A few weeks ago, Nowhere California was introduced to the independent horror/comedy “CONJOINED” and I was quickly intrigued by this bare bones, but highly creative movie. I wrote a review for this movie and posted my thoughts to this website.
Recently, I was able to talk to one of the creative minds behind this movie and talk to Joe Grisaffi. Joe was the director of “CONJOINED” and this interview dives into the evolution of a crazy story idea. Also, our conversation takes a look at Joe’s career and his adventures in the 8-bit video game world.
In the world of documentaries, entertainment can easily be lost to information overload and that will vary from subject to subject, but that is where “Glory Daze:The Life And Times Of Michael Alig” takes the road less traveled. It is these traits that lead to my interview with Ramon Fernandez, the director of “Glory Daze”, and our conversation delves into a case that still fascinates many to this date.
The curious case of Michael Alig begins in the rise of the New York Club scene of the 90s, where the club kids and drugs ran the street. Alig became the leader of this party revolution and felt untouchable, but the party came to an end and Alig was convicted of murder.
This documentary will give you a look at a life and a moment of time that could easily be forgotten, but dissects this period to every level. The entire Nowhere California team would like to thank Ramon for talking with us and giving us some insight on the making of this film.
“Glory Days:The Life And Times Of Michael Alig” is currently available on digital formats and stay locked into this website for a complete review of this film.
It’s time to return to Burkittsville, but first we have to take a detour through the woods and take a look at one of the biggest cinema surprises in a very long time. As this year’s San Diego Comic Con becomes a memory, one of the event’s more shocking moments came from an unlikely source.
That was the teaser trailer for a movie known as “The Woods” and this movie could easily have been swept under the rug, but there were a few things that quickly stood out. First, the soundtrack and the tone that was set. “Every Breath You Take” is an iconic song, it’s a song that can have dozens of meaning and that depends on the listener. Also, the meaning could be taken to a different level by the performer and this interpretation was brought to a fitting level in the world of horror cinema.
The next aspect of this teaser trailer would lead the most wayward horror fan to see that there was going to be more to “The Woods” then just another camping trip and I’m talking about the critics comments, as the trailer begin you are quickly met with the glowing praise of this movie. The praise all says the same thing and it’s the start of something huge in the genre.
Now, this brings us to the 2016 San Diego Comic Con and a special screening of “The Woods.” The reality of the screening was revealed before the projector even warmed up, leaving the select members of the media and a few lucky Comic Con attendees pleasantly surprised. As the screening’s guests waited to enter the theater, crew members took down the promotional posters and banners for “The Woods” to replace them with the real title of the movie.
The long rumored return of the Blair Witch was a reality and it was kept off the radar of the normally spoiler fueled Hollywood. This movie was written by Simon Barrett and directed by Adam Wingard, both having blood on their hands from the V/H/S film series and modern horror classic “You’re Next”.
“Blair Witch” follows a group of college kids into the woods, as James wants to know what happened to his sister 20 years earlier and the group quickly realize the reality of this legend. As the screening proceeded and word spread, the internet was hit with a new trailer for this cult classic’s sequel.
As a fan of the original, I am excited to see the Blair Witch return and this new movie seems to stay faithful to the classic. The concept of found footage movies have become such a common place in cinema, that the scare factor has been erased and this movie looks to change that.
The critical praise seems to be legit and everyone should be ready to jump in their seats, when “BLAIR WITCH” comes to theaters September 16th
The San Diego Comic Con has had a history of shocking first looks and this year that tradition continue, thanks to the creative minds of the DC Universe. During the Saturday panels, DC unleashed a special trailer for the first part of the “Justice League” franchise. This was not just a teaser trailer, it was a full blown trailer…
“Justice League” began principal photography in April of this year and we now have a trailer, there are dozens of question that could be asked and I could care less about the answers. This trailer explodes the universe that was teased in “Dawn Of Justice” and definitely takes a tone shift that was set up with Batman v Superman, but I do not think this is aftermath of that movie’s mixed reviews.
“Dawn Of Justice” and “Justice League” are different worlds to a bigger universe, just like the individual MARVEL movie had a different view compared to the assembled Avengers movies. “Justice League” has more pressure on it compared to the first Avengers movie, most people will want to pull this movie in multiple direction to fit into the current mold and that would be a mistake. DC and Warner Bros. need to stay focused on their universe, so the fans can have a unique world that they deserve.
The Comic Con party rages in San Diego and DC has brought a legendary Amazonian princess to the event, as new trailer and poster for the upcoming movie “Wonder Woman” was released onto the world.
After our first exposure to Diana Prince in “Dawn Of Justice”, most comic book fans were starting to feel that the stars might have finally aligned and this trailer proves it. The Wonder Woman film has been in development and pre-production hell for years, but the problem could have been a simple missing piece to the puzzle and that piece seems to be Gal Gadot.
Gadot entered the DC universe as somewhat of an unknown and quickly made an impact, as shown through her stellar reviews in the lukewarm “Batman v Superman” critical reactions. This trailer has shown that “Wonder Woman” belongs in the major leagues of super hero blockbusters.
The genre of horror is like walking down a dark alley, there is excitement and a possibility of your outlook on life being changed. When you take that same scenario and bring it into the world of independent filmmaking, you can look at that dark alley and slap on a blindfold, since it’s a world where the normal rules are thrown out the window.
CONJOINED is a horror comedy that follows the hopeless romantic Stanley, who is played by Tom Long, as he prepares for his long term and long distance girlfriend Alina, who is played by Michelle Ellen Jones, move into his place. As the special day arrives, Alina reveals a small secret and that secret is her sister Alisa, who is played by Keefer Barlow, who happens to be literally attached to her. This news is a shock to Stanley, but he wants to make it work and his attempt is honorable, until one more secret is reveal is the bloodiest of fashion. Alisa has a psychotic side that will leave a body count.
The work of the cast stands out in this cross between an episode of Tales From The Crypt and Three’s Company with a few low doses of acid, but the minds behind the camera deserve the praise of the suppliers of the cinematic hallucinogens.
Joe Grisaffi was the director of Conjoined and gave this film a visual look that fit perfectly into the twisted script that was written by Chuck and Tim Norfolk. Grisaffi’s direction made this movie into a great watch, when a concept like this could have fallen off the rails fast.
As CONJOINED is not your normal movie, a review for this movie should be treated the same way. This movie should be seen with a group and enjoyed. Also, if you’re a fan of the worlds of TROMA and other strange cinema landscapes, you will be right at home with this blood soaked side show of a love story. In the end, I will give CONJOINED a 7 out of 10.
The following is the finale of Nowhere California’s coverage of the 2016 Los Angeles Days of the Dead convention and in this installment the guys have fallen prey to some top secret clown business, as Josh and Doug talk with horror icon Sid Haig.
Sid is a legend of the silver screen, with a list of over 100 roles to his name and an impact that can be felt in many genres of the film industry. In recent years, Sid has become a mainstay in the convention world and a familiar face to the Days of the Dead loyal.
During Nowhere California’s adventures at Days of the Dead, the guys from Nowhere have made it a point to bump into this legend and we have been lucky enough to sit down twice with the man behind the clown make up..
CLICK HERE For Nowhere California Presents Our Conversation With Sid Haig From The 2013 Days Of The Dead Convention (11:26)
(Doug Porter, Joshua Gilmore, Sid Haig. April 2016 Los Angeles Days of the Dead)
CLICK HERE For Nowhere California Presents Another Conversation With Sid Haig From The 2016 Days of the Dead Convention (6:18)
As with all of our conversations, everybody on the Nowhere California team would like to extend our thanks to Sid Haig. It was an absolute pleasure talking with this icon.
Since the inception of Nowhere California, the foundation of this project has been the world of movies and the creative mind behind those creations. The list of our personal favorites can run a mile long and the list of our favorite directors would reach the same length with the name of Quentin Tarantino holding a place near the top of the directors list.
Now, with Tarantino being near the top of our favorite director’s list, you can easily guess that most of his work holds a special place in our movie memories and Pulp Fiction is one of those iconic moments in movie history.
Pulp Fiction was released in 1994 and brought Tarantino into the world of the mainstream. This movie was a perfect storm of talent and the guys from Nowhere had the opportunity to talk with some members of this iconic cast at the 2016 Los Angeles Days of the Dead convention.
In this installment, the guys from Nowhere had the honor of talking to Duane Whitaker and Whitaker played Zed cohort in the infamous Pawn Shop scene. After that conversation, we have the pleasure to talk with the woman behind the sultry cab driver Esmarelda Villalobos and talk with Angela Jones. Finally, to close out this episode, we talk with the man behind the gimp and talk with Stephen Hibbert.
It started one year ago today, this site was launched and took the concept of Nowhere California to a whole new level.
Nowhere California started in 2011 and it was just another conversation between two friends, but these conversation started taking place in front of a microphone and unleashed on the internet. It was as simple as that, but as Nowhere California evolved, the team grew and new accomplishments were reach.
The episodes started to grow and the team ventured out of the Nowhere city limits, as they dove into the world of conventions and conducting interviews. It was with each accomplishment, the Nowhere California family stuck to their ideals of what they wanted to produce and not to become just another podcast.
It was that mindset that grew into this website and, as we mark our first year on the net, we want to simply say THANK YOU.
Thank you for following the journey of Nowhere California.
Thank you for listening to the original podcast and all of the other podcast that have sprung from this little idea.
Thank you for checking out this site
And thank you for continuing this adventure with us.
This past April and hot off the heels of the Days of the Dead convention, the guys from Nowhere were invited to cover their first film festival and the Nowhere California team charted new ground to cover the 1st Annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Festival.
This event took place the 15th and 16th of April at the world famous TCL Chinese Theatre, gathering the world of short form comedy under one roof. During the opening night celebration, Nowhere California was represented on the red carpet and we took the opportunity to talk with a few of the festivals participants..
The entire Nowhere California team would like to thank everyone that talked with us and to the event organizers. This was a great experience and we hope that we will have the chance to cover next year’s festival.
For more information on all of the films, winners, and information on next year’s festival. Go to the Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival Official Website by CLICKING HERE
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