Tag: Joseph McKelheer

Interview: Joseph McKelheer, actor/writer of GODSPEED

In addition to interviewing the director of GODSPEED, Robert Saitzyk, Jeremy also got to talk one of the films writers and lead actors, Joseph McKelheer. The guys talk about working with Cory Knauf over many projects, selecting Robert as a director and much more. Again, please check out the trailer and look for the film at a theater near you!


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Review: GODSPEED

Originally ran June 8th, 2009 as part of CineVegas coverage

Faith in the eyes of revenge and vice-versa.  This is the subject at the heart of the thriller GODSPEED.  It is an intense thriller that digs much deeper than the tale of violent retribution on the surface, and its themes are such that the film leaves a lasting impression on you long after the credits roll.

Joseph McKelheer plays Charlie Shepherd, a faith healer who lives in the Alaskan backwoods with his wife and young son.  Charlie is anything but a saint, and his infidelity and addiction to alcohol are slowly pulling his family apart.  All of that become irrelevant one night when a pair of unknown assailants break into his home and brutally murder his wife and son.  Their actions seem random, and much of the community seems to go one with their lives.

Six months later, as Charlie is living in the wild questioning everything he once had faith in, a strange girl comes to his front door.  She says her father is sick and she needs Charlie’s healing powers to help her and her family.  Charlie agrees to go with her further north into the Alaskan wilderness.  What Charlie finds there is in no way what he expects.

GODSPEED is written by Robert Saitzyk and Cory Knauf, who also has a leading role in the film.  Directed by Saitzyk, the film strikes a chord as a thriller whose level of suspense never loosens.  Even in the first half of the film where there is very little in the way of intensity, Saitzyk’s direction has a way of holding a tight grip on its audience.

We know something violent is just around the corner for Charlie, and we may even know where the film is headed at times.  Saitzyk’s choice not to hide the identities of the killers from us is, in the end, a good one, as the audience never has to contend with the outcome of that mystery. Yet, there is very little in the way of genuine surprises from the screenplay.  The outcome of one character is choreographed from the character’s first scene in the film.  Regardless, the direction and cinematography from Michael Hardwick are superb.  The film never feels cheap or amateurish.

The acting throughout it top-notch, as well.  McKelheer gives a tour de force performance.  He is able to evoke a sense of anger and isolation without uttering a word.  Simply with a look towards the camera, he is able to tell you everything you need to know about the pain within him. This is something even the most veteran of actors have a difficulty in pulling off.  McKelheer has been acting in film for less than a decade.

GODSPEED is a highly enthralling mystery that hardly ever struggles with itself.  Late in the game there are some character choices that are had to swallow, and the film never really pulls out any game-changing twists.  Despite that, the story is tightly wound around its central themes and the film is impeccably executed.

GODSPEED opens today in New York. It opens in Los Angeles on April 9th and Anchorage beginning April 16th.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Production Begins on The Butcher Brothers’ ‘The Violent Kind’

the violent kind header

Production on ‘The Violent Kind,’ the new film from writer/directing team The Butcher Brothers (‘The Hamiltons’ and ‘April Fool’s Day’), began earlier this week in Northern California.   The film is being produced by Jeffrey Allard (2003’s ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’) and Michael Ferris Gibson (‘The Hamiltons’), along with producers Andy Gould (‘House of 1000 Corpses,’ ‘The Devil’s Rejects,’ and 2007’s ‘Halloween’), Malek Akkad (the ‘Halloween’ franchise), Jeremy Platt (‘The Haunted World of El Superbeasto’ and ‘Tyrannosaurus Rex’), and first-time feature film executive producer K’Dee Miller.

Continue reading Production Begins on The Butcher Brothers’ ‘The Violent Kind’

WAMG Exclusive: Cory Knauf and Butcher Brothers Reteaming for ‘The Violent Kind’

corey knauf

While talking with Cory Knauf and the cast and crew of ‘Godspeed,’ the subject of what everyone was doing came up.   Cory had an exclusive.   He will be reteaming next month with writer/directors Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores (AKA The Butcher Brothers) on their latest film, ‘The Violent Kind.’   Cory and The Butcher Brothers first worked together on the 2006 horror film, ‘The Hamiltons,’ which also featured ‘Godspeed’ co-star, Joseph McKelheer.

Cory was reluctant to say what ‘The Violent Kind’ would be about.   He did, however, say that he had less than a month to build eight pounds of muscle.   Judging by their past two endeavors into film, ‘The Hamiltons’ and the 2008 remake of ‘April Fool’s Day,’ it doesn’t seem likely The Butcher Brothers will be pulling a family-friendly comedy out of their hats.   The title doesn’t give us that feeling, either.

In a related bit of news, ‘Godspeed’ was awarded the Exceptional Artistic Achievement Award at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival.   Writer/director Robert Saitzyk, and co-writers/co-stars Knauf and McKelheer accepted the award.   Stay tuned for the exclusive interview with the cast and crew of ‘Godspeed,’ as CineVegas may be coming to a close, but our coverage of it isn’t.   You can also check out my review of ‘Godspeed’ right here.

CineVegas Review: ‘Godspeed’

godspeed

Faith in the eyes of revenge and vice-versa.  This is the subject at the heart of the thriller ‘Godspeed.’  It is an intense thriller that digs much deeper than the tale of violent retribution on the surface, and its themes are such that the film leaves a lasting impression on you long after the credits roll.

Joseph McKelheer plays Charlie Shepherd, a faith healer who lives in the Alaskan backwoods with his wife and young son.  Charlie is anything but a saint, and his infidelity and addiction to alcohol are slowly pulling his family apart.  All of that become irrelevant one night when a pair of unknown assailants break into his home and brutally murder his wife and son.  Their actions seem random, and much of the community seems to go one with their lives.

Six months later, as Charlie is living in the wild questioning everything he once had faith in, a strange girl comes to his front door.  She says her father is sick and she needs Charlie’s healing powers to help her and her family.  Charlie agrees to go with her further north into the Alaskan wilderness.  What Charlie finds there is in no way what he expects.

‘Godspeed’ is written by Robert Saitzyk and Cory Knauf, who also has a leading role in the film.  Directed by Robert Saitzyk, the film strikes a chord as a thriller whose level of suspense never loosens.  Even in the first half of the film where there is very little in the way of intensity, Saitzyk’s direction has a way of holding a tight grip on its audience.

We know something violent is just around the corner for Charlie, and we may even know where the film is headed at times.  Saitzyk’s choice not to hide the identities of the killers from us is, in the end, a good one, as the audience never has to contend with the outcome of that mystery. Yet, there is very little in the way of genuine surprises from the screenplay.  The outcome of one character is choreographed from the character’s first scene in the film.  Regardless, the direction and cinematography from Michael Hardwick are superb.  The film never feels cheap or amateurish.

The acting throughout it top-notch, as well.  McKelheer gives a tour de force performance.  He is able to evoke a sense of anger and isolation without uttering a word.  Simply with a look towards the camera, he is able to tell you everything you need to know about the pain within him. This is something even the most veteran of actors have a difficulty in pulling off.  McKelheer has been acting in film for less than a decade.

‘Godspeed’ is a highly enthralling mystery that hardly ever struggles with itself.  Late in the game there are some character choices that are had to swallow, and the film never really pulls out any game-changing twists.  Despite that, the story is tightly wound around its central themes and the film is impeccably executed.