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‘Beyond Skyline’ Interview with Director/Writer Liam O’Donnell

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beyond skyline

KM: Going back to the scene in Beyond Skyline where they’re all meeting up at the temple and there’s a great 360 shot, I got this great vibe with Bojana Novakovic, it’s such a Ripley moment to me. I don’t know if that was intentional…

LD: Absolutely, I’m glad you mentioned that. Bojana, I just think she’s due! She’s been putting in a lot of great work for a lot of years and she’s just a super solid actress who can get really intense. She’d never really done anything quite like this and I think she said in an interview, “I never thought how empowering it would be to hold this child in my arms and be firing weapons at aliens”. So yeah, I’m glad that connected. One of the questions in a post-screening Q&A was “what movies inspired this”, and it’s like “you couldn’t tell?”. It kind of wears it on its sleeve, what I love, and Aliens is obviously way up there.

via Vertical

KM: And working with Iko Uwais, he did the action choreography on the film as well, right?

LD: Right

KM: What was that like, going in as a first time director having this really ambitious, intense, action-heavy movie? I know you’ve got a background in visual effects which I’m assuming must have helped with knowing what you wanted to do and how you wanted to do it, but how did you consolidate those ideas of having this big crazy action sequence and having the big visual effects, how did that all come together?

LD: I had been storyboarding, and even in the script, that big end battle was like one or two paragraphs, it was pretty short, and then we did like 200-something setups on it. We had it storyboarded and laid out with the general beats and what the escalation was going to be and the fights. But when Iko and his team and Yayan came on board it was more of an Aliens/Starship Troopers type of movie. There was going to be more gunfire and that sort of stuff, and I had that they were going to fight them but I didn’t know what that really looked like. It would have been more of a typical Hollywood hack and slash, with a sword here with a double-cut, but once they came aboard they just, like, go into their gym and send you these videos and they did all this great stuff! And you just kind of look at it, like, “oh, I didn’t even think that would be possible”.

So it became a conversation between them and my suit builders, because they had built these creatures to be big, imposing, predator with frog legs type of things that weren’t supposed to be doing martial arts fights. So then they kind of shit their pants when they saw the choreography. And then when Iko and his guys saw the suits, they were also like “ooooh”, because they had these different moves where they were picking the aliens up and throwing them into the wall, and it’s like, “oooh that’s not going to quite look great”.

The other thing that we had in discussion with – the slang in Indonesia for white people is bule, which I love – so they had Frank doing a lot of kicks, and I was like “bules don’t kick!” [laughs] I’m already kind of stretching his character, he obviously goes to the gym and he’s a boxer and he looks it, he sells it, but if he starts doing back kicks and all this stuff, I don’t know that that’s going to 100% work. And then we tried one of them anyways, and Frank actually badly pulled his hamstring… it was mainly just because the suit performer wasn’t close enough. So when he went to hit back his impact point, his leg just extended and there was nothing there for him to hit to. So this is, like, day two in Batam that he badly pulls his hamstring, and he goes down. I remember Iko’s advice just before he does the kick, he’s like, “just snap it, just snap it”. And I’m like, “okay!” but I was on the fence about this actually working! So we actually had a different fight for Frank at the end than what we used. It was more of a wide, kind of a different angle with Iko in the background, and, you know, he pulls his hamstring there, that didn’t work.

He had to rest and then had to go really slow, and then later towards the end of that schedule, we had shot stuff, and thankfully I realized as we had been cutting together that we had too much into the back lot in one direction and I was just going to have to eat the cost of using green screen and get him with a different view the other way. So yeah, that definitely just added this whole new dimension, but I think it’s just what puts this movie in a different category. If I had gone ahead and just made that, and didn’t have the luck of the century with getting those guys in the right place at the right time, I think, you know, it’s a serviceable sequel instead of something that’s surprising.

via News24xx

 

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“Mickey Vs. Winnie”: Iconic Childhood Characters Collide in A Terrifying Versus Slasher

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iHorror is diving deep into film production with a chilling new project that’s sure to redefine your childhood memories. We’re thrilled to introduce ‘Mickey vs. Winnie,’ a groundbreaking horror slasher directed by Glenn Douglas Packard. This isn’t just any horror slasher; it’s a visceral showdown between twisted versions of childhood favorites Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘Mickey vs. Winnie’ brings together the now-public-domain characters from A. A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ books and Mickey Mouse from the 1920s ‘Steamboat Willie’ cartoon in a VS battle like never before seen.

Mickey VS Winnie
Mickey VS Winnie Poster

Set in the 1920s, the plot kicks off with a disturbing narrative about two convicts who escape into a cursed forest, only to be swallowed by its dark essence. Fast forward a hundred years, and the story picks up with a group of thrill-seeking friends whose nature getaway goes horribly wrong. They accidentally venture into the same cursed woods, finding themselves face-to-face with the now monstrous versions of Mickey and Winnie. What follows is a night filled with terror, as these beloved characters mutate into horrifying adversaries, unleashing a frenzy of violence and bloodshed.

Glenn Douglas Packard, an Emmy-nominated choreographer turned filmmaker known for his work on “Pitchfork,” brings a unique creative vision to this film. Packard describes “Mickey vs. Winnie” as a tribute to horror fans’ love for iconic crossovers, which often remain just a fantasy due to licensing restrictions. “Our film celebrates the thrill of combining legendary characters in unexpected ways, serving up a nightmarish yet exhilarating cinematic experience,” says Packard.

Produced by Packard and his creative partner Rachel Carter under the Untouchables Entertainment banner, and our very own Anthony Pernicka, founder of iHorror, “Mickey vs. Winnie” promises to deliver an entirely new take on these iconic figures. “Forget what you know about Mickey and Winnie,” Pernicka enthuses. “Our film portrays these characters not as mere masked figures but as transformed, live-action horrors that merge innocence with malevolence. The intense scenes crafted for this movie will change how you see these characters forever.”

Currently underway in Michigan, the production of “Mickey vs. Winnie” is a testament to pushing boundaries, which horror loves to do. As iHorror ventures into producing our own films, we’re excited to share this thrilling, terrifying journey with you, our loyal audience. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to transform the familiar into the frightful in ways you’ve never imagined.

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Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’

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If you have been following Chris Stuckmann on YouTube you are aware of the struggles he has had getting his horror movie Shelby Oaks finished. But there’s good news about the project today. Director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Doctor Sleep and The Haunting) is backing the film as a co-executive producer which might bring it much closer to being released. Flanagan is a part of the collective Intrepid Pictures which also includes Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.

Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks

Stuckmann is a YouTube movie critic who’s been on the platform for over a decade. He came under some scrutiny for announcing on his channel two years ago that he would no longer be reviewing films negatively. However contrary to that statement, he did a non-review essay of the panned Madame Web recently saying, that studios strong-arm directors to make films just for the sake of keeping failing franchises alive. It seemed like a critique disguised as a discussion video.

But Stuckmann has his own movie to worry about. In one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns, he managed to raise over $1 million for his debut feature film Shelby Oaks which now sits in post-production. 

Hopefully, with Flanagan and Intrepid’s help, the road to Shelby Oak’s completion is reaching its end. 

“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago,” Flanagan told Deadline. “It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Stuckmann says Intrepid Pictures has inspired him for years and, “it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature.”

Producer Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures has been working with Stuckmann since the beginning is also excited about the collaboration.

“For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us,” said Koontz. “The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.”

Deadline describes the plot of Shelby Oaks as follows:

“A combination of documentary, found footage, and traditional film footage styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s (Camille Sullivan) frantic search for her sister, Riley, (Sarah Durn) who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her “Paranormal Paranoids” investigative series. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real.”

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New ‘MaXXXine’ Image is Pure 80s Costume Core

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A24 has unveiled a captivating new image of Mia Goth in her role as the titular character in “MaXXXine”. This release comes approximately a year and a half after the previous installment in Ti West’s expansive horror saga, which covers more than seven decades.

MaXXXine Official Trailer

His latest continues the story arc of freckle-faced aspiring starlet Maxine Minx from the first film X which took place in Texas in 1979. With stars in her eyes and blood on her hands, Maxine moves into a new decade and a new city, Hollywood, in pursuit of an acting career, “But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.”

The photo below is the latest snapshot released from the film and shows Maxine in full Thunderdome drag amid a crowd of teased hair and rebellious 80s fashion.

MaXXXine is set to open in theaters on July 5.

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