OUTSIDE SOURCES WANT TO CLAIM RIGHTS TO AEGIS' "ISCANDAR"

Houston, TX - Some indie projects are so hot and fresh, everyone just seems to want to be part of the action. Very recently, the studio uncovered an IMDB page that was not authorized by the studio, which was being maintained by a third party that had members claiming to be part of the production, claiming to fill positions like "assistant director" and "second unit camera and electronics." The studio has opted to contact IMDB and inform them of the infringements that are occurring on the page and insisting certain person(s) be held liable for the false IMDB page that is listed under Minotaur 1.1. Of course, most people who now follow the new studios name "Aegis Films presents" know that as of May 2021, the series was renamed as ISCANDAR.

During the summer of 2020, in efforts to train a new team to the studios large line of future projects, the studio was involved with a new team of actors and crew from San Antonio. Some of these new team members were part of the production team that helped one, Ramiro Avendano, during his five year pipe dream of producing his scam project, "Zombie Reign" - which eventually became "The Oath" that was being produced in Las Vegas, Nevada from 2018 to 2020. Back then, this "team" rode on Avendano's promising success of the ill-fated zombie film project as they expected millions of dollars for being part of that monstrosity. After the zombie films failed launches, it seems that some of the remaining cast and crew were hungry to leech themselves to another promising project in the local area.

 

Other persons involved in their claim of being part of the ISCANDAR production, is an investor who paid Avendano an alleged $460,000 for a film that has never has never seen the light of day, or will ever come to be. Readers should be reminded that D. R. Quintana wrote the script to this series, cast the entire project, and created character developments for the Minotaur and ISCANDAR projects a little over eight years ago; years before the new team from San Antonio and the upstart investor from The Oath ever crossed paths with this projects creator or any part of the series production efforts.

 

This same investor is also responsible for the cancellation of a private screening of a recent full feature film that was directed and produced to completion by D. R. Quintana and his team during 2020. He has attempted to also lay claim to the feature films ownership, trying to force the studio director to sign over his legal copyright in an attempt to take complete ownership of the feature film and claim that he created the entire production himself. The reasoning behind these two attempts to steal on these two particular projects is purely speculative at best. But what is sure is that the outside parties know, beyond a doubt, that the director spent a lot of his personal time and energies to make these projects come to life with very little support or assistance from anyone around him. Previous experience has shown that thieves within the indie films scene never work alone and very rarely do they ever produce anything successful that hasn't been stolen from some other local production.

Since production re-started at the beginning of the year, the ISCANDAR series has started to take a life of it's own, each week as the studio set 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 ISCANDAR which will make it's debut before the actual mother ship, ASV MINOTAUR, is ever seen by viewers. Quintana developed a unique story line between ships to facilitate that something incredible had happened to the original crew that was still in another part of the galaxy.

"We wanted an organic feel to the first ship seen by the viewers of the series," says Quintana. "The Iscandar 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.

REMINISCENCE MAKES FORGETTABLE SENSE WITH BAD DIRECTING

🎥🎞Movie Review🎞🎥- REMINISCENCE -(PG13)- STARZ/HBOMAX - Warning: this is another global warming semi-action film! Hugh Jackman stars in this “what could have been” a saucy and sexy thriller…oh boy, this film had all of the right chemistry and actors to actually bring out a fantastic film, but the director seems to have decided to play it safe and not cross the boundaries of sexual tension which could have taken this film to the next level. 

The story line had a brief moment to spell bind the viewer into a new technology, which seemed pretty cool at first, but then became part of a mind twisting element to the film that didn’t need to be there; proving that “sometimes the easiest explanation in a murder mystery is the best way to go.” There are several twists and turns that are presented, where the viewer is shown the obvious answer for the ending in the movie, but the director tries to toss a new angle in the story that miserably tries to make you forget that the entire plot was already presented.

Kudos to Rebecca Ferguson (who plays “Mae) as she marvelously filled the film with some sultry, sexy performances which raised the expectancies of the film at first, but with the soft PG-13 rating, all her energy to present a memorable character are lost by the time the next scene crossed over the screen. She does deliver an emotional message at the end of the film which proved the inner brilliance of her character, which should have been the end of it, but the director took the film into deeper, lost territory by having to reaffirm a “lost lovers dilemma" that horribly extended this shallow love story into another hapless direction of boredom.

Jackman tries to perform at a top notch dramatic level and the films failure is not all his fault, but his supporting cast just seems to be going through the motions with very little emotion at all. Add to that, a lazy and boring shootout in a bar and a fight scene or two that truly wasn’t needed, well…it just goes to show you that it truly doesn’t matter who is in your film if your director is only relying on digital and blue screen effects to make the film look cool and darkly futuristic.

Don’t bother watching this pile of shit, but if you do feel the need to watch it, be sure you have a real action movie lined up to follow the end credits to this crap.

⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 [2.5 Stars]

STUDIO “E-MAGAZINE” TO RETURN THIS OCTOBER!

It was only a matter of time before the studio began efforts to restart the best E-Magazine in the state of Texas and bring the Quantum Storm E-Magazine [QSE] [literally] back into full swing. In the past, the publication was filled with organized storytelling, some intensive investigative reports, impressive layouts and fantastic award winning photography from cover to back cover. Even better, the studio has been receiving an overwhelming response from past subscribers to get the e-mag back out on the streets where it belongs and they will get their wish on October 1st!

With the resurgence of new upstart indie film and indie series productions starting to stake claim in the state of Texas and with no bonafide publication informing local actors and producers, having an inside look at following their progress or reviewing their work, a call has come out for the e-mag to return to the Internet and do what it was doing best; constructively critiquing new indie films with an unbiased eye and sharing the information with other film makers in the state. Our publication was widely known who tearing through the over-hyping fluff, getting to the real stories behind some awkward film productions that were only fledgling films at best and separating the amateur from the more professional projects within the indie film circuit.

The new e-mag will also plan to encompass one-on-one interviews with new actors, directors and producers, plus give detailed information about where to view the films that have been released for general viewing or not. The new publication will also single out those productions who have presented trailers and some good advertising, but failed to produce a real product to a viewing audience. One of the better angles getting more attention in the indie film circuit are the plethora of Facebook pages promoting films in progress and which are never released to the general public; the new QSE format will aim at those formats as well, outline weaknesses and strengths from each Facebook page that is critiqued.

The cost for the subscription to this new e-mag with be negligible as paper copies are not reproduced, but profits will solely be spent on e-mag reporters and photographers who will be back on the road making contact with some new production teams to bring you good stories and investigate areas of concern happening in your local community and beyond. As the publication did during it's first run, it is expected that the QSE will eventually have a large fanbase with subscribers located outside of borders of Texas with some worldwide exposure, due to it's complexity in sharing information with indie groups on the world wide web.

Like before, complimentary issues will be given to persons on the cover, persons interviewed, and businesses identified in each new release of the e-mag, delivered via email and in PDF format. Each new episode of the QSE will be released every 60 days at first during the remaining months in 2021, but then monthly in 2022. This blog will present updates with a brief summary of what to expect in each issue with subscription information. The team is already excited and ready to get things moving in the right direction with selected stories for the first three issues of the year!

If you have a story idea or a film production that you'd like for us to cover, let us know by sending an email to us here. We will be required to ask you a few questions prior to accepting your story pitch, as we do not accept stories from anonymous sources; for obvious legal reasons. So get excited, the first issue is all but ready to roll out for October 1st and we guarantee the first issue of the QSE Volume 2 will be an eye opener!

DISNEYS “MARVEL: WHAT IF…?” RAISES ANIMATION STANDARD

 🎥 🎞 Series Streaming Review 🎞 🎥 - MARVELS: WHAT IF?... - PG - DisneyPlus - A series from the Marvel Universe as presented by “The Watcher” - a cosmic creature who presents an alternate universes (Multi-verse) to infamous comicbook characters that most Americans grew up following in comic books. The Watcher was presented in many Marvel graphic novels, and most notably in the late 1980's, the fate of the Dark Phoenix in a series of books that told the fate of the lead female character in the Uncanny X-Men; leaving many to wonder if the The Watcher had either actually witnessed a real event or if the reader was being exposed to actual events in the prime timeline.

 

Part one introduces “Captain Carter” or who I would have dubbed “Captain Britain” - as well known in Marvel lore - as a female British operative who just happened to be at the right place and time for things to happen. The transition in the initial storytelling is pretty obvious as a re-write of what actually transpired in the Captain America film, but drastically turns to the wildly bizarre and sometimes hilarious depiction of a normal human realizing the increased coordination and agility that comes with the serum that changed Steve Rogers into America's most iconic Marvel hero. But don't worry, Rogers still has his chance at the limelight, but in a clever way not expected, but well delivered.

The episode is well written and produced, the animation is stunning and clear throughout all of the action sequences. I chuckled several times over the fantastic action sequences and, more especially, the change in satire throughout the episodes run. This was a great place to start, but I think that the “What If?…” format should also spent some time on “What if” some bad guys had got another start. I honestly cannot wait to see the next installment to this series!

 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]

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