More TOGI articles/reviews... plus a mention of STINGRAY SAM and the KCK Film Festival 1/31.


Now that the Sundance Film Festival is over, the reviews and press are starting to trickle out, now that there's time to write stuff instead of having to get to screenings and parties and schmoozing, apparently.

On YouTube, a nice segment featuring Kevin and DP Matt Jacobson, prior to the festival:




Robert Butler, of the KANSAS CITY STAR has an interview w/Kevin as the festivities die down; another interview can be found at Flavorwire.com, and at Lawrence.com ...

NEWSPAPER ROCK, a blog featuring news and commentary on Native American culture featured a segment from an online show 'On Native Ground' that interviewed several cast members (Winter Fox Frank, Thirza Defoe & Wes Studi) and Kevin at Sundance... and looking further on YouTube, there are more segments of 'On Native Ground' with Winter Fox Frank and Delana Studi.

Also on YouTube (see a pattern forming here?), is a nice exchange with Kevin and director Tze Chun talking about their films at Sundance.

PBS also gives TOGI a mention on their Newshour blog, along with two other films that they highly regarded.

As to the reviews... more lukewarm reviews at CinemaStrikesBack and the Onion AV Club, along the lines of the previous Hollywood Reporter review linked in the previous post; but there is a rave review at TheFilmtalk.com, and Variety also showers praise on the film.
So more to come, as soon as news comes in. It does appear that TOGI has a spot in festivals overseas (it has a spot at the Berlin International Film Festival), and it does appear that foreign distributors may be interested.

The other film I was interested in at Sundance (other than BLACK DYNAMITE - Sony scooped that up, so that will be in theaters at some point) is Cory McAbee's new project STINGRAY SAM. Flavorwire.com has a short review up (as well as a review of another KC film, STAY THE SAME, NEVER CHANGE) -- and MustangDaily has an article about McAbee and the new ep's from the band, formerly The Billy Nayer Show, now American Astronaut.

According to the Butler article, The KCK Film Festival is an event on Saturday, Jan. 31st that will feature several short films from local filmmakers (Lisa Marie Evans is one of the filmmakers exhibiting work), along with a screening of BUNKER HILL. So if you haven't seen it yet, grab a friend and check it out.

The event is from 2pm - 5pm at the YWCA, 1017 N. 6th St. (6th & Minnesota), Kansas City, KS.
A donation of $5 is requested.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Well, the inevitable finally occurred -- my agency called me on Veteran's Day, telling me that my services "would no longer be required" at the Thieves' Den... they didn't go into detail, 'but I guess my best wasn't good enough', to quote an old 80's ballad. So I can pretty much write off any thoughts of a career answering the phone calls of dumbfucks and deadbeats, AKA 'Our Customers'.

I'm so devastated...

... or at least I MIGHT be, had I not detested the position in the first place. And had I not just been hired onto a feature film that starts shooting at the beginning of December. It's lo-budget, and not going to be a cakewalk, esp. shooting in Kansas Wintertime...

"... but I like it," to quote an even older song.

Of course, come the New Year, the inevitable question of survival will again rear its head... but that's always been the case, even through the last recession of the early 90's... and that was when I was working at a 'regular' job and the big concern then was if the company was going to survive by restructuring, or would it be bought out?

Neither of those things happened - the company's future was determined by a crazy guy with a grudge and cheap Uzi's... and by that time, I was well into this career path, lucky for me.

So, we'll see what comes and attempt to ride it out, as usual.

Another thing to make my day: From the Creators of THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT comes STINGRAY SAM.