

The Independent Film Thread
#1
Posted 17 September 2020 - 06:54 PM
Chris Mihm has been making a movie a year for quite a while now. He's got fourteen now, I think, with two more in production. The movies that he makes, as a quick look at his website will tell you, are homages to the Drive-In B-Movies of the 50s, and they are quite excellent. I've been supporting him for quite a while and I even managed to attend a couple of his premieres back when my life was less crazy (he operates out of the Minneapolis area, using local talent and his family, and his premieres are held at a great old retro theater).
On this page is a list of his movies-- oops, there's actually four in production.
One other thing to know is that all of these movies take place in the same universe-- the Mihmiverse-- with characters and events crossing over from one to the other, even though the timeline spans hundreds of years. It's great stuff, and a new release is always a big popcorn event for me. Someday I'll be able to attend the premieres again, because they're great fun. Highly recommended!





#2
Posted 18 September 2020 - 08:46 AM
His films are great fun, even as they pay homage to the old SF Films of the 1950’s, as well as the old murder mysteries in his Dark and Stormy Night.
I first caught Lost Skeleton at a local art house cinema that had also screened Bubba Ho-Tep with a guest appearance from Bruce Campbell. IIRC, these two films came out within a month of each other.
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Edited by G-man, 18 September 2020 - 08:50 AM.
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#3
Posted 18 September 2020 - 06:48 PM

He also writes. The adventures of Doc Armstrong from the Lost Skeleton movies continue in Doc Armstrong: Suburb At The Edge Of Never, and he's also got a nice collection of weird Western tales in Tales of the Callamo Mountains.
All of his movies are also available as cheap rentals on Amazon Prime.
Bubba Ho-Tep is a great independent film as well, and it's also available on Prime.





#4
Posted 20 September 2020 - 04:41 PM
I'll mention Full Moon, even though I've been reviewing their movies on here. I'd consider them independent filmmakers, somewhat. I've reviewed the Josh Kirby series, which I recommend if you're in the mood for low budget, cheesy, family fun. The Puppet Master series (at least the first five) are good horror movies.
Oblivion and Oblivion: Backlash are fun sci-fi western romps. I just watched Subspecies, the first film in that franchise and liked it a lot. It is a vampire movie and while it doesn't re-invent the wheel at all and the small budget shows it was still really good.
--Jor-El
It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job: it's a depression when you lose yours.
-- Harry S. Truman
#5
Posted 21 September 2020 - 05:42 PM

Another great place to check out is the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. They have so far produced two films, Call of Cthulhu and The Whisperer In Darkness. Both are retro, with Call of Cthulhu produced as it might have looked if it were made the same year that the story was published-- so it's an homage to the Silent Film Era. Whisperer in Darkness is a talkie, though still very retro, approximately 40s vintage. I keep hoping more will come from these guys.
In addition to those movies, HPLHS also produces Dark Adventure Radio Theater, an homage to old-time radio. I don't have all of them yet, but the ones I have are excellent.





#6
Posted 22 September 2020 - 08:46 AM
I’d share my pictures from the set, except that they need to be scanned

Anyhow, in trying to locate a copy of Twilight of the Dogs, I could only find the German copy. I also understand that it was a big hit in India (go figure -- probably has something to do with the cow).
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Edited by G-man, 22 September 2020 - 08:50 AM.
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#7
Posted 22 September 2020 - 05:47 PM





#8
Posted 23 September 2020 - 08:02 AM
However, the German Edition (the same as I own) of the film is available on DVD at amazon.ca:
https://www.amazon.c...00865846&sr=8-1
And a copy of the German Edition is available at amazon.co.uk:
https://www.amazon.c...00866017&sr=8-9
I’ve found that at times it is necessary to look outside the US, to find rare items.
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#9
Posted 23 September 2020 - 05:32 PM





#10
Posted 24 September 2020 - 07:01 PM
His most recent completed film is House of the Gorgon, a Hammer Films homage with some big-name guest stars like Caroline Munro. Josh is a big fan of Hammer Films.
His most recent Indiegogo project was Cowgirls vs. Pterodactyls. Unfortunately there hasn't been an update in a while for some reason.





#11
Posted 25 September 2020 - 12:30 PM
These were a pair of fun, well executed crowd-funded films.
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#12
Posted 25 September 2020 - 04:50 PM





#13
Posted 27 September 2020 - 05:11 PM
Also of note is that it co-stars Ron Chaney, grandson of Lon Chaney, Jr.
Unfortunately, the DVD seems to be out of print (though still available from third-party sellers on Amazon), but the entire movie is available on YouTube.





#14
Posted 27 September 2020 - 05:44 PM
Then, of course, there is Don Coscarelli's ouvre, which includes such gems as Phantasm, The Beastmaster, and Bubba Ho-Tep.
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#15
Posted 28 September 2020 - 02:43 PM
In all of these, the script and story were actually not that bad, and they did what they could with the budget they had. However, it should be noted that the lead actor, when he was at a screening of The Giant Claw, confessed to almost dying of embarrassment when the monster was revealed. I rather liked the monster, it had character, but the special effects do leave something to be desired.
/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#16
Posted 28 September 2020 - 06:14 PM
G-man, on 27 September 2020 - 05:44 PM, said:
Then, of course, there is Don Coscarelli's ouvre, which includes such gems as Phantasm, The Beastmaster, and Bubba Ho-Tep.
G-man, on 28 September 2020 - 02:43 PM, said:
In all of these, the script and story were actually not that bad, and they did what they could with the budget they had. However, it should be noted that the lead actor, when he was at a screening of The Giant Claw, confessed to almost dying of embarrassment when the monster was revealed. I rather liked the monster, it had character, but the special effects do leave something to be desired.





#17
Posted 29 September 2020 - 04:43 PM
Some highlights are Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race 2000, Battle Beyond the Stars, and more recently, Sharktopus. I'm sure you can think of a bunch of others, and given how prolific he was, he did turn out more than a few gems (albeit, YMMV)

/s/
Gloriosus
the G-man Himself
Let me think of the right and lend my assistance to all who may need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man. -- Doc Savage
Few people want to be moderated, most people see the need for everyone else to be moderated. -- Orpheus
#18
Posted 29 September 2020 - 05:34 PM






#19
Posted 04 October 2020 - 03:07 PM
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I stumbled across the movie (in a not exactly legal type of way) and really enjoyed it. The stop motion work was superb.
To add to the Halloween films I'll recommend Dance of the Dead. This was an indie movie that came out during the zombie craze. It is available on Amazon Prime. It is a fun, tongue in cheek movie about a group of high school students who don't go to the prom and get caught in a zombie apocalypse. It is up to them to stop the zombies and save the prom.
There is also The Green Slime, a 60s era monster movie about slime monsters that get loose on a space station. It is available on YouTube for free. It was much better than I expected and has a really catchy theme song.
--Jor-El
It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job: it's a depression when you lose yours.
-- Harry S. Truman
#20
Posted 04 October 2020 - 05:44 PM
Virgil Vox, on 04 October 2020 - 03:07 PM, said:
Quote
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G-Man, my copy of Twilight of the Dogs has arrived. Where do I find you?





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