My favorite genre of indie films is horror. I always love seeing how inventive filmmakers can be with lower budgets. How will they scare us? Director Mark W. Curran chatted with us about his horror flick Abandoned Dead, which stars horror icon Judith O’Dea from my favorite indie horror flick of all time, Night of the Living Dead.

Who?
It was written, produced and directed by me, Mark W. Curran. It stars scream queen Sarah Nicklin (Sins of Dracula) and Judith O’Dea (Night of the Living Dead). Supporting characters include a creepy caretaker played by Chris Parker and the main antagonist is a psychopathic doctor. This was my first feature film. I shot it in 2015. It was picked up by Gravitas Releasing and enjoyed a US and Canadian release on the streaming platforms. It was then picked up by Indie Rights for the re-release last year, which is the color-enhanced ‘Director’s Cut.’

What?
Abandoned Dead tells the tale of a security guard, trapped in a run-down inner-city medical clinic and terrorized by supernatural forces which threaten to overtake her. It also touches on loneliness, alienation and the fallout from childhood abuse.

Where?
It was filmed in scattered locations around LA, but the main part of the movie was actually filmed in an old medical clinic in Artesia. It was really a creepy place. I think there were rats in the attic. Sometimes late at night some of the crew said they saw ghosts. I didn’t see any, but I suppose that doesn’t mean they aren’t there!

When?
We made it in 2015 and it was released in 2016. We shot it on weekends over a 6-week period. We had a very small cast and crew. All of the people on the set with the exceptions of the lead actresses were working on their first feature.

Why?
I’ve made some short films and shot some commercials and always wanted to do a feature. Having worked as a security guard when I was younger, I’d experienced some odd and scary things, namely on double shifts late at night walking through abandoned buildings my mind would play tricks on me. I always thought it would be cool to write it into a movie, and when the location became available to shoot in, I wrote the script based on some of those experiences.

How?
You can watch Abandoned Dead for free on Tubi TV. Click the link below or search on the app for “Abandoned Dead.”

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While we are learning a lot about the upcoming The Flash movie thanks to some set leaks and paparazzi photos, there are still a lot of unknowns. Rumor has it that we will be seeing a new version of the universe altering “Flashpoint” storyline that originated in the comic and was adapted into an animated movie and in season 3 of The CW Flash series. In the comic, that storyline ended an era of DC Comics stories, introduced us to an alternate timeline with Wonder Woman & Aquaman at war, and launched “The New 52”. The movie seems to be leaning more into the multiverse and (maybe?) less with changes due to time travel.

We know a lot about heroes that will appear in the upcoming DCEU movie that stars Ezra Miller as the title character, including the return of both Ben Affleck’s and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman, a new version of Supergirl portrayed by Sasha Calle, and potentially a cameo from The CW’s Flash Grant Gustin. What we do not know a lot about are the villains in the movie. Who will Flash, the Batmen, and Supergirl be fighting? Lets take some guesses…

Mirror Master

Okay, I know he can be silly, but what if the Mirror Master is not the big bad, but an opening villain. The Flash has some of the most colorful and fun villains and we need to see at least one of his classic “rogues” on his first big screen adventure. Also, the mirrors could be used to show Flash a “reverse” version of himself and foreshadow the real threat of the movie…

Professor Eobard Thawne, aka Zoom/The Reverse-Flash

…Professor Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse-Flash! The villain also known as Zoom is the main villain in the original “Flashpoint” storyline, which makes him a perfect candidate for the movie. But in the same sense, that makes me not want him in the movie. We have had two adaptations of the storyline already and do we need another rehash of it? Having the Michael Keaton version of Batman is already an unexpected twist, maybe the true villain will be another twist? Could that lead us to a different “Thawne”?

Inertia

How about Thaddeus Thawne? Also known as Inertia, he is the evil clone of Barry Allen and Iris West’s grandson. Using Inertia as the main baddie gives us a villain who is mixed in with time travel and alternate realities, but would be a twist with what audiences expect. Thaddeus is younger, and a bit crazier than Eobard Thawne, and could be a good “mirror” to Barry Allen, who is young and at the start of his superhero career after Justice League. I’m also pretty sure that Inertia has not appeared in other media outside of the comic books, unlike Eobard Thawne, who has been in multiple animated movies/shows/video games and in live action. It is time for someone new!

Who would you like to see as a villain in The Flash?

What is your book, City of Toys, about? 
Well, it’s about four beautiful women who seek fame and fortune in Hollywood, the City of Toys, where actresses are like dolls, playing pretend on the big screen.

• Marlo: a former child actress from New York City.
• Rhonda: a small-town beauty queen.
• Kim: a “nice Jewish girl” with a painful childhood.
• Guyla: a “serious actress” with a debilitating, stress-induced illness.

Marlo, Rhonda, Kim, and Guyla become friends living in the same apartment complex, in the city where dreams and disasters go hand-in-hand. They come to rely on each other as they deal with sexual come-ons, crazed stalkers, jealous starlets and the constant pressure of trying to make it in showbiz. But when the pressure gets too much, will their friendship save them or will the City of Toys break them? City Of Toys is a Valley Of The Dolls for the #MeToo era.

I am also excited to announce that my film/TV treatment for City Of Toys – it would make a great movie or series – has been an official selection for two screenplay competitions: Script Summit and Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship. I am still shopping my treatment around!

City Of Toys has also been recently released on Audiobook.

What inspired this story?
It was inspired by my years as a struggling actress when I was living in Hollywood. It’s a work of fiction, but inspired by actual events. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Lots of scary and disturbing things happen to my four lead characters, as they did to me.

I was the typical aspiring starlet with stars in my eyes, and I was pretty naive about the mechanics of the movie industry. Again, I can’t mention the actual names of the strange people I encountered, so I created a fictional account. The story is very gritty and real, I pull no punches. Fasten your seat belt when you read my book! The famous and powerful are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The one-person operations who run their office out of a steaming hot room in North Hollywood are just as bad, if not worse. It’s pretty frightening what goes on out there.

Tell us a little about you, who is Lindy S. Hudis?
I’m a graduate of New York University, where I studied drama at Tisch School of the Arts. I also performed in a number of Off-Off Broadway theater productions while living in New York City. Then I just starting writing.

I am the author of several titles, including a romance suspense novel, Weekends, and a crime novel, Crashers. I write a bit of erotic romance including The S&M Club, The Backstage Pass, Guitar God, The Guitarist, and The Mile High Club.

Back during my acting days I appeared in the television daytime drama Sunset Beach, also Married with Children, Beverly Hills 90210, and the feature film Indecent Proposal.

My hubby and I, Hollywood stuntman Stephen Hudis, live in California with our two teenagers, four cats, and one crazy Chihuahua! When I’m not writing I’m running the kids around to their gymnastics lessons, music lessons and football practice. My daughter wants to be a model and my son wants to be a rock star! Go figure!

How can we read City of Toys?
City of Toys is available to purchase at these links:

Posted on June 21st, 2021 by MHD | Leave a Comment (4)
Filed Under Entertainment, Featured

This past weekend Zellco Entertainment, the film production/distribution company behind Dark Forest, Cybernetic Showdown, and The Killing Death, released three new short movies onto the platform Gumroad. Check them out and help #SupportIndieFilm!

Violets are Blue
Official Description: Daniel moves into a Seniors’ residence because he is lonely. There he meets Violet and they fall in love. However, Violet’s daughter-in-law does not approve of her starting a new relationship and does everything in her power to keep them apart. A compelling short film with incredibly realistic performances from the two leads.
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Conversations after Church
Official Description: Six Christians face a dark night of the soul that leads them to question everything they believe. A short spirituality/faith based documentary.
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Intel
Official Description: Allison, a young woman, would like to switch to the more exciting trade of intelligence officer. A short spy thriller.
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Posted on June 21st, 2021 by MHD | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

We had the pleasure of meeting Kenneth R. Frank, the writer/director of Family Obligations, through one of our long time film contacts and I’m really happy we were able to connect. Kenneth has perfected not only the art of making indie films, but forging human connections through his films. He took us on a deep dive for his directorial debut Family Obligations, and his passion really shines through.

Who? 
Family Obligations is the second feature film from In the Garage Productions. I wrote the film, directed it, and shot it. My wife Shawna Brandle is our lead producer who handles budgeting, scheduling, paperwork, works as SAG liaison, and basically oversees all logistics for our projects. Her sister Brett Brandle also serves as a producer and does a lot of the design work on the films. Chris Mollica plays the lead in the film Peter Steele and was one of the editors. Kevin Wolfring was my assistant director on set who doubled up as sound man most of the time, as well as being the other editor. Those are the key people in our company. Chris and I have been best friends since high school, and we ended up married to a pair of sisters. Kevin is a former student of mine from my teaching days, so it’s a very tight-knit group. The only way I could have launched a film like this and got it made at the budget we could handle is knowing that I had these people along for the ride with me.

Of course, even with this core filling the biggest roles, a film still needs many more collaborators, and we were able to find so many great people to work with on this. In front of the camera, we cast Frank Failla to play Peter’s Uncle Frank, and he was perfect. Frank is a retired cop who I first saw doing stand-up comedy and learned he had been acting for a few years. He took to the role so quickly, and it was great to see him paired with Chris in these scenes. We saw our lead actress Chandler Rosenthal in a short film that Kevin had written and directed. She joined the cast to play Melanie, the single mother who lives in Frank’s apartment building that befriends Peter and starts a relationship with him. The rest of the cast is a mix of veteran actors in New York like Jerry Colpitts and Brian Silliman along with some new faces. My older daughter Eleanor plays Melanie’s daughter Mia, who has some fun scenes with Chris’s character. My younger daughter Peppa also appears in a small but important moment in the film. She was initially reluctant to be a part of this, but has since negotiated for more time on screen in future projects.

To fill out the crew, we were very fortunate to find our colorist Jan Klier before production began. I knew that getting someone very knowledgeable and experienced to produce the final image was critical. I had some very specific ideas on how I wanted to tell the story through color, but I also knew that I was shooting this myself and needed to work very quickly, so whoever handled this task would also be fixing a lot of my mistakes, so I needed to trust that Jan could deliver. Not only was he a great colorist, but he was so easy to work with that we ended up asking him to do our final sound mix and delivery of master files, as well. He’s going to be my director of photography on my next script that I’m directing, My Sister’s Wedding.

From start to finish, the theme of a successful film is finding collaborators you trust, and that’s also true in the distribution end of things. Family Obligations is available through MBUR Indie Films Distribution. We have dealt with a few distributors in our time, and MBUR has been the most communicative and transparent of any we’ve seen.

What?
The film tells the story of an isolated person who is finally drawn out of himself and into meaningful relationships for the first time in his life. It’s about the power and the pitfalls of involving yourself in other people’s lives. The main character Peter Steele, played by Chris Mollica, returns home to settle affairs after his father’s sudden death. Initially, he tries to push through everything as quickly as possible so he can get back to life as he knows it. He hits a snag when he discovers that his father was actually responsible for taking care of his own brother, Peter’s Uncle Frank.

Slowly, Peter realizes that taking care of Uncle Frank might be the second chance he didn’t have with his father. Frank, however, is a reluctant patient, and Peter finds him a challenge to relate to. Through Frank, Peter also meets Melanie and her young daughter Mia, who live in the same building. Melanie and Peter find some common ground, but Melanie seems to have wrapped her head around living with responsibilities for another person.

So the film is really about this man learning how to (& sometimes how not to) relate to people he cares about, not to see everything as transactional but as something that he actually allows himself to feel.

Where?
The film is set and filmed on Long Island, where my wife Shawna and I live with our family. In fact, much of it is in our hometown, even in our apartment building. We shot in the Chinese restaurant we order from. We shot in an office building across the street from the school where I taught for thirteen years. We shot in a laundromat around the corner from our home.

We made our first feature film The Mix out in Los Angeles, and that was a great experience working with an amazing cast and crew located out there, but we really wanted this to be a product of where we lived. I wanted to show the places I knew. I wanted to work with people around here. Incidentally, people were so kind to us in making this. It really felt like the community embraced us and helped in ways great and small. Some locations gave us a break on their rate or didn’t charge us at all.

People were generous with their time and knowledge. It was a great experience getting to make this out of our home.

When?
We shot the film at the end of 2018, played festivals throughout 2019, and released the film through MBUR in 2020.

The film is set in present day, but we did some conscious things to give the film a little “age,” if that makes any sense. First, we shot on a digital sensor the size of Super 16mm film, and our color grade emphasized those qualities with lots of grain and a general warming of the colors. Secondly, the settings for most scenes are older brick buildings with sort of outdated decor and design choices that hopefully evoke what would have been this character’s childhood. He has come back home to where he grew up, and I wanted it to feel like the places hadn’t changed since he left. There’s a throwaway joke about him having this antiquated cell phone in an early scene, and I think that a lot of this character is frozen in time when he probably should have been evolving out of this lonely state.

You’re also alone with these characters in this film. There are no real cultural references or intrusions from outside their lives. To me, that was very important. You, as an audience, needed to be inside the world of these kinds of lonely people whose lives go on, day by day, largely unaffected by pop culture moments around them. So, in a way, I hope that as the film ages, it would become harder to pin it to any specific time but you would instead just feel a mood of these characters’ world.

Why?
This film was a very personal expression for me. I’m someone who has always thought about and written about family in as many different forms and expressions as I could find. I think the fundamental question I’m always asking myself is how to situate my individual identity in the context of the people around me. Then, building off that, what are my responsibilities to that group of people and what are my responsibilities to myself? Hence the title, Family Obligations.

Ironically, when I’d get up on a stage for Q & A’s after screenings, almost every moderator would ask me if the events of the film were based on personal experience, and they’re not. After seeing the film, most people have assumed that I had a similar relationship with my father or uncle, and I haven’t. But the film’s story is a synthesis of a lot of things I’ve seen and thought about for many years: the misunderstandings across generations, how we take care of the sick and the dying, how we make peace with other people’s limitations, how we forgive others, how we forgive ourselves (hopefully). So I developed this story out of a desire to explore those questions I had.

What I hope is universal for people watching is the feeling of being pulled out of your own experience and into someone else’s life on terms you don’t get to dictate. At some point, I think we’re all called to serve some role in another person’s life that we don’t get to control. Whether that’s taking care of someone when they’re sick, dealing with a loss, helping someone through unforeseen difficulties of their own, or something else entirely, at some point we acknowledge that we don’t control all aspects of our lives. So what do we do then? What kind of people are we then?

How?
Family Obligations is available on Blu-Ray disc at many sellers online. It streams free on Tubi TV and Plex, and it is also available for rent or purchase at AltaVOD and Amazon. The movie just became available on HooplaDigital.

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Next week we will spotlight the indie horror flick Abandoned Dead in our 5Ws and How independent film series, but first lets take a look at the movie’s trailer!

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Abandoned Dead was directed by Mark W. Curran. The movie is the “tale of a security guard, trapped in a run-down inner-city medical clinic and terrorized by supernatural forces which threaten to overtake her.” The horror flick features Judith O’Dea, aka “Barbra” from the iconic Night of the Living Dead, and stars Sarah Nicklin, Robert E. Wilhelm, Ivan Adame, and Hannah Johnson. You can watch the movie on Tubi TV.

What is your book about? 
Rise of the Sidekicks is about a group of kids with superpowers and their fight against a nefarious villain trying to take over their city. At the start of the story, the kids are training to become sidekicks for the city’s elite group of superheroes, the Guardians, but when mysterious circumstances lure the famed heroes out of the city, a new threat emerges. A villainous man calling himself the Hero Smasher declares war on all supers, taking Nexus City hostage with his mind control abilities and an army of robots. With the Guardians out of the picture and time quickly running out, it’s up to a group of super-powered sixth graders to rise up and find the courage within to take on a super villain before their city is lost forever.

What inspired this story?
My family watches a lot of Marvel movies, so unsurprisingly superhero themes work their way into my writing. But in most superhero movies and books, the main hero (usually an adult) is the one that defeats the story’s villain. My idea for this book came about when I was thinking what if the main superheroes were somehow out of the picture and it was up to the sidekicks to save the day instead. I also pictured the sidekicks as kids, still coming into their powers and counting on the adults to stop the bad guys. The idea grew from there and I wrote it as a middle grade level book for my son, who the main story character is inspired by — Ethan Parker (Ethan, my son’s first name and Parker, the last name of his favorite superhero).

Tell us a little about you, who is Charity Tober?
As it is with many authors, I can list writing, reading, and an unhealthy love of coffee as some of my most defining qualities. Watching movies, doing puzzles, and visiting theme parks with my family (central Florida has no shortage of those!) are other ways I like to pass my time. And cats, I love cats, just ask my husband! Rise of the Sidekicks is my first middle grade novel and I’m working on several more, to be released later this year and next.

How can we read Rise of the Sidekicks?
Rise of the Sidekicks is available on Amazon (eBook, Paperback, and through Kindle Unlimited).