Tag: st louis

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN Comes To St. Louis Next Weekend!

Destroy The Brain’s LATE NITE GRINDHOUSE program returns to the Hi-Pointe on June 3rd and 4th with the St. Louis Premiere of the exploitation, 80’s genre film tribute, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN!

This entry into complete cinematic anarchy will inhabit the Hi-Pointe for two nights only. Don’t dare watch this film on your computer or on-demand, see it with an audience as it was intended! Arrive by 11:30pm for their special, one of a kind preshow that includes vintage trailers and other zany videos displayed on the big screen. Also, DTB will be hosting the theatrical premiere of the trailers for Wicked Pixel Cinema’s Ratline and the locally made The Bloodfest Club.

Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th
Preshow starts at 11:30pm & the film starts at Midnight.

RSVP for Friday Night’s Show on Facebook
RSVP for Saturday Night’s Show on Facebook

James Gunn Brings SUPER to St. Louis

On Friday April 15, director/screenwriter James Gunn returned to his hometown of St. Louis to screen his sophomore feature film SUPER. The above photo is from an interview our own Melissa Howland conducted earlier that day with Gunn. SUPER played to a packed auditorium at the beautiful Tivoli theatre at 7 PM that evening. At the film’s conclusion St. Louis Post Dispatch film critic Joe Williams introduced Gunn. After a few opening remarks, Gunn took questions from the audience for close to thirty minutes. He talked about filming in Shreveport, Louisiana during the coldest winter there in recent history. Kudos to Ellen Page for braving the temps while just dressed in her undergarments. Gunn applauded the actors who worked for scale. A couple traveled to the shoot on their own expenses. He revealed that his ex-wife Jenna Fisher was instrumental in getting her TV co-star Rainn Wilson to take the film’s lead role. Gunn introduced his mother and father and joked about directing them as extras in a scene. He then discussed his internet “dust-up” with Roger Ebert after the critic had revealed a major plot spoiler in the opening lines of his review. Gunn had high praises for his film’s distributors who released the film unrated. He believes the stigma of unrated films no longer exists. Then he revealed that his next big screen release will be a seven minute segment starring Josh Duhamel and Elizabeth Banks in the Farrelly Brothers production of MOVIE 43. Thanks again to the Tivoli for a great evening  with James Gunn.

SUPER – Trailer, Posters, and Facebook App

After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into the Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills. I mean, that’s what I would do!

St. Louis native James Gunn’s latest film, SUPER, opens in local (St. Louis) theaters on Friday, April 15th and for funzies, they have created a fun little app on Facebook where you can upload your photo into the poster artwork. How neat is that? You can access the facebook app HERE:


SYNOPSIS:

Frank (Rainn Wilson) loses his wife (Liv Tyler) to a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). Armed with only a wrench, Frank becomes a superhero, the Crimson Bolt, and teams up with sidekick Libby (Ellen Page), a sociopathic teen, to win back his wife.

SUPER opens:
LA, NY, Boston and Washington D.C. APRIL 1
Chicago APRIL 8
Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and St. Louis  APRIL 15

And additional cities throughout April/May



THE PASCAL SIGN Premieres Tonight

Imagine an existence of humanity marked by a countdown toward the end, where every person is made aware of the exact moment when the world will cease to exist. Facing this reality, how could one defend the ideals of love, happiness, repentance, faith, or human expression? How would the average person deal with such a dilemma, and how would the intimate tales of each person provide its own conclusion? This is the question writer Paul Brick began to explore with director Joe Weil of Psycho Films in summer 2009, and this winter they will reveal their discoveries in The Pascal Sign, a new feature-film.

Psycho Films was founded in 2005 by Joe Weil and has since completed three features films, all of which have screened at the Tivoli Theater. Weil released his first production, Frame By Frame, in 2008 to the applause of hundreds of friends, family, and fans.  The following summer, Chalk, a drama about four high school students, was unveiled to a sold out theater and received very positive feedback from fans and the press alike.

Though a crowning achievement, Weil considers The Pascal Sign to be a huge leap forward for the company.  He refers to enormous enhancements in cast, crew, and equipment.  Unlike Chalk, where most of the talent consisted of fellow students, The Pascal Sign, through vigorous auditions, assembled an award-winning cast that combines accomplished and up-and-coming actors associated with such organizations as The Improv Trick, The Black Rep, and various talent agencies across the Midwest.  The crew also vastly expanded in scope and specificity, bringing in more skilled individuals than ever before in the realm of cinematography, post-production, and scoring from across the St. Louis area. With full HD cameras and professional sound and video editing studios, Psycho Films has never had such professional equipment at its disposal. Paired with locations that span public transit to police stations, the film is aesthetically exhilarating. With a forty-person team from every aspect of the St. Louis film community, this project is truly a monumental collaboration among many of the city’s most talented.

THE PASCAL SIGN will be premiering at the TIVOLI THEATER in St. Louis tonight at 7pm. For more information or to watch the trailer go to www.psychofilms.org

St. Louis 5th Annual Christmas Improv Jam With Bill Chott

St. Louis, get ready to have a cheery Christmas!

Bill Chott, star of the Ringer and Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place (Selena Gomez’s principal Mr. Laritate) hosts this evening of Improv for the WHOLE FAMILY!!!

This yearly Tradition is FREE to the public with a canned good. This JAM is a city-wide event welcoming improvisers from all over the country home to St. Louis, and raises funds and awareness for America’s Second Harvest, The St. Louis Food Bank.

Everyone in attendance is welcome to join us onstage with Bill Chott, from Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, Saturday Night Live, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Soon he’ll be appearing in Johnny Depp’s newest film, The Rum Diary.

Get your family picture taken with Bill and help out a great cause

THE 5TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY JAM WILL BE ON DECEMBER 23RD, 2010, 7PM AT THE MAD ART GALLERY IN ST. LOUIS, MO.

2727 South 12th St.
(12th and Lynch)
St. Louis, MO 63118

For more information check out: www.theimprovtrick.com or (314)922-1988

The Improv Trick Presents :: A Festivus Carol: O Come All Ye Playful

Hey!!! All of you fancy St. Louis folks, are you looking for some Christmas Cheer? Well, we have just the TRICK… THE IMPROV TRICK that is!

This December, Bill Chott and The Improv Trick present an improvised musical comedy show.

This Holiday themed show is different every night, based entirely on audience suggestions.

In the spirit of the Holiday Festivus, comedic moments will involve other holidays as well. So be prepared to yell out “Santa, Dradle, Yule Log, and Kinara.

Your kids can meet Disney’s “Mr. Laritate”, Bill Chott (Wizards of Waverly Place, SNL, The Ringer) in this holiday themed improv show for all ages presented by The Improv Trick.

The Improv Trick was awarded the RFT’s “Best Belly Laugh”, St. Louis Magazine’s A-List, and The RFT Mastermind Award.

This time of the year can get a little crazy, what with shopping, and family and all.

The Ivory Theatre is a profoundly beautiful space in the heart of historic Carondolet.

So don’t miss Bill and IT as they sing their little hearts out to bring you some holiday improvised musical cheer. You’ve seen musicals at Ivory Theatre before, but you’ve never seen anything like this. The show is driven by your suggestions. You could buy tickets to every performance (You should so do that!) and you’ll never hear the same tune twice.

Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and 10pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. 4 for 1 admission to late night shows! Go to http://mim.io/c86f7 to print out your 4 for 1.

The Ivory Theatre is a beautiful space in the heart of historic Carondolet.

You’ve seen musicals at Ivory Theatre before, but you’ve never seen anything like this.

Showtimes:
Dec 12 2pm
Dec 17 7:30 & 10pm
Dec 18 7:30 & 10pm
Dec 19 2pm

Buy Your Tickets Now! or call The Ivory Theatre for move details-(314) 631-8330

COUNTRY STRONG Singing Challenge Find Its St. Louis Winner, Sean Hileman!

It was a frigid Saturday afternoon (December 4th) at the Pro Bass Shop on St. Charles, MO, but spirits were high as many contestants competed for a spot in Country Music Television and Sony Pictures National Singing Challenge on behalf of the new film, COUNTRY STRONG, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw.

Contestants were asked to sing a 60 second a Capella version of either the new hit song, COUNTRY STRONG or SILVER WINGS, with the winner receiving $500 and a chance to compete for a VIP trip to Nashville, a meeting with a Sony Music exec and a spot on CMT.

On hand were contest judges Mason and Remy from 93.7 the Bull’s Morning Show and Rich Dalton, Pro Bass Operations Manager.

Many singers showed up to belt out the songs and though nerves were high, everyone’s performances were Country Strong.

Click on thumbnail below for larger picture of each contestant.

The judges judged the performances based on the Judging Criteria (Execution, Style and Originality) and selected a Finalist and Runner-Up from Saturday’s event.

Ultimately Sean Hileman of Edwardsville, IL was chosen as the St. Louis finalist.

Employed as a concrete finisher and wedding singer, the Country Strong Challenge winner said he crammed for the contest as he only heard about it on the day before. After his victory, Hileman said, “I may not show it, but on the inside I’m screaming!”

Here’s the winner’s performance.

So ca’mon St. Louis, visit CMT’s site HERE, vote once a day and let’s send Sean Hileman to Nashville!

Head over to the site and *Watch the performances below and vote for who you think is best. Click on any of the thumbnails to watch the fullscreen video. To vote, click on the “Vote for this Video” button within the fullscreen video. Winner will be announced on Dec. 17*

Voters may log on to the Contest Site and vote for the one performance they determine to be the best among the Taped Performances posted on the Contest Site. When Taped Performances are posted on the Contest Site, voting will begin at 12:00 noon ET on December 10, 2010 and end at 12:01 p.m. ET on December 16, 2010. THERE IS NO LIMIT ON HOW MANY TIMES VOTERS CAN VOTE. At the end, the eligible Entrant whose Taped Performance was the highest vote getter will be declared the Contest’s Grand Prize Winner.

COUNTRY STRONG will be in theaters in limited release on December 22, 2010 and then opens everywhere January 7, 2011. Check out the film’s official site here and visit it on Facebook.

PROJECT COMIC CON 2: Saint Louis, September 18-19, 2010

Article from The Trades

Written by Jeff Ritter

My readers know that I’m a big fan of the Pittsburgh Comicon. It’s a very fan-friendly show, meaning that instead of simply being ushered through cattle lines for a 3 second autograph there is time to chat with your favorite comic artists and writers. There are plenty of up-and-coming talents there eager to show their stuff and compliment your sketchbook with an inexpensive illustration. I’ve made a lot of friends at every level of that show. The only drawback to the Pittsburgh Comicon is that it’s in Pittsburgh, and I’m in St. Louis. It’s 10 hours by car. There are some sneaky speed traps in Indianapolis. And doggone it, there’s no reason my hometown can’t get a convention going. Chicago does two every year, and like the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry, anything Chicago can do St. Louis can do too!

I was excited to learn of the second St. Louis comic convention, called Project Comic Con 2, coming the weekend of September 18-19 to the Maryland Heights suburb just a few minutes from Lambert International Airport. I somehow missed last year’s show, but I’m glad I’m not missing this one.

The guest list is impressive for a second-year show. Adam Kubert, famed for his runs on Wolverine and Superman, will be on hand Saturday only for autographs. He’ll be doing four sketches for charity and you’ll have an opportunity to get one with a winning raffle ticket and a $200 donation. Green Lantern and Flash fan favorite Ethan Van Sciver will be on hand all weekend, as will Supergirl super-artist Jamal Igle. Comics legend Howard Chaykin, the creator of the critically American Flagg! series who has had brilliant runs as a writer or artist on just about everything will be in attendance. Greg Horn, cover artist extraordinaire, and Kenneth Rocafort, the majorly talented artist of Madame Mirage, will be here. For some shows, that would be enough, but St. Louis has some catching up to do in the comic convention scene, and this show isn’t about to pump the brakes! Like the Ghost Rider? Creator Gary Friedrich and artist Javier Salteres are on the guest list. Still not enough? How about Dennis Calero (Doctor Solar, X-Men: Noir), Phil Hester and Ande Parks (Green Arrow, Irredeemable Ant-Man), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Jason Howard (The Astonishing Wolf-Man), Rick Burchett (Action Comics), Patrick Gleeson (Green Lantern Corps), Jeremy Haun (Battle Hymn, The Outsiders), Robert Q. Atkins (G.I. Joe), Kevin Mellon (Suicide Sisters, Hack/Slash), Matt Kindt (Super Spy) and Brian Hurtt (Queen and Country, The 6th Gun)? There’s still others coming too, but that list alone rivals any artists’ alley at any comic con.

Writing fans aren’t left out either. Many shows are heavily geared for artists, but there are some top writers coming to Project Comic Con 2. Gail Simone is one of the consistently brilliant storytellers in the industry, famous for Agent X, The Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey among others. The Unknown Soldier scribe Joshua Dysart will be here, as will Marvel’s go-to guy Fred Van Lente (he’s probably written everything once!) and Jai Nitz of El Diablo and Blue Beetle fame, and frequent Brian Hurtt collaborator Cullen Bunn (The Damned, The 6th Gun). Along with the aforementioned creators who pull double duty like Chaykin, Friedrich, Kindt and others, this is an extremely strong list of writing talents to meet.

Many other talented creators will be on hand as well, and of course no convention would be complete without the vendors. Event sponsors NewCastle Comics of Maryland Heights and Heroic Adventures and Hometown Comics, both in nearby Edwardsville, IL, will surely have a wide assortment of comics and graphic novels on hand. My own neighborhood shop, Comic Relief, will have a booth as well, and I’m sure there will be many others.

With so many comics to browse, artists and writers to meet, and special events such as charity auctions, panel discussions and artist portfolio reviews by Top Cow and Avatar Press to participate in Project Comic Con 2 looks to be well on its way to becoming a destination event on the annual convention schedule. Maybe my Pittsburgh friends can come out my way next year! I hope the legions of comic book fans in the greater St. Louis area (and Kansas City, and Memphis…and Chicago too, even you Cubs fans) come out and support this show. See you there!

Check out the PCC2 website for more info.

DTB! Presents LATE NITE GRINDHOUSE: [REC]2

DESTROY THE BRAIN’s LATE NITE GRINDHOUSE is proud to bring [REC]2 to The Hi-Pointe Theatre for a St. Louis Premiere! [REC]2 was released in theatres in the US on July 7th. However, as most St. Louis horror fans know, we never get any independent horror films until months later. Not any longer. This booking is very important as we need to show the studios that St. Louis is full of genre fans and that horror films need to make… a stop here even though St. Louis isn’t a major market.

[REC]2 is showing July 30th & 31st at Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Ave). Show starts at MIDNIGHT!

In the acclaimed 2007 Spanish horror film [REC], remade as Quarantine in the U.S., a television reporter and her cameraman, covering the night shift in one of Barcelona’s local fire stations for a documentary TV series, respond to an emergency in which an old woman is reported to be trapped in an apartment building. But the TV crew becomes trapped itself—along with fire fighters and police officers—when the police and military seal off the building due to a virulent disease that is infecting people, causing them to turn into bloodthirsty savages. In [REC] 2, only a few minutes have passed since the authorities lost contact with the people trapped inside the quarantined building. Nobody knows exactly what’s going on inside. Outside, chaos reigns. For the Special Operations Unit this is a seemingly straightforward mission—to enter the building and analyse the situation. But as we know, appearances can be deceiving… Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza return to direct [REC] 2, exploring new ways to expand the horror genre. (Spanish language with English Subtitles)

RSVP on FACEBOOK for Friday Night’s Show here

RSVP on FACEBOOK for Saturday Night’s Show here

Hope to see everyone out for this one. Sorry for the short notice, we are already working on the August show.

CONTEST: Wanna attend for free??? DESTROY THE BRAIN is giving away a ADMIT TWO pass to either Friday or Saturday night’s show. The Catch? You must follow DTB on Twitter (@destroythebrain) and retweet the following:

St. Louis Premiere of [REC] 2 July 30 & 31 @ Midnight. Info – http://bit.ly/c7e6iE Follow @destroythebrain #lngh

The Contest will end on July 29th at 11:59pm CDT.

St. Louis Makes The Top 10 Cities List In THE OTHER PREMIERE Of THE OTHER GUYS Contest

Woo-Hoo!! ST. LOUIS HAS MADE THE TOP 10!! We’re #9 on the list!! Please help us get the word out so we can win THE OTHER PREMIERE of THE OTHER GUYS! It only takes a second to vote and you can vote once per day. The top 5 cities will be announced on Monday, July 26th. St. Louis needs a big push on Friday and over the weekend to win! Remember, St Louis is #9!!! We Can Win This!!

Click on the link above to check out the latest video from Will and Mark to see the top 10 cities announcement in the other OTHER GUYS Premiere Poll. Keep voting St. Louis!

Here’s the official contest announcement-

THE OTHER GUYS LETS FACEBOOK USERS AND MOVIEGOERS DECIDE ON HOST CITY FOR “THE OTHER PREMIERE

In anticipation of the nationwide release of Columbia Pictures’ THE OTHER GUYS, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, in theaters August 6th, the film will make its World Premiere in New York City on August 2nd. But the fun won’t stop there.

The movie will have another premiere- The Other Premiere – and moviegoers can help decide where it will be. Get over to Facebook at www.facebook.com/otherguysmovie and vote in a poll to decide which Other City will host The Other Premiere. On August 2, Ferrell and Wahlberg will announce the winning city and will attend the red carpet event in the winning city on August 5th.

Here’s the list of the 10 candidate cities that remain:

  1. Philadelphia
  2. Dallas
  3. Atlanta
  4. Houston
  5. Chicago
  6. Seattle
  7. New Orleans
  8. Austin
  9. St. Louis
  10. Denver

Synopsis:

In THE OTHER GUYS, NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes – they’re “the Other Guys.”

But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?

THE OTHER GUYS stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, with Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Adam McKay and written by Adam McKay & Chris Henchy, the producers are Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, and Patrick Crowley. THE OTHER GUYS will be in theaters on August 6, 2010.

Let’s Help get Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell to ST. LOUIS!!