MichaelPaulStephenson Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Northern Exposures: FanTasia Report #1
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Horror », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », SXSW », Mystery & Suspense », IFC », Festival Reports », Shorts », Fantastic Fest », Other Festivals »
After a long flight on my part and a far longer drive for both of us, Scott Weinberg and I have finally arrived in Montréal for the FanTasia International Film Festival (their thirteenth, our first). The genre-heavy festival lasts for nearly three weeks; alas, we've but one to spare, so without much further ado, here's a look at what I've seen already and what I hope to see before Scott tips his own hand with a title or two to recommend.
Of the features playing, I can highly recommend Michael Paul Stephenson's Troll 2 doc, Best Worst Movie; the Aussie revenge thriller, The Horseman (not to be confused with the barely-seen Dennis Quaid vehicle, Horsemen); and Paul Solet's beautifully bloody baby horror, Grace. Those looking for something a bit stranger might end up being a bit more fond of Black and The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle than I was, though I also seemed more easily pleased by the Nazi zombies of Dead Snow than most, so I guess it all balances out. My enthusiasm for the ultra-kitschy likes of Alien Trespass and Lesbian Vampire Killers, not to mention the admittedly boundary-pushing Deadgirl, is all a bit less than what's already been mentioned, so let's just leave those at that.
Read the rest at HorrorSquad!
'Best Worst Movie' Yields Good First Trailer
Filed under: Documentary », Horror », Independent », SXSW », Trailers and Clips »
Toronto's Hot Docs film festival kicked off last night, and among the acclaimed documentaries playing there is Best Worst Movie, which we reviewed at SXSW last March. The short synopsis: Michael Paul Stephenson was embarrassed to star in Troll 2 as a young lad, only to find himself and other members of the cast coming to terms with the film's growing cult popularity years later. The long version: life's a funny thing.The Toronto Star's Peter Howell, in covering the film and its inspiration, has premiered the latest trailer for it -- see if you can't spot our very own Scott Weinberg in it (hint: he's not the super-genial dentist).
For any of you lucky readers in or around Toronto, it's showing tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon. For more information, here's the official Hot Docs page and the official website.
SXSW Review: Best Worst Movie
Filed under: Documentary », Horror », SXSW »
If you starred in one of the worst films ever made, a target of instant derision and international mockery, how long would it take for you to embrace the film and its growing status as an unwitting cult classic? A year or two? A decade or two? Maybe never? Some of the actors in the legendarily awful Troll 2 still leave it off their resumes, while others have come to embrace it alongside a fan base that revels in its ineptitude at packed screenings far and wide, and it's this curious development that makes the documentary Best Worst Movie such an effortlessly interesting watch.
After being forced in the late 1980s to threaten public urination on camera and fend off goblins with bologna sandwiches, director Michael Paul Stephenson has now come around to chronicle the initial embarrassment that the film brought to himself and others and the reluctance of them to embrace the film for all its rampant sloppiness -- a sloppiness yet to be admitted by Troll 2's writer and director (but we'll come back to them). Perhaps due to the risk of navel-gazing, Stephenson hangs the film not on himself, but his on-screen father, George Hardy, whose inherently dynamic personality and charm have garnered him fans regardless (even his own ex-wife vouches for him).
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