Glowing Screen

More SIMPSONS!

2007-06-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

from left: Marty Langford, Atom Marotte, Warren Amerman, Jim Purchase, Joel Katon

Not a lot of time to blog, 'cause we're knee-deep in SIMPSONS production, but here's an image of some of the crew from our pre-light last night. The set looks GREAT!

First CNN, now ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

2007-06-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

... and soon USA TODAY (who just announced a partnership with Fox on the SIMPSONS contest; the beginning of the SPRINGFIELD CHALLENGE was supposed to be in the Tuesday edition of USA TODAY, but now I guess it's been pushed back a day. Look for it Wednesday, I guess). But yeah, in the PopWatch section of the EW site, there's a story (and picture!) of our efforts toward the Simpsons vid we're producing. Now that's cool.

Hey, we're on CNN

2007-06-01T13:15:00.001-07:00

The quality's craptacular, but if you squint just right you can see us. We're going national, baby.

THE SIMPSONS

2007-05-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Simpsons are coming home, and we here at Glowing Screen are going to make sure 'home' is right here. Warren and I are key members of the red-hot Strike Force that is generating ideas, conceiving concepts, and think-tanking the BIG IDEAS behind Springfield, MA's bid to host the premiere of the THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, and forever be recongized as the "true" home to Homer, Bart and company.

20 Century Fox has organized a pretty sharp promotion around the July 27 release of the big budget feature film. They have contacted 16 different Springfields across the country and solicited a short film from each that makes the case for each city.

Warren, myself, Scotty Kittredge and other illustrious minds are working hard with Dave Horgan and the Mayor's office to develop a 5 minute short film that will insure our place in SIMPSONS lore.

Check out City Hall's official page here if you have big ideas of your own. We're expecting the offical rules and guidelines on Wednesday, May 16.

More info to come!!

ATTACK OF THE SPACE CHICKENS

2007-05-10T06:54:00.001-07:00

After having the written the script a couple of years ago for another producer, I'm now pleased to announce that pre-production is in full swing for an '08 release of ATTACK OF THE SPACE CHICKENS. I'll be producing with director Scott Kittredge of Bowling Squirrel Films.

I'm currently writing a revised second draft of the screenplay, and I'm gonzo in love with where it's going. Scott and I have develeloped some new ideas that's making the script funnier, scarier, and more open to some super cool effects. We're hoping to utilize all sorts of processes for the extensive effects work, including stop-motion, in-camera practical, prosthetics, animatronics and CGI -- there's just no ONE way to bring a Space Chicken to life.

Please visit our MySpace page, which you can find here, and send us a FRIENDS request.

And remember this, never forget this:

When it comes to Space Chickens, it's either them... or us.

12 AND HOLDING

2007-05-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of "moderating" an informal Q & A session with screenwriter, Anthony S. Cipriano yesterday in the two screenwriting classes I teach at Westfield State College. Anthony graduated from WSC in 1997, and now lives in LA making a living as a writer.

After the classes, he screened his film, 12 AND HOLDING, a 2006 release directed by Michael Cuesta.

It's quite a film.

Shot for $400,000, 12 AND HOLDING tells the story of three childhood friends, all aged twelve, who must all deal with a tragic event while also dealing with the trauma of being twelve years old. Anthony's writing is spot-on in this story of grief, a subject he felt was necessary to deal with after the events of September 11. His premise was consistent, even when the film seemed to deviate in tone -- a decision that Anthony consciously made in the screenplay, and that Cuesta maintained in direction. It was quite a bold choice to introduce seemingly inappropriate comedic moments and music cues in an otherwise dour narrative, but ulitimately I think they pulled it off, creating a world where angst, anxiety and the joys of "growing up" naturally coexist.

The performances are amazing for such a young cast, and the supporting adult roles are all filled out nicely with true pros (w/ Jeremy Remmer's Gus blowing my socks off).

The final moments, and indeed the final image, were a suprememly challenging choice to make. Anthony could have gone in several directions with the narrative, which is in itself a testament to the film's structure -- so often there appears an inevitability in movies, a natural conclusion to which it is building, but in 12 AND HOLDING's resolution, we really have little idea what decision Jacob will make, and what consequence it may have on the rest of his life. When the decision is made, and conclusion reached, we are left with many questions about this choice, and the subsequent impact it has on the lives of those involved. Heady stuff.

Anyway, a big thank you to Anthony, and a big recommendation to all for 12 AND HOLDING -- proof that great talent comes out of the backwoods of Western Mass. And that students in our little state colleges can go on to great success and compete in New York, Hollywood or whereever they decide to go

Mark Devin, Tripeg Studios, and Synthetic Cinema

2007-04-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Glowing Screen compadre Mark Devin recently launched his very own website: Go here to experience his world.

Mark, of course, shot MAGDALENA'S BRAIN, as well as the upcoming film, EXPOSURE. We've known Mark for years here at Glowing Screen, and have always consdiered him to be one of the best shooters around. I'm so happy to see him continuing to DP features and short films, as his talent is too good for him to exist only in the industrial/corporate world.

Go to his site, hire him for your film, and let the accolades come your way. Accolades such as:

DVDSavant: "Cameraman Mark Devin invests the visuals with atmospheric qualities unexpected in such a low budget effort."

Ain't It Cool News: "What was the most striking thing about the movie was the cinematography. Usually indie or amateur films look bad but this guy – Mark Devin – has got it going on. The shots are clear, crisp, and poetic."

And...uh, this one from 10KBullets.com: "Upon reflecting on Magdalena’s Brain, it’s my firm belief that the Director of Photography Mark Devin salvaged this production from becoming a complete disaster."

Thank God for Mark Devin!

*************************************************************************************

Glowing Screen buddy, Scott Kittredge and I swung by the Hampden, CT home of Tripeg Studios last Friday afternoon and spent a good two hours picking the brain of Tripeg's Synthetic Cinema's Andrew Gernhard, the executive producer of several successful, low budget genre films, including the upcoming Synthetic release, LYCAN.

Andrew was gracious with his time and his knowledge-base concerning low budget filmmaking, and Scott and I both heard what he had to say about the realities of the industry. According to Andrew, there does seem to be a "formula" for this type of filmmaking, and it's somewhat dependant on the popularity of the mainstream. THE WOLF MAN, starring Benecio Del Toro is coming out soon, so distributors are clamoring for werewolf movies. Makes sense. This attitude, however potentially successful it may be, scares me a bit, and I'm unwilling to blindly embrace it. I want to make good movies first, hoping that it translates into success later. Naive? Yeah, I'm sure it is. And though I don't think I'd have a hard time making a pretty good werewolf movie, I don't know if I'd risk making one just because I think the market would bear it.

Andrew was a great guy to meet and someone you can bet we'll be keeping in touch with, as his consultation skills could be a huge asset to any independent filmmaker.

All we need now is the world to clamor for killer barnyard animal movies, and we'll be all set.

¿Magdalena?

2007-04-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

How odd is this? While surfing the 'net for MAGDALENA'S BRAIN reveiws and info, I came across a very strange thing. Over at mySubtitles.com some enterprising soul has taken the time to translate the film into Portuguese and create subtitles for it. Here's an example:

447
00:46:45,969 --> 00:46:47,097
...Andrew necesito hablar contigo

448
00:46:54,246 --> 00:46:55,371
- Hey

449
00:46:56,046 --> 00:46:57,793
- Cielos me asustaste

450
00:46:58,259 --> 00:46:59,427
- Lo siento

Wow. If you're so inclined, follow this link to download your very own Portuguese subtitle file.

Chiller Theater

2007-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Man, do I love a good convention. And Chiller hasn't let me down once. If you're going to be visiting the Parsippany, NJ show this weekend, then drop us a line before you head down. I've been attending Chiller and Fango cons for the past 20 years or so, but since I've become more active in filmMAKING (as opposed to just filmWATCHING, or filmAPPRECIATING), these shows have taken on a whole new dynamic. Instead of just making the rounds of the dealer rooms and rubbernecking to catch a glimpse of Tom Savini, I've been actively reaching out to fellow filmmakers and trying to create relationships that could benefit us both.

So, if you're a filmmaker, or just a fan with the passion to engage in intelligent dialogue about the craft we all love, then drop me an e-mail. I'd love to hook up. See you there!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...

2007-04-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

...welcome to Fenway Park.*

Though it has nothing to do with filmmaking, and here at Glowing Screen we're all about filmamking, I would be remiss in my obligations to Red Sox Nation if I didn't
commemorate this date, April 2, 2007 as the official date of the Red Sox 2007 Major League Baseball campaign.

Go Sox.

*(The public address reference at the head of the his post was for effect only. I realize the game is in Kansas City today. I realize this because next Tuesday, when those words are actually spoken for the first time, I'll be sitting at Fenway Park, awaiting Josh Beckett's first pitch).

Mag's Brain makes TOP TEN LIST...

2007-03-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

Sure... the list may be called, "The Top Ten List of 2006 That You've Never Heard Of", but it's still a TOP TEN list, right? And to be on a list with Doris Wishman's LET ME DIE A WOMAN.. well, that's honor enough.

Check out the list here. We couldn't be happier.

Glowing Screen website down

2007-02-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to those that have been trying to connect to the main Glowing Screen website: our ISP has been having some... problems. Read all about the news here. We've re-registered with a new ISP, but the site has yet to become active. Sorry for any incovenience.

In other news, while looking for a pair of jeans recently, ones that won't bind on me, I discovered the image below. Another reason to thank Chuck Norris.

New MB Review... plus a GHOST RIDER tidbit

2007-02-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

CyberPunk Review just posted a pretty favorable review of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. Their perspective is a welcome and unique one, and with quotes like: "This is an interesting approach toward building a cyborg with synthetic thinking capabilities, and is a somewhat different approach from say, the Ghost in the Shell method of increasing human capacity. In the GITS Cyborg model, computers are essentially integrated into the human mind, almost as a huge memory bank." you know they're not just interested in the gore and T & A quotient. Check out the whole review here.

Also, you just have to check out my buddy, Jeff Allard's ramblings about the impending release of the new GHOST RIDER film. Jeff quasi-review (quasi because he hasn't yet seen the movie) states, "...when I see a dude with a flaming skull riding his flaming motorcycle up the side of a skyscraper - I don't try to pretend my life hasn't been changed."

Check out his MySpace blog entry entitled, "Ghost Rider: The Reason Cinema Was Invented" here.

MAGDALENA'S BRAIN Trailer

2007-01-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

Not sure why it took us so long, but below find the final trailer for MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. Spread the word.

Marketing

2007-01-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post a little graphic I worked on today that may be part of a greater advertising strategy behind MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. We're working with our distributor on amping up the marketing of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. Though, to be honest, we're probably not going to use the ad (or the Flash banner above either, cool, though... huh?), but I though I'd get in the spirit and create these things as the start of a smaller grass-roots push for the movie. If you have a site/blog and you'd like to throw a little bandwidth our way, I'd be glad to send you some code or an image for an ad. Let me know.

The Western Mass Filmmaking Community

2007-01-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

After being both intensely and peripherly involved on a number of projects in the area (including 5 1/2 feature films... sorry Karl, DEAD DUDES won't be a feature until you pass that 70 minute mark), I've forged a tremendous number of relationships, both personal and professional, with lots and lots of talented folks. Included in these numbers are high level directors of photography, editors, audio engineers, composers, script supervisors, grips, special effects guys and more. The truth of the matter is that Western Mass has a strong base of artists and technicians with quite a bit to contribute to the independent film world.

Having said that, let's see some of them in action. Scott Kittredge & John Loos on the set of BUBBLE TRUBBLE.

Tom Light & Chris Grabowski, PA extraordinaires.

Steve Cary shooting a zombie extra in Mike Weaver's RAW MATERIAL.Scott Kittredge directing with Joel Katon holding boom, John Loos gaffing, and Rick Sands (far left, DP'ing) on the film TERMINAL CONVERSATION. (photo courtesy Scott Kittredge; copyright 2006 Bowling Squirrel)The cast/crew of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN: sitting L-R; Atom Marotte, Jim Purchase, Jake Teixiera, Amy Shelton-White, Joel Katon, Maria Escribano, Karl Kempter. Standing L-R; Mark Devin, Bruce MacDonald, Warren Amerman, Marty Langford, Konrad Rogowski.Jeff Allard directing Mike Weaver and David Joseph on the set of AT A THEATER NEAR YOU. Joel Katon and DP, Ed Brown set up the shot.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

2007.

For some reason, it seemed important that I update the blog today. A sign of things to come... a statement that, if nothing else, if we do nothing else this year, we will at least try to post a little more regularly. Glowing Screen will, in the year 2007, be known as a company that posts somewhat regulary on their blog.

Though, I do have a little something to report:

First, principal photography on the BUBBLE TRUBBLE camera test/trailer footage is complete.

We spent a few days between X-Mas and New Years shooting footage that will be edited into an effects test reel that will double as a promotional trailer for the film. We shot a couple days in the studio of Veritech Corporation (my day job), as well as at the Holyoke Merry Go Round(www.holyokemerrygoround.org) and at WWLP, TV-22. It was great fun (and mucho stress), but it's over now, and we'll continue to prep for the shoot proper which will commence in late June.

I'd like to officially thank some folks who were integral in the success of the shoot. There were actually about a dozen key people, but these guys did the most for the least.

TONY COLAPIETRO: Tony gripped and held boom for us on the shoot, and in addition became our de facto still photographer. He's posted a bunch of stills from the shoot on his MySpace page, which can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/kikndrummer

SCOTT KITTREDGE: As always, Scott is exactly where he needs to be (which in this case means, where I need him to be) when he needs to be there. One of of the most reliable guys I know. Visit the site for Scott's production company, Bowling Squirrel at, predictably... www.bowlingsquirrel.com.

TOM LIGHT, CHRIS GRABOWSKI & JAY COLE: Three dudes who followed me from the hallways and classrooms of WSC. I can't thank them enough.

Also new in '07, we've created a new MySpace account. We're very new to MySpace, and quite frankly, a little frightened. It's an overwhelming community of people and places and things that is insanely confusing to navigate. To be honest, the only reason I created the page was because everybody told me I absolutely had to. "Oh, you just have to," people would tell me. So, OK... I did; and was immediately lost in the endlessly scrolling, spam-ridden, over- advertised morass of bedlam. All I wanted was to figure out how to contact people who may actually be of value in my life. As of yet, I haven't figured it out. I'll get there. Check out our "presence" here: www.myspace.com/glowingscreen.

There's little new to report on MAGDALENA'S BRAIN, other than we kind of made a BEST OF '06 list. The high brow DVD SAVANT site listed us among the "Most Impressive DVDs of 2006". Admittedly we're not in the top 10, but hey... we're just a little guy. Check out the list here: http://www.dvdsavant.com/s2193pick.html

Finally, a little treat: my top ten list of 2006. It's a mixed media affair, and in no particular order, but these are 10 things that I dug and dug into this past year.

1). Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas (BOOK)

2). The Departed (MOVIE)

3). World War Z. by Max Brooks (BOOK)

4). Nip/Tuck (TV)

5). ROCKY BALBOA (MOVIE)

6). The Wes Anderson American Express commercial (COMMERCIAL)

7). Equinox: The Criterion Collection (DVD)

8). The Beatles: Love (CD)

9). Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (DVD)

10). The Ultimate Superman Collection (DVD)

CHURCH service & BUBBLE trouble

2006-11-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

As MAGDALENA'S BRAIN continues its life in active national distribution, 'what's next?' for Glowing Screen is a question on all of our minds. As always, we have ideas. Ideas fall into that category of thing which can be inspiring, frustrating, and altogether life-affirming. Some are too ambitious, some daffy, some quite insane, but some exist in the realm of, 'yeah... yeah, that I can get behind. That I can invest in.'

Two ideas Warren and I have had recently include:

"How about I buy a monstrous old church and convert it into a state of the art recording studio?"

"How about I produce a movie starring only children, shot almost exclusively against green-screen?"

For Warren's progress on the demo'ing, rehabbing, reconstruction and transformation of his church-to-studio project, check out his website here: www.rotaryrecords.com.
As for me, I've taken on producing chores for a NY-based feature film entitled BUBBLE TRUBBLE. It's a wonderfully silly, sarcastic satire dealing with global politics, aliens, and bubbles.

Lots of bubbles.

I've been overwhelmed lately with pre-pro on the film, teaching my classes up at WSC, and working full time at Veritech (seen us in the news?), so posting here has been sporadic to say the least. But Glowing Screen is still a force; we're just in our 'potential' rather than 'kinetic' stage right now.

Soon we'll be bursting open with ideas realized.

We Rocked and Somewhat Shocked...

2006-10-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

(from left to right: Jeff Allard, Matt House, Marty Langford, Darren Langford, Scott Kittredge, Karl Konopka. Photo courtesy, G. Michael Dobbs)

The Worcester ROCK AND SHOCK show, while not an avalance of cash, was certainly a success on every other level. We networked with some very cool filmmakers and publishers, sold some DVDs, and met some really interesting people. The weekend DID pay for itself, which was a great relief, but proved to me that the East Coast convention circuit may not supplant my full time work duties.

We moved every copy of the WESTERN MASS HORROR SHOW (sold most, traded some, gave several away) and sold more copies of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN than any other of the films at the table. People seemed genuinely interested in us and our wares, and many business cards and screening copies were exchanged.

One of the highlights of the show, and only done on Karl Konopka's urging, was the GWAR show Saturday night. It was, to say the least... interesting. I'm glad I went, and now never have to again.

So much happening...

2006-10-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

First thing, we have a new review up from the DVD SAVANT site. Reviewer Glenn Erickson gives us huge props, starting the review with, "It's a surprise to find a low budget direct to video horror film with more ambition than the hundred or so slasher/zombie/satanic epics that come out every year. "

He really seems to "get" the film, understanding what Warren and I were trying to do with the ideas, pacing, and general tone of the movie. The review, I think, is one of the best written pieces out there on the movie, and I encourage all to read the whole thing here.

**

Next, the Worcester-based ROCK AND SHOCK show is quickly approaching. You can find us in our comfy little 10' x 10' booth from 5:00pm Friday 'til 6:00 Sunday night, this coming weekend (Oct 13-15). I know there are a lot of you from the New England area, and we'd love to have drop by the booth and say 'hi.

We'll be selling copies of our own WESTERN MASS HORROR SHOW DVD, which is in the final authoring/packaging stages now. My buddy Scott Kittredge (he of TERMINAL CONVERSATION fame), is putting the finishing touches on brand new artwork for the disc, which is really blowing my mind. These things are going to sell like hotcakes.

We'll also have mucho copies of other Heretic titles, as well as author/illustrator Steve Bissette on Sunday. Steve will be signing copies of Heretic's THE LAST BROADCAST and HEAD TRAUMA, for which he provided artwork.

Fellow dude, G. Michael Dobbs will also be on hand all weekend with a cool little trinket to sell. As he writes on his own blog, "I will have a new product firmly aimed at the disenfranchised....a black silicone wristband that reads I HATE PEOPLE." Now these, I suspect, will sell like hotcakes (my earlier statement about the speed and volume at which our DVDs will sell was pure hyperbole).

**

Another local filmmaker, Robert Stock, is putting the final edit of his magnum opus togther -- ANGEL'S BLADE will be making it's national premiere on October 27 in NYC! I'll do a future post with dates and times. I just came back from Bob's studio in nearby Granby, MA to scope it out for a potential new movie project, and he laid the new trailer on me. Nice. Bob's got all the elements that're going to make his film an easy sell to the horror crowd.

Cool News

2006-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of AIN'T IT COOL NEWS? It's only THE most important movie news site on the whole world wide web. If it's happened, is happening, or will happen in the world of entertainment, then AICN webmaster Harry Knowles knew about it before you did.

And now he's spreading the word about MAGDALENA'S BRAIN.

When a review (that will be read by tens of thousands) starts out with, "If you’re tired of all the crap out there in cinema and TV, then you’ve got to check out MAGDALENA’S BRAIN", then you know only good can come of it.

So cool.

Click here to read the review.

More Reviews & and some news

2006-09-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

-To update our last post, MAGDALENA'S BRAIN is simply ALL OVER THE WEB, available for illegal download. There are almost more page hits for torrent sites than there are for legit sites. The good news is that in order to find, you have to spell it a little differently than you'd think -- so a simple "Magdalena's Brain" Google search won't do it.

-We're confirmed for October's ROCK AND SHOCK show in October. We'll be there Friday-Sunday carrying every title that Heretic Films represents, including:

-HEAD TRAUMA
-THE LAST BROADCAST
-SHOCKHEADED
-KATIEBIRD
-LONDON VOODOO
-I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW
-RED COCKROACHES
-COLD BLOOD
-SACRED FLESH
-LAST EXIT

We will also be carrying copies of our own WESTERN MASS HORROR SHOW (pictured).

And Steve Bissette , artwork designer for THE LAST BROADCAST; and mini-comic creator for HEAD TRAUMA, has confirmed to man the booth on Sunday, as has mutual friend G. Michael Dobbs. Both will be available to chat up their various products and sign their various wares.

*******

And there are more reviews of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN up and around the 'net:

DVD Maniacs states, "it’s a unique movie, even if its far from perfect, with a few fine twists that differentiate it from your average low budget film and some nice visuals as well." They give us 3 out of 5 stars and offer up a pretty fair critique. As the site uses frames, go to their main page and search the reviews for our flick.

And Cinephelia promises that "you will enjoy it. This is some really hi-end sci-fi." Read the entire review here.

We've been torrented

2006-09-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

I guess we're a part of the cultural zeitgiest now. As of September 3rd, we're officially available to illegally download on the 'net.

I won't tell you exactly how to find it, but web saavy pirates sure could. A quick search resulted in finding one Torrent site that had 200 active downloads occuring. Another had over 300!! Three-freaking-hundred people illegally downloading our movie. Bastards.

There's a part of us that's flattered by this fact. Think of it... 300 people using up their precious bandwidth to get OUR movie. The flipside, of course, is that they get it for FREE! If just 5% of the people from those two sites simply bought our movie, it would be a substantial little chunk of change in our pockets.

I actually have very strong feelings about file sharing and creator rights, though I'll be the first to admit that I've partaken in some shady dealings in my on-line existence (though I do do surf by a code, the details of which I've actually gone into on my personal blog).

Anyway. The moral of the story? Buy our movie, don't steal it. You can get it cheap if you shop around. Puls the pirated version doesn't have the DVD extras.

I know, because I downloaded it.

See us at Rock and Shock

2006-08-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

For each of the past two years, in our own backyard, the Worcester based ROCK AND SHOCK convention has been attracting a higher caliber of guest, a larger crowd, and better vendors.

We're happy to announce that we're going to increase that vendor quality tenfold by teaming up with our distributor, Heretic Films, and representing at this years show on October 13, 14 & 15. We'll have all of Heretic's films available for purchase, including their two latest titles: HEAD TRAUMA and THE LAST BROADCAST.

And as a special, biggie-sized bonus, we'll have THE LAST BROADCAST cover artist, Stephen Bissette at the booth on Sunday, the 15th. Buy one and maybe he'll sign it for you. Also at the table on Sunday will be writer/animation guru, G. Michael Dobbs. Mike is putting together a very cool collectible item that I know will prove to be the hit of the show. You'll have to stop by the table to find out what it is.

We'll also be selling copies of our long gestating THE WESTERN MASS HORROR SHOW, featuring the works of local talents: Jeff Allard, Mike Weaver, Atom Marotte, Jim Purchase, Mark Laquerre, Scott Kittredge, Brian Jackson, and Karl Konopka.

And speaking of Karl, he may have copies of his magnum opus, DEAD DUDES for sale. He's deep in post-production now.

So join us, please. It's our first foray into conventioning. We'd love to see you out there.

MAGDALENA'S BRAIN in new FANGO!

2006-08-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

THE magazine for horror news, Fangoria's newest issue features a review of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. We hear it's a positive take on our movie, and can't wait to read it ourselves.

It hits the newsstand on August 22! Reserve your copy!

Check out the on-line version of Fango here.

Couple more reviews...

2006-08-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

People are still getting around to reviewing the film. I know there's at least a couple more coming.

Annie over at Joe Horror gave us a very nice write up. Among other things, she asks herself "WHY exactly did I find myself weirdly and yet strongly attracted to [Robert]?", and she singles out Sanjiban stating: "Sanjiban Sellew as Arthur really impresses; I imagine it must be extremely difficult to give a wheelchair bound paraplegic much of a personality, but Sellew does so admirably, making Arthur a pitiful, funny and sometimes downright hateful character."

Check out her full review here.

Our friend G. Michael Dobbs also uploaded the review he wrote in the print edition of THE REMINDER, a weekly publication out in our parts.

Check it out here.

Another review...

2006-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the following review was a nice one to find after we took a drubbing from DVDReview. I'm not even going to link to that one, too painful.

But check out what Bill Gibron over at DVD Verdict had to say. He thinks we're "Experts at tone and atmosphere, Langford and Amerman make excellent use of their abandoned factory backdrop and use all of its industrial elements to amplify the fear factor" and that "both of these men are fine artists"

Eh? Eh? That's right.

The Reviews are In...

2006-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

... well, they're starting anyway. On this, Thursday July 13, two reviews have popped up on-line for MAGDALENA'S BRAIN. Jeff over at Undertaker's Lounge writes that MB is "not your typical low budget genre picture. It's striving for something deeper and smarter and it demands that viewers adjust their expectations accordingly. " Thanks for noticing!

And over at DVDTalk, the reviewer thinks it's "well-acted and inordinately smart for such a small-scale project," and contains a "quietly alienating visual style and... numerous brainy concepts." Not bad, eh?

Neither review is an unqualified rave, but both are fair and point out the merits of the film, as well as a drawback or two. Overall, we're pretty happy with both.

Remember, July 25 is less than two weeks away.

Find the full text of the reviews here:

Undertaker's Lounge Site
DVDTalk review

PRESS RELEASE

2006-07-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

LOCAL PRODUCTION GETS NATIONAL DVD RELEASE

Glowing Screen, Inc.
East Longmeadow, MA, July 7, 2006

MAGDALENA’S BRAIN, starring L.A. based actress Amy Shelton-White and Great Barrington, MA resident Sanjiban Sellew, will be released nationwide by San Francisco-based company Heretic Films on July 25, 2006.

Distributed through RYKO Distribution, the movie will be available for rent at Blockbuster Video, Hollywood Video, and the on-line based Netflix; and available for purchase wherever DVDs are sold.

The film was independently financed and produced by East Longmeadow-based Glowing Screen Productions.

Monson native Warren Amerman directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Agawam writer Marty Langford. Langford also produced the film. MAGDALENA’S BRAIN marks the first feature film produced by Glowing Screen, Inc., a local production company run by Amerman and Langford.

MAGDALENA’S BRAIN is the story of Magdalena Welling (Shelton-White), a brain surgeon, and her husband Arthur (Sellew), a quadriplegic scientist. For the past four years they have been working on artificial intelligence research in the shadowy corners of an old retrofitted factory. Joined by a former patient of Magdalena’s and her mysterious brother, their research leads to discoveries that will change all of their lives forever.

The film’s primary location was Holyoke’s Open Square, formerly known as the Lyman Mills. Open Square is a 600,000 sq. ft. building which owner/architect John P. Aubin has been redeveloping since 1996.

Co-starring are David Joseph and Robert Weingartner. The behind-the-camera talent includes director of photography Mark Devin, sound mixer Karl Kempter, associate producer Joel Katon, script supervisor Maria Escribano, and casting director Mark Sikes.

Visit http://www.glowingscreen.com/ for more information.

THE DISCS ARE IN

2006-06-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our friendly neighborhood DHL deliverer just dropped off 50 copies of the replicated, packaged, finished MAGDALENA'S BRAIN DVDs!

They're pretty cool.

The initial run will sport embossed cardboard slipcases with reflective foil elements. They're really pretty striking.

You'll be able to see for yourself on July 25 if/when you pre-order from Amazon, or are first in line at your local Best Buy store.

BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO loves us

2006-06-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

We just received word that Blockbuster Video has boarded the Magdalena Train. Streeting on July 25, our movie can be found on the shelves of the Big Blue.

Blockbuster will only be carrying us in about a 1/4 of their stores, but if you do the math it's a substantial buy, and one we couldn't be happier with. We knew that our distributor had a relationship with Hollywood Video, and now they do with the other rental biggie. Alex at Heretic told us that MAGDALENA'S BRAIN is the first title from his company to be accepted by the rental chain, and he's pretty happy about it.

We're down to about a month before the street date. A please, start pestering your local retailers fto carry the title. It's being solicited, and they should know about us.

If you haven't reserved or ordered your copy yet, follow the links below!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G1QUA2/qid=1150893810/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9060111-4341541?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=HTC400108

Final MAGDALENA'S BRAIN artwork!

2006-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

We certainly like it. Moody, elegant and thematically approporaite for the movie. Be sure to check out our listing on the IMDB, and leave a comment if you've seen (and like) it!

The DVD master has been sent to the replicator and we couldn't be happier. The transfer is gorgeous, the extras are super-cool and the menu designs are striking. The best thing of all? We now have an FBI warning... we're legit.

The title is popping up all over the place on-line for pre-ordering from different suppliers, so be sure to get your copy reserved. Also, bombard Best Buy and Hollywood Video for the title, so they'll be sure to order extra copies when it's released!

Welcome

2006-04-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

So Shawn, he's my webmaster friend, I kept telling him, "Shawn, upload this," or "Shawn, update that." And he's like, "the Glowing Screen site should just be a blog." And I say, "Hey, I know how to update a blog."

And he says, "I know."

So, twenty minutes ago, I created this blog. The new home for Glowing Screen info & MAGDALENA'S BRAIN news. We'll try to update as regularly as makes sense, so check back, leave a message, drop us a note.

Below find our first bit of neat news:

MAGDALENA'S BRAIN DELIVERED TO AUTHORING HOUSE!!

It's out of our hands now. All of the deliverables for the upcoming national release of MAGDALENA'S BRAIN are out the door. Well... there's still some paperwork, releases and stuff. But all of the DVD content is done. I have to admit it was fun going back into the movie and pulling some material. It was neat to go through raw tapes and find some bit we'd never seen or forgotten.

Below find a list of the extras that will be on the disc:

-Scene specific commentary with writers, producer and director, Marty Langford and Warren Amerman.

-3 behind the scenes featurettes:
-“Just Cool It With The Bowling”
-“The Drilling of Andrew”
-“The Chase”

-“The Players” Music Video

-“A Day in the Life…” Video Diary

-4 Deleted Scenes:
-“Cosmo and Cosmo”
-“Park Nailing”
-“Pulling the Wings off Flies”
-“Arthur Whacking: Aftermath”

Some of these extras are quite substantial, while others are piddling affairs. The commentary is pretty good, and a couple of the deleted scenes are interseting. Atom and Jim's featurettes and docus are all kick ass.

July 25th can't come quickly enough.