
A "FEAST" Fit FOR A KING!
I’ve been uneasily awaiting Feast for a long clip. Readers of Zboneman.com are well aware of my affinity for the horror genre. It’s been a long road for the modish feature spawned from the spectacularly entertaining reality show/film making contest Project Greenlight. And in fact, the third season of Project Greenlight was easily the strongest. At the very least, it was the most intimate and intense season the show had to offer.
Producers Ben Affleck, Mat Damon, and Chris Dudley Moore decided evenhandedly early on, that they wanted the third Project Greenlight challenger geared toward the horror genre, so they brought in Property Films (a studio primarily known for the genre) and horror auteur Wes Craven. At long last, a screenplay called Banquet by screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunston would emerge as the winner, with the slightly type, socially awkward John Gulager (son of veteran character actor Clu) being picked to helm the externalize.
I’m not going to go into the rigors of the actual production of Fete (which made for vastly entertaining video) because that’s not really what this story is about. I will, however, encourage everyone to arrive ahold of Project Greenlight Season 3 DVD and buy it! It’s that good.
Actually, this piece is truly about the World Premier of "Feast" at The Palms Hotel’s Brenden Theaters in Las Vegas. The Boneman and I were lucky enough to attend the red carpet event, as well as the smartness after party at Piffling Buddha. Firstly, we’d like to give a extra shout out to the stunningly beautiful Public Relations rep Laura Paulsen (I’m not smooching ass – I’m simply reporting the facts) for her kindness and hospitality. She made this possible for us and we’re eternally grateful. We’ve been to various premieres in front, but this was for certain one of the nigh exciting.
Immediately after checking in, we bumped into Judy Thorburn of theflickchicks.com and her husband Stephen of trippervision.com. We’ve covered a lot of Las Vegas events, and they’ve sort of become our kick ass connection in Sin Metropolis. A particular thanks to Judy for hooking us up with a press screening of Steven Zaillian’s All the King’s Workforce the next morning (we also showed up early, split up and took-in Factotum and Idlewild - watch for reviews of all trey).
Several of the folks responsible for Feast were on hand to walk the carpet, and we did accept an opportunity to speak to a few of them. The highlight for me was getting to meet Clu Gulager. This veteran part actor has been about for many, many long time, but I sort of came to know him from his wonderful carrying out in the 80’s cult classic Return of the Living Dead. I adore that motion-picture show and I was sure to get Clu know it. I loved Riposte of the Living Dead so much in fact, that I’m hoping to screen it at Horror-Fest 2006. Anyhow, it was a thrill just acquiring to shake off this man’s hand. We also got to meet Duane Whitaker, who you may remember as the villainous Maynard in Pulp Fiction. In Feast, he plays a horny cracker (to keen effect I might bestow).
I also had a fairly drawn-out discussion with screenwriter Saint Patrick Melton. This guy clearly loves horror films (as does his writing collaborator Marcus Dunston), and when you understand Feast it becomes even more observable. We talked a turn about Feast, but mostly we discussed other works of horror that get more or less elysian him through the years. Somehow, we got on the topic of Inn which we’re both big fans of. That lucky bastard got to control Eli Roth’s original termination. I take yet to see this version, only I’d prefer it to the end that was ultimately secondhand (although the ending secondhand is effective as well). We so began discussing crappy endings in general. The Line of descent immediately came up. Amazing movie, lousy ending. I have had an chance to discover the original ending of The Descent, and nearly horror aficionados agree it is the true ending of that outstanding picture show. The Boneman and I would eventually talk to Patrick at length during the give up ass subsequently party. We’ll get to that in a bit.
The Maloof Brothers were in attendance. They co-financed Feast and own the Palms Hotel and Gambling casino. They also own the Sacramento Kings basketball team. A "Feast" Fit for a King! Get it? That’s my lame ass attack at being witty. Regretful. I’ll leave behind the jokes to The Boneman. We didn’t actually get to meet the brothers Maloof and, since I’m leaving the jokes to the Boneman, I wouldn’t say they were altogether distant, but they did lay down a quite quick exit.
John Gulager also walked the carpet with his long fourth dimension girlfriend Diane Goldner. Actually, I got an outstanding shot of them flipping the bird to a cheering herd. I met Gulager in one case before. Oddly enough, it was at a midnight screening of The Descent at The Sundance Flick Festival last Jan. The first thing that struck me around Gulager is how blame accessible he is. He came crossways as socially awkward on Project Greenlight, and he isn’t the world’s greatest public speaker, but when you get him in a one on one, he’s an awesome swell to talk to. I didn’t get to speak to him on the Red Carpet, but I did bump into him in the screening room, and he and his girlfriend did remember me from The Descent covering. We talked for a couple of moments and at the end of the conversation, Gulager asked me if I had seen his film yet (it’s had several test screenings in the past several months). I said I hadn’t yet. He then asked if I was staying for the screening to which I replied; "What, ar you kidding me? I’ve been wait for this movie forever!" I’m fairly sure-footed he dug that response.
Back to the Red Carpet. As the Boneman and I began talking for a moment, our conversation was cut inadequate by thunderous cheering from the crowd. Seriously, it was so damn loud, we couldn’t hear diddly-shit! That could only mean one thing. Two things actually; the arrival of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Sure enough, there they were. In the flesh. It was ostensible that a good portion of the fans hanging around the outer circumference of the Red Carpet were on that point to see these famous performers. Even though The Boneman and I were well positioned, we were unable to interview Affleck and Damon. Their appearance was about as abbreviated as the Maloofs.
As fate would have it, however, we would have to state a duet of speech to Affleck and Damon shortly thereafter. As The Boneman and I made our way to the theater to grab our seats for the Feast screening, guess who popped up right behind us in line? Ben Affleck and Lusterlessness Damon. Judy approached Affleck immediately knowing she in all likelihood wouldn’t get another opportunity. She told Affleck she really admired his work in the recent Hollywoodland (a film I bear yet to see). Then I made my move. I shook Affleck’s manus and told him I still believe Chasing Amy to be his finest work. I then took a footfall to the left and gave Lusterlessness Damon a little high five. And that was it. No deep, thoughtful conversations about the substance of life or the hardships of celebrity. There were overly many hilarious fans about for that sort of thing. Bummer. I really wanted to talk to Damon. He’s done some outstanding work out through the years (in particular, I’m a big fan of Rounders). That and the fact that I’d promised some girls at work that I’d get the two inwardness throbs to give them a call off on their cell phones. Oh well. It wasn’t meant to be. Dreary girls. You’ll just have to babble out to me instead.
So The Boneman and I get into the field and we get two perfect seating in the middle of the screening facility. As we wait for the film to begin, we mingle with fellow press and film fans and then The Boneman had a brief conversation with Feast co-star Josh Zuckerman who happened to be sitting but in front of us. Two proceedings into their conversation, Chris Moore hits the stage. He talks a second about the making of the film and then introduces Gospel According to John Gulager. Gulager grabs the microphone and not astonishingly, he had slight difficulty speaking, which is actually kind of endearing. Subsequently a few moments, he gets in his comfortableness zone and begins thanking all the folks in the house who rked on the film. In an embarrassing Hilary Swank moment, he intimately forgets to acknowledge his father and girlfriend. Gratefully, he remembers (rather he was reminded) at the last moment. He then passes the mic off to the screenwriters. Marcus and St. Patrick make identical brief comments, so that the picture might have under way. Finally, the lights dim and we the hearing are treated to the high vitality madness that is Banquet.
FEAST (R)
Starring Balthasar Getty, William Henry Rollins, Duane Whitaker, Clu Gulager, Krista Allen, Navi Rawat, Chauntae Davies, Diane Goldner, Jason Mewes, Kid Zuckerman, Judah Friedlander.
Released by Dimension Films
Feast is a hyper kinetic love letter to all things horror, most notably Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead, From Gloaming Til Dawn, and The Thing.
Oddly, there ar some eery similarities between Feast and Neil Marshall’s stunning The Descent. Both films feature characters cornered in tight surroundings, and both feature blood craving creatures. What’s more, there are elements of in fighting and betrayal in both movies, although it should be noted that Feast is decidedly hoy and actually finished shooting while The Descent was still in production.
Feast’s set up is a simple one. Several strangers barricade themselves in a bar in the middle of nowhere, in an effort to fend off a family of carnivorous, otherworldly creatures that ar trying to eat them.
Among the strangers are a bonafide insult slinger (Balthazar Getty), his wheel chair bound brother (Josh Zuckerman), a tough looking but surprisingly nerdy motivational speaker (Henry Rollins), a horny cracker (Duane Whitaker), an thespian (Jason Mewes playing himself), an onetime school mixologist (Clu Gulager), and a chronic smart ass (Judah Friedlander) world Health Organization, more or less, appears to be channeling Bill Paxton’s Hudson character from Aliens.
There is no origin account. Where did these monsters come from? Who truly gives a rats! Not I and neither volition any fan of the genre. Banquet simply thrusts us into the gore filled military action.
While there aren’t of necessity any theatrical role arcs to be base in this creative and fun blood bath, it does offer up not bad character introduction disclaimers (coroneted on the screen) that are both clever and extremely misleading. Feast is one of those flicks where whatsoever character might be killed at whatever given second and we’re never certain who mightiness make it out alive. I won’t give any of them away, only the film deserves tied bigger props for numerous moments that are quite often considered taboo – even in the globe of horror.
Feast was part of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore’s Project Greenlight film making competition and, spell the small budget on occasion shows, Gulager gets some powerful milage from the power of suggestion and on counterweight Feast’s implike playfulness and perverse sense of humour ultimately prevails.
Feast is choppy to be indisputable, but somehow, the movie flows amazingly well. Some of the action is shot in a muddled, at shut range fashion. I don’t think this necessarily represents Gulager’s inability to stage action. I think it’s more around the low-pitched budget and uber tight shooting schedule. Clearly, he didn’t have the sentence or money to shoot everything the way he wanted. How could he? This is after all his get-go feature. For what’s it’s worth, Gulager still pulls off some splendid tricks through interesting camera angles and outstanding sound innovation.
Furthermore, Gulager does unleash some truly spectacular money shots. Feast isn’t without it’s moments of see-through, inspired lunacy. There’s buckets of descent, maggots galore, decapitations, creature copulation and the crowning money shot - a severed behemoth penis! Yes Lorena, your influence lives on.
What’s more, the screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan is surprisingly ingenious and pretty damn funny to the boot. There are some serious laugh-out-loud moments here including a scenery in which a dire Judah Friedlander proclaims himself "Upper case fucked." Fete, while extremely familiar in some respects, also manages to avoid many of the repulsion film cliches fans power be secondhand to. For example, follow as one character is sent on a rescue mission. As this character reaches voltage safety, he/she does something most unexpected and it’s the single funniest moment in the picture. It’s probably the same thing anyone of us would do had we been in the same spot. I was also slightly surprised by Friedlander’s lot. After orgasm into contact with nonpareil of the creatures, I thought for sure the film would go the "unknown infection" route, but in one case again, Spread surprised me.
Clearly, I love horror films - particularly those of the low budget variety. You know – the flicks made with blood, stew and weeping? Movies like Night of the Living Dead and the Evil Dead series. Inspiring examples of creativity trumping a lack of budget. I don’t know that I’d necessarily put Feast in the same league as the antecedently mentioned movies, but it’s a rousing good meter and demonstrates a knavish film crew’s ability to deliver an entertaining genre film with very little money.
What really makes Feast ferment is it’s rapid-fire pacing. Sure, it has it’s repetitious moments and it isn’t constantly completely sure-handed, but I applaud this film’s energy and it’s ability to buck numerous cliches that often infestation films of the genre. And I loved the ending – a sorting of court to one of the more usual cliches in horror movies.
It’s been a banner year for Horror. Inn and The Descent represent a striking return to horror and even Still Hill and The Hills Have Eyes, while flawed, brought a certain swagger back to the stem. Feast is more along the lines of James Gunn’s uproariously playful Slither. You have it off the drill - you’re laughing one second and gagging the next.
My biggest gripe with Feast is the manner in which it’s being distributed. Sadly, the movie won’t get a full tone ending. Instead, Attribute films volition do a special midnight run of the impression in select markets for one day only–September twenty-second. Then, the film will be dumped on Videodisk in Oct. What a shame. I don’t understand this approach at all. I earn that Dimension will be saving distribution money, but this plastic film deserves more than fanfare. I mean blaze, it’s worlds better than Pulse and that photographic film got a major release. At whatever rate, Feast is a lot of fun and I promote folks to hit these midnight screenings. For more information on theaters and show times, google Fete + motion picture and log on to it’s myspace page.
Feast isn’t precisely a masterpiece of modern horror, just Gulager and crew should be commended for delivering such an entertaining picture, particularly disposed the budget and the rigorous shooting schedule. Screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan get just optioned a newfangled project called Midnight Adult male. It should begin shooting soon. I can’t await to see it. As for Gulager, I’m definitley interested in seeing what he can do with a larger budget. As it stands, Feast is a blood drenched good time and deserves to be seen.
Grade: B
AFTER PARTY AT LITTLE BUDDHA
So the fun didn’t hitch with Banquet itself. We were also treated to an after party at the Palms’ very possess Little Buddha – a spectacularly ambient bar/Asian cuisine restaurant. Upon entering Little Buddha, we were now treated like V.I.P.s which, in an curious way, was a bit disconcerting. While The Boneman is far-famed, I am not, so I’m non exactly accustomed to existence wined and dined like this. I’ve been to other after-parties, but in that respect was something extra special about this one. Spell partying the evening away, we bumped into Patrick Melton once more. We picked up the conversation we started on the Carpet a few hours prior. I told him how pleased I was that he and his mate Feast crew didn’t go back and shoot an origin part for the film (something that former test covering audiences clamored for). It would experience served absolutely no point. Telling us where the monsters come from would just sort of ruin the mystique of it all. Saint Patrick explained to The Boneman and I that that’s why he and Marcus never put it in the first place. I tried to get a little selective information about their upcoming project Midnight Isle of Man. Not amazingly, he was extremely compressed lipped about it. That’s to be expected. The Boneman also took time to pitch his screenplay Fan Ball club. Like an expert salesman, he too got Saint Patrick to agree to do a small Q & A for the situation. That should be coming in the next workweek or so. It was just an outstanding evening. The Boneman and I must have eaten and consumed $200 worth of gourmet caliber eats and libation. The food was outstanding (Spring rolls, Sushi, Teriyaki Beef cattle, Pot Stickers etc.) and the party put together the Boneman’s favorite to words Clear and Bar. What’s more, they weren’t watered down. I had a long Island Iced Tea, and it was Long on the Island, baby! Special props to Eric Franke, manager of this over-the-top establishment and coincidentally a long fourth dimension friend of the Boneman family. The only downside to the evening came upon our exiting the restaurant. The Boneman distinct to do a little gambling, and unfortunately, he lost his wallet. So if any readers out there happened to be in The Palms Hotel Casino and came crossways a fat wallet with The Boneman’s I.D. in it, please come back it. It’s the unitary that says; "Bad Mother Fucker!" Thanks again to all.