Category: Event

Suds & Cinema – Grove City – Mini Reel Reviews – Part 2 of 2

Posted on by Mark Kelly

We’re back with Mini-Reviews for the 2nd half of official selections for the SUDS & CINEMA – Grove City event that occurred on March 9th, 2019!

Static

directed by Anthony Chambers

A house sitter(Lolita Price) arrives at her job for the night. It looks easy enough. Watch an old house and profit. That’s until she meets the odd old man(Clay DePew) in the house. Then there are the strange occurrences that are becoming increasingly unexplainable.

A very well-directed horror short that makes the creepiness of the house the star. I love old haunted house flicks and this captures the feeling of those classics in multiple ways. The camera shots give the viewer a feeling that they are in an unsettling and unfamiliar place. The actors did a great job of putting us in the shoes of the house sitter, while also making us feel uneasy about the creepy homeowner. This film probably wouldn’t do anything for people who don’t enjoy a ghostly horror vibe, but this will impress the diehard fans.

4 out of 6 Reels 

Strike It

directed by Tom Dallas

Another suspenseful action packed bank heist thriller filled with dangerous criminals and gritty police officers. Or is it…

A really fun and creative movie that explores different ways to approach a clichéd genre. The cast is large for a short film and, despite it being crowded, they all do a good job. The true star of the movie is the concept of the film. I don’t want to spoil anything but this movie really opens up after a few scenes and the rollercoaster ride begins. Some may find this short a bit to reliant on the concept but, regardless, I had a fantastic time watching every second.

5 out of 6 Reels

Subject 

directed by August Aguilar

The Subject(Tyler McKee) wakes up. The Subject entertains himself. The Subject eats. The Subject gets out of line. The Subject gets punished and put back to bed. Rise. Repeat.

A sci-fi horror short, Subject plays out similar to an episode of The Twilight Zone. Just like that classic series this film lives or dies on its story. Thankfully, the story is very good. It gives you just enough, bit by bit, to leave you wanting more until you arrive at the shocking conclusion. The plot hooked me during the entire runtime. The special effects are great and the sound design, with  the ominous alarm, was quite effective. Despite some plot holes, which comes with the territory in this genre, I was still captivated.

5 out of 6 Reels 

The Chair

directed by Zebulon Griffin

Bear(Josh Strehle) really loves his new chair. It’s red, probably an antique, and just so dang comfy. However, his girlfriend, Susan(Tifani Ahren Davis), is not a fan of the chair. How far will Bear go for his one true love?

Wow, this was a delight to watch. The acting was superb, the story quirky, and the writing was super sharp and witty. Right from the beginning it’s made clear who Bear is and what his motivations are. I was instantly on board till the end. I didn’t connect with Bear on a personal level, but the writing was so good that I still couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next. It hooked me from the first minute and I was smiling till the end.

6 out of 6 Reels 

The J

directed by Diaa Bahaa El Dein

A man is getting ready to see his daughter when suddenly, a drug addict attacks him in his apartment. However, this drug addict seems very similar to his victim in more ways than one.

A moving and emotional piece that explores addiction and the choices made that effect an addicts day-to-day activities. In many ways the short plays out similar to a horror film with the scenes being visceral and disturbing. A strong and silent performance along with great direction and camerawork make this a very powerful piece. The subject may hit hard for some viewers but the message is still important.

5 out of 6 Reels

The Pizza Guy

directed by Naim David

Another normal night for your friendly neighborhood pizza delivery guy(Mickey Phelan). Well it was normal until he makes a delivery to a girl(Celeste Blandon), her face spattered in blood.

A horror short that will constantly shock you as a pizza delivery guys shift becomes more absurd by the moment. The performances are great and the script is well written. Everything up to a point was done well, but then things started to derail for me. Without spoilers all I can is that shit gets real crazy. This film is definitely entertaining, but for me the motivations of the characters seemed messy by the end. If you enjoy crazy imaginative plots this film is for you.

4 out of 6 Reels

Well, Slicers, THAT’S THAT! We hope you enjoyed our review of all of the official selections of the first ever SUDS & CINEMA – Grove City!
SLICE THE PLANET!

Suds & Cinema – SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW!!

Posted on by Nic White

CinemaSlice is presenting an evening celebrating Independent Cinema and great craft beer at an awesome tap room in Columbus, OH! This multi-genre film celebration is searching for short films of all genres– that can be enjoyed beside a beer or three!

The film festival will be held on Saturday March 16th– in Columbus, OH, and ONLINE!

Are you interested in getting involved? We’re searching for quality horror, comedy, action, and more!

WHAT: A celebration of short films and craft beer! CinemaSlice is hosting an evening of amazing craft beers and finely crafted short films!

WHEN: The first event will be held on Saturday, March 16th, 2019

WHERE: This FREE celebration of independent cinema and craft beer will be held at a tap room called HopYard 62 – 4057 Broadway, Grove City, OH 43123 — AND streaming online at festival.tv

WHY: CinemaSlice loves craft beer, and supports independent cinema! What a great marriage! CinemaSlice will curate great short films to showcase to the public at this FREE event!

Support The Arts

Enjoy some tasty craft brews and some quality films at Suds & Cinema!

Short Films

CinemaSlice is showcasing multi-genre short films from Mid-Ohio and beyond! Film submissions will be considered that are submitted from all over the world!

Craft Brews

Amazing craft beer on draft! Come out and enjoy 21 rotating taps of craft beer, a great wine selection, and new mead varieties. — OR Stream online and enjoy a craft beer from your private collection!

Encore Scare

Posted on by Nic White

ENCORE!

For any Slicer that has been living under a rock, A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FESTIVAL 2018 was Cinema’s Slice’s first ever film festival event (named after the CinemaSlice short horror anthology series) which took place in Michigan on October 13th, 2018.

CinemaSlice has teamed up with Festivault to bring an exclusive online-only encore presentation of A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FEST to the World!

That’s right! All of the creepy, gorey, twisted films showed at the State theatre last October can now be viewed online this December 14th – 21st! Just log on to Festivault.tv, buy an online ticket, and stream all of the films from the comfort of your movie lair!

That’s 22 short horror films, as well as the docu-thriller, The Monster With 21 Faces!

Continue reading “Encore Scare” →

The Monster with 21 Faces Reel Review

Posted on by Mark Kelly

Hello, Slicers!

Mark Kelly here and I’m back with another Reel Review. I’ll be reviewing the crime documentary The Monster with 21 Faces (かい人21面相) , directed by Michael Welborn. The film recently had its world premiere at CinemaSlice.coms A Slice of Fright film festival. The movie is part one of an in depth look at the real life incidents surrounding a wealthy Japanese businessman. It details the attack on his career, friends, and family by an unknown assailant calling himself the monster with 21 faces.

In Japan during the spring of 1984 president of Hashiba Homegoods, Sotara Hashiba(Bruce Falcon), is taking a shower at his home one evening. Unbeknownst to him, 3 individuals dressed in dark clothes and white masks have broke into his residence. They have tied up his wife and daughter and are planning to kidnap Hashiba himself. What follows is a decent into mayhem and mystery. Hashiba struggles to protect everything and everyone he holds dear against multiple unknown attacks.

Continue reading “The Monster with 21 Faces Reel Review” →

Hell’s Half Mile 2018 – Day 2 & 3

Posted on by Mark Kelly

What’s up, Slicers!

Mark Kelly here and I’m back with more Reel Reviews from the 13th annual Hells Half Mile in Bay City, MI.

The films we are looking at today were screened during the 2 and 3 days of the festival. They are selections that I felt ranged from challenging and thought provoking– to extremely fun and thrilling. We’ll start off first with “First Reformed”.

Continue reading “Hell’s Half Mile 2018 – Day 2 & 3” →

A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FEST – Official Selections

Posted on by Nic White

CinemaSlice presents: A Slice of Fright Festival Film Festival.

WHAT: A showcase of 13 short horror films (from US and beyond), 7 short films by CinemaSlice and friends-of-the-Slicers, and the world premiere of a Michigan Made feature-length thriller, The Monster with 21 Faces (CinemaSlice.com/21Faces).

WHERE: The event will be held at the Historical State Theatre in Bay City, MI.

WHEN: The event will be held on Saturday, October 13th, from 5pm-9pm, and the award ceremony/afterparty to follow immediately.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Continue reading “A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FEST – Official Selections” →

A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FEST – Submissions end 9/21 at MIDNIGHT!

Posted on by Nic White

That’s right, Slicers! Friday Sept 21st is the FINAL DAY to submit your short horror script or film to the inaugural CinemaSlice film festival, A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FESTIVAL!

We would like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the talented filmmakers who submitted their art for consideration! We were literally overwhelmed with the amount of submissions we received for this event– and we CAN’T WAIT to announce our official selections next week.

A great short horror film begins with a great script. Add a creepy concept, some blood & guts, and a terrifying twist– and you have A SLICE OF FRIGHT!

A SLICE OF FRIGHT is CinemaSlice’s horror anthology series (think Tales from the Crypt or Black Mirror, but in short film format). A SLICE OF FRIGHT FILM FESTIVAL is an attempt to showcase talented filmmakers doing exactly what we’re doing– all around the world. The idea is to support independent cinema by curating content that make us cringe with joy.

We’re working with Slicers in OH, MI, TN, PA, and TX to select the 13 best film submissions to highlight on the big screen– And the most outstanding films and scripts will be awarded with laurels and custom trophies! In addition to these awards, we’re also offering the coveted Slicer Awards, and Audience Choice awards for those in attendance.

If you submitted a film, give your name at the door for a free admission ticket to the event!
In closing– If you can make it to Bay City, MI for the festival, DO IT. Bring your current out-of-state Driver’s License to get in for free!

SLICE THE PLANET

Sunshine Daydream Festival

Posted on by Nic White

Enjoy the Sunshine and Daydreams!

CinemaSlice is honored to sponsor this amazing festival of creativity, collaboration, live music and art installations. Just to have the CinemaSlice name listed beside so many talented, creative people is truly humbling!

There’s no doubt that this event will be a the sort of thing you DO NOT want to miss!

Crowded Couch presents: Sunshine Daydream, a music and arts canopy in Omer, MI on July 7th 2pm-July 8th 6pm. This secluded location is PERFECT for an outdoor summer festival of music, art, and good vibes!

Taking full advantage of the lush 21 acres of land along the Rifle River, Sunshine Daydream will feature:

  • 2 Stages for Live Music
  • Live painting
  • Colobarative painting for the whole fest
  • Food vendors
  • Giant bubbles
  • Fire Dancers
  • Make and take art station
  • Walk-through art labrynth
  • Mama bears cub care (daycare)
  • And MORE!

Continue reading “Sunshine Daydream Festival” →

Indy Cinema Sunday – Review

Posted on by Mark Kelly

Sunday, Feb 25th, Cinemaslice.com presented its first independent movie event at the State Theatre in Bay City, MI. “Buy. Sell. Trade.”, “Hell to Pay”, and “DARKLING” were on the bill.

It was a great chance to watch these locally made films in the bona fide theatrical venue that they deserve.

With genres spanning from comedy to psychological thriller, there was a little bit of everything for everyone.

The afternoon started off with an homage to Kevin Smith’s “Clerks” with the film “Buy. Sell. Trade.” directed by Brandon Guiles and Cory Hearns.

This slice of life comedy tells of Carl, a young video game business owner, who finds out he has until the end of the day to come up with 5000 dollars to pay of loans or he will be forced to close. With the help(?) of his coworkers, family, and friends, will he be able to save his dream.

I feel that the heart of this film lies in the hilarious interactions between Carl and his coworker/best friend, Jeff. These two come off as very genuine and I was invested in what was going to happen to them up to the very end. I feel that maybe a bit more of a deeper dive into Carl and, in particular, Jeff’s history with the store could have explained a bit better why they were so passionate about their job. This is a minor grip, however, considering that Carls drive to want to succeed is evident through the interactions with his family.

Overall very enjoyable movie. 5 out of 6 reels.

After a short intermission, a short film by Nic White was shown.

“Hell to Pay” is a horror/comedy about a man who appears to have sold his soul to the devil, with hilarious results. It was a nice transition from the more comedic “Buy. Sell. Trade.” to the more disturbing “DARKLING”, which was to follow.

Short and sweet. 5 out of 6 reels.

“DARKLING”, directed by Michael Welborn, is a psychological thriller about a man whose life slowly spirals out of control when a traumatic event happens, an event that he feels he could have prevented.

The sound design in this film is phenomenal. Everything from the songs to the sound effects have the feeling that they were really chosen and crafted with great care.

It’s John Carpenters “Halloween” good.

The other elements of the movie, such as the acting and directing, are also really solid throughout. There are scenes in the first 2/3rds of the movie that will have you questioning if you’re actually watching a local, low budget film. The only criticism I have is a scene change near the end of the film, introducing two detectives, that is a bit jarring and threw off the pacing of the film for me.

Very well crafted and frightening. 6 out of 6 reels.

I am an avid moviegoer. I usually see at least two films a week at the theater and it’s really great to see these events put on where smaller, lower budget, independent films get a chance to be shown on the big screen. Don’t get me wrong I love watching a movie at my house. In fact my first viewing of “DARKLING” was on an iPad on my couch, but watching it at The State Theatre for me was a vastly different experience altogether.

The event was enjoyable and I look forward to more in the future.

I give the first ever CinemaSlice Convention (CSX) a 6 out of 6 reels)

CSX – Announcement

Posted on by Nic White

This SUNDAY (2/25/2018) we’re releasing DARKLING on the big screen in Bay City, MI, and we’re considering this the inaugural event for our CSX series!

CSX (CinemaSlice Convention) is a convening of Slicers— a gathering of collaborators and fans of CinemaSlice— to celebrate the artistic efforts of which we dedicate our lives.

Join us on February 25th, 2018 at the State Theatre in Bay City Michigan for CSX:I, the first ever CinemaSlice Convention!

Check out the MLive.com article about the DARKLING Theatrical release at the link below:

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2018/02/bay_city-filmed_psychological.html

Interested in attending the ever CSX?? Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door or online here.