Been absent from the blog for a month or so, but now it’s time to get my ass in gear again and post on a heavy to at least regular basis again. This one is pretty basic. Check out these very off-the-beaten-path (and interesting) screening events happening at our good buddy Barry Kryshka’s Trylon Microcinema. The multi-projector screening tomorrow night looks especially cool. I can also vouch for the film Visioneers, starring the now famous Zach Galifianakis (after his terrific turn in the already over-rated The Hangover) in a totally bizarre and funny little oddity.  Check out the Take-Up Web site to purchase tickets (they go fast at the Trylon!). Info (via press releases) below.

Sept 17 at 7:00, the Trylon hosts filmmaker Roger Beebe, for a special one time screening of Films for One to Eight Projectors, a selection of multi-projector experimental shorts. The program runs 75 minutes and Roger will be on hand to leap back and forth while running as many as 8 projectors.

FILMS for ONE to EIGHT PROJECTORS

mutli-projector experimental shorts by Roger Beebe

WHAT:

Renowned experimental filmmaker Roger Beebe, whose films have shown around the globe from Sundance to the Museum of Modern Art and from McMurdo Station in Antarctica to the CBS Jumbotron in Times Square, takes to the Heartland in September and October to present a program of his recent mutli-projector films as part of a 6-week US tour. In his recent films, Beebe explores the possibilities of using multiple projectors—running as many as 8 projectors simultaneously—not for a free-form VJ-type experience, but for the creation of discrete works of “expanded cinema.” The show builds from the relatively straightforward two-projector films “The Strip Mall Trilogy” and “TB TX DANCE” to the more elaborate three-projector meditation on Las Vegas, “Money Changes Everything,” and on finally to the eight-projector meditation on the mysteries of space “Last Light of a Dying Star.” These films are simultaneously performance films (as they can only be screened with Beebe actually running the projectors—and running from projector to projector), technological demonstrations (with a parade of different modes of image making and presentation—16mm and super 8mm film alongside video and digital formats), and significant aesthetic works in their own right.

ABOUT ROGER BEEBE:

Roger Beebe is a professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida. Beebe has screened his films around the globe at such unlikely venues as McMurdo Station in Antarctica and the CBS Jumbotron in Times Square as well as more traditional venues such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Pacific Film Archive in addition to numerous festivals, among them Sundance, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and New York Underground. He has won dozens of awards including a 2009 Visiting Foreign Artists Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, a 2006 Individual Artist Grant from the State of Florida, and Best Experimental Film at the 2006 Chicago Underground Film Festival. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he is also a film programmer: he ran Flicker, a festival of small gauge film in Chapel Hill, NC, from 1997-2000 and is currently Artistic Director of FLEX, the Florida Experimental Film Festival. He also owns Video Rodeo, an independent video store in Gainesville, FL.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

Last Light of a Dying Star (2008, 4 X 16MM, 3 X VIDEO, 1 X SUPER 8MM, 30 min.) A multi-projector meditation on the passage from film to video, from abstraction to representation, and from the technological wonder of space exploration to the banality of the digital snapshot. Originally made for an installation/performance in a planetarium at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, GA, the film attempts to recapture some of the excitement of the early days of space exploration and the utopian aspirations of expanded cinema. Made as an orchestration of a number of different elements, made and found: handmade cameraless film loops by Beebe and Jodie Mack; striking sequences of digital stills by Cassandra C. Jones; 16mm educational films about eclipses, asteroids, comets, and meteorites; and a super 8 print of the East German animated film The Drunk Sun.

Money Changes Everything (2009, 3 X 16MM, 5 min.)

Three days in Las Vegas, Nevada, and three different visions of the discarded past and the constantly renewed future. A three-part portrait of a town in transformation: a suburban utopia in the desert, a cancerous sprawl of unplanned development, a destination for suicides.

TB TX DANCE (2006, 2 X 16MM, 3 min.) A cameraless film made on a black & white laser printer with an optical soundtrack made of dots of varying sizes provides the backdrop for revisiting Toni Basil’s appearance in Bruce Conner’s 1968 film “Breakaway.” Commissioned as part of Mike Plante’s Lunchfilm series, where filmmakers are asked to make films for less than the price of the lunch they’ve just been treated to. (This film’s budget was $32.37 worth of pulled pork sandwiches and peach cobbler.)

The Strip Mall Trilogy (2001, 1 X SUPER 8MM/1 X VIDEO, 9 min.) A look straight into the heart of the most postmodern of architectural forms, the strip mall, shot in a mile-long parking lot that could be Anywhere, USA.

RANGE LIFE FALL TOUR 2009

Anywhere, USA Told in three segments ranging from satirical to tragic, the film is a wildly original look at American manners, prejudices, and family dynamics. Winner of the Special Jury prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

White on Rice 40-year-old Jimmy is growing up, or at least he’s getting older. While mooching the upper bunk of his ten-year-old nephew’s bed, he enjoys the never-ending generosity of his sister Aiko, and dodges the wrath of his impatient brother-in-law Tak. He thinks that if only he could get married all his problems would be solved. But when he falls head over heels for Tak’s niece things only go from bad to worse. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Asian Pacific Film Festival Los Angeles 2009.

Visioneers The Jeffers Corporation is a world success, endorsed by the U.S. President, pitching productivity and happy talk. George is a third level employee, supervising three or four others. Around the world, people are exploding as the stress of denying feelings takes its toll. The Jeffers’ response: mind control. George and his wife are miserable: he’s impotent with occasional fits of infantile pique. She’s reading a book on happiness, trying everything. His brother, released from prison, starts of freedom-of-expression movement in George’s backyard. Plus there’s Charisma, a woman from Level Four who sends him paperwork – with smiley faces. Can George connect?

Range Life Entertainment presents three energetic, irreverent, innovative independent comedies that have been turning heads and generating cult audiences at festivals across the nation (including Sundance, SXSW, and CineVegas). Traversing the nation by van this fall, these filmmakers are at the forefront of a new trend in distribution; engaging in grassroots marketing and on-line promotion to bring their films directly to the public. As filmmaker Todd Sklar, organizer of the tour, says, “It’s all about getting these films out there and connecting with their audiences. Everything else in this business is white noise.” So c’mon feel noise as Range Life brings it’s Fall Tour series to Trylon Cinema.

Range Life Presents

Fall Tour 2008 @ The Trylon:

Thursday, 9/17, 9pm — Anywhere, USA

Saturday, 9/19, 5pm — White on Rice

Sunday, 9/20, 7pm – Visioneers

Range Life Entertainment is a independent film exhibition and marketing company. Founded by Todd Sklar after the innovate and successful self release of his debut feature Box Elder, Range Life is committed to breaking distribution boundaries and connecting creative communities through it’s cross-country touring platform. Centered on event-based screenings and niche-targeted marketing, Range Life will distribute close to 40 new features to audiences across the country in 2009. For more information, please visit the Web site.

Local filmmaker Paul von Stoetzel’s 2008 documentary Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera, which explores the origins and history of snuff films, played at festivals around the country as well as at The Parkway Theatre. It also featured a skin-crawling account by producer Mark L. Rosen when he encountered real snuff filmmakers. Moving on from such sunny topics as that, his latest full-length documentary, “Scrap” following Jim Bishop, who’s been building a castle for more than 40 years in Colorado, is finished and will be sent to film festivals soon to seek distribution. Before all that happens, though, audiences should head over to the upcoming Film Screening Fundraiser and Bloody Meat Raffle at the Bryant Lake Bowl Cabaret Theatre, a night of short films featuring a first time Sneak Preview of von Stoetzel’s newest short documentary “My Friend Root Rot” and an extended scene from “Scrap.” These will be screened along with other local works including Dan Schneidkraut’s “Matt’s Story,” Brianna Deihl’s “Strays” (of which I was on set for some of the shoot), Tyler Jensen “Garage Sale,” and Jon Springer’s “Living Dead Girl.” All this mixed with a meat raffle and silent auction to help raise funds for “Dinner Date” a short film co-produced and created by the prolific von Stoetzel, and Brian Walstad inspired by the 2002 true story of the Rottenberg Cannibal- Armin Mewies. This event will be hosted by the Legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll Ray.

When: Thursday July 23rd, Doors at 9:30, Event at 10:00

Where: Bryant Lake Bowl Theatre, 810 W Lake St. Minneapolis, MN 55408

Tickets: $8.00 all proceeds go to the completion of DINNER DATE

Trailer for Scrap

Trailer for Matt’s Story

The dark satire film LIVING ARRANGEMENTS will be playing again due to popular demand. Minneapolis director Sam Thompson says “Minneapolis can’t get enough vegans vs werewolves.” He also says tickets are very limited and it should be an awesome show downtown. Tickets can be purchased at the venue beforehand, but they are running low. To guarantee a seat, PRE-ORDER from Thompson himself. Email him at sam@sbtfilms.com and he will work it out with you.

Details below-

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Encore Screening

when: Saturday, July 25th 10:30pm

where: Sapor Cafe and Bar 428 Washington Ave N MPLS, MN 55401

how: $10 ticket (includes popcorn + one free drink!)

Tickets are presale only from the venue or from one of the producers.

Living Arrangements trailer

Also of note is a video directed by Thompson, though he’s technically co-credited with creating the visuals (”the lines definitely blur” he says), for local musician Mark Mallman, who provided some music for Living Arrangements. This is a new music video that’s recently completed from the same people who made the film. “Invincible Criminal” by Mark Mallman is the title track to his new CD. And if that isn’t enough, check Mallman’s Web site.

Check out the video below

Barry Kryshka – Photo by Kathie Smith

There’s been a lot of coverage for Barry Kryshka’s (under his Take-Up Productions) Trylon Microcinema of late, which is great news all around. In the interest of chronological fact-keeping (and to boost my journalistic ego of course), my feature in Secrets of the City way back in December ‘08 was, I believe, the first to really flaunt the theater and the exciting possibilites it held. I geeked out immensely back then when the theater was merely a cement-floored, empty warehouse early in the process of becoming the fantastic, truly micro cinema it has become. Kryshka’s cinema is the best gift to cinephiles here in the Twin Cities. We are lucky to have this, now we need to support it, which should not be a chore given how exciting the programming is going to be in the near future. The grand opening is this weekend, beginning with The Great Stone Face: Six From Buster Keaton, and the first showing friday night is already sold out, so go here fast to buy tickets before it’s too late.

Not long after my article, in February fellow MnDialoger Kathie Smith posted an interview with Kryshka on her personal blog in February ‘09. But all the hard work of Kryshka and his volunteers, along with us blow-hard film journalists, has finally culminated in a full-on media blowout. Another MnDialoger, Peter Schilling, writes in the Star Tribune about the Trylon, Brad Richardson for examiner.com, Daniel Getahun for his film blog Getafilm, and Rob Nelson for MinnPost. Also, the July episode of Movie Talk on KFAI featured an interview with Barry. He also appeared on the July 14 Dig Up the Roots on KFAI along with Dreamland Faces, the band that will be providing music via saw and accordion for the Keaton series.

Check out this video footage I shot of two songs performed by Dreamland Faces at KFAI studios. That’s Karen Majewicz on accordion and Andy McCormick on musical saw. These two are amazing, and I eagerly await their performance along with my first viewings of Keaton films.

Dreamland Faces at KFAI from Erik McClanahan on Vimeo.

Check out Kryshka on Fox news, embedded below. He does great on TV (and if I know the soft-spoken, laid back Barry, this was probably nerve-racking as hell for him), but the segment does no justice to how beautiful the space truly is.

Check out this video montage of the Trylon Microcinema from the early stages to how it looks now. I shot and edited the piece with a score by former Milwaukee band Broken Ponies.

Trylon Microcinema from Erik McClanahan on Vimeo.

The Great Stone Face: Six From Buster Keaton

Starting July 17th
The Trylon microcinema
3258 Minnehaha Ave S
Tickets: $8 – Suggested donation for live music: $2.

All screenings accompanied by the spellbinding live music of Dreamland Faces, featuring Karen Majewicz on accordion and Andy McCormick on musical saw.

Sherlock Jr (1924)
July 17 and 18 at 7pm and 9pm
Woody Allen’s Purple Rose of Cairo is a delight, but Buster Keaton did it first. Projectionist Buster — dreaming he’s an ace detective — jumps right on to the movie screen, finding himself furiously edited from garden bench to city street to cliff — but finally becoming the ace detective of his wildest cinema fantasies.

Preceded by the short: The Electric House (1922) Buster designs a house with all the latest gadgets for a real estate tycoon who will buy thousands if the model home impresses him. But during the demonstration, everything that can go wrong, does – hilariously!

The Navigator (1924)
July 24 and 25 at 7pm and 9pm
Keaton’s top money-maker began with the biggest prop of his career: an ocean liner. Pampered playboy Buster is stranded on same with equally helpless airhead Kathryn McGuire. The ship finally runs aground on a desert island where the two unfortunates are chased by cannibals. One of Keaton’s most revered films.

Preceded by the short film: The Ballonatic (1923) Buster rises to new heights as he sails heavenward in a balloon. He bumps into clouds, and in trying to bring down a duck, punctures the gas bag and crashes in the woods where he saves Phyllis Haver from a bear and falls in love. His courtship and the ‘balloonatic’ events that follow are hilarious!

Seven Chances (1925)
July 31 and August 1 at 7pm and 9pm
Buster gets word that if he can be married by 7 o’clock that evening, he will inherit $7,000,000. When his sweetheart refuses, he proposes to everyone in skirts, including a Scotsman! Hopeful still, he advertises for a bride and is horrified to discover 500 would-be brides hot on his trail in a hilarious chase to the finish!

Preceded by the short film: The Goat (1921) A mistaken-identity crisis precipitates an almost continuous – and continuously brilliant – chase through two adjoining towns where Buster is taken for ‘Deadeye Dan, Public Enemy’.”

I blogged a few weeks back about my joy in John Koch continuing on with his Revolution Reel series, but man oh man, is this even better news (scroll down to bottom). Below is the press release:

Store is Now Open: Noon to Midnight Mon.-Sat., 1-10 Sun.

The Cinema Revolution Society and Intermedia Arts are giving new life to the Cinema Revolution DVD rental operation that closed down its operations at the end of April (third article down). Effective July 1, the new store is NOW OPEN inside Intermedia Arts on the second floor mezzanine above the galleries.

We know that you have many choices for your DVD rentals, but consider that the Cinema Revolution Society is a non-profit program, and every dollar you spend at Cinema Revolution goes to support the arts in your community. We hope that those of you who share these values will join us in supporting this new venture.

Intermedia Arts is located at 2822 Lyndale Ave S in Minneapolis, just 4 blocks from the old store, a few steps south of 28th and Lyndale. Plenty of free parking is available in the lot north of the building.

This news makes me want to dance like this

I love me some midnight shows on the weekend, as you may remember when I wrote about Troll 2 at Uptown Theatre months ago. While this new series at the Riverview, beginning this Friday, is technically not screening at midnight (11:30 to be exact), I love the lineup (for the most part) they are rolling out. Harold and Maude, Clockwork Orange – one of my all-time favorites by my all-time favorite director – and Monty Python and the Holy Grail are classics and not to be missed. I may even give another chance to Serenity, the freshest choice of this series (sorry Mamma Mia!) and one I wasn’t too fond of when I first saw it. The entire lineup is below.

All shows are on Friday and Saturday nights at 11:30pm:

Special admission price for late night films is $5.

July 10th & 11th

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

July 17th & 18th

The Princess Bride

July 24th & 25th

Pink Floyd The Wall

July 31st and August 1st

Mamma Mia!

August 7th & 8th

Harold and Maude

August 14th & 15th

Serenity

August 21st & 22nd

A Clockwork Orange

Editor Patrick Pierson sent this link to me last week, but we had some techinical issues to sort out before I could embed their new 48HFP short film, The Grave Review. Not sure if it’s as good as Birthmarked for Death, which screened at Cannes in May as a representative for last year’s 48HFP, but this is another great piece of work by writer/director Matt Olson, lead actors Eric Nigg and Mitch Hanson (damn, these two are hilarious!), and Pierson, who had this to say about the new short:

“The 48 hour film festival was in full effect this weekend [June 12 - 14]. We had a fantastic team that worked around the clock, I doubt that I myself, the editor got even one hour of sleep. I just about had a heart attack before its due date at 7pm June 14th, a full 48 hours later. We really needed to push ourselves this time considering that our previous entry, Birthmarked for Death, won for the state of Minnesota, made the top five in the country and was featured in the top 14 in the world at the Cannes film festival out of 3000+ films.

“The video was entirely made from writing, shooting, animation, editing and SFX within the time period of 48 hours. Our screening was last night [June 17] at the Riverview theater in Minneapolis and it really brought the packed house down. Our category was drawn from a hat, our team got horror.”

The specifics that all teams got were:

Character: Kathleen or Kevin Schnabel

Prop: A sandwich

Line of dialog: ‘I hope they decide soon’

‘The Grave Review’ 2009 48 hour film entry from Minneapolis from Nation Undead on Vimeo.

EM: What was your state of mind when you found out you won the fellowship?

MW: I was thrilled! The grant phone call is a big rush. I was working on cleaning my cameras on my basement workbench so I kind of had bad cell reception. So there was a lot of who? I won what ? Cool ..Great! questions asked on my part. I have been applying to this grant since they started giving it in 2004, and I gave up any expectation that I would win it, so I used the grant deadline to help motivate my team to get the movie finished.

EM: How does the fellowship work exactly?

MW: They give you a lump sum check and there is a McKnight award ceremony in the fall with all the award winners. IFP wants to do some kind of screening too but I haven’t heard of specifics on that yet.

EM: What will you do with the time and money provided by McKnight? Are you taking the time to write and direct a film?

MW: My deal is to market my new film Trampoline. It’s going out to the A-List festivals this summer and fall. Hopefully someone will want to premiere it. So the money will go to market & promote the new film.

EM: What did you have to do to get this? Any tips you can give for aspiring artists looking for similar grants or help?

MW: Kick Ass. Grants have always been, to me, pay back for working your butt off. Apply to the grants because that is part of the job we have as artists. Grants help me think about language and how my art sounds like on the written page.

EM: Do you feel added pressure now to make something great with this opportunity?

MW: Hell yeah, I hope my new film knocks your socks off and you’ll understand why they gave Wojahn all this money. So we are working hard polishing the film right now. I have great people that are on my team; Ace Allgood, James Stanger, Richard Werbowenko, Michael Irei, Jon Jon Scott, Amy Patrick, Kemper Harris to name a few. They all have believed in this project and it wouldn’t have happened as well as I believe it has if it wasn’t for the team I have been lucky enough to assemble.

EM: How long have you been making films?

MW: I have been in film since the 1980’s but have been doing serious doc work since the 2002. In 2003, my first feature came out and I have been working for over five years on this latest doc.

EM: Where do you live?

MW: I live in NE Mpls and have a studio in the Casket Arts Building.

EM: Does this opportunity give you a chance to make a dream project?

MW: I have been living the dream as an artist /photographer/ filmmaker since 1992. So this grant is going to help sustain that. It gives me a ton of validation that this amazing panel from around the country noticed what I am doing and thought I deserved the McKnight. That is the really cool thing, because there are some really good filmmakers in this town that could have won this award this year instead of me.

EM: What kind of film work do you do?

MW: I am all about documentary. If I am not making and producing documentary, I am shooting stills as a street photographer, showing docs at my studio as part of my Casket Cinema film series or at Patrick’s Cabaret for his summer movies series called “Movies in the Park-ing Lot.” I think life is stranger than fiction and I love talking to people.

EM: Talk about how you make a living as a filmmaker? Or do you have a day job?

MW: My day job is working freelance in the art department for local films and TV. I have been doing that since I got out of college in the 1990’s. Some day I would love to teach and give back that way but for right now I work as a prop guy, decorator and was even the greens foreman on the Coen Brothers film last year. When I am not on set, I hang at my studio, do rough cuts, process photos and spin yarns.

EM: What are your thoughts on the film scene here?

MW: The independent film scene here is awesome. It rocks the 24/48 deal, we have a lot of talent and great people. IFP is a big reason for that, it supports and churns out folks. I got my start in a teen workshop there in the 1980’s and it changed my life, man. They really are great. Jane Minton is key. If you have a cool project, you are friendly, you help other people out, most of the time you will find others that will help you too. One of my mantras is “be friendly.” Do what you love, show what you love…like at my Patrick’s and Casket film nights, I show movies I think are cool, I get special guests to come talk afterward and we all have a good time. A lot of it is about building community and audience. I feel if I show movies I love and people like those flicks, well maybe they will like my films too. Its a circle. We still have a long way to go, but I like what we have going so far.

Christopher R. Mihm’s filmmaking career began in 2005 with his first film “The Monster of Phantom Lake.” Fellow producer and actor Josh Craig and Mihm have been friends for many years. Seeing old movies again and enjoying their often poorly written dialogue, barely passable camera work and marginal special effects, Mihm started to wonder: “What would happen if Josh and I stopped talking about it and actually made a movie? And not just ANY movie but THIS kind of movie, one that a ten year old version of my dad would approve of?”

That thought soon took over and his obsession began. He parked himself in front of his laptop and “The Monster of Phantom Lake” was born. Soon they were holding auditions and then amazingly, shooting! The film was finally released in March 2006 to highly receptive crowds and has since played at numerous film festivals. An award-winning sequel, “It Came From Another World!,” followed in May 2007 and a third, “Cave Women on Mars” in April 2008. A fourth film, “Terror from Beneath the Earth” was released on May 20th, 2009. For 2010, Mr. Mihm again teamed up with “co-conspirator” Josh Craig to produce “Destination: Outer Space,” a rip-roaring space adventure featuring Captain Mike Jackson (again played by Mr. Craig) from “Cave Women on Mars.” Exact release date is to-be-announced.

I spoke with Christopher recently about his films, being an Minnesotan independent filmmaker, the importance of his father to his work and his fundraising efforts for his new film.

EM: What kind of films do you make?

CM: I exclusively specialize in black and white, as-authentic-as-possible 1950s-drive-in-style horror and sci-fi features. To date I have finished and released four including the multi-award winning “The Monster of Phantom Lake,” “It Came From Another World!,” and “Cave Women on Mars.” The fourth film, “Terror from Beneath the Earth,” was just released this past May. I am currently working on a new one (still in the same style) entitled “Destination: Outer Space.”

EM: Why are you a filmmaker?

CM: I tend to think of myself as a creative person who really NEEDS some sort of outlet to stay sane. From my early teens I thought of myself as some sort of musician, first teaching myself how to play the drums and eventually picking up bass, guitar, piano and attempting to sing. This led to different stints in a handful of failed rock bands and the occasional solo project but, no matter how hard I tried, I just didn’t feel like I had it in me to be a GREAT musician. In high school I dabbled a little in theater but never really had the drive to do much beyond write a few bad plays. Secretly through it all, I always wanted to make movies. I have so many great childhood memories that revolve around going to or experiencing the movies that I think I just fell in love with the simple joys of visual storytelling. In college I volunteered at a public access station and got to play around with some nice outdated video equipment but that was as far as I got for a while. Finally, when the technology became cheap enough to allow me to make a film at home, one that actually LOOKED like a REAL movie, I jumped right in head-first.

When I was a kid, I was always very close to my dad and he LOVED the movies. We used to go out to the drive-ins and theaters or just hit the local video store. I was always more of a sedentary kid so being able to sit and watch movies with my dad, no matter what they were, was often preferable to playing sports. My dad was a huge sci-fi and horror fan and I know a lot of my love of those genres comes directly from my father’s love of them.

EM: Do you have to balance a day job with your filmmaking?

CM: I own and operate my own one-man web/database design and programming business that allows for a good amount of flexibility when it comes to making the movies. As a result, I keep rather odd hours, which makes it far easier to get stuff done without distraction. I tend to do the majority of the behind-the-scenes work on my films as I tend to be the only one with enough spare time to get things done! Since I (and most of the friends that help out) are in our early to mid thirties, we all have young children and wives and jobs so it can sometimes be hard to get away… which is why I enlist the help of my wife and kids! I try to make it so the act of making these films is also family time. On each film, they’ve helped with sets, costumes, even acted in the films. As long as they’re having fun, I am too.

EM: What do you love about movies?

CM: I love the way movies can tell so many different kinds of stories and engage you on so many different levels. I also enjoy the fact that movies, by and large, are a group event, which is one of the reasons I always strive to recreate the classic movie-going experiences of the 1950s when I hold premieres and screenings of my films. Heck, I love the sheer act of GOING to the movies whether it be at a midnight show of a new movie when the atmosphere is charged and excited or going to one of the endangered drive-ins and just soaking up that beautiful little slice of Americana. When we were dating, my wife and I really bonded over our love of the movies to the point that almost every date we had involved going to the movies in some way. We even got to the point where we had no more movies left to see because we had seen them all!

EM: What kind of movies do you love/hate?

CM: Aside from those old 50s B-movies, I’m a very big sci-fi fan. If there’s a movie involving space or spaceships or aliens, chances are, I’ll make a point to see it. Other than that, I tend to not be very picky — although, to be honest, I am not much for art house films. I’m a big blockbuster/big Hollywood type, which is strange being a small-time independent filmmaker. I just tend to be bored by a lot of art house style cinema, from the fake quirkiness or the constant need to push buttons or envelopes. Not that some of it isn’t great, it just doesn’t appeal to ME. Which is part of the reason I do what I do. My films seek to emulate those old classics partially because I just don’t have the budget or technical know-how to make something like “Star Trek” or “The Terminator.” So I do what I can with what I can!

EM: How do you find funding for your films? You seem to be great at the whole DIY thing.

CM: Generally, I end up paying for most things out of pocket. I occasionally will get co-producers to help out in whatever way they can, from helping with premiere costs or paying for set materials, etc. No film I have ever made has ever cost more than $4000 in actual cash to complete. Many actors will work for very little (often no) money and most things are created using dollar or thrift store finds. I edit using my own computer and software and film using my own camera. Usually the price of DVD replication eats up the biggest chunk but I tend to make that back rather quickly, sometimes at the premiere itself!

EM: Talk about your fans – you seem to have a devoted following.

CM: The Mihmiverse fans (”Mihmiverse” being a term that has recently come to describe the series of my films) are the coolest fans in the world. Not only have they opened themselves (and surprisingly, their wallets) to me and my films but I’ve gotten to know quite a few of them enough to consider them friends. It seems that this style of films has really resonated with a lot of people and to be honest, it’s surprised me a little. Not that I thought my love of the classic ’50s genre was unique but it’s been really cool learning more about others who enjoy this style of film. I made a decision early on to make these kinds of films exclusively, partly because I love the genre but also because I wanted to do something few other indie filmmakers do and that’s build a “universe.” Every one of my films exists in the same little “universe” and are all connected in some way. I almost think of each film as a sequel of the previous, even if it seems totally unrelated. I use a lot of reoccurring characters (and children of characters) and locations to add to that sense of connectedness. Basically I want to reward people who stick through each one with little nods and “easter eggs.”

I’m a huge Star Trek fan and have been a part of Trek fandom for years. One of the things I always liked about the universe of Trek is that it’s so huge and so expansive that it becomes more “real.” That’s something I strive for in my films and I think the fans have picked up on that.

Also, since spending A LOT of money trying to get into film festivals with my first film (“The Monster of Phantom Lake”), I decided to try something different and “make my own reality,” by hosting as many screenings of the films as possible. It seems most festivals are more than happy to take your “entry fees” but don’t actually care about the films themselves. So, by hosting and attending screenings of my films, I’ve been able to make a more personal connection to the fans and I think that shows in their dedication. (And to any fans out there reading this: “YOU ARE AWESOME!”)

Now I’m just waiting for some fan fiction — then I’ll know I’ve “made it!”

EM: What do you love about genre cinema?

CM: I love the fantastic element of it. One of the greatest things about sci-fi or horror or fantasy cinema is that it can show extraordinary situations that will never happen in the real world. It can give form to your wildest imaginations or take you on journeys to places you will never go. You can get that visceral thrill of exploring the unknown or seeing the impossible become possible. When you’re a kid, you imagine all these crazy things that you’re too young and naïve not to realize can’t happen. And it’s during those times when your mind is the most free — like anything’s possible. That’s what genre cinema is like to me. It’s that vivid childhood imagination made “real.”

EM: I read in your bio in the year 2000 your father died of stomach cancer and how you’ve revisited old movies because of that. Did you and your father connect over movies? Is your filmmaking an attempt to reconnect somehow with your dad?

CM: When my dad was growing up in southwestern Minnesota, he’d frequently sneak away from the family farm and go into town to catch double features of schlock cinema (for a nickel, he’d always say). He was born in 1948 so he was probably a bit young to be seeing some of the things he would see but he loved them, even (or probably especially) when they scared the pants off him! When I was growing up in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, my dad would rent these old movies and tell me the stories of going to see them. I’d sit and watch them with him, never quite understanding what he saw in them. But it was always fun and a great bonding experience. They were scary enough for me to get a small thrill but not so scary that I didn’t enjoy them. Giant ants, flying saucers, blobs of goo, giant leeches… didn’t matter, they were always fun to watch.

After my father died, I re-watched a bunch of those old films and for the first time, saw them as something else. Not only as a window into my dad’s life and experiences, but a window into my own. I was flooded with these wonderful, long forgotten memories of those lazy Saturdays watching “This Island Earth” or “Village of the Damned.” Seeing them again, some for the first time in decades, I really fell in love with the genre as a whole. There was something almost tangible about them (as compared to today’s CGI-heavy fare) from their cheesy monsters and poorly constructed sets and bad science. I felt close to my dad again and strangely, they helped me come to terms with his death. So when I decided that the time was right to finally make a film of my own, there was no question: I was going to make a movie that a 10 year old version of my dad would have loved — and “The Monster of Phantom Lake” was born. I named my production company after my dad (All for George Productions) and the rest is history.

Since the release of that first film, I haven’t wanted to make anything else. I’ve had offers to make other, more modern films but I’m just not interested. This is all I ever want to do. When I lose my taste for it, I’m just going to stop making movies.

Lastly, I want to say that I’ve never truly gotten over my dad’s death. In fact, I don’t think I ever will. Which, honestly, is perfectly ok with me. I still miss him everyday but I frequently see that mischievous glint he had in my son’s eyes so I know that he’ll never truly be gone!

EM: Talk about this fundraiser you’re doing at the moment. How are you promoting this amongst your fans? Did you lose funding for the movie you’re working on?

CM: Because it’s my fifth, this next film is a bit more ambitious than previous efforts. Unfortunately, one of my co-producers had to pull out due to personal circumstances so I’ve been selling an “associate producer’s” package on my Web site. Anyone who donates $50 gets an “associate producer” credit in the end credits of the film, a framed certificate, free tickets to the premiere and five copies of the finished DVD. To date, it’s been far more popular than I could have expected and has really helped the production immensely! We’re even ahead of schedule!

At first I was nervous to open this up to the fans. I’ve always prided myself on not really needing much outside money. Also, I didn’t want to seem greedy in some way figuring no one out there would really WANT to. It wasn’t until I did that I realized how dedicated some of the fans really are and for that I am truly touched. I never really saw what these films meant to people until now and I can’t honestly believe it sometimes. I just hope I don’t disappoint anyone!

EM: What’s it like being an independent filmmaker in Minnesota?

CM: Well, it’s interesting. It seems the Minnesota film community is very disorganized. There are so many people coming and going that it never seems to have enough time to establish something concrete. A lot of good (and bad) film actors get crazy and move to L.A. where they languish in obscurity. A lot of directors or writers will make a few shorts, maybe a feature and then disappear (or graduate from film school). There don’t seem to be that many people that can really claim to be “established” here.

On the flipside, it does seem there is a general sense of wanting to make the scene more “coherent.” Many have made the effort, Minnewood being the best example, but few have truly succeeded. The problem is, like any scene in any town, people tend to break off into cliques. A lot of people have very distinct “what-can-you-do-for-me” or “I-would-love-to-help-but-it-doesn’t-benefit-me” attitudes that don’t really lend themselves to organization. I even admit to occasionally being part of the same problem!

As a result, I feel a bit isolated being an indie filmmaker here. I seem to be one of the few that never wants to leave and thinks I can do everything I want here. Perhaps I simply define success differently but I feel like what I’ve accomplished and what I’m doing has made me successful. Sure, I’m not a millionaire or featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly but I actually don’t care. Being able to entertain people and affect people the way my movies have has been all I’ve ever wanted (or continue to want). I just hope I have the drive and energy to keep going!

News Editor Cliff Buchan for the Forest Lake Times wrote a nice piece on this very cool-sounding event. Sounds like a good time for a Saturday night. The schedule is below, along with details on screenings.

“Saturday Night Fright” is a series of Saturday night showings that will be presented at the Forest Lake theater located at 1480 S. Lake St. in the Northland Mall commercial development. The series opens this Saturday night and will continue through Saturday, Oct. 24.

Each film night will start at 11 p.m. and admission is $3 for all subsequent films. Full concessions will be available.

The following schedule is on the docket for the summer and fall:

•Saturday, June 27, “Night of the Living Dead.” The wide-screen 1968 release is 96 minutes in length. Look for a zombie or two to make an appearance. Anyone dressing up like a zombie will get in free.

•Saturday, July 11, “The Mummy.” The 1932 film stars Boris Karloff and is one hour and 35 minutes in length.

•Saturday, July 25, “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” The 1948 release runs one hour and 23 minutes on the full screen.

•Saturday, Aug. 8, “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” This 1959 film will be shown on full screen and runs 80 minutes.

•Saturday, Aug. 22, “The Black Cat. This full screen film made in 1934 stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. It runs one hour and six minutes.

•Saturday, Sept. 5, “King Kong.” This 19323 film will be presented in wide screen and runs 104 minutes.

•Saturday, Sept. 19, “Son of Frankenstein.” This 1939 release will run in full screen and is 100 minutes long. A special visit by Bela Lugosi will take place and there will be a presentation of an official/unofficial Academy Award for his performance as Ygor

•Saturday, Oct. 3, “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” This 1954 film runs full screen and is 80 minutes in length.

•Saturday, Oct. 10, “Dracula.” This full screen film was released in 1931. It plays in one hour and 15 minutes.

•Saturday, Oct. 17, “Frankenstein.” Released in 1931, this full screen version runs in one hour and 11 minutes.

•Saturday, Oct. 24, “Bride of Frankenstein.” This full screen version runs one hour and 15 minutes and was released in 1935. Look for a special appearance by the bride and a special ceremony in which the bride will be given away, possibly to a gorilla. This will be the grand finale for the season.

Lake 5 Theatre is located on Highway 61 south in Forest Lake, between Northland Mall and Northland Plaza.