TRAILER REVIEW OF RAQUEL'S LEGACY IS JUST COMEDIC...SERIOUSLY

🎞 🎥 Trailer Review 🎥 🎞 - RAQUEL'S LEGACY Trailer -

Directed by Sandra DelCid
Starring: Sandra DelCid, John Macaig

Oh my, where to begin, where to begin...

SUMMARY - There's nothing to report as there is no feature film to present after this really BAD trailer.

This is a look into the Houston Film Industries latest movie production which I know for a fact is only a trailer for a film that actress/director, Sandra DelCid wants to bring to life after she wrote a book concerning the sex trafficking epidemic that is occurring in Texas on a grand scale.

At some point during the last year, I was approached about helping to produce a “trailer” for DelCid's script on this particular project, which I only turned down because I don't like working on "trailers," which are actually called "pitch films" or "sizzle reels" in the professional world of film making. DelCid is a woman who is dying to be a leading actress in a film, but she has limited acting skills, never attended acting classes, and shouldn’t expect the world to bend to her desires because she wants to feel famous again. Take note that she's played extra's in some recent feature Indie films and claims to have taken notes on how to produce films professionally.

What's funny is that I'm not sure where this trailer is going or what is intended to be done with it, but it's lackluster presentation and choppy scenes with an apparent amateur camera operator, who doesn't know anything about the “rule of thirds,” failed miserably in capturing any of the scenes with finesse or actual implied professionalism. Most of the scenes look like the camera was set up into position on a tripod and the capture button was activated, having no one behind the camera. The trailers editor had problems [or didn't even attempt to] with killing the sound on the scenes of the trailer while the musical track's volume was raised in an attempt to drown out the sound of the actors.

I will say that there are a few good captures of scenery with different camera angles seen in the trailer; but those are few and far in-between to actually give a better review of what DelCid is trying to sell in this trailer. The rest of the trailer is just a grouping of what not to do when your filming, editing, and presenting something that has not been color corrected for mass effect. One the best kudo's I can give this failure of a trailer is that DelCid did decide to release something that she put together alone with her money; something she truly felt obligated to do since there were very few people to work with her project unless she paid them for their time - and in Houston it's a sad fact that many local "actors" - claiming to be seasoned SAG actors - demand to get paid for shitty performances in "obviously amateur" Indie film productions. Even now, the actors who were paid by DelCid refuse to post her trailer to help support her film project; so much for the team effort!

DelCid's persistence to get her book turned into a movie is commendable, but she should leave movie making to film directors who know what they're actually doing both in front and behind the camera. Once an amateur actor/actress beings to listen to local Houston SAG "actors" about what is the right way to produce a film; i.e. rent cameras, pay actors, etc. - the project will become a lost cause and drama will drown out any chance of success. The producer/director of this trailer should know that there are many talented non-SAG actors in the Houston Film Scene that would have done a better job performing in a sizzle reel and who would have even done all of the work for free. One doesn't always have to pay actors to perform for projects that will never see the light of day; and those that do just burn cash that could have been used for something else.

PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN

← Lighting

↓ Camera Work

↓ Screenplay

↓ Sound

← Use of Visuals

↓ Time Lapse

↓ Editing

← Rule of Thirds
← Locations

↓ Music

↓ Ending/Follow through
 
LEGEND   ↑ Excellent   ← Needs Work    ↓ Poor

POST MORTEM – Since I know that there is no feature film or short film for this trailer, I cannot find it in my time to do an accurate evaluation of a film that doesn't exist. But more specifically, this is a good reason why trailers/teasers/sizzle reels should never be produced unless you have a real project to make into a completed film BEFORE releasing something to preview.

⭐️ 💫 [1.5 of 5 Stars]

SPACE 1999: A HIDDEN GEM ON VUDU

🎞 🎥 Series Review 🎥 🎞 - SPACE 1999 - Season's 1 & 2 on VUDU - 

In 1975, British TV unleashed the most expensive SciFi show of the time with SPACE 1999, starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Barry Morse, who were all veteran superstar actors at the time. The premise is that in the future,  nuclear waste from earth which was dumped on the moon for storage, ignites in nuclear explosions that force the moon to break earths orbit and heads out into deep space away from the solar system. The moon crosses paths with other planets and systems filled with alien life and out of world technologies.

Initially, there are references to magnetic exposure which causes "brain deterioration" and is misdiagnosed as a virus [which I thought was ingenious] but is no longer brought up after the first episode. The rest of the episodes are well written and performed by the veteran actors of the time and the use of simple special effects that might make it easy for a network to consider revising the old effects with better CGI[?]. The history of the show indicates that initial production began in 1973, when it was ready to launch, but was held back for reasons concerning copyright issues and the production of Arthur C. Clarkes, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY under Stanley Kubric's direction.

The series ran for several years and many episodes laid down the foundation for early SciFi television formats for SciFi shows that are being produced today. Many of the sets look familiar to the ones used in Star Trek: The Next Generation (STNG) and with good reason; the set layouts were perfect to use in studio construction for SciFi TV; i.e. STNG, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, etc. You also might be surprised that the plots and alien contacts from several episodes of this series were also used in STNG and two of the Star Trek Original Series [STOS] movies. One episode in particular during the first season is entitled "Voyager's Return" was very similar to Star Treks first feature film concerning "V-Ger" - Something for you to compare when you watch each episode and look for familiar plots coinciding with STNG.

The series revolves around three cast members most of the time and develops characters through a myriad of episodes that have to be watched in sequence. Most of the actors in the series actually work in Hollywood today and I’m shocked to notice that many of the writers and directors worked for many years on network television. Some episodes come off with dry performances, almost like watching today’s soap operas, but was effective for the time. Landau’s performances are stellar and everything you see today in all SciFi shows. The series is a valuable part of ScFi TV and I recommend anyone who likes filmmaking ScFi to watch and learn from the masters of the time.

The low rating of the series is only due to the special effects of the time and some of the delivery of the guest stars; who were essential for the show's growth in the 70s, but the developments of the new species just weren't given time to "tell their tail" to their strongest presentation in screenplay.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

CBS HAD A SURPRISE HIT WITH "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" in 1966

With a brilliant cast and some seriously funny shows, The Dick Van Dyke Show took comedy into a new realm of entertainment that not only showed the comedic talents of Dick Van Dyke, but also proved that a lady could potentially lead her own show with Mary Tyler Moore playing the role of his wife.

Both equally as talented in their talented use of  physical acting skills, together they launched a new progressive look inside the family household and how classic people use to share moments of entertainment at home; you'd swear that a lot hasn't changed in the years about how things occur on a daily basis when it concerns little-private family matters or raising of a child.

Watching the entire first season of this series was just a complete, mind blowing experience as I often found myself laughing over some of the situations that happened in my own home over the course of time; whether it'd be someone in the family reading my personal mail before I did, the wife being jealous of a co-worker, or my boss asking me time and time again to go that extra mile in submitting a new idea for the company.

Completely family friendly, the shows writers were diligent in adding little scenes that were strictly meant for adults while still presenting it as good entertainment to hide the little "secrets" from young eyes. I certainly recommend you take a look at the first series of the show and spend some time entertained as you will find the show hits you in the funny bone more than once during each episode.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]

JOKER PROVES THAT GOOD WRITING IS WORTH A GAMBLE OR TWO OR THREE...

🎞 🎥 Movie Review 🎥 🎞- JOKER - (R) 

Fucking Wow! Finally, a well written wovie about the comic book world where someone wasn't pulled away from his family, who later became a king, or who was rich and could spend money to build whatever technology he [or she] dreamed of to make them powerful. 

This movie had grit, a dark angle, and at times, was funny to watch as a mentally disturbed man tries to hide the inner demons that are so obviously his best friends. I sat through the entire movie, watching the mental breakdown of a man just after his release from Arkham State Hospital and it seemed all to real. Set in the times of the late 70's or early 80's, the man who becomes the Joker finds himself being turned away and not taken serious about his mental problems. 

This film could have easily been a love story, but the writers and the director make it clear that this train was not going to stop at the station of love. However, this film was a product of love in it's own way. Joaquin Phoenix was masterful and his transformation was eerily breathtaking; no doubt getting another Oscar nod. Joker is the best film of the year! A great fucking movie; definitely not for kids. 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ [5 of 5 Stars]

"FASHION SWAY" PREMIERES WITH LITTLE TO NO FASHION AT ALL

FASHION SWAY JNJ Series

Directed by Marcus Mahud

Produced by NOVA Productions

SUMMARY – A look at fashion in the Galleria area of Houston, Texas. This web series premieres three local area individuals who peruse through the Galleria Mall, giggling and laughing about places they visit. 

They try to interview a few show owners and show some new clothes, while making the entire show fun by presenting what is good at the Galleria Mall. The styles presented are simple, colorful, and sometimes a bit expensive looking. The music was produced by Marcus Mahud and seems to fit the production to the standards he was looking for.

PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN

↓ Lighting

← Camera Work

↓ Sound

← Use of Visuals

↓ Time Lapse

↓ Editing

↓ Rule of Thirds
← Locations

← Music

LEGEND:  ↑ Excellent   ← Needs Work    ↓ Poor

POST MORTEM : Marcus Mahud, the self proclaimed “best Director of 2018,” hasn’t progressed in his filmmaking attempts. There appears to be a LOT of mumbling going on between the leads of the show and Nanae's best dialog is a flirtacious giggle. Just because Mahud is a director, doesn’t require him to handle the camera; he should spend more time preparing his team for the best presentation in a series that involves live capture. Another good idea is to use wireless microphones so that we can actually hear what the leads of the show are talking about. One kudo is that this is the first project that actually has a beginning and an ending in Mahud's film history.

A very disappointing show. ⭐️💫 [1.5 of 5 Stars]

HBO BOLDLY PRESENTS AN EMOTIONAL SEXUAL SCANDAL WITH "AT THE HEART OF GOLD"

Mental, emotional scarring is presented in this horrifyingly real look into the world of professional sports, more especially the women's Olympic Gymnastic Team. Young women taken advantage of, many being familiar faces seen in previous years of the Olympics, over the course of years by an athletic director who groomed and molested young girls before they knew what sexual contact was all about.

HBO produced this intense and detailed video documentary of real life events, spanning the course of twenty years, that led to the eventual capture and conviction of an athletic physician that spent many hours alone with young female athletes, while he was still having the strong support of their parents during rigorous injuries that were sustained during the training environments. This documentary is a sad look into how things that can look so innocent, but can delve youngsters into a mental darkness that they may never recover from again; even seeing the vile monster being put away for the rest of his life wasn't enough to sate the athletes from the evil that continues to haunt them today.

The video documentary delivered the evidence coldly, through the testimony of several female athletes that sustained abuse during their early careers as Olympic hopefuls. What's even more horrifying are the accusations that head coaches turned a blind eye to the claims of sexual abuse when they were confronted by the young athletes about what was happening behind closed doors and the basement of the team physician's home. It isn't until one brave little girl stood up and said, "enough is enough!" - that got the ball rolling towards justice and an eventual conviction.

I highly recommend you take the time to watch this documentary, whether your child is entering the early years of partaking in athletics, acting, music, or any other sport or type of entertainment where they may be left alone with someone who "claims to be a professional" but has ulterior motifs to their positional power.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 of 5 Stars)

AQUAMAN FAILS TO IMPRESS AND AT TIMES IS BORING WITH TOO MUCH ACTION

Movie Review - AQUAMAN - PG13 - Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, William Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren and Nicole Kidman. 

My initial thoughts on this mess is "Meh"...The movie is filled with tons of CGI, bad dialog, and it's a poor rewrite of a classic comic book hero. The only kudos I could possibly give this film are to Kidman, who performed the role of an action hero with a pristine caliber performance. But all of the help from a star studded cast couldn't save this movie. The cliche writing made it almost unbearable to watch this thing straight through without calling bullshit every once in a while...well, actually throughout the whole film.

There's a lot of cheese in this film; and by cheese, I mean a ton of explosions and large under sea creatures...there's also extreme eye candy for female women to gaze at whenever Momoa was in a scene without his shirt on and that’s all really about it. The director was trying to make a gritty underwater Wolverine movie and his efforts [plus those of the writers] just didn't cut it. Momoa may be ripped, biker-type good looking man, but he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. 

One of the worst effects in the film is that it also has tons of scenes with fast swimmers, some action and a multitude of underwater neon light. The blue screen effects was just too much for me, and there were times where you could passed the blue screen, giving the actors a pasty look on their faces. The addition of Manta's unusually large helmet made things look a little too silly for such a hyped film.

Of course, at the end of the film, there was plenty of room for a sequel or even another addition for a Super Friends or Justice League sequel; not that I give a crap for something like that.

⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 (2.5 of 5 Stars)

RAMIRO AVENDANO ADDS ANOTHER FAILURE TO HIS ALREADY BADLY TAINTED RESUME...

 DAMN, ALREADY AN UPDATE TO THIS BLOG!!! - Please read below

THE OATH Series

DIRECTOR/WRITER: RAMIRO AVENDANO

STARRING [We guess] – Ramiro Avendano, Tony Todd, Jose Rosete

Story/Plot - Totally unknown. But apparently Avendano plays an ex soldier who is caught in the middle of a zombie outbreak where he alone is the hero and has to find people to aid him in his fight to survive???...it doesn’t sound all that original.

Well, here we are again. After two years of boasting that he would make his BIG film debut, but with a new production team, a real budget, and some Hollywood talent to brag about that he was able to secure, Ramiro Avendano made it clear on IMDB that his newest attempt at producing a professional production would be released for all to see on July 4, 2019. But instead of proving a point, he’s only done the same old shit that everyone who has searched this blog has learned...that he has failed to do anything but hype his own crap that will never see the light of day.

After such a weak trailer (released on THE OATH’s Facebook page) what will be the excuse this time, I wonder? (1) Ramiro has to take the footage to LA to have some professional editors put it together? (2) Ramiro has to hold back the release because...say it with me...”the powers that be at Netflix or Amazon said that they want to see more episodes?” (3) Tony Todd found a real producer in the business who wants to give the series a view first?...oh, the excuses will be plentiful and those in Ramiro’s “inner circle” will completely understand, I’m sure. (4) There’s another possibility that Avendano will push back the release date a few months to buy him time to put something together. Like always, he has a history of pushing release dates back to try and give him some time to try and impress only those around him and his inner circle.

UPDATE!!! - And Avendano does not disappoint as he has changed the release date for THE OATH Series now to October 2019, which is only just a few months away. We have received a few emails that have solidified the opinion within some of the cast and crew that Avendano is grasping for time and more funding to try and complete the two episodes of the series and get them out for release. Any chance of him holding a premiere in Vegas is planned only as a private viewing and probably only at someone’s home with a few cast and crew members allowed to attend. Another rumor [that is now a fact] surfaced from an email that alleged Ramiro and some of his team members planned to re-visit San Antonio to film some scenes to fill in gaps in one of the episodes. Emails have alleged that Avendano has asked several old cast and crew member to assist and mostly all have declined. He handled all camera duties and oversaw all material needed to be completed on a weekend schedule.

With Avendano's personal obsession with Automated Dialog Replacement [or ADR] that also derailed production efforts on another film, there is more confirmation that Ramiro arrived with his wife [Cynthia Chambliss-Avendano] to solely record some lines with local friends in san Antonio and film some small scenes; he in return has asked at least one of the actresses to promote herself as a star in a network series that will be released in October; something Ramiro had asked his old cast and crew to do during the Zombie Reign [ZR] campaign of film production. This is sure to spark a hefty response of older ZR actors and crew who were promised to be paid by Avendano for all of their hard work. But it’s obvious that Avendano will make no plans to visit old cast and crew members to pay them for their services over the course of two to three years that they worked for him. It's even more obvious that that he did not come to San Antonio to actually film, as he doesn't have any permits to film in Texas and he knows he's under a watchful eye now.

The funny thing is, where Avendano truly believes that there’s this mass following that is patiently waiting for his film to hit the streets has only been a fabrication of the dream world that he has built up in his mind. He has started to claim to his cast and crew that OATH will be released on NETFLIX, which is an invalid statement, as his production on OATH and it's Facebook page has already broken most of the rules for submission requirements to the streaming network. True, he has access to some names, but they would never have showed up unless he had a paycheck for them – that includes some old San Antonio talent that he brought to Vegas to impress with some new equipment and crew; no one in their right mind owes any favors to this nobody, that couldn’t produce a film whether he’s had a cool million dollars to waste on any film project or his now infamous lunch appetites and exclusive budget on fancy eating at high priced restaurants. What is clear at this point is that Ramiro certainly does not know what he's talking about and the admissions process for OATH will not let him select a release month for the series IF it was approved for acceptance.

We only learned about the release date to THE OATH Series a few months ago and we jotted down the date on our day planners just to keep an eye on the premiere – if there would even be one – and see what all of Avendano’s new hype would present. With the forty some odd Facebook followers [possibly the cast] who follow his posts, we’re pretty sure that a little over fifty people would have showed up for any type of premiere.

We’ve seen this Titanic sink before, once a pretty gruesome death. Even now, the crew in Las Vegas has grown ill of Avendano’s apparent lack for basic film principles and they’ve begun to jump ship before THE OATH Series has even been completed. There are rumors that Avendano’s team failed to secure film permits in Vegas, also as much as filming on locations without permission, and some other odd behavior that will be released on a later blog after we’ve confirmed some of the oddities with the actual people who witnessed them.

But for now, this review will stand as a COMPLETE waste of everyone’s time. I might be willing to change this review should the project ever actually hit a network or big screen for proper review.

UPDATE! - The OATH Series has only a handful of episodes that are sparsely completed and emails from the Vegas cast and crew have alleged that only two episodes are actually close to being complete, but still require a lot of filming to have them completed for submission to NETFLIX, who requires at least six fully completed episodes to be considered for acceptance into that streaming service contract with the network. And Avendano, who seriously does not know what he's doing or saying, does not have anything that fits withing the required format for submitting to NETFLIX. 💫 [.5 of 5 Stars]

HBO’S “CHERNOBYL” DELIVERS A COLD, DARK TRUE MOVIE

Series Review - CHERNOBYL - HBO (R) - A fantastic dark look at a real event that happened in 1986. The show focuses on the after effects of a reactor accident in Russia that killed a ton of people in only the first minutes after being exposed to toxic radiation...did you hear me?...REAL radiation exposure that cannot be denied as what will REALLY happen to a human body when exposed to radiation for only a few seconds, a minute, hours or days. There are some award winning performances in this heavy dramatic mini-series and I can see a well deserved Oscar nod for Jared Harris who leads the talented cast. Don’t expect any action sequences or love story material, but you can expect the truth about what radiation will do to your body when your exposed...and NASA still wants to say that American astronauts went to the moon after being exposed to cosmic radiation for five days??! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5 of 5 Stars)

NETFLIX’S “DEAD TO ME” IS A REAL GEM!

Series Review - DEAD TO ME - Netflix (PG13) - An AWESOMETACULAR surprise for 2019! Christina Applegate has been needing to break out from her “silly side” films and get into the more darker-comedy projects. The production is flawless and the directing is superb through each passing episode. The best part is that Christina presents superior acting qualities showing an emotional side that is so overwhelming, it’s hard not to love her in the leading role. She and her co-star, Linda Cardellini, do an impressive job in this “who done it” thriller with so many interestingly delivered twists and turns. If your looking for a series to binge, get on this ride; it’s well worth it!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5 out of 5 Stars)

STUDIOS Q108.1 INTERNET RADIO SHOW HAS WON NEW AUDIENCE

Since December 9, 2013, the Q108.1 Internet Radio/Podcast Show has successfully presented news updates and inside information concerning the Indie film scene in Texas. The show has also covered a wide variety of existing winery's and wine bars within the plethora of communities throughout central and south Texas. Viewer numbers for the weekly live Podcasts have reached an all time high, making the Internet show one of the most informative and long lasting Internet shows ever produced from the Houston area.

The show is hosted by the studios owner and operator, D. R. "Dave" Quintana, who hired a group of young college journalists to first hunt down and investigate local film scene stories in Houston and eventually branched out to other cities within the state to get the broadest amount of Independent film news to young filmmakers and actors, to keep everyone up to speed on how films are being produced, invested and presented to their family, friends, and future fans.

Quintana says that the Internet show crossed over several formats, searching for the right chemistry with a co-host and a broader inventory of news and updates to help keep the right people informed about possible scams and drama within the film scene "clique circuit" that most local actors and crew can't deny exists, but no one wants to openly admit in fear of endangering their "acting careers" over local drama on a film project or team of filmmakers. The show has a strong reputation for being brutally honest about anything it uncovers during a news story, not sugar coating any drama or scam that might bring harm to young Indie film actors and crews.

It wasn't until August of 2014, that the radio show hit the perfect stride after bringing a new co-host onboard. Barbara "Barb" Johnston came to the radio by complete accident and who also helped bring in a new brand of listener; a more mature group of fans who take part in wine tasting and/or cycling, who enjoy the night life and want to know where they can find such places in the local community. Her introduction into the radio show brought an increase of fans that the show was lacking over the first year of it's creation. Barb is opinionated and doesn't waste a second to defend her ground, a strong reason she was brought to the show to both support the idea that the radio show is not biased to only one persons opinion and that on the radio show, everyone's opinion is heard without rebuke.

Dave and Barb not only share local indie films, news events, entertainment events, and concerns over the community of The Woodlands; but they hit a new nerve with the local wine tasters who have enjoyed the duos recommendation of wines that are tasted during each show and meals [mostly snacks] that are the best to consume with them; the duo does their best to visit each winery they promote to give listeners the best review. So far, the duo has reviewed and introduced winery's in Central Texas, The Woodlands, Conroe, Montgomery, Navasota, Houston, and many-many more.

Over the past five years, the radio team has shared personal moments and talked about their personal lives, which has helped the fan base feel closer to the hosts and log in each week to listen to the show and find out what's new in the pairs personal lives. The radio show has recently hit higher numbers by introducing a new "investigative style" of news that has stunned the local film communities with factual information concerning scams and local gossip which has damaged the lives of some innocent cast and crew members who put a lot of faith into an indie film director or producer. This new style of Podcasting has propelled the show to move from one film community to another, interviewing actors and directors as required to get the real story out on the radio.

As a service to future filmmakers, actors and cast members, the radio show plans to continue it's effort to keep everyone informed about what's going on in your Indie film community. If you have an Indie film story you'd like to share on the show, whether it's a good memory with a shout-out, or a nightmare to keep others informed, don't hesitate to contact the radio show here. You can use the same link to self-promote a new winery or wine bar that you may have visited recently. You can listen to a small database of shows on the Q108.1 Internet Radio Show Facebook page.