Rod & Reel Best known for directing Saw II through IV, Darren Lynn Bousman has two movies out right now with the near-simultaneous home-video release of Mother’s Day and 11-11-11. Missed them in theaters? So did most of America, and here’s why ...

R&R: Do you miss those Saw weekends, where those huge grosses come in? Because these two movies, unfortunately, haven't enjoyed a wide theatrical release. And I think Mother's Day certainly deserved one.

Bousman: Please put that in your write-up! Mother's Day is a sad story — a very sad story. It was a movie that tested through the roof, that I thought was going to put me back on the map in a big way, and it didn't get released. There are many reasons why — part of it had to do with subject matter, part of it had to do with distribution fumbles, part of it had to do with bank issues — one thing after another after another.

And it killed me. As an artist and filmmaker, you're proud of what you do and you want people to see it, but things happen and you've just got to deal with it. So I've sat on it for three years now, knowing no one would get to see it. I loved that Saw got released on 3,000 screens and everyone wanted to see the movie.

That said, I've kind of got a new avenue to vent my frustrations in that we're doing, that's called The Devil's Carnival. I'm self-distributing it, and basically, it's kind of an “F you” to The Man who sits up there and says, "Your movie has to X, Y and Z, or no one's going to see it."

I just don't believe that. I was told that Repo! The Genetic Opera was a non-commercial movie that nobody wanted to see, and we went out touring the country with it and found our audience. We assembled an army.

Same with Devil's Carnival. We ourselves are putting it in theaters. It will be in more theaters than my last three movies combined. We're selling out every single night, the lines wrap around blocks, and it's an awesome feeling to take control back and see that there is an audience. It's not as simple as just putting a trailer out — you have to find them, 100 percent literally. We're driving thousands of miles across the U.S. and Canada, stopping into these theaters and making friends for life.

I'm still very proud of Mother's Day. I just wish that more filmmakers would do this, to show that … Mother's Day didn't have to die. It could show in 200 theaters the same way as Devil's Carnival. If Devil's Carnival, which is a little rock opera and not mainstream at all, could sell out these theaters in these cities, then Mother's Day, which is much more commercial and mainstream, could as well. I hope people will find it on DVD and embrace it.

R&R: I hope they will, too, because I thought you got a terrific performance out of Rebecca De Mornay.

Bousman: I agree. It was one of those things that just clicked. I jokingly said to her numerous times, hopefully not insulting her, "This is your John Travolta in Pulp Fiction." Because that movie put him back on the map. It's a shame more people aren't getting to see her as Mother — she's beyond fantastic.

R&R: Does it bother you that your name may be forever linked with the Saw movies, no matter what you do, no matter what you might make in the future?

Bousman: It's cool, it's fine. Saw gave me my start. They believed in me when no one else did. That's forever part of me, and I wear that badge with pride. That said, I think what I'm doing now surpasses that. The reality is, I just showed up for Saw. Regardless of whether I made a good movie or a bad movie, it would open on 3,000 screens and went on to make a lot of money.

Now, I think I made good Saw films. I'm proud of the work I did. But the reality is, I showed up. I was lucky. I think right now, this challenging the system — the way people perceive movies have to be put out. We have no publicity team on this movie. It's Twitter and Facebook. I've learned never to be complacent again, to let a movie go into obscurity. If I believe in a movie, I will pick it up and I will do the fight.  

R&R: Have you given up on other offers, or are you determined to do only your own projects from here on out?

Bousman: Listen, I am ready and willing to sell out, 100 percent. I would love to do another big studio movie. Nothing would make me happier. But the reality is, the movies that speak to me are very unconventional. And I've found a niche that drives me. So the question is, will they let me make another movie? I hope so. But I'm not going to sit around and wait. I'll keep making things that inspire me.

R&R: You seem to be perfectly happy to stay working in the horror genre. Do you have a desire to venture outside that world?

Bousman: I'm writing an action script right now, basically a thriller. I'd like to journey outside, but I don't think I'm ever going to go that far away from it. I love the macabre, I love the dark, I love the twisted. —Rod Lott

Hey! Read This:
• 11-11-11 DVD review 
• Mother’s Day Blu-ray review  
• Saw 3D Blu-ray review 

Rod & Reel

I couldn’t tell from the postcard we got in the office, but the locally shot film Bad to the Jones is a zombie comedy. The trailer below makes that completely clear.

If the undead makes your attention come alive, boy, are you in luck! Marlon Ladd’s Bad to the Jones screens at 8 p.m. tomorrow, May 3, at Cinemark Tinseltown, 6001 Martin Luther King, with arrivals at 7 p.m. Should be fun, but there’s one hitch: Tickets must be ordered at badtothejones.com, as you can’t get them at the theater. Click away for a tale of two brothers and a city under siege! —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel With 2009’s The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, which hit video this week, writer/director Ti West has established himself as the great hope of intelligent, independent fright films. So why does he want out of it? Read on.

R&R: What is it about horror movies and hotels?

West: It's probably because they're a transient place. Their history is made up of a history of a bunch of strangers who stay there. For me, this movie wasn't about hotels as much as it was this hotel, because I lived there for almost three months while making House of the Devil, and this movie — I wouldn't say it was based on that experience, but it formed from that experience. So it was weirdly personal.

R&R: Because The Innkeepers is set in a hotel, I’m sure you hear comparisons to The Shining. Do you think those are valid?

West: I certainly hear it mentioned a lot, which is unavoidable, but we tried hard not to evoke The Shining. Once you put a Steadicam in a hallway in a hotel, you're kind of screwed, but I think we pulled off our own thing there. I don't know how you get around it, because The Shining is probably one of the best horror movies ever made, if not the best.

R&R: I love your “slow burn” style, but at the same time, I can understand why some people would not. I’ve heard some people say they didn’t like your films — not because they were or were not scary, but because they had a problem with the pacing. With the instant gratification the Internet provides, do you think today's audiences may not know how to respond to an approach like that?

West: To some degree, yeah. Movies in general, but specifically horror movies, have been aimed at the lowest common denominator for the last 10 years — like, extremely more so than they ever have been.

You're meant to be a passive audience member for today's movies. You're supposed to just go there and stare blankly at the screen and go home. That's not really the kind of movies I make or the kind of movies I grew up on, but that is the state of modern movies. I don't think that's going to change too much.

I hear it all the time, but I don't fully understand the “slow burn” thing. I realize it's generally a compliment so I'm fine with it, but I never heard the term until people started telling me that's what I was. I don't set out to make a movie where my reason for making the movie is just people getting killed, so I'm not really in a hurry to get to that part. That's what mainstream horror movies right now are: About every 10 minutes, you have to thrill them with something. I don't think that way.

R&R: What horror films have influenced your own? What are some of your favorites?

West: I'm not as much of a horror guy as people think that I might be. Of course, I really do like the genre, but of the thousand or so DVDs that I have, it's probably the minority on the shelf there. For me, my favorite kind of movies are by filmmakers who have a voice where you can tell it's a movie by that person. When you see a Coen brothers movie, you can tell it's a Coen brothers movie; Terry Gilliam, Sam Raimi and so on and so forth — filmmakers like that who have made horror movies, who bring their style to that genre, as well as bring more than just surface-level stuff.

You know, The Exorcist is about a woman with a sick daughter, and then it's a horror movie. Or The Shining is about an alcoholic man who hates his family, and then it's a horror movie. I think that any time those themes are more prevalent than the genre, the movies tend to be much better.

Some of my favorites are The Shining, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Changeling, Don't Look Now, The Thing, Night of the Living Dead — you know, it's not really shocking that it's all the obvious top 10 that everybody has.



R&R: Do you fear getting typecast? Directors like George Romero and John Carpenter have said they didn’t set out to be horror directors, that they’d like to do other things, but they can’t get anything else financed.

West: It's already happened, so it's a little too late for that.

I don't think I'll do horror that much longer. I may come back to it, but I've made six horror movies in seven years, which is quite a lot and I have a sort of werewolf movie out there hoping to get made soon, and a science-fiction horror movie that's out there waiting to get made soon, and kinda after that, there's really not a lot to do without repeating myself.

It will be tough, because people will want to say, "Well, we'll give you money for horror movies," but the answer I have for that is they don't give me very much money for horror movies. I can go make anything for not very much money.

R&R: With something like House of the Devil that doesn’t get a wide theatrical release, how is its success measured? Is it just by number of DVDs sold?

West: It's measured in different ways. For me, it's financially not particularly successful, in the sense that I don't get rich off of it.

That doesn't mean it's not successful. I know when Magnolia put it out theatrical and on VOD, they made plenty of money. It was very successful for them. And when MPI and Dark Sky Films put it out on DVD, it made plenty of money and was very successful for them. For me, it made my life a little bit easier for getting another movie made.

I did get some salary making the movie; it wouldn't blow anyone's hair back, but it was enough to just make a movie for a year. And I got to make the movies I want with limited interference, so that is successful, and The Innkeepers is remarkably close to that. They work out for everybody.

The thing is now, I don't want to make a movie at that budget anymore. I don't need a lot more money, but instead of doing a movie for $800,000, I'd like to do one for $4 million so I can do a little bit more stuff I keep not being able to do, and that just takes a lot longer. It's a much slower process, and that really drives me crazy for someone who's made six movies in seven years.

R&R: Of all of those six, do you have a favorite?

West: I can't watch them. It's like hearing your voice on tape. There's one I'm unhappy with, but other than that, yeah, I'm good with all of them. The Innkeepers is my favorite thus far, probably because it's the most recent. I think that whatever I make next will, therefore, be my favorite and so on. I think that's just sort of the way it's going to go for me.

R&R: What was the budget for Pat Healy's hair and all the product that went in it to make it stick up like that?

West: Quite high. It was most of the budget. —Rod Lott

Hey! Read This:
• Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever DVD review
• The House of the Devil DVD review
• The Innkeepers Blu-ray review

Rod & Reel

I’m guessing not many saw 2010’s Tiny Furniture, an imperfect but smart and charming comedy that burst Lena Dunham, its star/writer/director, onto the indie-feature scene. On its strength and reception, Dunham scored a series deal at HBO with none other than Judd Apatow (Bridesmaids) producing.

The result, Girls, debuts at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on HBO. It may deal with the lives of four unmarried, 20-something women in New York City, but this is no Sex and the City, and thank the stars above for that. One of its characters, the shy virgin played by Zosia Mamet (daughter of David, and a recurring player on Mad Men), references that once-zeitgeist hit of female wish-fulfillment fantasy with a fawning voice and goo-goo eyes, but the knock at it is unmistakable, and appreciated.

Dunham, writing wise beyond her years and directing just fine, is front and center as Hannah, who, in the pilot, learns her parents (including Bosom Buddies’ Peter Scolari as her noncombative dad) are cutting the cord of financial support. She’s hopeful her publishing internship will turn into a “real” job, but it doesn’t, and her love life fares no more success. Oh, she’s getting laid on a constant basis — it’s just with the most repulsive, uncaring beast a single gal should never get near.

From the first three half-hour episodes I previewed, it’s clear that the politically incorrect comedy already stands on firm footing, confident in its resolute archness. Example: Episode two, titled “Vagina Panic,” finds a plot in throwing a quasi-party for an abortion to be had by Jessa (Tiny Furniture vet Jemima Kirke, the show’s weakest link), so indeed, Girls isn’t for everyone. A skewed sense of humor is a must.

Dunham is in danger of having the entire show stole from under her by Hannah’s bitchy roommate, Marnie (Allison Williams, daughter of NBC News anchor Brian Williams), but hey, isn’t that just like real life? Here’s hoping the remainder of its freshman season are as diabolically winning. —Rod Lott

Hey! Read This:
• Bridesmaids movie review
• Mad Men: Season Four Blu-ray review
• Tiny Furniture movie review

Rod & Reel

The movie I dreamt about in 1978 is now a month away from hitting theaters. I speak, of course, about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel The Avengers, which opens May 4.

Presumably the comic-book movie to end all comic-book movies, The Avengers fronts an all-star lineup of superheroes: Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Sgt. Nick Fury. Even casual moviegoers know this blockbuster has been in the works for years, with Marvel Studios using post-credits stinger sequences to connect one stand-alone film to the next, starting with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man alter ego, Tony Stark, meeting Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury in a bar at the tail end of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

Now, viewers with buns of steel and a vacation day to burn can watch all the dots be connected, in order, as Harkins Bricktown Cinemas offers the Ultimate Avengers Marathon of six movies on May 3, all leading to the midnight premiere of The Avengers.

The lineup begins at 11:30 a.m. with Hulk, followed by:
• Iron Man at 2 p.m.
• Iron Man 2 at 4:30 p.m.
• Thor at 7 p.m.
• Captain America: The First Avenger at 9:15 p.m.
• The Avengers at 12:01 a.m.

The final three will be show in 3-D.

Tickets are $25 and now on sale at harkinstheatres.com/avengers or at the Harkins Bricktown box office. The package includes extra goodies, including two free small popcorns, a commemorative lanyard and a bag o’ swag.

To be honest, I doubt the movie can live up to the 7-year-old me’s idea, but I look forward to it nonetheless. Even if I’m far more stoked for Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises and, yep, The Expendables 2. —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel

In the late ’70s, I once saw Batman and Robin appear at some circus at The Myriad. It was just two nobodies in costume as part of the show, but I was a first grader and, therefore, didn’t care. I was such a Batman nut back then that when one day, when our family sheepdog was about to die, I chose to watch that afternoon’s rerun of the Adam West TV show instead of saying goodbye.

Yes, I’m heartless. This has not changed.

Now I have a heartless first grader of my own, and sure enough, he flipped when I told him that the Batman Live worldwide arena tour is coming to town. More specifically, to Chesapeake Energy Arena for eight performances, Oct. 10-14. I mean, take a look:



It’s like a mix of Cirque du Soleil, the Joel Schumacher movies and hallucinogens.

Tickets are already on sale by calling 800-745-3000. —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel

Another month, another flood of special-engagement films coming to a theater near you, but not necessarily the ones you expect. You'll be pleased if you're into shorts, documentaries and/or things that are free. Let’s get to ’em!

In chronological order, we have ...

The Dome of Heaven
6 p.m. April 5
University of Central Oklahoma’s Center for Transformative Learning
100 University Drive, Edmond
free

UCO alum Diane Glancy returns to campus tonight to show her new film, The Dome of Heaven, a chronicle of a dysfunctional family’s struggle for stability. The free screening concludes with a Q-and-A with the director, who’s also a well-known, award-winning novelist, poet and playwright.




Red Carpet Film Festival
7 p.m. April 7
Sam Noble Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua, Norman
$5

Six short films will be screened at the fourth annual Red Carpet Film Festival on Saturday. What makes them special is that they are produced by students of the Moore Norman Technology Center’s digital video production and graphic design classes, with scores provided by music students at ACM@UCO. Clocking in at 10 minutes each, the shorts are “Restless,” “My Eyes Are Bigger Than Yours,” “Vengeance,” “The Chill,” “The Guardian” and “Bring Me to Life.” Get tickets — only $5 — and more info at redcarpetfilmfest.webs.com.




Introduction to Documentary Film
2:30-4:30 p.m. April 12
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
415 Couch
$35

Here’s a nifty idea: Take a class for the fun of it, especially when said sessions explore documentaries. That’s the intent behind a two-hour class for six Thursdays, beginning April 12, as part of the University of Oklahoma’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Kathryn Jenson White, an Oklahoma Gazette film critic and associate professor at OU, will lead the classes at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. On the syllabus are such acclaimed, accessible, influential and even revolutionary works as Nanook of the North, The Thin Blue Line, Roger & Me, Grizzly Man, Shut Up and Sing and Taxi to the Dark Side. To register, call 325-3488 or visit olliatou.org.




Blue Like Jazz
April 13
AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, Cinemark Tinseltown, Moore Warren

Having earned $345,000 in 30 days, Blue Like Jazz is the most-funded film in Kickstarter history, and it opens in three metro theaters on April 13. With a cast of unknowns and based on Donald Miller’s best-selling 2003 nonfiction book, the comedy is about a young man who flees his Bible Belt upbringing to attend college at “the most godless campus in America,” and struggles with keeping his faith. I suppose this is counterprogramming to Cabin in the Woods?




Children of War
April 15
Fambul Tok
April 22
Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business
2501 N. Blackwelder
free

OCU’s ongoing, free documentary series continues with Children of War, about former child soldiers in Uganda, on April 15 and Fambul Tok, about forgiveness following Sierra Leone’s brutal war, on April 22. Both are free. For more information, call 208-5472 or visit okcu.edu/film-lit.




Grateful Dead Second Annual Meet-Up at the Movies 2012
7 p.m. April 19
AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, Cinemark Tinseltown, Hollywood Spotlight 14 in Norman

You know how Deadheads follow the Grateful Dead from concert to concert? I wonder if that holds true when the concert is a film. I guess you could find out April 19, when three area theaters host a never-before-seen summer 1989 gig from the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. A slideshow of band photos will precede the feature, as will a previously unreleased live track from 1974. Grab info and tickets at fathomevents.com, man!




Switch
6 p.m. April 24
Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business
2501 N. Blackwelder
free

Screening on the OCU campus for free is the documentary Switch, about trends and the future of the energy industry, with an aim to encourage a balanced national understanding on the topic and its utter importance. Interested? Reserve your complimentary tickets at switchenergyproject.com. —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel

Okie writers/directors Mark Potts and Cole Selix have released the official trailer for their new feature film, Cinema Six, a comedy about the lives of people who work in the hallowed multiplex of the title.

Although not shot in the Sooner State, it follows their previous productions that were, like S&M Lawn Care and The Stanton Family Grave Robbery. Consider this one a step up, maybe? We hear it has a surprise cameo by a famous funny TV star who can not be found in the trailer or the film's IMDb page.

In nine days, Cinema Six has its world premiere, at the Dallas International Film Festival. And one day, we can say, "We knew them when." And speaking of "say," prepare for dirty talk to ensue when you click the play button, workers of America. —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel Lots and lots of film screenings and film-related events are on the calendar and in the works, so schedule yourself some quality time in the dark:

• Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic’s Colin Benoit will discuss his work as layout supervisor of the Oscar-winning Rango from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 28 at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas, as part of PL Studios’ A Night of Hollywood Visual Effects in OKC. You may not have heard of the obscure flicks for which he’s also provided visual effects, including Iron Man, Star Trek, Hulk, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and Transformers. (Thought not.)

Also on the bill are LAIKA’s Mark Shapiro (Coraline), CG artist Ed Whetstone and a slew of instructors from PL’s own Digital-Tutors. The event is free, but space is limited, so RSVP at plstudios.com. The first 100 attendees get a free T-shirt!

• Coinciding with City Arts Center’s Miradas exhibit of Mexican art, the venue at 3000 General Pershing presents Perdida at 6 p.m. March 29. The 2009 documentary tells the “unbelievable true story of the rise and fall of the Calderón moviemaking dynasty.” This holds particular appeal to B-movie fans, as the Calderón name is responsible for sex comedies and the Santo series, notably including the recently unearthed, long-thought-lost The Vampire and the Sex. Feast on this clip from Perdida, complete with nekkid women:



• You know who would hate Perdida? Kirk Cameron. I’m just guessing, but something tells me I’d be right. Anyway, he’s made his own documentary, Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure Live, showing at 6:30 p.m. March 27 at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, Cinemark Tinseltown USA and Norman’s Hollywood Spotlight 14. Despite the title, it has nothing to do with Nicolas Cage’s National Treasure, and everything to do with the (I think incorrect) idea that America’s ideals are fading. Regardless of whether you agree, Kirk Cameron’s here to save us all:



And there you have it, so sleep well, America. On a related note, any time I feel sad, I watch these four minutes and 51 seconds from Cameron’s inexplicably popular Fireproof:



• Ever thought the classic ballet Swan Lake could use some 3-D? Your dream comes true for one night only, as Swan Lake in 3D jumps from Broadway to the big screen via Matthew Bourne’s innovative take. Catch it at 7:30 p.m. March 20 at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 and Cinemark Tinseltown USA. For tickets, visit fathomevents.com.



• For much more modern music, Can U Feel It: The UMF Experience bleeps and bloops at 7 p.m. March 22 at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 and Cinemark Tinseltown USA. Capturing the vibe (minus the X) of one of the world’s premier electronic-music fests, the concert documentary features the music of DJs Tiësto, David Guetta, Carl Cox, Afrojack, Fedde Le Grand, Boys Noize and many more. For tickets, visit fathomevents.com.



• In case you miss the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s free screening of the classic Casablanca tomorrow, Fathom Events presents the Humphrey Bogart / Ingrid Bergman Best Picture winner at 2 and 7 p.m. March 21 at — you guessed it — AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 and Cinemark Tinseltown USA.

What’s the difference? Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne (I like that dude!) presents the pic in a “stunning digital presentation” to celebrate its 70th anniversary. He’ll discuss the drama’s enduring legacy, share behind-the-scenes stories and, hopefully, will school all those who think “Play it again, Sam” is an actual quote from the film. For tickets, visit fathomevents.com.



• Speaking of classics — or just movies that won lotsa awards — that 3-D conversion of James Cameron’s Titanic has been announced officially to screen in IMAX at the Moore Warren, home to a brand-spankin’-new IMAX theater, luckily. Glug, glug!

 

• Finally, Japan’s controversial Battle Royale finally got an American release on Blu-ray and DVD (I reviewed it earlier this week), but how awesome would it be to see this proto-Hunger Games “splatire” (that’s “splatter” + “satire”) in theaters? Totally awesome! But you’ll have to make the drive to Dallas, where you can catch it April 6 and 7, only at the Inwood. Apparently, Tulsa’s Circle Cinema showed it last month, and I missed that news. Oh, well. —Rod Lott

Rod & Reel

With the smell of shamrock shakes in the air, St. Patrick’s Day is near. That makes it the ideal time for all things Irish, movies included.

On Thursday, lil’ ol’ Norman plays host to the 2012 Puterbaugh Festival of International Literature & Culture’s Irish Film Festival. From 12:45 to 4 p.m., one Oscar-winning movie and two 15-minute shorts will unspool in Meacham Auditorium on the University of Oklahoma campus. 

Kicking it off is 2006’s Once, a musical love story that remains one of the 10 best movies I saw last decade, and whose soundtrack forever is imprinted on my brain. Seriously, this film gives me goose bumps each time I see it. Once won the Best Original Song Academy Award for “Falling Slowly” — a victory that had me cheering from my living room.

Also showing are The Crush (not to be confused with 1993’s wretched Alicia Silverstone jailbait thriller; this one was up for an Oscar) and The Other Life, which are about, respectively, a 8-year-old fawning over his teacher and a wealthy woman realizing money ain’t all that.

Admission is free. For more information, call 325-4531 or visit worldliteraturetoday.com. Also be sure to check out the Puterbaugh Festival's Opening Night festivities, which include free a free concert from local musicians. —Rod Lott