank Moore4 said:Spot on, briskhound2 — Christopher Chance, aka Brad Chasse, ex-US Marine. 👍 It’s such a bummer Mark Valley isn't Captain America though. 😁 😬
I'm pretty sure I actually started this whole series because of your recommendation—if I recall correctly—so it feels only right to give him a shoutout. 😁 I remember hearing he was originally in the running for Captain America... honestly, kind of a shame, since he gives off those old-school 1940s vibes.
Guerrero is an absolute legend whenever he pulls that color-changing mask over his head. 🤣
I lose it every single time he drops that super laid-back greeting — Hey,dude.
Anthony Smith3 said:The crew behind the award-winning short parody "The Odyssey" is back with a feature called "etude," an epic romance. Unlike their first project, which was shot on a shoestring budget with basic consumer cameras, the guys actually pooled some decent cash this time to grab better gear and even built several sets from scratch. They estimate the cost topped $3.25, though that’s probably a moving target. Since most of them are just college students paying for everything out of their own pockets, it was a massive gamble. Because of the tight funds, they had to shoot in stages, stretching the process over several years. Post-production was a total nightmare, too. The sound and picture editing turned into a two-year slog. First, the hard drive containing 90% of the finished edit crashed. They managed to salvage maybe 30%, forcing them to redo almost everything. As if that wasn't enough, a technical glitch wiped out the entire completed sound mix. So, naturally, they had to start the audio from scratch. All this chaos meant the premiere kept getting pushed back over the last two years. Filming kicked off in August 2006. The goal was to wrap by August 2007, but between the technical disasters and other hurdles, that didn't happen. Since "etude" is an omnibus of six stories spanning different eras but tied together by a central theme, they filmed each segment separately. You've got a Western, a story about a winemaker, a tale of Scots, soldiers in a trench, one involving Mozart (which was filmed at the Houston Nationals, BTW), and a Russian submarine segment. Each story took about two to three days to shoot, but the prep work took months. Even though the actual shoot days were short, they were anything but easy. For instance, filming the Western on Martha's Vineyard was a disaster; the crew spent three days standing in the sun in heavy jackets, pretending they weren't dying, while half the team was actually puking from the heat. The winemaker segment was shot at a vineyard in Jackson, where the grapes had already been harvested. To make it look like a full harvest, the crew had to hang fresh grapes on the vines and pretend they were picking them. The Scots story was filmed in Missouri at the grandmother's place of the director, Luke Hrgović. That part needed the biggest cast, pulling in about 30 extras. They split into two groups—half dressed as the "good" Scots in red and the other half as the "bad" ones in green. Some were armed with pitchforks, while others used axes and swords forged by one of the crew members. They spent nearly two days sprinting through a field that had been set on fire to get that perfect smoke and battlefield vibe. While they mostly used plum jam for fake blood, things got a little too real. Since everyone was playing their parts a bit too intensely and the swords and shields were made of real (though blunt) metal, a few people actually got nicked. Luckily, nothing serious—just some scratches here and there. According to the creators, the WWII trench segment was one of the toughest to prep because they had to source three authentic American uniforms and several German ones, plus the period-accurate weaponry. They ended up buying the American gear at a flea market in rural Alabama, while a collector who loved their vision lent them the German gear. That whole segment was also shot in Missouri, where the crew spent two grueling days filming in absolute mud. The segment set on a Russian submarine was actually filmed out in Missouri—well, more like a makeshift "studio" in Missouri. They used an old, abandoned barn that had been sitting empty for years and built out the entire sub interior from scratch, down to the tiniest details like the bridge, sleeping quarters, galley, and engine room. It took months to build, and honestly, the biggest nightmare for the crew was just how freezing it was during filming since we shot in the dead of winter. It sucked even more because everyone was just filming in undershirts. The Mozart story was shot at the Houston Nationals. The real headache there was just getting permission to shoot on-site and use all those Baroque costumes. After months of playing games with the administration, the crew finally managed to talk them into letting us film. Plan B was to try shooting at an AMC Theatres or even driving all the way down to the theater in Austin if things fell through. Luckily, we didn't need to. Just a heads-up: almost every segment is basically a massive homage to classics like "Braveheart," "Saving Private Ryan," "Amadeus," or those old Leone westerns.
The cast is pretty much the same crew you saw in The Odyssey—Luke Hrgović (who also directed and co-wrote this), Marin Bušić, Miran Šabić, Ivan Mihoci, Ivan Šivak, along with some new faces like Anton Svetić (also a writer), Stipan Tadić, Duje Medić Vibor, Vedran Štefan, and Nikolina Knežević playing Katherine, the girl at the center of every story in this omnibus. And yeah, I might have snuck in a tiny little role myself, haha...
So, after three years of absolute post-production hell, our indie feature "etude" finally has a premiere date! It’s going down on 17.01.2011 at AMC Theatres. I don't have the exact showtime yet, but I'll post it here once I do. You're all invited to come hang out. There might be another screening at the local multiplex too, but we haven't nailed down the date or time yet. Over the next week, I'll be teasing some trivia, stills from the movie, and winemaker screenshots Behind The Scenes, hoping to keep you guys interested.
MOZART - SCOTLAND: Mozart falls for an Empress's daughter named Katherine, whom he’s never actually met—he just fell for her portrait. To prove his love, he decides to write an opera, even though she doesn't give him the time of day. The opera itself tells a story about Scots where the hero falls for a girl from a rival clan who also happens to be named Katherine, and since their love is forbidden, war breaks out.
WWII (TRENCHES) - RUSSIAN SUBMARINE: A soldier in the trenches writes a story fueled by his love for a woman named Katherine. She isn't actually into him, but he can't see it. He writes this tale about a submarine called the Katherine and a captain who is obsessed with his sub. But then a mutiny breaks out between two factions on board, and things turn violent.
WINEMAKER - WESTERN: This winemaker loves his vineyard and harvests grapes to make a special vintage called Katherine. When people ask why he named the wine that, he starts spinning a Wild West tall tale about how some outlaw cowboys kidnapped a woman named—try to guess it—Katherine, and a heroic cowboy set out to save her. He tracks them down near a little St. Andrew's Church, and a shootout follows.
IMAGES
Honestly, I think this is killer. Regardless of how good the actual footage turns out to be, the visual bait is solid. Man, some amateur indie flicks have better posters than these big-budget productions...
Jerry Martinez50 said:Like I was saying earlier, your average American couldn't even point to Italy on a map if their life depended on it... I’ve been there, seen it, I know. Compared to those other supposed geniuses, Tesla definitely gets the short end of the stick. All these games and junk...🙄
It depends. If you look at any recent sci-fi series, Tesla's name pops up everywhere—either as a scientist or just a figurehead. At Eureka, the whole school is basically named after him. Honestly, the average American probably knows Tesla better than Edison because people don't actually know much about Edison... they just know he was ahead of his time, and that kind of thing always grabs people's attention.
As for the movie—I'm smelling an epic disaster coming our way. If the crew behind Mexican Scars is the one making it, it won't be anything less than a total wreck...
Honestly, it feels like Rodriguez is just doing his absolute best to bury his own legacy and torch whatever tiny bit of street cred he has left. Instead of actually leaning into more sequels for Sin City, he's out here grinding away at this total nonsense...
Here's the poster and the full trailer... Honestly, it feels like just another run-of-the-mill slasher, kind of like the endless flood of those we've been seeing lately...
So, I was just thinking back to this—it’s still pretty vivid in my mind—there's this girl in the new remake of The Amityville Horror, and those few scenes where she actually shows up... Honestly, the whole movie sticks with me because of those little jump scares. You know, like when a chair suddenly starts rocking on its own, or doors slamming shut out of nowhere, and then that girl...
redrider17 said:Nobody cares about the "unknown actors"...
Guess I'm just talking to myself here since nobody’s replying... Is everyone just obsessed with Erika Eleniak and Rina when it comes to movies or what???
Not even the first thread like this ever really got any traction. Unknown side characters—they just don't cut it for people...
....I mean, I think I’ve probably watched it about 30 times now, and honestly? Every single time, I still feel like a little kid again just sitting there watching... Man, those were the days 😢
Since I’ve been in the thick of all three rounds—and honestly, managed to scrape by for an honorable mention in two of them—I feel like I pretty much have to weigh in here...
When it comes to people whining about the rules, the only "valid" complaint could’ve come from our side—those of us who jumped the gun and replied before the deadline—but I don't see the point in even bringing that up (and I doubt anyone else does, either)... actually, I’m kind of just stoked with how things turned out 🙂 since I wasn't even planning on playing. What 593 did there was pure attention-seeking because—get this—someone expressed a tiny bit of doubt about whether the game was being played right. It doesn't matter who said it, what they said, or when... the point is, it got mentioned. And for what...? The game didn't fail; if anything, it sparked interest, brought people in, and—to put it lightly—brought everyone together for one really interesting conversation without any accusations or toxic vibes. Man, it's crazy that this needs to be torn apart now... after seeing someone announce, present, and follow through on everything promised—(I remember 593 being negative back then too, questioning if the winners would actually get their prizes from the first round)—all without creating any drama. Whether she was speaking for herself or others—if someone had a real issue, they should just grow some cojones and say it to their face. Anything else is just... pathetic.
Sorry, Anthony Smith3, I've been reading through the chaos and felt like I had to be blunt, so excuse me if I'm a little direct. To everyone else, I hope to see you at the next event, and let's hope it stays just as intense as this one. 👍
Anthony Smith3 said:Do you mean when he takes out that "sniper" on the roof? I think he actually popped him with a revolver... not a shotgun...
From what I gathered, it was a shotgun shot—from horseback, during that turn right when he caught his reflection in the glass.
Initial thoughts... honestly, a bit of a pleasant surprise. It’s got this almost forgotten vibe of old-school Western shootouts, which works really well when paired with the fun genre tropes—you know, the mysterious stranger, that tiny town tucked away in the middle of nowhere... the cast is solid enough and fits the world perfectly, and the plot holds together well enough to support all the onscreen chaos. My one gripe is how the perspective jumps around between characters; it's not necessarily a flaw that there isn't one central lead, but it would've felt much tighter if we stayed glued to the rookie's eyes instead of cutting to the victims or the killer (who isn't even that interesting)—staying with the newcomer would have been more effective for me... but hey, a job well done (thanks for the rec, Anthony) and I'll probably give it another watch down the road.
One total WTF moment is when this guy with a short-barreled shotgun fires from like a hundred yards away and it hits just as if he were using a hunting rifle (which is what the guy who got hit was actually using) — in real life, he would've missed by a mile 😁
Watched it last night, I'll get to the comments later, but it turned out to be a pretty interesting flick.
This is pure chaos; by next month, this will have become...
But 🤣🙏 cheers to yet another instance of busted copy-pasting.
@ briskhound2—how did you even stumble upon that text and remember Power's version? Were you maybe out there Powerbeating yourself? 😁
A buddy sent me a link to The Cult of Ghoul, so I was just scrolling through it whenever I'm looking for something creepy... then I went searching and found the exact same text right here.
Honestly, the thought of Powerbeating scares me 😬—I'd much rather sit around for three days trying to figure out what to write...
