EPIC INDIE SURGE FAILS WITH “UNDER THE SKIN”

🎥 🎞 Movie Review 🎞 🎥 - UNDER THE SKIN - [R] - Amazon Prime [2014] - Independent films come and go every year. You would have thought that the term "independent film" would have actually meant; "Made by complete nobodies with a micro-budget that fails in comparison with big Hollywood, but hey, this one has some class in it." But Skin is the proverbial "slap in the face" that proves that some Independent films, even ones written so badly, can somewhat aspire if you throw in a big Hollywood name, especially one who has an upcoming summer action film, and present her naked for all to see in a cheesy, classless pile-of-shit.

 

Now, not all piles-of-shit have a half life of zero seconds, and please keep in mind that Scarlett Johansson truly didn't do anything in this film that made me think, "Hey, this is where her real career started!" - nope, it was way far from that. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, who also wrote the script with Walter Campbell, this pile-of-shit won some big Indie film awards for it's musical score, the direction, and of Johansson's performance[???]...Uhhmnn, did I miss something here? I think that most of this films success comes from the fact that Brad Pitt was somewhat involved in it's development and casting.

 

Well, lets break down the story little and you tell me what big success this pile really has to offer it's viewers...most of whom will be males after I reveal the big surprise in the film. Okay, so without any real description, an alien arrives on earth and becomes a woman. She is helped by a biker-alien who loves to zoom around the countryside looking for her. She wonders from town to town, trapping men into entering an abandoned house, luring them in with sexy temptations to walk into a black muck of liquid that traps them - like the Venus fly trap plant. She discovers that she's more woman than alien and it becomes her weakness; I think Johansson delivers maybe twelve [12] full lines of dialog throughout the movies run...Oh, did I mention that Johansson reveals her naked body seven [7] times in the film, even revealing her bird in a closeup?  If you ever wanted to know what you might expect if you had a chance with her in bed, this is your chance to see her in the nude...yep, that's it.

 

The director claims that there was this really heavy CGI sequence in the film that he really wanted to keep in, but that it was taken out from the film to leave more questions about the alien motif and their technology, which was not explained at all. There are two parts of the films special effects that really took me into SciFi/fantasy excitement, but it came at the end of the movie and there was nothing more question as the en credits popped up after starring into several snowflakes landing on the camera lens; like a quasi Forrest Gump ending. The visual effects were sharp and produced well, but the aimless walking, scenes without dialog, and the doll-like performance by Johansson did not move me at all to keep focused on the film; it definitely did show a glimpse of why she might have been picked to play the lead role in Ghost in the Shell.

 

The cinematography was okay. Most of the film was shot in a guerilla-style filming format which the director felt at the time that he wanted to "catch real peoples reaction" to whatever the alien was doing when walking through town. In my opinion this whole award winning film was a waste of time and just another reason to build up the "what does Johansson's body really look like under all of that plastic and leather" curiosity with her male friends. I'm sure if your male, you won't pass on this movie...I certainly didn't. ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫   [2.5 of 5 Stars]

“JOLT” BRINGS SPARK BACK TO AMAZON PRIME

🎥 🎞  Movie Review 🎞 🎥 - JOLT - (R) - Amazon Prime - Kate Beckinsale is back in this action robust, gritty, sometimes overly humorous, but dark comedy that lights up the streaming window with fun scenes, while bringing a clear grudge-like, homicidal feel of entertainment back into the realm of solid movie making. 

In the recent years, Beckinsale movies have been a hit or miss with success, but JOLT has something not expected in both the writing and directing department. This movie is clearly an original installment of a possible series which could elevate the lovely Beckinsale into a new plateau of movie-series that are planned for streaming instead of hitting the movie theaters...and I like that!

Written by Scott Wascha, a first time short script writer who also plays a small part in the film, the format of the story falls right in line with what you might expect in a comic book formatted film. The action sequences are simple, but delivered in a style that you might expect from a real life  scenario when you're dealing with a sexy, semi-psychotic, impulsive bouncer with anger-management issues. Where most Beckinsale films cater up to a shoot'em up finale, this film keeps things up tight and personal, showing the dexterity of the actress at every chance. Each action sequence builds up with an overly explosive result, some make believe, some very real; but all of which result in a character building motif that makes this dark comedy a huge relief from the other robustly bad films that have been released from Netflix and forced down your throat with exaggerated reviews and trailers that doesn't have any class at all.

Directed by Tanya Wexler, who is known for being a bit aggressive on set herself, I found that the texture of tension between the main character "Lindy" - performed brilliantly by Beckinsale, and her unsuspecting prey is the magical touch this movie needed to launch me in the right direction at the beginning of the films character development phase. Kudos to Wexler for keeping the pace of the film at an upper level of flow, choosing not to use an over abundance of camera angles to "add action" to each scene.

Outside of a few editing errors that I noticed in a restaurant scene, the film was patched up well in post production. The surprise ending wasn't a smash up, "Oh shit, I didn't see that one coming!" moment, as I am sure the director wanted it to be but, the film had an acceptable ending that is surely going to lead into a sequel or sequels to come, should Amazon Prime gets off it's ass an push the advertising on this fantastic film.

Go to your Amazon Prime account and click on this movie. You will NOT be disappointed that you did! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  [4 of 5 Stars]

“TOMORROW WAR” TECHNICALLY AND TRANSPARENTLY DISAPPOINTS

🎥 🎞 Movie Review 🎞 🎥- THE TOMORROW WAR - [PG13] - Amazon Prime - Chris Pratt leaves this fundamentally flawed movie with a plot so predictable, that it just took the fun out of watching this pile of over dramatic, poorly scripted crap that I wish I had ever decided to watch for a fun evening. Chris basically plays the same character he played in "Guardians of the Galaxy," always obnoxious and filled with quick comebacks.

Presented with some fantastic graphic effects, this mesh up of crap tries to pull off a chaotic, fast paced atmosphere with some badly placed emotional slow downs that can only be saved by another rupture of alien prowess that suddenly no one in the film ever expected. Adding to that, there are too many similar plot devices in this movie that were obviously taken from the Tom Cruise 2014 film, EDGE OF TOMORROW; which now in hindsight, makes me giggle as even the titles of the two projects are similar. In both movies, the "alien species" that is invading the earth has a male and female species who are vital to defeating the enemy. At least in Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" movie, they at least explained the male and female species, where in this stupid movie, there's no explanation about how the leading scientist first discovered the male and female species.

Take for instance, the "toxin" that is constantly brought up in the movies plot, there's no explanation how the science team found out about it, or what female alien was originally captured and studied. You just have to accept that it as done at some point not shown and that's how it is, so sit back and take it. And in this film it's up to Chris' character to save the day by bringing a cure for the "toxin" back to the future, while he has to find a way to save his futuristic daughter. And lets not talk about how in movies, anyone can just jump onto plane and fly into Russian airspace...Whoah, boy!

Some funny things to note; (1) I laugh that the inconsistencies of the weapons used in the film premise. In the beginning, the bullets used in the film have little effect on the alien hoards thick skin, but toward the end of the movie, the bullets have enough effect to kill them on impact...yeah, you'll see that in the movie. (2) The movie does a horrible injustice to "time and relativity" and sells short of explaining how time works and how traveling through time can have repercussions if the time traveler doesn't respect how time works. And BIG number (3), Global Warming is the sole reason why the aliens began to thrive on the planet...SERIOUSLY???

I need to create a "DOGSHIT" rating for crappy films like this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ [3 of 5 Stars]

BAD BATCH SLUMPS WITH DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER DISAPPOINTMENT

🎥 🎞 Series Review 🎞 🎥 - BAD BATCH - Disney + - This series certainly jumped out of the gate with an impressive start, but began to immediately plummet once a new character, named Omega, entered the series, aimed for younger audiences maybe?- and that little ingredient dropped the entire plot and story elements of the show into a needless circle of “mysterious plot lines” that have just gotten more boring after each passing episode. Quite honestly, this once awesome series has become too predictable to watch and sometimes too incredible to accept as magnificent.

The mere thought that these “trash” clones had to fight to survive, then finding themselves as outcasts, then looking for jobs to sustain ships supplies and food for the team, is now concentrated on babysitting a "new clone" whose increased naive tendencies leads the premise of every new episode. I’m not 100% sure if the writers have completely loss track of what’s important in screenplay and delivery in character development, as it’s obvious to see that Omega has no development than just to say that she’s in the way ALL the time, or they just lost track of what was important to tell about what the Bad Batch is all about.

There are some kudos to pass out in the action sequences, but all designs in trying to enforce that this series is a credible representation of “things to come” are just flushed down a deep toilet when the direction of the sequences turns to what Omega is doing, or being unable to do. There are lots of sad faced looks that Omega presents after each new failure, that happens all the time.

This series is turning to be just another waste of time in the recent “once a good idea” department of Disney’s new push to restore Star Wars to its much damaged fairy-tale legacy. ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 [2.5 of 5 Stars]

AWAKE HELPS RAISE THE EXPECTATION OF HAVOC 114

A few years ago I was working on a script for a SciFi that was about an alien abduction in New Hampshire, when the name of the band AWAKE fell into my lap from an unlikely source; that source being an actor from San Antonio, a cast member from the now defunct zombie film project "Zombie Reign" - a  now well known San Antonio, Texas indie film that wasted five years of actors and crews lives over the vanity one idiot who claimed to be a professional director. The bands leading member and guitarist, Maksim M. Dragan had been longing for a chance to put their work on a film project for many years and kind of had the feeling that the right project at the right time would bring his band and music some real success.

 

I kept the band in the periphery of my mind until I started working on a project that I thought needed a little surge in the soundtrack of a new film. When HAVOC 114 began to take shape in production, I started thinking about adding more meat to the film and contacted Dragan, asked him if he was still interested in producing some music for another zombie film; but for a real movie production that was surging closer towards completion. He sounded overly surprised and was shocked about me asking to use some of his work for our project, and he reassured me that his band was in the middle of putting together a new track called "I got this" with a new lead singer.

 

There was a little inside joke that had started to form through out the film, as most of the cast on HAVOC 114 had already started to use the line, "I got this" during the production even before Dragan had told me the title of the song he was wanting to pitch for our feature film. Over the course of a few weeks, he kept me up to date with the status of the songs production and the angle that the song was going for. It was at this moment that I began to feel that if the track had some good punch in it, that we could advertise our film with a dark, but a cool ass music video to fuse our ideas together. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, I felt that we would require a recurring promotional ad to run until the final film was released for all to see. We were going to need something new and edgy to keep future viewers fed until we had something crisp and polished to present to them.

 

The day that Dragan contacted me, telling me that the song was complete, I didn't hesitate to download the track and take a listen to it. The opening riff on the guitar was perfect for what I was expecting and the the rest of the performance had my mind afire with the possibilities of the track and the possible punch of success that it would have with a proper music video. I called Dragan suggesting an idea of the band [all dressed in black] performing in a junkyard setting at night, to give the presentation of tough and rugged look for their on camera performance while small segments of HAVOC 114 was playing throughout the video. I wanted the video to look dark, illuminating only the band members faces and their instruments. I think that the local director did an outstanding job in the end.

 

Another month would pass by before AWAKE finished work on their music video performance, which was filmed on video by local Director Josh Bermudez in Monterrey, Mexico, and then the footage was sent to me in Texas for editing. The problem I had then was that we were limited on what good completed film of Havoc was composited and ready for release. But obviously knowing that the song was about being on the highway with a club full of trusted bikers, I thought that showing the soon-to-be infamous "Texas truck barreling through the Texas darkness" at the beginning of the music video would show how professionally Havoc was shot at night; something that has become a staple of what to expect throughout the zombie film we were finishing up at that time.

 

I completed putting the music video together over the course of two days picking some of the better and darker portions of completed scenes, then submitting the music video to  an executive producer for review a day later. We were both excited about the opportunity to have the track for the video and the film, later saying that, "The song grows on you the more you listen to it." We listened to "I got this" while we shot some pool and drank Whisky & coke, getting the feel for song at a high volume. We knew that this would only be the start of bigger things to come for our first studio feature film. We wanted Havoc to be filled with great music of many genre's and this was a fantastic start.

 

For over three months, the "I got this" music video by AWAKE was released on both YouTube and passed around on Facebook circles through several posts. The existence of the video was out there, but the potential of the music video truly wasn't tested until just a month ago, when the video was submitted into the film festival arena, where it won an award for "Best Original Song" at the Paris International Film Festival in France; making it an instant international hit. Passing the news of the videos success to Dragan was a complete hoot, as when I tried reaching out to Dragan, he was busy teaching a student and unaware of the news I had in my possession. I knew that at the time, this wasn't news you just text over the phone, this type of news had to be passed over personally on a video call, one on one. Needless to say, Dragan was in shock when I gave him the word and his excitement was almost too good to witness over our video call.

 

But the news doesn't stop there. The submission of the "I got this" music video continues on, as there are several more indie film festivals to go in 2021. The chances that the news of the already proven winner of one film festival will spill to the next, giving the track from AWAKE several more chances to be heard in other countries and larger venues that will play the track to a larger variety of future fans is a strong possibility. For now, the band presses on and works on newer material, possibly working on a new album. We are so proud to have worked along side AWAKE to help make their dreams come true; it was definitely a team effort and a well earned WIN for the band!

 

Ride Easy, My Friends

 

D. R. Quintana
Producer/Director/Writer

SHAWN WELLING'S NARCO SUB DEBUTES...WILL EVENTUALLY DISAPPEAR, AS ALWAYS

 

INDIE FILM REVIEW - NARCO SUB - Rated [R] I guess - Starring Lee Majors, Tom Sizemore, Robert Lasardo. Directed by Houston's very own Indie Film Scene extraordinaire, Shawn Welling. This movie is about a Navy SEAL and a submarine, written by someone who has no idea what being a SEAL is about and how a submarine actually works!

If you've seen any of the previous Shawn Welling indie films before, "Dark Horse County," "The Last Astronaut", "Toxin: 700 Days Left on Earth," and a few others, you going to get the same feel, same production standard, same-type storyline and plot; same CGI effects; same dramatic entrance by some helicopter, truck or bus, and small cameos by actors of a by-gone age. Other than that, and with a few well placed ratings from the local cast and crew, the finished and well polished production of Deep Water Production films sputter out with a spark of momentary excitement in the local community. Once thing also found in many of Welling's directed works are some unanswered questions that linger each time the credits roll; like, "What happened to that one guy?" - "But if she got away, how did she not notice that?" and some of other small stuff that even the mildest movie goer would see at the end of the film...So yeah, there are some unanswered questions in this film too.

But, NARCO SUB definitely has some value in it. Shawn's eye for capturing scenes on camera has hit the next level as he is finally working consistently with 4K cameras, gimbles, and other little things to raise the production standard. He loves to spend time in pre-production presenting the camera equipment he's using in promotional "behind the scene" photos, when what he should spend more time with is training his circle of actors to actually act wen their required to, write a better script with reinforced character development, and try not to over hype his indie work with long trailers that show the best scenes he's produced. You're going to see many familiar faces within the Houston Film scene in this film, as he continues to use the same extra's who seem to be dying for his attention, film after film, so get used to it.

I'd recommend watching "The Life History of Spandau Ballet" over this monstrosity. But I still step out to support local indie films and no one should be too upset if they spend their money on Amazon Prime to watch this film and see that I am right about the same production value seen in Welling's startling indie film career and just watch the spark of this new project sputter out.  [3.5 of 5 Stars]

ZARA MAJIDPOUR IS NO STRANGER TO WORKING IN FILMS...

Houston, TX - Over a year ago in May of 2019, was the first time I actually saw a photo of Zara Majidpour cross over the screen on my laptop. She was being featured as an actress in a Houston based Indie film that was under scrutiny for having a first time film director claim to head a film project and future series that was going to be picked up by NETFLIX for a cool $30 Million. 

Of course, that project never really took off and by August of that same year, I contacted Majidpour and asked her if she was interested in working on action films. Don't think that she just jumped on my project ideas "just like that!" - no, she asked the right questions, proved that she was a certified SAG actor, and wanted to see some of my past work to prove that I was serious about my offer. It took only a few weeks for her to look over my work and do a background check; something that I always recommend actors to do when they are approached about working on any film project. When she did agree to work with our studio, she first wanted a one on one meeting, the outlines for a few of the scripts that might be dropped onto her later, a guarantee of pay and IMDB credit, and after that, we were off planning her acting career with our new studio.

Several scripts were dropped on her lap and she was more than interested in two projects that I had put on hold for over two years; BIONICA and the ANGELIKA5 Movie. Both projects had intense action scene requirements and great parts for anyone who had extensive training in hand to hand combat and small arms weaponry. Her liking of those scripted projects immediately became an obsession and she was calling, texting, and emailing me over start dates and training requirements. Majidpour made it clear that she was in 100% and that she was more than ready; she was physically fit, mentally sound, and had the determination to be committed until we produced the project to the exact details of each script. But her deal to work with the studio had a side project that needed a lead, so she agreed to take the leading role in MINOTAUR, as Admiral Tera Escher, that was initially listed as an "all volunteer" project. She began her studies as a senior Naval Officer to begin her transition into becoming a bonafide Sci-Fi leader.

A few months later, we were making a trip together to San Antonio, Texas, so she could meet the team on the set of HAVOC 114. She was totally excited and really wanted to make an impression on not only the cast and crew, but the executive producer who was also going to be on the set. In short order, she made her impression and was ready to call it a night, not knowing that a lot of strange things had happened during the early hours while she was in her hotel room sleeping those same hours away for a morning shoot. 

Unbeknown to this action oriented actress, the movie production she came to see on set was starting to fall apart and some things were already being set in motion to cast her as the leading actress in the film that was already in production. We had now switched production efforts to a start on MINOTAUR and I was feeling pretty impressed with Majidpour's performance on set as the blue haired leader of that particular Sci-Fi project. There was a confidence on the set on MINOTAUR that wasn't being felt during the early second day of production on HAVOC 114, and I was wanting that same energy on all of the studio projects we had panned to produce back in January.

During our three hour drive back to Houston, we had plenty of time to talk about what had happened on the set earlier that same morning and where we would be going with our direction on MINOTAUR. Some of the top level strength's that Majidpour had on the set that morning was that she followed direction like a pro, never questioned the actions or the dialog in the script, and she was out to impress no one but the director. I will admit that the long drive back was a turning point [in my mind] considering my options of going back to the directors chair instead of leading the project teams as a producer. By the time we had arrived to Majidpour's home, my mind was set up and I had to make a long call to my executive producer and make some changes to get the production back on track.

Already three days behind schedule on HAVOC 114 and I was embarking on the track of taking the reigns as director. I called Majidpour, telling her my decision to bring her in as lead and catch up with the production schedule. She literally took the script from my hand and began to study it and prepare for her part as the leading actress; she asked the right questions and learned how to use profanity "the American way" as she is Persian and very rarely uses profanity in her own life. At this point, she was beginning to work on two separate and different studio projects, side by side. She did so without any complaint, but she demanded that the cast train with her via zoom and prepare in a professional format; and so it was done.

From that point on, the production efforts to our current studio projects have remained ahead of schedule and delivered for editing with professional prowess. We've begun to see the weak points in a lot of the decisions we made in the casting department, adjusting roles to match the wit and structure to ensure the best quality of production for all of our future viewers. Majidpour can have an intense aura about her on set that tends to intimidate the cast and crew from time to time, but she is one to take her role serious at all levels. She's proven on the MINOTAUR project that she is ready both in character and able to memorize the extensive dialog for the sci-fi series, which required learning techno-jargon at the highest level. In HAVOC 114, she's proven that she can be both a well-centered dramatic and action star; she's definitely had fun pounding and slicing up zombies over the course of the production.

Majidpour's softer and sexier side has flourished in her modeling, when she's made time for photo shoots. Sometimes the shoots are simple, others are extreme and filled with raw energy and excitement. This is part of her high caliber attributes to do things the right way; to perform, promote, present, and when she's done, start it all over again. As I speak [or type], she is mentally and physically preparing herself for the role of Bianca Wolfe for next years release of the ANGELIKA5 Movie, and even more recent than that, she's already penciled in for a role in PIECES OF EIGHT, a series that will begin pre-production efforts in October. Her recent performances demand attention and respect; our cast and crew will tell you that her intensity is very captivating.

If you are able to land this actress in your project[s], you will surely be lucky to have a talented and well spoken actress that takes the craft seriously from beginning to end. She's fun, exciting, and filled with many breathtaking surprises when she's required to do the unthinkable. What I like best about her, is that Majidpour is a solid team player that gets along with everyone, by seeing the value of a project and the imagination to step down and just have fun in front of the camera. In the end, she is a serious person who knows that serious projects require the right temperament for the job. I will give you one warning though, just because she's grinning over something you might say about her performance doesn't mean that she thinks your being cute or funny...she's knows that you're just underestimating her innate ability to kick your ass at a later time!

See Zara Majidpour on our NEW movie trailer for HAVOC 114!

Ride easy, my friends!

Written by D. R. Quintana, producer/director

SCIFI SERIES "ISCANDAR" OFF TO A GREAT START!

Houston, TX - Since production started at the beginning of the year, the ISCANDAR series has started to take a life of it's own, each week the studio sets out to shoot new scenes for the 9 part first season of Aegis Films' new addition to it's studio name. Created and directed by D. R. Quintana, an independent film producer with quite a history of developing and producing extensive SyFy feature films and web series, this long awaited gem of a project has been in several long phases of development with at least four to five recasts in the acting department, and that is just in the last three years.

The hardest part in casting the roles in this series has been the lack of finding actors who can sell portraying military-style officers, keeping in shape, and also being able to deliver the techno-garble of dialog that always accompanies a good SyFy series. Over the course of eighteen months, the studio finally landed just the leading actress for headlining the series; after that, the director will tell you that the supporting actors fell into place in a much-much shorter time.

"For a long time, we wrote scripts and scrapped them," says Quintana. "We spent weeks trying to redefine the series to keep it at an arms length of anything ever seen or heard from in other web series or Sci-Fi shows. All of this was happening at the same time Paramount and CBS were breathing down the necks of other fan productions for Star Trek fan films, limiting them on what could be produced, with time constraints, property usage, and just adding logos, titles, and music for productions created by their own fans. I didn't want any of my original ideas to be wrapped up in some format bullshit that would require to lose all rights to my original work; just so it would wind up in control of a few assholes that are having problems coming up with good entertainment on their own."

So for many years, the ideas, plots, & storylines within ISCANDAR has remained secret to only a few people in the production team. It's only been in the last five months that the studio has released photos of crew uniforms and ship's concept designs for fans to preview on the projects Facebook page. And to the surprise of Star Trek fans who were expecting another fan production, they witnessed a different looking format of production, something more professional and distant from many of the other fan productions in known Star Trek fandom circles.

 

To begin with, the studio had to bargain on the development and design of a new ship with qualities, some technologies, and propulsion systems with a well known CGI gaming programmer in Croatia, by the name of Alex Meshu, to help create the drop ship, ASV ISKANDAR which will make it's debute before the ASV MINOTAUR is ever seen by viewers.

"We wanted an organic feel to the first ship seen by the viewers of the series," says Quintana. "The ship is manned with a small crew, but is highly maneuverable and packs quite a punch in battle. But this series is more about science than it is about space battles and constantly encountering an unknown enemies time and time again. As in real Navy vessels, this smaller ship is meant to be a gentle reminder that something bigger is out there, ready to make it's appearance when things tend to get out of control."

Some interesting incoming emails and notes about the cast has seemed to draw the attention of other SyFy film producers looking to break away from conventional casting for their film productions. The studio has presented female characters thus far who are in fantastic shape, wear their uniforms professionally and also bring a sexiness to the photos released on Facebook and other venues. Off camera, the actresses seem to always be in the best of spirits and there seems to be good camaraderie between the cast and crew; something that the series creator and director demands from his team during production.

"For the series, I wanted the crew to seem like they've been working together for many years," continues Quintana. "Building a good team through some detailed and intensive character development has made way for the cast to understand the parables between their characters on how they have to deal with the duality of being a scientist and a potential deep space warriors."

On and off set communication is the key to the success of any project which requires character actors to portray lone time friendships. The cast of ISCANDAR had done a magnificent job in creating an atmosphere of "military-style respect" between the ranks of of the crew; more-so leading credence to senior officers like, Admiral Tera Escher, prescribing the upmost maturity and military bearing through her entire performance, something that most of the cast and crew make comment on each time Zara Majidpour steps up on the set to shoot her part as the mission commander. The Captain of the series will be played by Dru Rovito, taking the part of Captain Jadrian Quest, a character that will tie-in the timeline between ISCANDAR and the ST-BEYOND series that was launched in April of 2006. It has been said on more than one occasion that the two actresses are very excited to be working together on this series

Quintana added that with the addition of Saira Ramos [as CDR Ka'Jol] into the project has presented some unforeseen grit that wasn't expected during the initial phases of the series screenplay. During the principle shoot of the first episode in Marfa, Texas, the director noticed that her performance far exceeded what was expected from her. Ramos is best known in the studio circles for her work in the Secret of Angelika5 Series that ran for five seasons from 2009-2013 and a recent episode of SPECTRE ZERO. Her part in ISCANDAR has been the perfect fit for a co-star to help launch the series in its debut sometime this fall as the moves to a streaming format.

"We honestly don't know what to expect when season one of the series is launched," added Quintana. "We guarantee solid story telling and some good science in the show. There will be some comedy and a taste of the darker things to come as the series progresses. We can guarantee that there is no "dark government" or an enemy that you can't see. All of the elements to develop a good series will be presented for all to see with a little mischief and mystery to solve along the way."

The studio says that the production to the series, even though it's gone through several stages of progression, produced over the course of seven years, and changed from one set of actors to another, claims that it has all been done on purpose to distance itself from other SyFy productions that have a tendency to mimic Star Trek or Star Wars fan film formats. But the studio admits that it will be up to the fans to decide where ISCANDAR is either just another "chance" film project that will eventually fail or an extension of an older idea that needed a little jump start to make its point.

***This blog entry was developed from studio Liner Notes and Director commentary by Beatrice Holland and Dillon Mason, Q Storm Production Assistant Writers.

NETFLIX’S OZARK SHIFTS DRAMA EASILY INTO SECOND GEAR!

🎥 🎞 Series Review 🎞 🎥  - OZARK - (R) Netflix

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney star in this magnificently written and directed drama series about a Mexican cartel money laundering operation in Missouri. Bateman takes a big part in both producing and directing this fantastically written series which is a surprising and refreshing original series released by the streaming network. There's no real flash, but some powerful acting performances by a team of new young actors that play their parts like seasoned big-star actors.

This is not a comedy at all. There's not even a hint of dark humor in this series, but the series has three outstanding seasons with some great character development and, in Season 3, a believable emotional breakdown between characters!! I am so impressed with the cinematography, that I plan to use their format in future film productions. The cameras and the lenses they shoot each episode in gives the series a dull, darkishly bluish hue that is so captivating that they use the effect in spring, summer, and fall.

I've never been a big fan of Bateman, save is his voice and performance in Zootopia, where he played one of my favorite characters. But is performance in this series is totally dramatic and has great character development from the start of the show. Linney goes from playing a strong wife to an emotional wreck in just a few episodes of the third season, that presents the collapse of her sanity and it's an unfamiliar tool that she uses to help keep her alive; a very interesting avenue for such a prized leading lady!

Shot exclusively in Missouri and a point to make at a local actor from Katy, Texas makes a few appearances in the first two seasons, this series is now heading into Season 4 territory and I can’t wait to see what twist and turns the next season has to offer! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  (5 of 5 stars)

PLEASE CALL MY AGENT FIRST...

Houston, Texas - The Independent Film Scene [IFS], or "film industry" (if it means that much to you), can be a gritty world for an actor who is struggling to learn the ropes about what it takes to work in front of a camera during a production. What might impede progress or success is the fact that most Indie actors refuse to take leading roles when their openly handed out to them; most starting actors that have only filled the roles of an extra or "just a guy in the background" have a lot of doubt in their abilities and this can damage the expected growth of their capabilities and real experience in the field of acting.

Seasoned film directors and casting agents have an eye for what sells and usually a particular script will send off a vibe for a new actor that's required to complete the initial plan for the plot and get the entire film project started on the right foot. So often more than not, the director and his team will start looking through tons and tons headshots. When a good script is approved for production, a search will begin to find a talented lead. They won't be looking for what can just be seen in someones acting credentials, but there's also a search for a certain look in a part; with a certain spirit that can been at first glance, perhaps it's something in the eyes or the smile. 

At the beginning phases of casting, actors aren't graded on the format of their headshot; the team only wants to be sure that the actor presented in the headshot is someone who can walk through the doors of an audition with complete confidence. If the director and his team feel that the looks fit and the actor is malleable, then the right actor has been found to start production even before an audition needs to be arranged.

Many will agree that the way an actor looks can make a director of a project actually go out of the way and reach out for a particular actor to fill the role. With the existence of Facebook and LinkedIn, directors have direct access to actors information and headshots in a matter of seconds. There's a lot of information to sift through, so to make immediate contact with an actor can prove to be the best "bite" than an actor can have in their career of working with new production teams. At this point, the director certainly doesn't care about your resume or the lack of your abilities; he wants to meet up with you, feel your interest through contact and see if you have the same caliber personae as your headshot, to see if you can help with his image of the film to launch in the right direction.

This is not the time for an amateur actor to hesitate or doubt their own abilities or throw down the old, "you need to contact my agent first" pitch. Actors should do their research prior to making a big final decision, but always respect the initial contact as a positive thing with all of the hard work you've put into your Facebook or LinkedIn page.

Think about this for a moment; and we are speaking about amateur Indie film projects, not local commercials or roles as extras in some feature film where no one will ever see you in the film, a high percentage of new actors believe that there is a career in acting, but almost 98% of new actors have to maintain a real job working 40 hours a week to live comfortably, pay the bills, and do acting gigs on the side for lunch money. The other 2% of these new actors who "claim to be making it" in the movie industry, and unless they are a real leading actor in a film or television series, are probably lying about their success and have outside jobs, making a living outside of the acting world. Some of those same actors develop jobs to help "assist" other actors break-in to the acting world, claiming that their ingredients of success are easy to pass on and they can guarantee that their hands-on training or contacts "in the business" can guarantee results if they pay for their services.

This is from a local Houston-based

acting agency whose notorious for 
having favorites in their clientele.

Always keep in mind that some agents can do tricky things to keep your 'planned' career anchored down with very little movement. Make no mistake that some agencies have their favorites, and those with crisp, sharp looks often get the better gigs, even though you may be more experienced for the part or even more talented. It's a funny thing, but if one of their favorites bring in heavy cash flow more often than not, they will be chosen for submission even if you were the original contact for a project. If you find yourself struggling to get work from your agent while others "get the gigs," then perhaps you should consider dropping the agent and managing your own career; you know that it is possible to do that until a better agent comes along.

Consider this blog as fruit for thought. I always suggest that new actors should always start off their careers in theater arts and hone their skills; especially if you want to know the in's and out's of production, direction, performing under pressure, etc. Yes, it's a whole lot tougher to work in theater and win the big leading roles, but the experience in just watching whats going in the pre-production, operational side of each new show is more experience than anything you'll learn as an extra in a film production. If any acting agent tells you different, then you need to start looking somewhere else to earn good paying gigs; especially if you need the cash without giving away a third to an acting agent and still having to pay taxes on the rest!

Good luck in what you decide to do!

...Ride Easy!
D. R. Quintana

SO, NOW YOU'RE A SAG COMMERCIAL ACTOR?

Houston, TX News - There are some jack-asses who are centered around the idea that they're in so good with the SAG universe, that they are spreading the news on YouTube about how your next commercial video audition has a requirement to use RED cameras during it's production, listing photos of the home used and crew requirements for submitting an audition tape!

Everyone knows that working in the SAG universe can be a little hectic at times, but to ask an actor to submit a video audition using only the best camera equipment at the most expensive cost to buy or rent, seems a little absurd and something that can be considered as a "spoiler" for anyone who just can't go to that distance to appease the demands of the SAG commercial producers. Putting out such information could break the pocket books of a hefty number of actors trying to make their mark in the local acting community, or even worse, destroy a few dreams before they have ever begun.

Being a commercial actor can have it's benefits at $89 a day on the SAG rate; I guess, if you think you can live off of that, but I'm very sure that some actors aspire to gain higher applaud in their field of endeavor by winning bigger and more memorable roles in feature films. The Houston Film Scene [HFS] has definitely shifted it's gears as younger actors and crews have begun to surface in indie film festivals, out producing established veteran production teams by using cell phone cameras to beat out the veterans who once claimed to be the pinnacle of the established "film industry." So what does the HFS' do to up the anty?...well, they jump down to knowing everything about making professional commercials and use their SAG status to state how important it is to appease the SAG universe by using equipment that is well out of the range of the newer, better and younger film makers pocket books.

In the years that I've worked in the real film industry,  I have found that video auditions are to be taken seriously, especially after an actor has received a slate that is required for preview from a commercial sponsor. The audition should have good video HD quality and good sound to give a good impression to the agent[s] and the commercial sponsor as well. No where has there ever been a  requirement for the video to be shot on a RED camera or such other 4K or 6K video camera; not for an audition. As a matter of fact, your agent, not the SAG union, should advise you about what requirements they desire for an audition. Most of the time, your agent will suggest whom you should go to to get your audition taped with the right equipment and in the right format.

So, be smart and make sure you're doing everything according to the standard that is set forth by your agent. Don't listen to any YouTube video that was produced locally by a couple of jack-asses who spend more time in front of the camera trying to tell you how to videotape something when they aren't even following the "practice what you preach" method on the production of their informative video.

Nuff said!