I’ve made it relatively clear that I am a fan of genre films, up to and including exploitation films. I grew up on these movies and they have helped shape my future movie watching habits, so I have enjoyed quite a bit the recent bit of mainstream love for grindhouse films.

Now, coming on the heels of the outstanding Ozploitation documentary Not Quite Hollywood, comes a film devoted to the American exploitation films of the same time. Now the film does not look to have quite the same level of frenzied adoration as its Australian counterpart, but with its massive cast of interviewees it should prove to be a fascinating look at one of my favorite parts of cinema history.

Official Site
Title: American Grindhouse
Director: Elijah Drenner
Starring: Allison Anders, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, Don Edmonds, Robert Forster, Jack Hill, John Landis, Herschell Gordon Lewis, William Lustig, Bob Minor, Kim Morgan, Fred Olen Ray, Lewis Teague, Fred Williamson
Release Date: March 2010 (SXSW Film Festival)

Tags: Allison Orr, Australia, bob minor, cinema, cinema history, exploitation, exploitation films, film, films, fred olen ray, Fred Williamson, genre film, genre films, grindhouse, grindhouse films, herschell gordon lewis, Hollywood, Interview, Joe Dante, john landis, kim morgan, larry cohen, movie, Movies, Not Quite Hollywood, One to Watch, ray lewis, robert forster, sxsw, sxsw film festival, william lustig

Growing up I was always a huge fan of short stories. I was a voracious reader and they helped make me feel like I was getting more bang for my buck (or my parent’s buck as it were) when I read compilations. But even besides the fact that I could read more stories, and thus go on more adventures, I loved how they provided small snap shots into the character’s lives. They allowed me more freedom to come up with a continuation on the narrative, allowing me to fill in the gaps and construct worlds that only I would experience.

But while short stories have allowed authors to flourish, short films seem to be a slightly different animal. Too often festivals focus only on the ultra short films that have to rely on ironic or O’Henry style endings to drive the film, resulting in an all to often seemingly manufactured and formulaic genre.

Thankfully, the Flyway Film Festival cares not about running times, preferring instead unique tales and wondrous characters regardless of if the film is three or thirty minutes. Because of this, it is the audiences who benefit if they decide to attend this festival.

(more…)