Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Iron Mule at The Woods Hole Film Festival
Iron Mule is curating the opening night screening at the Woods Hole Film Festival on July 31st! Join us up in Cape Cod for a night of Iron Mule favorites followed by the festival's opening night party. For more information, go to www.woodsholefilmfestival.org.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Geoff Klock to guest judge August 7 Iron Mule!
We are excited to announce that Geoff Klock will be joining us at the August 7th Iron Mule screening as a special guest judge.
Geoff Klock (D.Phil, Oxford) is an assistant professor at BMCC-CUNY, where he serves as Director of Writing and Literature. He is the author of two academic books, one on superhero comics and the other on 19th and 20th century poetry. A frequent presenter at Kevin Geeks Out, he once hosted a panel on Superhero and Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He can be found online at twitter.com/geoffklock, and is only sort-of funny. Like maybe a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Geoff Klock (D.Phil, Oxford) is an assistant professor at BMCC-CUNY, where he serves as Director of Writing and Literature. He is the author of two academic books, one on superhero comics and the other on 19th and 20th century poetry. A frequent presenter at Kevin Geeks Out, he once hosted a panel on Superhero and Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He can be found online at twitter.com/geoffklock, and is only sort-of funny. Like maybe a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Notes from our July 3rd Screening
Like sardines in a canning factory, the Iron Mule packed 'em in last Saturday, thanks to the presence of many visiting filmmakers and the support of the local press (thank you, New York Times!). To get things started, hosts Jay Stern and Victor Varnado shared some of the insights they'd gained from their recent production experiences (Jay was involved in the Lincoln Center Director's Lab and Victor has been directing a concert film for Comedy Central). They discovered that different performers have different needs: theater actors need a lot of rehearsal and discussion time, comedians need constant feedback, and film actors need cocaine. We look forward to seeing how they use that knowledge on future projects. On to the movies!
Former host of Kevin Geeks Out! and Iron Mule BFF Kevin Maher was our honorary guest judge for the evening. Kevin shared some of his judging criteria for the evening, explaining to the full house that he would not only be judging the films, but also the audience themselves. On his list of negative qualities: clumsy plot exposition ("Of course I will, I'm your brother!"), and mockumentaries. Some positive attributes: funny wigs, fake poo or vomit, and hilariously excessive plot exposition. Kevin will return to 92YTribeca with an encore presentation of Kevin Geeks Out About Sharks! next week, but Saturday he was dedicated to the fine art of criticising short comedic films.
Our first block of films began with Ad Men, by Todd Alcott. Todd's reading of his poem Television Is A Drug was the source of last month's film by the same name, and he was back this month with a short film about an ad agency asking the immortal question, "What kind of kids eat Armour hot dogs?" The film also stars film actor and past guest judge James Urbaniak (Henry Fool, American Splendor). Following that was Don't Text and Drive, a beautiful and unique animated rendering of what can happen if you ignore the title's advice. Filmmaker Adrian Garcia came down from Boston to talk about the piece, and how classical music makes him think of car crashes.
For our next block, local comediennes Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson were on hand to present their web series, Broad City. They described the show as an exaggerated version of themselves, exploring dilemmas familiar to many New Yorkers such as pushy yoga parents and the lengths people will go to have convenient access to a washer and dryer. The three episodes featured were "Subway on a Sunday," "Yoga," and "Laundry," and these and many more can be found on their website. Abbi and Ilana talked about their working process, the balance between between scripting and improvising, and who's really the boss (the verdict is still out on that one).
Our third block featured another internet series, Sassy Gay Friend from the Second City network. This group of three shorts ("Romeo & Juliet," "Hamlet" and "Othello") suggests that things might have turned out better for Shakespeare's heroines if they'd been told to "write a sad poem in your journal and move on!" Interspersed with these were two Iron Mule firsts: Heat Wave, our first film from Romania, about a high-temperature communication breakdown; and Lapsus, our first film from Argentina, an animated film following a hapless nun's journey through the seven deadly sins.
The final block of competition films featured a musical short from Ireland, Separations Agency, in which a man receives an alarming break-up message in the form of a jolly barbershop quartet, and Blackout Roulette, our first film from Arizona. Filmmaker Alex Italics was kind enough to travel from Tucson to discuss his cheeky black-and-white comedy noir, about a desperate host who resorts to some lethal means of enlivening his party. Alex was inspired by The Twilight Zone in making the film, and plans to start spreading it around the festival circuit.
Although our competition segment was complete, there was still one more treat in store for our audience (well, two really): the world premiere of the Mighty Five music video, "Check This Out!" The video was a collaboration between host Jay Stern, his frequent cinematographer Alan M. Smith, and writer M. Sweeney Lawless, and featured The Mighty Five against a variety of spacey-retro greenscreen backgrounds as they deliver the funk to a planet in need of grooving. Victor spoke to the band about the process of shooting the film, their hopes for continuing the Mighty Five storyline, and the advatages of having a dedicated designer attached to your band.
After the audience had the chance to vote for their favorite film, we showed the results of this month's Wanna Be A Star? competition, an Iron Mule tradition. Our audience winner this month was frequent Iron Mule contributor dp, who not only starred in the film, "Right Guy, Wrong Turn," but wrote, directed and edited it as well! With the votes tallied, guest judge Kevin Maher announced the winners: for the Audience Award, "Blackout Roulette," and for the Judge's Award, "Broad City"! And the lucky winner of next month's Wanna Be A Star? competition -- Arhur Anderson! This veteran of stage and screen will team up with writer/director Susan Hippen for "The Sisterhood," which you can only see at the next Iron Mule show on August 7th! (and then later on Vimeo...)
Before we called it a night, the good folks at 92YTribeca facilitated an encore broadcast of the Mighty Five video in the Cafe, where filmmakers and audience members mingled and networked and savored the air conditioning before a scorching hot Fourth of July weekend.
To keep up-to-date on all the Iron Mule happenings, join us on Facebook! And we'll see you next month for more of the best in short comedy films.
Former host of Kevin Geeks Out! and Iron Mule BFF Kevin Maher was our honorary guest judge for the evening. Kevin shared some of his judging criteria for the evening, explaining to the full house that he would not only be judging the films, but also the audience themselves. On his list of negative qualities: clumsy plot exposition ("Of course I will, I'm your brother!"), and mockumentaries. Some positive attributes: funny wigs, fake poo or vomit, and hilariously excessive plot exposition. Kevin will return to 92YTribeca with an encore presentation of Kevin Geeks Out About Sharks! next week, but Saturday he was dedicated to the fine art of criticising short comedic films.
Our first block of films began with Ad Men, by Todd Alcott. Todd's reading of his poem Television Is A Drug was the source of last month's film by the same name, and he was back this month with a short film about an ad agency asking the immortal question, "What kind of kids eat Armour hot dogs?" The film also stars film actor and past guest judge James Urbaniak (Henry Fool, American Splendor). Following that was Don't Text and Drive, a beautiful and unique animated rendering of what can happen if you ignore the title's advice. Filmmaker Adrian Garcia came down from Boston to talk about the piece, and how classical music makes him think of car crashes.
For our next block, local comediennes Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson were on hand to present their web series, Broad City. They described the show as an exaggerated version of themselves, exploring dilemmas familiar to many New Yorkers such as pushy yoga parents and the lengths people will go to have convenient access to a washer and dryer. The three episodes featured were "Subway on a Sunday," "Yoga," and "Laundry," and these and many more can be found on their website. Abbi and Ilana talked about their working process, the balance between between scripting and improvising, and who's really the boss (the verdict is still out on that one).
Our third block featured another internet series, Sassy Gay Friend from the Second City network. This group of three shorts ("Romeo & Juliet," "Hamlet" and "Othello") suggests that things might have turned out better for Shakespeare's heroines if they'd been told to "write a sad poem in your journal and move on!" Interspersed with these were two Iron Mule firsts: Heat Wave, our first film from Romania, about a high-temperature communication breakdown; and Lapsus, our first film from Argentina, an animated film following a hapless nun's journey through the seven deadly sins.
The final block of competition films featured a musical short from Ireland, Separations Agency, in which a man receives an alarming break-up message in the form of a jolly barbershop quartet, and Blackout Roulette, our first film from Arizona. Filmmaker Alex Italics was kind enough to travel from Tucson to discuss his cheeky black-and-white comedy noir, about a desperate host who resorts to some lethal means of enlivening his party. Alex was inspired by The Twilight Zone in making the film, and plans to start spreading it around the festival circuit.
Although our competition segment was complete, there was still one more treat in store for our audience (well, two really): the world premiere of the Mighty Five music video, "Check This Out!" The video was a collaboration between host Jay Stern, his frequent cinematographer Alan M. Smith, and writer M. Sweeney Lawless, and featured The Mighty Five against a variety of spacey-retro greenscreen backgrounds as they deliver the funk to a planet in need of grooving. Victor spoke to the band about the process of shooting the film, their hopes for continuing the Mighty Five storyline, and the advatages of having a dedicated designer attached to your band.
After the audience had the chance to vote for their favorite film, we showed the results of this month's Wanna Be A Star? competition, an Iron Mule tradition. Our audience winner this month was frequent Iron Mule contributor dp, who not only starred in the film, "Right Guy, Wrong Turn," but wrote, directed and edited it as well! With the votes tallied, guest judge Kevin Maher announced the winners: for the Audience Award, "Blackout Roulette," and for the Judge's Award, "Broad City"! And the lucky winner of next month's Wanna Be A Star? competition -- Arhur Anderson! This veteran of stage and screen will team up with writer/director Susan Hippen for "The Sisterhood," which you can only see at the next Iron Mule show on August 7th! (and then later on Vimeo...)
Before we called it a night, the good folks at 92YTribeca facilitated an encore broadcast of the Mighty Five video in the Cafe, where filmmakers and audience members mingled and networked and savored the air conditioning before a scorching hot Fourth of July weekend.
To keep up-to-date on all the Iron Mule happenings, join us on Facebook! And we'll see you next month for more of the best in short comedy films.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Iron Mule in the NY Times!
Thanks to the New York Times for the article - it led to a sold out show on Saturday!
You can read it here.
You can read it here.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
COMEDY CONCERT FILM JUNE 22 TUES - ME Direct! You watch!
Hey everyone! It's Victor Varnado here! I hope you get a chance to come to the concert portion of this comedy film I am directing! Many great comedians that you would have to pay big bucks to see normally. If you are in NYC then make a special trip!
Here's the info!
___________________________________________________________
That’s right! – One of New York City’s best comedy shows, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!, is becoming a movie!
Here is a special message from the creator of the show, Liam McEneaney:
“HEY GANG;
You read that right. For the next two Mondays, TYF! at Lolita will go dark as we gear up for the filming of our first ever concert movie experience.
We are finally going to capture everything you have loved about our little basement show in one major motion picture.
Some of your favorite performers will be on-hand to film their acts; KURT BRAUNOHLER & KRISTEN SCHAAL, REGGIE WATTS, CHRISTIAN FINNEGAN, LEO ALLEN, ROB PARAVONIAN, and our house band A BRIEF VIEW OF THE HUDSON. And as usual, your humble host will be LIAM McENEANEY
You're going to get event invites as soon as Facebook stops being a jerk.
I know the name of the show is usually a suggestion, but for this show we're going to need as great of a crowd as possible to both fill the room and support with the kind of good energy and positive vibery that has made you guys one of the favorite audiences for some of the biggest names in comedy.
In a way, YOU will be the biggest star of the movie. Specifically, in the way that doesn't pay you residuals. So please, please, come yourself and don't forget to forward this via e-mail, to post this on Facebook, to Tweet it, and to TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Thank you for your years of support. Here's to many many more years together.
- LIAM McENEANEY”
Here’s the info:
The Onion Presents:
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! THE CONCERT MOVIE
Be in the audience of the LIVE FILMING of the concert movie based on New York City's longest-running alt. comedy show, starring some of the scene's brightest comedy lights: Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal, Reggie Watts, Christian Finnegan, Leo Allen, Rob Paravonian, and hosted by Liam McEneaney.
Tuesday, June 22nd
www.thebellhouseny.com
DOORS: 6:30pm; 9PM
ADMISSION: $5.00
Buy tickets to the 6:30 show here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2160585
Buy tickets to the 9:00 show here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2160615
HOSTED BY: LIAM McENEANEY
WITH:
KURT BRAUNOHLER & KRISTEN SCHAAL
REGGIE WATTS
CHRISTIAN FINNEGAN
LEO ALLEN
ROB PARAVONIAN
AND THE TYF! HOUSE BAND: A BRIEF VIEW OF THE HUDSON
18+ to enter/21+ to drink
Please forward this event and TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Interview Prep
Well, om getting ready for the first day of shooting on my new movie... Did we talk about that? The new movie is www.tellyourfriendsmovie.com
Should be loads of fun. In order to save money, I will be directing and playing cinematographer on some of the interview sections. I was a bit nervous, but I think the first test shoot came out great. Here is a frame from the shoot with our reluctant subject Myq Kaplan.
Thank you Canon HDSLR cameras!
Should be loads of fun. In order to save money, I will be directing and playing cinematographer on some of the interview sections. I was a bit nervous, but I think the first test shoot came out great. Here is a frame from the shoot with our reluctant subject Myq Kaplan.
Thank you Canon HDSLR cameras!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Notes from our June 5th screening
It was unseasonably warm in NYC on June 5th, as Iron Mule fans gathered in the air-conditioning of the 92YTribeca screening room for another night of short comedy films. Jay and Victor started off the night with updates about their latest projects -- Victor is working on a comedy concert feature called Tell Your Friends, and Jay was gearing up for a photo shoot and test shoot for his new feature The Adventures of Paul and Marian.
Then we brought up our special guest judge, screenwriter Will Rokos. We talked about short films -- Will is a fan and impressed by how economical and simple shorts can be as opposed to features. He talked about his own work a little bit (he tends to write intense dramas rather than comedies, although he loves comedies and has one potentially in the works) and announced that he's just been hired to join the writing team of Southland for their next season.
Then on to the films! The first was Delivery Date, by New Mexican filmmaker Matthew Page. This film tells the story about a man who finds an unexpected surprise on a blind date. Nice production values, a decent, full story, and stand-out performances by the two charming leads were the stand out qualities of this film.
Our next block of films featured Hälkke 9, a 1950's commercial spoof from the UK by filmmaker Richard Jung, the surprising and high-production-value film from North Carolinian filmmaker Kenneth Price, The Late Mr. Mokun Williams, and Atlanta-based Beth Fulton's interpretation of a poem written and performed by screenwriter Todd Alcott, Television is a Drug.
Our final block were three animated films: Sharon Colman's Oscar-nominated Badgered, a tale of a badger who just wants to be left alone to hibernate (from the UK), Sijia Luo's outlandishly cute Kidnap (from California), and the impressively structured film by local animator Aaron Hughes, Backwards, which is told backwards, from finish to start. Aaron was in attendance so we brought him and his producer Lisa LaBracio up for a brief interview. We talked about how Aaron made the film (partly backwards, partly forwards) and discussed how animators, alone in a dark room, labor for months without feedback so they often have no idea if their movies work at all. Luckily, Aaron and Lisa's movie works wonderfully.
Then, the audience placed their vote for audience favorite, and while the votes were tallied, we screened this month's "Wanna Be a Star" movie starring audience member Willa Jaffe, who traveled all the way from Philadelphia to star in the movie and again to attend the screening. This film was directed by Iron Mule producer Jay Stern, and the audience-determined title was Jesus Pot Pie.
Then it was up to guest judge Will Rokos to announce the winners: audience favorite (our first ever tie!) was Delivery Date and Television is a Drug, and the judges' award went to Backwards. This was a particularly hard month for our audience to determine their favorite film we were told afterwards, since they all were quite good and all very different.
After the awards were announced, filmmakers and fans moved into the cafe for our after party where fun was had by all!
Then we brought up our special guest judge, screenwriter Will Rokos. We talked about short films -- Will is a fan and impressed by how economical and simple shorts can be as opposed to features. He talked about his own work a little bit (he tends to write intense dramas rather than comedies, although he loves comedies and has one potentially in the works) and announced that he's just been hired to join the writing team of Southland for their next season.
Then on to the films! The first was Delivery Date, by New Mexican filmmaker Matthew Page. This film tells the story about a man who finds an unexpected surprise on a blind date. Nice production values, a decent, full story, and stand-out performances by the two charming leads were the stand out qualities of this film.
Our next block of films featured Hälkke 9, a 1950's commercial spoof from the UK by filmmaker Richard Jung, the surprising and high-production-value film from North Carolinian filmmaker Kenneth Price, The Late Mr. Mokun Williams, and Atlanta-based Beth Fulton's interpretation of a poem written and performed by screenwriter Todd Alcott, Television is a Drug.
Our final block were three animated films: Sharon Colman's Oscar-nominated Badgered, a tale of a badger who just wants to be left alone to hibernate (from the UK), Sijia Luo's outlandishly cute Kidnap (from California), and the impressively structured film by local animator Aaron Hughes, Backwards, which is told backwards, from finish to start. Aaron was in attendance so we brought him and his producer Lisa LaBracio up for a brief interview. We talked about how Aaron made the film (partly backwards, partly forwards) and discussed how animators, alone in a dark room, labor for months without feedback so they often have no idea if their movies work at all. Luckily, Aaron and Lisa's movie works wonderfully.
Then, the audience placed their vote for audience favorite, and while the votes were tallied, we screened this month's "Wanna Be a Star" movie starring audience member Willa Jaffe, who traveled all the way from Philadelphia to star in the movie and again to attend the screening. This film was directed by Iron Mule producer Jay Stern, and the audience-determined title was Jesus Pot Pie.
Then it was up to guest judge Will Rokos to announce the winners: audience favorite (our first ever tie!) was Delivery Date and Television is a Drug, and the judges' award went to Backwards. This was a particularly hard month for our audience to determine their favorite film we were told afterwards, since they all were quite good and all very different.
After the awards were announced, filmmakers and fans moved into the cafe for our after party where fun was had by all!
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