Producer Of Hit Record

Written by Luke Barnes

Hey Everyone! Recently I had the chance to chat with Ethan Cvitanic about his mockumentary film Hit Record, which follows a young women attempting to become the next huge, global pop star and in order to make that happen she agrees to be the subject of a documentary. In the interview we talk about the current ideas surrounding what makes a mockumentary, celebrity culture, and the price of fame. Enjoy!

Q: If you had to sum the film up in one word what would it be?

A: Delusion.

Q: What was the message you were trying to get across in the film? And why was it important to you?

A: Art is less about the outcome and more about the process. It’s difficult, it’s scary, but always fulfilling, so don’t be scared, just go for it! For a long time I wasn’t sure if I was qualified to become a screenwriter or make a movie, and then I just went for it and it was one of the best experiences of my life and I want others to go for it too.

Q: Who is your filmmaking inspiration?

A: I have so many, but I think Curtis Hanson is a big one. He’s done films in every genre and I really admire that adventurousness. LA Confidential is one of my favorite movies.

Q: If you could go back to the start of your filmmaking career and give your younger self some advice what would it be?

A: Be sure to storyboard before you start shooting (just to save time), but more importantly, don’t forget you’re making the movie for yourself. If it makes you laugh, cry, etc that’s the best you can do.

Q: Do you have any funny production stories?

A: There were a few close encounters with the cops, mainly when we were filming on top of a moving car, but we’re all actors so we could talk our way out of it 🙂

Q: How do you view the mockumentary genre?

A: Mockumentaries are best when they are pretty realistic. I don’t think many are anymore, but Blair Witch, Waiting For Guffman and a few others really nail that fine line. I hope they make a comeback because it’s my favorite genre.

Q: What comment does your film make on celebrity culture and do you view it favourably or negatively?

A: I think of celebrities as people who are more known for their personality than their art, and, instead of fighting it, just keep using that perception to make money. We can’t all be Adele or Meryl Streep so it exists for a reason, but I wish we could focus more on the music or the film that they’re in.

Q: What is the price of fame? and do you want to be famous yourself?

A: Fame means having less privacy and I love my privacy, so the obvious answer is no. But if I do become famous it would probably be really fun for about a week.

Q: What inspired you to make this film, what was your catalyst?

A: Shug and I both love mockumentaries and grew up in Oklahoma, so we wanted to make something that included our favorite places and people (most of the cast are our family). The catalyst for going for it was me finally raising $6K and having 6 weeks free over the summer, so I figured that’s not too much to lose in the grand scheme of life.

Q: If you were to win an award for this film who would you thank in your acceptance speech?

A: My three best friends – Shug, Alex and Michael.

You can watch Hit Record now, on Amazon Prime in the US and other online store fronts in you are elsewhere. As always my review is now on site now, so check that out too!

Hit Record: Everyone Wants To Be Famous

Written by Luke Barnes

Hit Record is a comedy mockumentary film directed by Ethan Cvitanic. The plot sees aspiring pop star Shug Cherney (Shug Cvitanic), agree to take part in a documentary in hopes of boosting her fame.

This might be the perfect mockumentary for these modern times. Every other weeks there is another big documentary about a famous singer releasing on one steaming platform or another, we’ve had Taylor Swift, we’ve had Billie Eilish, but were they went wrong is that they took the documentary formatting too seriously and didn’t have fun with it.

Therefore it is quite refreshing to see a mockumentary come out, that is having fun with it, and is poking a little bit of fun at these other films expense. This film reminded me of the sort of thing that would play on MTV in the late 90s early 00’s, which I would later see on repeat years later and it would form a part of my young adolescent brain- and I mean that as a compliment.

The thing I like most of all about this film is that it is just fun, that’s all. It is not trying to teach me something, it is not trying to make me think about the world or an issue, it is just trying to entertain me, and it does that well.

I would say I was laughing a good 80% of time, and when I wasn’t I was smiling, so as far as comedy films go this film is on top form.

Overall, a terrific mockumentary film that provides solid entertainment value and sits nicely next to films like Pop Star.

Pros.

A lot of fun

It’s funny

Strong commentary

That MTV late 90s appeal

Cons.

The characters are a little thin

4.5/5

Locked Down: Has Lockdown Boredom Lead You To Get Into A Police Chase Just For The Hell Of It.

Reviewed by Luke Barnes

Locked Down is a comedy drama heist film directed by Doug Liman. The plot follows a recently separated couple as they are forced to spend lockdown together, eventually the two get wrapped up in a heist that could change their lives forever.

I have been aware of this film for quite a while, but I have never really felt the urge to watch it… That should be indicative as to where this review is going. Personally, I am of two minds as to whether films about the pandemic should be made, seeing as we are still living in one- is it too soon? When does it become bad taste?

Having now watched it, I can say it is very ‘meh’. I don’t feel in any way enriched for having seen it, it left my mind immediately. That said it is entertaining enough and is not a bad film.

The way the film tries to portray the lived reality of lockdown is very Hollywood-ized, they are supposed to be regular people, but I don’t know any who has gone for a motor bike race with the police as a means of finding something to do with themselves during the lockdown, though hey maybe I don’t know ‘cool’ people.

The lead performances from Hathaway and Ejiofor, are both good and do anchor the film in something watchable, but even they can’t liven the film up and struggle against an all too familiar script.

Overall, maybe it is too soon for lockdown films.

Pros.

The performances

It is watchable

Cons.

It is too soon for films about lockdown

The script is weak

The cameos are weak and don’t add anything

2/5.

Friendsgiving: Malin Akerman The New Queen Of Comedy

Friendsgiving is a comedy film directed by Nicol Paone. The film sees a recently single mum (Malin Akerman), settle in to host a family thanksgiving with just her, her son and her best friend who is more like her sister (Kat Dennings), however, as the day goes on more and more people get invited and gradually the occasion spirals out of control.

I have been enjoying Akerman comedy film output recently, between this, Chick Fight and a few others Akerman is really finding a nice niche for herself. I think this film has a good emotional centre, the traumas of Akerman’s characters divorce and Denning’s character pursuit of a new girlfriend make for interesting journeys to observe and they are finished with a satisfying emotional pay off.

I wouldn’t say this film is hugely funny, it made me laugh a few times, but I would say it is more of a smile inducing feel-good film that anything else. The central performances from Dennings and Akerman are both strong, this might be my favourite Kat Dennings performance yet. I also enjoyed the cameos and supporting work from a slew of other famous faces that all have their respective moments to shine.

Overall, though this film won’t set the world on fire it is a nice feel good comedy film that will put a smile on your face on a long winter night.

Pros.

Akerman

Dennings

Surprisingly insightful

Infectious smiling

Cons.

The jokes mostly don’t land/ the comedic writing is weak

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Moxie: Inclusive, Until It Isn’t

Written by Luke Barnes

Moxie is a comedy, coming of age film directed by Amy Poehler. The film sees high school student Vivian (Hadley Robinson), become bored with the sexist statis quo of her highschool and with a little punk rock guidance from her mum (played by Poehler), decides to bring about a feminist revolution at her school. It is based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu.

I am not going to lie; this one was hard to get through. When I heard the early in the film line of why should we care about The Great Gatsby “it was written by an old white dude, about an old white dude”, I cringed so hard I turned the film off. However, as I intended to review it I put it back on later; also whilst I have you I just want to say it is heavily debated that F. Scott Fitzgerald did not in fact write The Great Gatsby, with some believing it to be the work of his wife Zelda- so yeah.

That one line speaks for the entire tone of the film. I applaud the ideas on display here, the film does make some solid points, but it also beats you over the head with them again and again and takes any of the fun out of the film, instead making it feel like a lecture. Feminist ideas have been conveyed in tons of films, in a more accessible and lets face it better written way, Booksmart and Misbehaviour both come to mind, but much like the comedy films of Will Ferrell this film thinks loud and brash is the way forward.

Overall, I will be blunt this film is deeply contrived in the writing department. The cringe factor gets unbearable as the film goes on. Which is sad because if you turn off the holier than thou politics for a second, there is actually quite a wholesome coming of age story buried somewhere deep down. The struggles that Vivian and her friends go through, are very familiar to anyone who has ever been outcasted before or made to feel lesser, this film could have been a rallying moment for the outsider a moment to seize your power and reclaim your life. However, in its incredibly over the top efforts to seem inclusive, it ignores and excludes others who might feel the same.

It’s ironic.

Pros.

Hadley Robinson is a strong newcomer

Poehler has a few funny jokes and honestly this film could probably do with more of her as she is the best thing about it (in an acting sense, to be stressed).

An important message of empowerment

Cons.

Ignoring others who might feel left out and excluded from the awful highschool experience

Focusing far, far too much on politics

Forcing its message down your throat, rather than trying to actually handle it in a meaningful way

Some of the cringiest dialogue I have ever heard in my life.

1.5/5

Coming To America 2: The Antithesis Of Wakanda

Written by Luke Barnes

Coming To America 2 is a comedy film directed by Craig Brewer. The plot sees Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), become King and travel back to America once again to find his long lost son: who is needed for a succession crisis in Zamunda.

So, it needs to be said that this film is problematic and what makes it worse is that no one seems to be talking about it. Apparently, during the events of the first film, (though unseen to us), Prince Akeem was set up by his best friend and tricked into having sex with a woman- already pretty icky right? To make it worse Mary (Leslie Jones), is shown to openly get Akeem high, once again without his consent, thereby drugging him to make him easier to have sex with. This is all treated as a joke.

Moreover, the vaguely racist Jewish white face character of Saul returns once again played by Murphy, and it doesn’t sit well.

However, I will compliment the film and say that it is funnier that the first film it made me laugh far more than the first one did. It is not laugh out loud funny by any means, though it goes without saying that comedy is subjective, but it does have a few moments that make you laugh.

I also enjoyed Wesley Snipes’ character General Izzi, I thought he was wonderfully strange, and it was a shame he did not get more screen time, because Snipes made the most out of every second he was on screen- maybe even stealing the show from Murphy.

I think the major issue with this film was fairly obvious, and almost inevitable. There was no need for his film to exist, it adds nothing to the first film, and has an incredibly predicatable story that follows all modern sequel tropes as though it has a checklist. If you don’t see the successor twist coming at the end, then you must have your eyes closed, as it is blinding.

Overall, though funnier than the first film, this film feels trapped in a bygone time.

Pros.

It is funnier than the first film

Wesley Snipes is great

Cons.

The rape storyline and the fact it is played as a joke

The white face and the stereotypes

A lot of the side characters feel paper thin

2/5

Ghostbusters: Loud Does Not Equal Funny, An Irritation

Ghostbusters is a science fiction comedy film directed by Paul Feig. The plot sees a new group of Ghostbusters rise up to take the fight to everything that goes bump in the night.

Yes, much like my Rise Of Skywalker review this will be a long one so buckle up.

I have seen this film 3 times now, the first two times were on release when I firstly went to see if it was as bad as I had heard, and then secondly went after being invited by a friend. After the second time I vowed that I would just forget about this film and move on, however, the other night (years later), I saw in on streaming and thought ‘eh maybe I am remembering it worse than it is’, nope….. It is just as bad as I remembered.

Do you know what the main issue is with this film? It seems too much creative freedom was given, usually it is a good thing for the creative in control of making a film to have a large amount of freedom, not here however, as they abused that privilege.

This film feels like a sketch that they dragged out for over two hours (that is a common complaint of mine with the films of Kristen Wiig, but it is especially true here). There is far too much improv comedy, that reeks to me of them thinking that they are naturally funnier then they are. The original Ghostbusters were silly, yes they were comedy films, but there was also a seriousness to them. The balance between comedy and seriousness is maintained and used well hence why they are funny, here the balance is way, way off and it is painfully unfunny.

As many others have said, the only funny thing about this film is Chris Hemsworth’s dumb receptionist character, which in itself could be viewed as a harmful stereotype adding to the ‘hot but dumb’ cliché. Hemsworth is the only part of the film that actually worked for me in a comedic sense, there was not even any unintentional humour as you might expect from this kind of thing, no it was all just flat and repetitive.

Moreover, the characters are all almost entirely unlikeable, they all seem to have one personality trait that is played up and up and up to the point of mind-blowing annoyance, to be funny? They have all the depth of a puddle of vomit, and seem to go out of their way to be confrontational towards the audience in kind of a meta way that just comes across as petty that it was left in.

Overall, this will be remembered as one of the biggest misfires in the history of modern Hollywood and for very good reasons the sequel to it is dead in the water, with the next film in the series ignoring it all together. Just bad all-round.
Pros.

Chris Hemsworth is funny when he is on-screen

Cons.

The rest of the cast are painfully unfunny

The comments scene feels overly petty

The characters are one note and annoying

This is a stain on the career of everyone involved in it, with the exception of Hemsworth

The CGI is bad

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Interview with Mike Morelli: Writer/ Director of Sh*t Head

Written by Luke Barnes

Hey Everyone! I recently had the chance to interview Mike Morelli, about this award winning feature film Sh*thead, which is about a man selling his friends baby, so that he can afford to go and see his favourite musical artist. We talk about, wild quests, dancing, and the death of cinema- I hope you enjoy.

Q: If you were to sum the film up in one word what would it be?

A: Stoned.

Q: Do you have any funny production stories?

A: We rented a drone for the concert scene but there was some mix up with the rental house, it came in after we were supposed to shoot with it, so they just let me have it for a full week. We ended up improvising and playing around with that thing literally non-stop the whole week, just trying to get whatever wide-shots I could with it. I had Jordan’s costume and from far enough away, if I put it on you really couldn’t tell as easily Jordan suddenly got like 6 inches taller. I did a ton of those shots, and most of the actors weren’t available on short notice so a lot of times I’d program a route for the drone, run into place and try and get the shot all by myself. It always felt like some bizarre silent film routine.

At the end of the week, I had literally done as many shots as I could possibly think of they were coming out so good, I had one night left with the drone, I was just like, alright, you know what if we get really far away and it’s kind of dark, maybe I could pull off doubling as Janeé too? I had Erica’s costume and a wig, so, yeah I put it on, stuffed some balloons in my chest and set out at 4AM to try and sneak some night shots where no one could see me.

I did like four or five shots, and it really wasn’t working no matter how far away you got you just could tell – that’s no lady. There was no way anyone was gonna’ buy that was Janeé. Ever.

To do the shot, I’d have to program the drone, run into place and then I’d have 30 seconds before it starts. And I remember, I’m right in the middle of doing one of my last takes and this van full of young, construction guys probably going off to a super early morning job pulls down the road before I had time to hide. And they just stop. And stare at me. And they see this crazy man, dressed as a lady with balloons in his chest, flying a drone. At 4AM. Filming himself.

They didn’t laugh, they simply stared at me for like a full minute trying to piece together what the hell their eyes were seeing. The looks on their faces, thinking about now I’m dead.

None of the shots made it into the film.

Q: What inspired you to make this film, what was your drive, your catalyst?

A: I made a short called “SHITHEAD” that this is loosely based off. I sold weed when I was younger, and I was always fascinated by the delicate juggling act that went into balancing out a serious illegal drug habit. Drugs aren’t free and by the very nature of the activity, they need to be replaced fairly often. So, it becomes this game of constantly trying to make money, find drugs, take the drugs, run out of drugs, repeat.

Now take that dynamic and tell it like a raunchy, Preston Sturges screwball comedy. That was the idea, at least.

Q: Does your film have a message and if so what is it?

A: Don’t sell your baby. Use Birth Control. Liberate Taiwan.

Q: Who is your filmmaking influence?

A: My older brother, John. Authors like Charles Willeford and James Ellroy loom large in the stories I like to tell. There are so many filmmakers from around the world I could name drop to make me sound smart, but I’ll stick with that.

Q: How would you describe the film’s sense of humour?

A: Juggalo Crack. I guess that’s really what Chenko is, anyway.

Q: Have you ever been on any wild quests of your own?

A: Making this movie. Without a doubt the most epic quest that I have ever been on. And I’m still talking about it, right now…

Q: If you had the sum the production up in a word what would it be?

A: Vietnam.

Q: If you could travel back in time to when you were a young filmmaker just starting out what advice would you give yourself?

A: Learn to dance. I’d tell myself that, hey, by the time you’re able to release your first feature film cinema as you know it, conceptually, will be dead. Monopolistic corporations will destroy a lot of the things you hold so dear, and people’s attention spans are going to dwindle to below a minute. Maybe less.. So learn to dance and Tik Tok. It’s your best shot.

Q: If you ever win an award who will you thank in your acceptance speech?

A: I probably wouldn’t attend any awards ceremony. I actually just won something and am trying to get someone to attend virtually in my place. Nobody knows what I look like, it would make me laugh so hard if they cut to a speech by me and it’s like a 90-year-old man from Wisconsin or something.

We did win some awards for Sh*thead, I never attended any of those ceremonies to thank anyone.

That’s not because I’m not grateful, far from it. Making an Independent Film is tough, and you need a lot of passionate, motivated people for it to work. And we had a lot of talented souls come together to make Sh*thead. I really am deeply thankful for so many people. Of course, I gotta’ thank Johnny Smith who is a genuinely great person and good friend of mine. Johnny lit up our film, everyone on set loved being around him so much. And people don’t realize, Johnny had severe back issues from a car accident, he was in a lot of pain during the shoots. And Tom Valentino and Erica Everett, I gotta’ thank them so much, they stuck with the film, and me, to see this through. I’m grateful to everyone that helped make Sh*thead happen, thank you all.

You can watch Sh*thead on Amazon Prime, Google Play and Vimeo and as always my review of the film is up on site right now!

Chocolat: Chocolate’s To Boost Your Sex Drive

Chocolat is a romantic comedy drama film directed by Lasse Hallstrom, based on the book of the same name by Joanne Harris. The plot sees chocolatier Vianne (Juliette Binoche), move to a small religious French town in the middle of Lent, as she begins to sell her devilish wares whilst most of the residents of the small town are fasting she quickly makes herself a number of enemies. Can a good heart and a lot of chocolates change the locals minds about her?

Finally! After all this time, after countless numbers of films that demonise them, finally I have found a film that has positive Traveller representation: honestly it is nice to finally find a film that treats this group of people as humans, as not as some sort of easy scape goat for whatever ills are going on at the time, however, it is also sad as it makes me think of few other films share this film’s progressive outlook.

I enjoyed this film for the wholesome good time that it is. There are some sad things that happen in it, but in the end everything works out and everyone has a nice party- and in the times we are currently living in sometimes that is all you need to stop the nihilism for finally settling in.

There are a number of strong actors giving great performances here. Firstly, you have Binoche who creates a character that is perhaps one of the most likeable characters in all of cinema, and who you immediately want to see succeed, but also one that clearly has a dark past and is somewhat empty. Secondly you have Doctor Octopus himself Alfred Molina, as the films villain who is equally as sublime as the lead. Molina plays the leader of the town who takes an immediate dislike to Vianne and who goes to war with her, the two have an interesting relationship and Molina adds a lot of layers and depth to the character. Finally, you have the always marvellous but often overlooked Peter Stormare, as the real villain of the film an angry drunk/ wife beater shopkeeper who also forms a dislike of Vianne after she has a negative impact on his life. Stormare brings us a character that is easy to hate, but who also has more to him than simple villainy: moreover, he also brings some of his trademark weirdness to the role and gives us a few scenes that are unintentionally hilarious.

Johnny Depp is also in this film, at the height of his heart stealing good looks and he is a perfectly fine romantic lead. Shame they didn’t cast an actual traveller in the role but ah well it is Hollywood after all.

Overall, a lovely heart-warming film.

Pros.

The wholesomeness

A nice happy ending

The romance

Positive Traveller representation

Cons.

A few slow moments

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things: My 1000th Post!

The Map Of Tiny Perfect Thing is a romantic comedy film directed by Ian Samuels. The plot sees two people stuck in a time loop together, though they don’t realise this until a little bit into the film, who decide to make a map of all the perfect things that happen in their loop in hopes of better understanding it.

I have said before the time loop concept is quickly becoming dried up and samey, however, this film narrowly avoids feeling repetitive, and instead manages to still feel real, genuine and dare I say it fresh.

The romance between Mark (Kyle Allen) and Margaret (Katheryn Newton), feels heart warming and rootable, there are no troublesome elements as there often are in romantic comedies, I am pleased to report. I thought of the two performances Newton vastly outperforms Allen, and it was her character and her journey that made the film.

For the time loop to end, Margaret needs to do something, as she has effectively caused the loop itself: when she finally takes action and crosses that line it really adds to the strengths of the film in a dramatic sense and helps to elevate it in my opinion.

My only issue with the film is that it can be a little too mushy and over sentimental at times and has a very teen feeling to it, which is not a knock against the film as no doubt they are the target audience, but it does put me off a little bit.

Overall, a nice couple watch that though not perfect is entertaining.

Pros.

Using the time loop concept in a way that didn’t feel played out

Newton

The central relationship

The ending

Cons.

Overly sentimental

4/5

Reviewed by Luke