Yeah, that’s not like, the most ridiculously overly-long title EVER.
But hey, it’s Terminator, it’s just that epic.
So without further adieu, I bring you all a decently downloaded version of the trailer. After this we’ll be coming out with a player that will bring you some TRULY amazing stuff, stick around!
So what do you guys think about this? We’re going to have to have a debate on the necessity of THIS fourth film!
This is STRIKE A POSE!!! Films first Guest Review by our good friend Thomas England, also known in the forums as Tom. Tom loves watching classic, indie, and cult films, and today we’ve got a big treat for our readers- an introduction to one film maker’s amazing selection of work.
Here’s his review for Ingmar Bergman’s PERSONA:
Lately I have been renting and watching a lot of classics, in sort of a “quest” to find more inspiration for my own creative ingenuity, as well as for substance to contribute to a college film club I help manage. I have been trying to watch genres ranging from old cult classics to French new wave flicks as well as various indie titles. Many of these have been downers for me- I either found them to be somewhat boring or pretentious; trash that only succeeded in making me angry. I don’t like watching movies that blatantly try and go out of their way to prove how better they are than you. I am mainly talking about Jean Luc Godard’s French New Wave films, which if you haven’t heard of him, then good- leave it that way, and stay clear from anything by him.
Biased and arrogant opinions about French film making aside, the “classics” that I saw were interesting but didn’t do anything for me at the time, many of which seemed like movies I would have to re-watch later on. There were a couple exceptions. One I have run into is Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Just last week I finished watching his 1966 psychological thriller Persona, and I must say I definitely found what I was looking for with this movie. It was beautifully shot and the story was well told.
The movie was about a nurse named Alma (Bibi Anderson), who was put in charge of helping to rehabilitate a well known actress named Elisabeth (Liv Ullman) who, although seeming physically fine, will not talk to anyone. I was left constantly guessing why she is acting this way. The opening sequence is a montage of serial imagery, where the clues for answering this question begin. What was shown in the opening sequence were things ranging from a film projector to a child trapped in an all white room with a large human face watching him from behind one of the transparent walls.
One of the more powerful scenes was when the Elisabeth was watching the news in her hospital room, and sees the broadcast of the forever infamous Saigon monk burning himself alive in Vietnam. Most important was the reaction and facial responses expressed by the actress to that sort of stimuli. This sort of thing helps to give clues about what is actually going on, but by the end it will be made clear to you that you’re just as clueless as the nurse trying to help the young actress, and understand why the film is called what it is. It is important to pay close attention to the imagery throughout the movie, because the story is primarily told through its imagery, with dialog coming in second (though it’s still important). For those who are fans of David Lynch you would be well accustomed to it- a very dark and dreary experience that at times has a very surreal feel to it.
In the end this was just the inspiration I needed! I have seen two other films by Ingmar Bergman: The Seventh Seal and The Wild Strawberries, both of which were great and completely different experiences. I recommend anyone reading this to pick this one up if they can find it- it’s not very long, but if you watch this and find it to be your type of movie as I did, then definitely pick up the other Bergman movies I just listed. Even so, out of all of the three Bergman Movies that I have seen so far, this one takes the gold.
Tom’s an active member of the Future Film Makers Club, leading the way for the newer members as Vice President, and you might even remember his amazing performance in the comedic masterpiece, Man of Action.
“You have to understand that rightly or wrongly, I consider myself an artist and I consider the work that we do art. In helping to tell stories by creating these characters. I came out as an actor. I am not a technician. I am techno-ignorant, but I love creating characters and telling wonderful stories. Thinking of myself as an artist doesn’t allow me to think of size having to do with importance.”
~from Imdb.com’s Stan Winston page.
One of the most important figures in my inspirations for film making died last night.
His name was Stan Winston, and he is solely responsible for the amount of Aliens, Predator, and Terminator toys within the storage of my old collection. He was a living legend- the single most creative special effects artist in the industry and quite possibly of all time, having crafted both the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park series and the physical suit that Robert Downey, Jr. used in the recently succesful Iron Man
It is quite rare for a special effects artist to be so well known by name and not just his studio, but many people were big fans of his work. He was a big enough deal to be one of two special effects artists on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nominated for over 30 cinematic achievement awards in his lifetime, he was also a four time Oscar Winner for his work on Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, and Aliens. His works with James Cameron, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg and many, many others have crafted the imaginations and fascinated a whole generation of film going kids and adults.
For all his hard work and his endless amount of entertainment, realism in effects, and memorable characters and creatures, Strike a Pose Films salutes you, Stan Winston. There certainly wouldn’t be a Bodangofish without you.
EDIT:
I’d like to throw this video up on the site- a very tastefully done and touching piece by our friends over at joblo.com and Arrow in the Head that details some of the best moments in Stan’s legacy. I swear I nearly cried. This man WAS my childhood.
Man of Action is now officially on YouTube for public viewing! We’re hoping this well increase the exposure of the website, so please, if you’re a fan of what we do, go out and view it on youtube! Spread it to your friends! GET IT VIRAL!
We need to get our stuff out there!
For the original post, check out
http://strikeaposefilms.com/films/man-of-action
More updates to come within the week!
It’s been nearly a month, and we’ll have a slew of new videos up! First is this gem, GULLMAN: DEFENDER OF SALISBURY! To check it out and comment on the films page, click here.
Made for both the Future Film Makers Club and Gull’s Eye View, “Gullman: Defender of Salisbury” is the last comedy skit directed by Dylan Hintz for PAC 14.
After weeks of criminal unrest in the Salisbury University Area, the campus is in utter disarray! Thankfully, the Allegiance of Super Heroes has sent in one of their best champions, Gullman (who just happens to fit the theme of the campus), to help clean up crime and save the day! Little does he know what lay in store for him. Based around an interview with local news-figurehead Robert Queue- “Gullman” breaks into many different forms of media and is one of the more complex works crafted by the Future Film Makers.
Many special thanks go out on this one:
Stephanie Kratz for designing, making, and fitting the AMAZING Gullman costume, as well as Teleprompter work
James Howe (Gullman) for putting up with everything.
Philip Krocheski (Robert Queue) for filling in at the last minute for a spectacular end!
Matt Horst (Gangsta Gangsta) for playing an amazingly accurate portrayal of a SU thug
Keith Mathias (Steve the College student) for playing an amazingly accurate portrayal of an SU student
Jason Brown and Amber Todd for studio help!
Sam Anderson for the use of his track “Thrasher”
And everyone else who showed up to make this project as great as it is!
3 minutes and 10 seconds. 2008 Future Film Makers Productions.
