Indie Film Roundup: 2 VHS docs, Wolf Cop, and Fist of Jesus!

I've recently discovered several new indie films that are in various stages of production (mostly by accident; God Bless the internet!), and I think you'll all be psyched about each one of them. We've got two VHS documentaries, and two horror-comedies that will have you waxing nostalgic and cheering for more gory hijinks! First up is a completed VHS documentary called REWIND THIS!


Featuring interviews with Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman, Full Moon's Charles Band, and various directors and VHS fans/collectors, REWIND THIS! takes a look at the rise and fall of the VHS tape, and its continued popularity despite being a "dead format." It looks quite interesting and just made its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, which ends this weekend. No word on a DVD (or VHS?) release date yet, but to keep up on what's new with the film and to learn more about it, be sure to visit its official site at www.rewindthismovie.com!

But REWIND THIS! is not alone folks, for this is another, much smaller budgeted documentary in the works called ADJUST YOUR TRACKING, that takes another look at the world of the VHS tape, and the people that still collect them. Scroll down a bit for the bitchin' poster and the teaser trailer. CLICK HERE to visit the official site and learn more about this upcoming documentary!

This makes me pine for my old VCR! So cool!

Continuing on, its time to look at some new indie films that blend Horror, gore, and comedy together. First up is WOLF COP, the tale of a drunken cop named Lou Garou (HA!) who ends up becoming a drunken lycanthropic police officer! The filmmakers have created a hilariously awesome concept trailer and are currently battling it out with other indie hopefuls on CineCoup to earn a million bucks to make WOLF COP a reality. Check out the concept trailer below, then head over to the main website (www.wolfcop.com) to find out how you can help get this flick made!


Finally, I need to give some love to the most insane indie film project I've come across in a while. Imagine if Jesus Christ himself, while bringing Lazarus back to life, accidentally screwed up and created the first ever zombie plague on Earth. And hey, what if Jesus (and Judas) battled the undead hordes to save humanity?! That is the concept for FIST OF JESUS (a.k.a. ONCE UPON A TIME IN JERUSALEM).

A short film by collaborators/co-directors David Muñoz & Adrián Cardona is currently up on Youtube, and they are attempting to pull together funds to create a feature-length version. Check out the FIST OF JESUS short below (these gents are all from Spain, so keep that in mind when you are assailed by English subtitles), then head on over to the official site (www.fistofjesus.com) for production updates and to help donate to the completion of a movie that can only be described as "The Greatest Story Ever Told" meets "Dead-Alive!" Enjoy!


HAHAHAHA! Extra points for the random inclusion of ZOMBIE COWBOYS! This really looks awesome; I hope they pull together the funds to make the feature-length version.

Oh, and since we're currently on the topic of the epic tag-team of David Muñoz & Adrián Cardona, here is their short film BRUTAL RELAX, which features aquatic man-eating zombie creatures paying the price for ruining the relaxation attempts of a violently insane gentleman named Mr. Olivares. Needless to say... THIS. IS. AWESOME!

A trio of must-see Sci-Fi shorts!

A close friend of mine (that goes by the moniker "Silent Steve" when we record film commentaries for my ongoing Riff Bros. web project) is constantly bombarding my Facebook wall with Youtube videos he discovers when he's bored. Recently he has rocked my world with three very cool sci-fi shorts that may or may not have escaped your eyes. Behold three fantastic tales with robotic warriors, alien worlds, and human mutations!

ARCHETYPE
Directed by Aaron Sims, this seven minute short reminds me heavily of "Robocop" (and to a much lesser extent, "Skyline"). A robotic soldier is being cross-examined by a superior (human) officer after it disobeyed orders and engaged an EMP amidst a battle. It turns out, that the war machine was once human itself and its memories of its past life are starting to come back. When threatened with having its mind erased, the eight-foot tall robot takes matters into his own hands.


MAN THAT IS SO COOL! It's a good concept, and I for one would readily shell out ten bucks to see a feature-length film featuring bionic robo-warrior battling those that would attempt to eradicate his humanity. Or at the very least, can we get a followup short or two to fully flesh this story out? Please?!


THE GATE
No, this doesn't have anything to do with "Stargate," and it doesn't have anything to do with classic 80's film with the creepy little demons and Stephen Dorff. This short revolves around a security meeting where those involved are discussing a minor outbreak of human mutations caused by medication the victims obtained from shady sources. Apparently long-term use of the substances triggered a dormant gene in human DNA, resulting in some pretty freaky man-sters.


So remember kids, don't buy cheap or untested pharmaceutical products off the web because the legit stuff you need is too expensive. Doing so may turn you into a evolutionary monstrosity!

I really like the idea behind this short film and apparently others did too, because Matt Westrup's "The Gate" is going feature-length! Congrats Matt; I for one am very much looking forward to seeing what else you bring to the table here.


R'HA
While the previous shorts had humans interacting with robots and mutants, the third one I'm sharing with you tonight is a very cool sci-fi tale featuring diabolical war machines who have turned against their creators: A race of multi-limbed reptilian humanoids. Check out this six and-a-half minute short from Kaleb Lechowski.


Oh man! Again another awesome concept, and what an ending! Even more shocking? This was created by a 22-year old German film student entirely by himself. The only thing he didn't do was the voice acting for the alien and the machine! Pat yourself on the back Kaleb; I have no doubt in my mind that you're going places!

So there you have it folks; three fantastic short films showcasing great effects and storylines that put most of the junk Hollywood makes to shame. Kudos to the men and women who created these works of cinematic art; here's hoping you all go far!