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Evil At The Door from producer/director Kipp Tribble is an independent thriller that stars Bruce Davison, Andrea Sweeney Blanco, Robert Allen Mukes, and Sunny Doench. The movie “centers around a secret guild that has operated for nearly a century, known as The Locusts. Once a year this guild treats its members to a night of curated home invasions (aka, “runs”), known underground as “The Night of The Locusts”. With 180 minutes to do as they please with the occupants of the selected home, four masked men enter the home of Daniel and Jessica and begin to engage in sick, twisted games with them.”

We spotlighted the movie before its release here. You can watch it for free on Tubi TV. Evil At The Door is distributed by Terror Films and produced by MRP Entertainment.

Posted on August 9th, 2023 by ThePit | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment, Featured

What is The Roadie about?
The Roadie is a YA action & adventure book that follows university student Ezra James and his friends on the road trip of a lifetime as they follow a mystical treasure map. Along the way, they must overcome daring challenges and take perilous risks. What are they willing to sacrifice to have it all?

What inspired this story?
I have always loved travelling, adventure and more specifically road trips! While I was living in French Polynesia I decided to finally start writing my debut novel The Roadie drawing upon these experiences. I also drew upon themes of friendship, young love, escapism and determination to convey a feel-good message to any reader.

Tell us a little about you, who is Ethan J. Kearl?
I am a 22-year-old Canadian just finishing up my Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and hope to attend law school in Fall 2024. My hobbies include anything related to sports/fitness, reading and writing.

How can we read The Roadie?
The Roadie is available worldwide through Amazon on Paperback and Kindle.

Check out all of our posts on Indie Books here.

Posted on June 4th, 2023 by ThePit | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment, Featured

I love the 90s, UFOs, and rom-coms. The independent film UFO Club speaks directly to me, and I had the absolute pleasure of reading the original script and getting to see this movie go from the page to the screen. The flick’s writer & director Steven Tsapelas chatted with My Hollywood Dream to share more details on making the movie and how you can see it.

Who?

UFO Club was produced through the Long Island-based production company In the Garage Productions, run by husband and wife Ken Frank and Shawna Brandle; it was also made possible by film producer David Rheingold, who regularly champions independent film projects that he believes in. We have an incredible cast of younger actors, including Spencer Gonzalez as the lead William, Eloise Gordon as Alex, Paolo Kossi in the role of Johnny and Josiah Schneider as Chris. Our editor was the amazing Vaj Potenza.

Oh, and I wrote and directed it!

What?

In the year 1998, a nerdy high schooler named William has to strike up a friendship with an intimidating classmate named Alex because he believes she has a videotape that will not only prove the existence of aliens, but will also exonerate his recently incarcerated mentor, UFOlogist Dr. Peter Greenport (Jerry Colpitts). It’s a movie very much informed by my high school experience, combining my then love of The X-Files, with elements of some of my favorite time-appropriate teen rom-coms, like She’s All That and Can’t Hardly Wait. It’s a pure throwback, with a lot of heart, and a fun sci-fi element.

Where?

The film is set in a fictional town on Long Island, and was filmed in some really iconic Long Island locations: including All-American Burger in Massapequa, the Malverne Cinema, and my very own high school in Bethpage. However, we filmed most of the movie in Connecticut, in and around my home.

When?

We filmed UFO Club in the summer of 2021; for many of us, this was our first time back on set after quarantine and it was great to get together and make something. Truly, it was a communal experience. It is set in the year 1998, the year before I graduated high school, and there was something comforting about the nostalgia of “living” in that time period. In filming UFO Club, we really tried to evoke a sense of the late 90s: however, we made not sure to exaggerate that time period, instead trying to play it as real and mundane as the 90s actually felt to those that lived in it. Mostly, this was done through the removal of modern tech, along with the addition of some classic tech: cordless home phones, old tube TVs, and we even found a functioning payphone for one scene.

Why?

In high school, I was in an actual UFO Club in my high school. A guest speaker came to the class and raffled off a video of a purported UFO crash on Long Island; however, the raffle was won by a girl who drew her own name. My nerdy group of male friends knew we’d never see this tape, because a girl would never invite us over their house. I always thought that was an amusing idea: in order for us to see the tape, we’d have to get outside of our comfort zone and TALK to a girl.

This concept was in the back of my head when I met Ken Frank at the Long Island International Film Expo in 2019. He wrote and directed Family Obligations, which won Best Feature that year. We got to talking and found we had a lot of similarities. He had such a great experience making a movie that he convinced me I should do it, too.

Actually, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to make it is because I wanted to involve my family: my wife Ana, our kids Stella and Linus. I used to produce short films and web content with my friends when we were in our 20s, but had been so busy with my day job and raising kids, that I stepped away from it for a while. The opportunity to show kids that you CAN create something, from start to finish, was a major factor in my wanting to do this. And Stella & Linus were very involved. They act in the movie, helped create some props, and were just involved from the beginning to the end. We’re talking about making another movie now (Bigfoot Club) and, once again, the main reason I want to make it is to get them involved.

How?

We’ve had a very successful festival run: winning Best Feature at Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival; Best Comedy Feature and Best Writer at the Chain NYC Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Long Island International Film Expo. Because of that, we were picked up for distribution through My Spotlight Independent, a division of My Production Limited, and are now available on a few platforms: Amazon Prime, Tubi and My Spotlight Independent’s own streaming service. There will be more platforms throughout the year, and we’re excited that more people will be able to watch UFO Club!

Watch Online:

Rent/Purchase:

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Six Years Gone from writer and director Warren Dudley is a powerful indie drama that focuses on a single mom whose 11 year old daughter goes missing and how her world comes apart in the aftermath. The cast is led by Veronica Jean Trickettt and features Sarah Priddy, Russell Shaw, Anna Griffiths, and Glenn Salvage. You can learn more about the movie in our spotlight interview with Dudley and you can watch the movie for free on Tubi TV.

Official Description: “Six years after the case of her daughter’s abduction has gone cold, Carrie Dawson is about to put everything on the line to end her nightmare.

Six Years Gone is distributed by Indie Rights Movies.

We are super excited to present our latest indie film spotlight for the crime drama Solid Rock Trust, from director, writer, producer, and editor Rick Ives (IMDb). Last month we took a look at the movie’s trailer and we are so happy to take a deeper dive into the indie.

Who?
This film is written and directed by me, Rick Ives. My directorial debut comes on the heels of working alongside top editorial staff, bringing household stories to life such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3(2023), Ms. Marvel (2022), and Loki (2021). I’ve also been editing low budget features for about 6 years, but it’s my experience on large productions is really what paved the way to the creation of Solid Rock Trust. The stars are Koko Marshall (A Perfect Host, The One You’re With) and Alexander Hearth, along with a deep supporting cast of voice actors. Koko really steals the show as a hacker with a library of languages and accents she uses to misdirect everyone she’s interacting with. The film is worth a watch just for the performance alone. Seeing her switch in and out of accents, characters, and emotions right before your eyes is a magic trick.

What?
Armed with only a laptop, a collection of cell phones and her own wits, hacker Maddie orchestrates a bank heist from an abandoned building. Guiding a team of strangers, she uses her repertoire of accents and personas to conceal her true identity. Inevitably, as things begin to spin out of her control, Maddie must fight to overcome an avalanche of double crossings and obstacles that escalate in complexity as time runs out! Set in an old condemned warehouse, audiences remain on Maddie’s end of the phone call, leaving them asking who they can trust, if not themselves? Part of the game I wanted to play with the audience was to meet every expectation someone will have for a bank heist film and show it to them in a way they’ve never seen before. We have everything in here, but in a way that feels fresh and plays with the tropes.

Where?
I’m in love with abandoned buildings and urban photography, so this film was set right in the middle of one. I also wanted something visually interesting enough to hold our attention for the length of the film but still represented the type of background our main character came from as well as how she felt inside. We searched all over the Atlanta area for properties that were film friendly and matched the tone we wanted, but ultimately found a location only 2 miles away from home. Many people have commented that it must have been a custom built set for the film, but the abandoned auto shop is completely authentic. The desk and computer monitor props were the only things that were not already there.

When?
This film was shot in 2021 and is rolling out now to various platforms. The time period it’s set in is another story. I wanted to keep it purposefully ambiguous, although based on the technology, it would be set some time between 2005 and 2023. I was tired of seeing so many hackers in movies with top of the line, futuristic technology and software. What would it be like to watch someone work who had to patch something together with second hand materials and low tech items that would be harder to trace?

Why?
This film was made as proof that a low budget independent feature can look and feel just as intense and professional as a studio release if the filmmakers have an exciting character driven script, and are smart about what to show and how to film it. We have an amazing lead performance that shows a talented, smart, confident woman who is also deeply flawed and pushed to her limits. Sit back and watch a plot unfold as it begs you to try and keep up with a twist and turn every 10-15 minutes from start to finish.

How?
Solid Rock Trust is available wherever Tubi plays for free as well as Amazon, Youtube Movies, and Google Play for rental. As of June 2023 it will be available worldwide on youtube with more platforms becoming available all the time.

Watch Online:

Last February we interviewed producer/actor Jeff Kirkendall about his movie Return to Splatter Farm, an independent horror movie that he made with his long time collaborator Mark Polonia at Polonia Brothers Entertainment. Known as PBE for short, the production company has impressively produced & released dozens of movies, including last year’s viral hit Amityville in Space. We asked Jeff to recommend five movies from Polonia Brothers Entertainment that every indie film fan should check out.

Here are his recommendations (from oldest to newest, with watch links & more details):

Hallucinations (1986)
Director: Todd Michael Smith, Mark Polonia, John Polonia
Starring: Todd Michael Smith, Mark Polonia, John Polonia
Description: When three brothers are home alone one day they encounter a series of violent hallucinations and nightmares with seemingly no escape. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV

Feeders (1996)
Directors: Jon McBride & John Polonia
Starring: Todd Carpenter, Jon McBride, John Polonia, Melissa Torpy
Description: A town that’s been taken on as a feeding ground and outpost of death by human-eating aliens gets discovered by two buddies on a road trip. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV

HalloweeNight (2009)
Director: Mark Polonia
Starring: Todd Carpenter, Cindy Wheeler, Danielle Donahue
Description: A bullied student exacts his revenge on those who wronged him during a college party on Halloween Night. (Source: Amazon)
Available to Rent on Amazon

An image from the independent film Jurassic Prey.

Jurassic Prey (2015)
Director: Mark Polonia
Starring: Steve Diasparra, Danielle Donahue, Ken Van Sant, Jeff Kirkendall
Description: After a botched bank robbery, a group of thieves and the ensuing police must band together to fight an unearthed T-Rex at a remote lake cabin. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV

House Squatch (2022)
Director: Anthony Polonia, Mark Polonia
Starring: Ken Van Sant, Jeff Kirkendall, Tim Hatch, Titus Himmelberger, Yolie Canales
Description: The small town of Shadyville finds itself plagued by a hairy creature and pressures its local sheriff to deal with this sasquatch. (Source: Tubi)
Click here to watch on Tubi TV

Are you a fan of Polonia Brothers Entertainment? What are your favorite PBE movies?

The MCU has been very popular for a number of reasons, but one of the things that really worked in Phase One was a handful of characters that appeared in multiple movies in smaller roles at first and helped to bring the bigger world together. Marvel owes a lot to Phil Coulson and Nick Fury. With James Gunn and Peter Safran leading the new (and hopefully improved) DCU, what characters should they bring in to tie the various movies together? We have a few ideas.

JIMMY OLSEN

Who would be better than Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen? He is a beloved character that has been around for more than 80 years. He could give the audience a very human perspective to this larger than life world of superheroes, over the top villains, and fictional cities. His job as a photojournalist could let him travel city to city photographing superheroes for the Daily Planet- and it gives him a unique chance to network with the various heroes (he is Superman’s best friend if you have not heard). I can also picture a docu series with Jimmy talking about different cities, the superheroes in them, and the already established rogues. The DCEU wasted Olsen’s potential, lets hope the DCU doesn’t repeat this mistake!

PHANTOM STRANGER

Okay, maybe a human is not strong enough to hold the DCU together through various movies, how about an omniscience being who already ties together DC Comic’s supernatural, cosmic, and earthbound heroes together? Heck, he even helped usher DC’s crossover with Marvel in the nineties. The Phantom Stranger is the perfect character to lurk in the background, moving heroes and villains around like chess pieces, and preparing for something big and multiverse shattering. And look at that fedora, is there a more stylist immortal character for James Gunn to choose?

VANDAL SAVAGE

Who says we need a good guy to tie together the various movies of the DCU? Thanos became the connective tissue of the MCU movies after Coulson/Fury and the first Avengers movie. And we keep sitting at thej edge of our seats for the mad titan’s next appearance. While I love Lex Luthor and the Joker, both have been kinda overused in past movies and TV shows. Enter Vandal Savage, a 50 thousand year old villain who has faced off with both the Justice Society and the Justice League. He is a master manipulator who can also hold his own against most of the heroes of the DCU. He can tie different time periods of the DCU together (Jonah Hex, Golden Age Heroes, Swamp Thing, Icon),and just maybe, his plan has been boiling for thousands of years…

What characters would you love to see tie the DCU together? Do you want to see movies tie together right away, or wait a while to crossover?