Candyland Wraps!

 

Photography on Candyland, a short film written by Lisa Wisely and directed by James Felix McKenney is complete! Cinematography by Eric Branco, costumes by Tiffany Jordan and the acting talents of a group of wonderful young people combine to take us back to 1983. A big THANK YOU to everybody who helped make this production happen!

Before Geeks Were Cool Podcast Episode 47: Freddy's Dad

 

In this episode your hosts pay tribute to filmmaker Wes Craven. Topics and tangents include The People Under the Stairs, Swamp Thing, Laree's adventures in cake making, the Scream series, Shocker, Force Friday, Phantom Menace toys, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Adrienne Barbeau - yes or no?, the Nightmare on Elm Street films, Galaxina, The Hills Have Eyes, Vampire in Brooklyn, Innocent Blood, Music of the Heart, The Last House on the Left, My Soul to Take, Angel Heart, Red Eye, Freddy Kruger merchandise for kids, Cursed and finally, the discussion on Jo-Ann Fabric stores that the listeners have been begging for.

Get it now on iTunes!

Battle Damaged Automatons Companion Robot Figure from MonsterPants!

 Now's your chance to have your very own battle damaged Automatons Companion Robot from the acclaimed indie film!

MonsterPants, known for both a series of independent genre films (Hypothermia, Satan Hates You) as well as its line of handmade Sea-Borgs toys, brings you the best of both worlds with a 1:18 scale Battle Damaged Companion Robot based on the character from the Glass Eye Pix / MonsterPants movie, Automatons.

This clunky, junky little robot was hand sculpted, cast, finished and packaged by the film's writer and director, James Felix McKenney. Crafted with the same DIY aesthetic as the film that inspired it, each figure is uniquely "battle damaged" and deformed, with the added feature of a spatter of maroon "Warbot" paint left over from the 2005 production of the movie.

With an ultra-limited run of just 12 pieces, the Automatons Battle Damaged Companion Robot will be available for $40.00 USD each plus shipping at the MonsterPants online shop at Noon EST this Thursday, September 17th.

Every order of this figure will also include an Automatons movie refrigerator magnet, postcard and a set of four collectible trading cards.

Automatons debuted at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2006 and enjoyed a long life on the festival circuit as well as theatrical runs in New York and Chicago. The film was released on DVD a year later by Facets Video.

A collectible, limited edition VHS re-release of the film from Lovechild Pictures is scheduled for mid October of this year. For more information, visit the Lovechild Pictures Facebook page.

What the critics have said about Automatons:

"AUTOMATONS is a smart, thought-provoking tale equipped with the moody ambiance and intellectual integrity of a classic episode of THE OUTER LIMITS. That's high praise indeed." - SHOCK CINEMA

"The movie’s loving attention to light and shade transcends its hermetic setting and meager budget. At times the buzzing static and fizzy backlighting recall the glistening surrealism of the filmmaker Guy Maddin. Enormously endearing" - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Ingenuity Triumphs Over No Budget in this Indie Sci-Fi Release" - TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

"It's not a film of compromise but of sheer determination, refusing to be defined by its budget and liberated by a decision to overcome its bank account with sheer imagination." - NEW YORK SUN

"Best Shoestring Sci-Fi of 2006"- WIRED

"Robot radness achieved!" - VILLAGE VOICE

So act now! The robot uprising has begun!

Teaser trailer for Sucklord's TOY LORDS Of CHINATOWN Episode 4!

Finally! Here's the teaser trailer for Sucklord's TOY LORDS Of CHINATOWN Episode 4! This episode features a couple of scenes "guest directed" by James Felix McKenney.

Movie Premier party in NYC during New York Comic Con on October 9, World Wide Web release October 13.

AUTOMATONS Gets Collectable VHS Release from Lovechild Pictures

TORONTO, September 8, 2015 - Newly established niche distribution label Lovechild Pictures is proud to announce its first in a series of artisanal VHS releases; James Felix McKenney's dystopian sci-fi opus, AUTOMATONS.

Set in the distant future following an all-out robot genocide, AUTOMATONS follows a lone female survivor, sparring on against all odds with the aid of her mechanical companions.

Lensed in gritty black & white Super 8mm, Lovechild Pictures' analog presentation enhances the experience of this nostalgia-inspired horror epic, best described as ROBOT MONSTER meets ERASERHEAD.

Produced by Larry Fessenden’s Glass Eye Pix and McKenney’s MonsterPants Movies, AUTOMATONS stars newcomer Christine Spencer (SATAN HATES YOU), Brenda Cooney (I SELL THE DEAD) and genre icon Angus Scrimm (the PHANTASM series). Also featured are Don Wood (COLONIAL HOUSE, HYPOTHERMIA), John Anthony Blake (DOCTOR WHO, PSYCHOMANIA) and Executive Producer Larry Fessenden (HABIT, THE LAST WINTER).

Packed to the brim with bonus content and an original making-of interview zine with director James Felix McKenney, Lovechild Pictures' AUTOMATONS tape will be available for online purchase October 15th, signed and limited to 50 copies. NYC Comic Con attendees receive an advance opportunity to grab a copy at the Glass Eye Pix booth, where 20 of the tapes will be for sale, limited to one per customer.

"Automatons is bound for cult status and should be dug up in ten years and viewed again -- that is, if humanity is still around" - RUE MORGUE

"The movie’s loving attention to light and shade transcends its hermetic setting and meager budget. At times the buzzing static and fizzy backlighting recall the glistening surrealism of the filmmaker Guy Maddin... enormously endearing" - NEW YORK TIMES

"Robot radness achieved! Budgets are for bitches." - VILLAGE VOICE

Inspired by late-night cable broadcasts of yesteryear's horrors, Automatons spins a fever-dream nightmarescape that must be seen to be believed.

For more information on the AUTOMATONS VHS release, visit the Lovechild Pictures Facebook page: facebook.com/LovechildPictures

Before Geeks Were Cool Podcast Episode 46: My Dinner with Vader

 

The Empire Strikes Back! In this episode, Laree and Jim discuss their favorite Star Wars film with the usual tangents. Topics include memories of seeing Empire for the first time, the evolution of C-3PO, the Empire movie poster, dirty hot tubs, defending George Lucas, people who died, the awesomeness of Hoth, Empire trading cards and toys, The Lair of the White Worm, why Mark Hamill kicks ass, wedding DJ's, the making of Empire Strikes Back and Lisa and Jim's recent brush with death!

The saga continues on iTunes!