Sword Of Vengeance Movie Review

With an epic look and a 86 minute running time 'Sword Of Vengeance' is chock full of action, anger, revenge, and a paltry amount of dialogue. The story, basic as it is, revolves around Shadow Walker (Stanley Weber) wherever he travels to, death follows. It turns out he was cast off by a ruthless king, and forced to live a life outside the kingdom being forced to scour the land looking for a place to call home and a people to fit into.

In addition the audience is introduced to a rag tag band of Saxons who are dispersed throughout the desolate landscape. In the universe of 'Sword Of Vengeance' The leader of the Saxons is actually not a big burly Viking looking man, it happens to be Annebelle (Annabelle Wallis). Her husband is killed in an early battle, and she takes it upon herself to lead the remainder of the Saxons.

Obviously, while I do believe there were women warriors in ancient and medieval times, there have been scant few female leaders in recorded history. 'Sword of Vengeance' never claims to be historically accurate, however, the Saxons, Vikings, and Berserkers all existed around the same time period and there were skirmishes and full on wars.


Regarding 'Sword Of Vengeance' it is basically one long battle sequence, interspersed with dark, brooding landscape and morose characters. Standing out from the bunch Annabelle Wallis breathes life into her battle worn character Anna. She is shown in the beginning getting brutalized, then as the movie progresses, her inner warrior comes out. Obviously, Anna has to mix it up with the men, in battle and in the um, bedroom, and Anna, has the proper combination of beauty and brawn to be believable in both aspects.

Sadly 'Sword Of Vengeance' fails in the plot development department, perhaps due to a lack of dialogue, possibly due to such a short running time. The audience is only treated to flashbacks of the Shadow Walker's past, how he got to where he is, etc... The problem is, though Stanley Weber is excellent at portraying his character, the writing and story does not allow for enough character depth for the audience to maintain sympathy for him, nor to be engaged in his fight.

The accoutrements of 'Sword Of Vengeance' aka. scenery, costumes, and background are pretty good, considering this film had a limited budget. The battle scenes are decent, except, there were parts with just too much use of the slow motion camera. The final battle was epic, with arrows, flames, pits, swords axes and mayhem.

All above photos: (C) 2015 Well Go USA, used for promotional purposes only.


Overall 'Sword Of Vengeance' is good, worthy of an Itunes or Amazon download. I hope to see more of Annabelle Wallis, she not only kicked ass in the film, she brought a depth to her character that was sorely lacking for the most part in the rest of the film. Overal 'Sword Of Vengeance' rates a 6.5 out of 10.

Check out the official Well Go USA facebook page @  https://www.facebook.com/WellGoUSA?fref=nf

Get the film from Amazon following the link @

A Killer Conversation Movie Review

Above Photo Promo shot from film on official website.


From writer Michael Haberfelner comes his "labor of love film "A Killer Conversation", a quirky irrevrent look at relationships, and criminals wrapped up in a package of dark humor. Essentially what you have is a man named Karl Ryan Hunter , rather down on his luck being threatened by a would be murderer, Rudy Barrow, who just happens to be the most polite and understanding criminal on the planet. Seriously, he politely explains he does not want to use high caliber weapons as it will leave a mess.

Complicating matters, is Karl's ex, Pauline (Melanie Denholme) who is also the film's producer. Pauline, comes to the apartment, while the burglar/murderer is there and rather than panic or call the police she finds that chatting with him and Karl is the best idea, hahaha!

This is an arthouse style film, do not expect full silliness comedy, physical comedy, nor horror comedy. 'A Killer Conversation' is a film to watch  with an open mind and a willingness to enjoy specifically British comedy, as an American, I found myself, rewinding a bit to catch the dialogue, for the most part the movie was enjoyable, and at 80 minutes, the length felt about right.

Overall the film is mostly enjoyable, slightly slow moving, but with clever, and lively dialogue, and is worth of a watch, 'A Killer Conversation' rates a 5.5 out of 10.

Website for the film is @ http://akillerconversation.com/

Buy from Amazon @

Doors And Windows Movie Review (2015 Short Film)

 Above Photo: (C) 2015 JD Glasscock for StormCrow Productions.


It is late, time to put the kids to bed and play adult for awhile, a loooong while. From /Writer/Director/Producer/poet/visionary etc.. JD Glasscock comes his latest film 'Doors & Windows', a 7 minute blast of serving the metaphorical mistress, and seduction, wrapped in a dark, undulating, and brooding, salacious package.

Sultry, and talented actress Chelsea Holley unleashes her seductive and "Control Mistress" side in 'Doors & Windows'. With very little lighting, the audience is forced to focus on her commanding and forceful, yet whispering and seductive voice.

'Doors & Windows' opens with Chelsea whispering lines such as "You are the muse which allows me to dream" she is slowly getting ready for her "Mistress" persona, thus in leading a dichotomy laden life, putting on an act for the camera, the audience and her on camera "Slave" Jason Hilton

As Jason begins to talk he is greeted by a stern whip smack, the sound is more prevalent than the video wich is kind of cool , actually I recommend after watching this short to just close your eyes and listen to the dialogue, sounds and interplay between the characters.

Blues music plays in the background and as soon as Chelsea delivers the whip she states "Do not cast gaze upon sin unless I say it to be so" then another hard smack, and "Do not let trash utter off tongue, unles I say it to be so." More whips follow, but the key here is this IS NOT an S&M video, 'Doors & Windows' plays like a metaphor for the struggles of life, living in the shadows, sadly a fate many actors and actresses have to live in, while only a select few actually obtain success.

Chelsea Holley, is mesmerizing in this short, never crossing the line of over the top intensity, always boiling under the surface. She could kick your ass, but would rather make you serve her will and think about your actions. This short has many diverse meanings and ideas. In fact, each person viewing it will probably think of something different. A simple mind might just impart prurient thoughts, but 'Doors & Windows' as with all of JD Glasscock's films has a deep sense of meaning and style, his poetry sends a message, and the meaning is always multi-layered.Overall this is an amazing film, a study on human perception, and rates a 8 out of 10.

Watch Dan's Movie Report in the coming months for more, exclusives on JD Glasscock and his tremendous films! Including an interview later in 2015!

I implore my thoughtful readers to put your thinking caps on, and go "Non-Hollywood" and visit JD's Youtube channel and official website under the photo. The entire 'Doors and Windows' film is on Youtube now as well @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIEaoPMUoDw

 http://www.stormcrowproductions.com/about.html



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNDeWl8aIAeKCKpA2BYKHqg

Breathe Movie Review

I had the opportunity to watch ' Breathe' at the Widescreen film & Music Fest https://www.facebook.com/widescreenfest The powerful film of intersecting stories was moving, intellectual, thought provoking,  and deserves a wider audience, thus I unleash this review worldwide.

Phoenix 4 Productions is a company based out of Duluth, Georgia, and includes a highly talented conglomerate of individuals, in all aspects of production, from actors to sound people, and producers.
'Breathe' is the first part of a series of similarly themed stories. Called 'The Run Saga'

The film opens with with a child witnessing his father striking his mother, later in the film we see the same father and another interaction with his child. There are several stories in 'Breathe' One dealing with adultary, one with abuse, one with gang and drug violence, one with deception and one with a gay couple trying to cope and get along with the non-understanding father.

Above photo: Father trying to cope with his son being gay and bringing his boyfriend to his house for dinner.


The stories loosely tie together, but follow a common theme, it is not overly obvious at first, but 'Breathe' is a story of hope, and choices made in life and the consequences that arrive from those choices. Frederick Nah IV writes and directs a masterful film with many "up for discussion moments long after the end credit crawl. Executive Producers Ottavio Lobefaro and Doug Turner have ambitious goals, to raise more funds, to complete the series with a "regular" budget.

'Breathe' is one of those films that require repeat watching, and would be amazing on DVD or Blu-ray with special features, and I sincerely hope the full series gets financed. In the meantime follow, like, and point your browsers to the various websites dedicated to 'Breathe' and Phoenix 4 Productions:

 http://www.phoenix4productions.com/breathe.html

http://www.phoenix4productions.com/
https://twitter.com/phoenix4p
https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixFour

Natasha Liu Bordizzo thoughts on Crouching Tiger: The Green Destiny

This is NOT an exclusive, but a re-post from her facebook page The main reason I put this on is such honesty and coolness from the young star! Respect, and not many have seen this yet! Follow her on twitter @ https://twitter.com/natashabordizzo  With all good intentions I would hope to have an exclusive interview with Natasha at some point in 2015!!

Natasha Bordizzo

After four mind-blowing months, the day has finally rolled around - we've wrapped Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend & its time to fly home. There are no adequate words to describe the experience of feeling every possible emotion for weeks on end. I guess all I can say is that I've never felt so alive. As my first film, first acting gig, first full-time work and first time living away, I was faced with bizarre challenges that most jobs would never present you with. Acting, I've learned, is pretty damn difficult. You are allowing yourself to be vulnerable and raw in front of a crew of a hundred, and a world of millions. You have to surrender yourself to your fellow actors, and have the courage to unlock areas of yourself that you may not have otherwise.

 

 Above all making a film is story-telling, and when faced with an intense script and multi faceted character- you are living it and it can consume you. Perhaps it should. Either way, playing a lead meant I was at work for almost every hour that I wasn't unconscious and asleep. The long long hours of weapons training, dialect coaching, breaking down the script and of course filming, meant that it took a new kind of resolve to perform, live in the moment and stay easy-going - all on little sleep and physically/emotionally draining days. The only way anyone can ever succeed in this industry I've realized, is with passion.
 

 

That brings me to the most important part of this experience; the people. I have had the honour of working with an incredibly inspiring clan of international seasoned actors, crew, producers and director (the legendary Master Yuen Wo-Ping). Spending such a crazy amount of time with very talented humans, all to ultimately create a beautiful story was a highlight of my time here. They become your temporary family. The people I'm surrounded by I've learned, are successful because they're passionate. The way arguments happen on set because of disagreements about the most minuscule details. 

 

Because they care. About. Everything. Because of the way their face lights up when they tell you the recent work they've been doing for the film, whatever department they are. It's taught me that no matter what the hell you're doing on a day to day basis, life's pretty short, so hey why not give a damn, be bigger than you, throw yourself into everything and maybe it'll take you somewhere you could never imagine. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! The worlds up for grabs, you just gotta reach out for it. You probably don't know what you're capable of; I sure as hell didn't.
I'm going to miss everybody so painfully much. Grateful for everything and excited to go through them film release process next year. I hope this movie makes you feel something. Cause it made us feel everything..... X