The Planet - Aftermath

Well, the movie has been out in the States for about 2 weeks now and we're finding a total split amongst the people who have seen it.

There's the indi film fan or people who know a bit about what it takes to make a movie and there's folk who were expecting Star Trek. We've had reviews from 'fantastic invention and story,' to 'what's happening, why have they got a tent, why are they speaking funny?'

I think The Planet leaves a lot to the imagination of the viewer, the script is intentionally vague to put you into the position of the squaddies on the screen - a group of guys that don't even have half a clue. The people that work this out enjoy it, the people that don't - don't. It's not even an intelligence thing, some smart reviewers can't buy into it either, so it may be an empathy thing.

Star Trek it ain't, there's no explanation for things apart from your own conclusions and that's too much for some people. It's also a very cheap film with CG done by beginners, that's also a bit scary. But if you can get past that it's quite fun. Remember, it was made for the price of a second (or third hand) car. In Hollywood that buys you a microphone (without boom). But it's also got distribution in several countries, so it must be checking enough boxes to get sold.

The new movie, One Day Removals, is in the DVD production phase now. We all have high hopes for the movie and will be sending it out to agents and distributors soon. It is a much more assessable movie for an audience, as it deals with 2 guys having a bad day, no monsters, no guns, no bloody sand.

Stan Winston - RIP

I got a bit of a shock last night when Mark (director bloke) texted me saying that Stan Winston had died. He had to check the information a few times to make sure, which made us both sad that it was correct. Stan, who had won Oscars for special effects in numerous movies including Aliens, Terminator and Jurassic Park, died on Sunday aged 62. He had been suffering from myeloma cancer for 7 years.

To many film techy folk like me, Stan Winston was a legend and an inspiration. Not only did he create the look of the predator, terminator and Iron Man, he set the bench mark for practical movie effects from the 80's onwards. He will be sadly missed.

Here is a link to his effects studio for those didn't know his work. Stan Winston Studios.

The Planet - Unleashed

Our last film 'The Planet,' is now for sale in north America. It's also available online from that Amazon shop here.

Here's a pic of the cast - the roughest band of space mercs since that load in Wild Geese.