Feast

[MacGuffin]

Craven Blesses Feast
Project Greenlight's horror movie.

The word from Wes Craven is that Feast has finally come together. The low-budget horror movie that was the subject of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's 3rd season of Project Greenlight is the directorial debut of John Gulager. Craven is one of the producers.

"I've seen the final cut and it's a lot of fun," said Craven. "It actually turned out pretty well and it ended up with everybody thinking, 'By God, John really knows what he's doing.' He pulled it off. Absolutely. He did a real, real good job."

Feast stars Navi Rawat (The House of Sand and Fog), Krista Allen (TV's Baywatch), Balthazar Getty (Ladder 49), Judah Friedlander (American Splendor) and Jason Mewes (Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). The story centers on a group of bar patrons who find themselves prey to a hoard of flying beasts.

"The monsters are a little silly because they had no money, so obviously they can't show them for very long," said Craven. "But the film itself is a romp; a very bloody, goofy, scary one."

Last May the movie's distributor, The Weinstein Company, announced a January 20th release date. Craven admits he would have preferred a pre-Halloween release for the movie. "I think the movie would be out right now if it hadn't been for [Miramax] and the big war with Disney."

[modage]

Feast trailer here: http://judahfriedlander.com/home2.htm

[grand theft sparrow]

GULAGERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

[MacGuffin]

Release Plans for Feast
Source: Moviehole

Was just talking to one of the producers of "Feast" , who has some good news for those who have been yanking for the film to hit the creamy screen. It's coming. I swear. September. September 22, to be exact.

The movie - which you'll recall was the result of the last "Project Greenlight" - will be released in several theatres, and then will hit DVD sometime near Halloween. So, a very quick window between the cinema release and the DVD release. Regardless, it's great that it's finally coming out - and on the big screen, the way a good ol' splatterfest should be seen.

You may recall our own Tim Basham got to check the film out, not too long ago, at a festival. He enjoyed it. Here's his review again, just in case you missed it first time around.


Feast

Diane Goldner, Anthony "Treach" Criss, Jason Mewes, Henry Rollins, Eric Dane, Tyler Patrick Jones, Clu Gulager, Judah Freidlander, Jenny Wade, Navi Rawat, Balthazar Getty, Krista Allen

Thanks to the "15 minutes of fame"element in reality TV, Director John Gulager is possibly more recognizable than any independent film director today—this, despite the fact that few have even seen his first and only film. Gulager was last year's star of Bravo's "Project Greenlight", where co-producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck select one script and one director among thousands of submissions. Viewers painfully watched as Gulager went from a confident winner to a pathetic looking loser who had lost his grip on his film and then back again to winner as he proved himself competent after all.

Somewhere along the way, while the show struggled to attract viewers (at the moment it appears it will be cancelled) the film was finally made and is about to be released. "Feast" is a horror film, and not a bad one at that. Following a well-worn plot, a group of terrified citizens are trapped in a remote location (in this case, a bar in the middle of nowhere) while some unknown, mysterious creatures try to break in and, presumably, devour said inhabitants. Familiar though it may be, there is just enough tongue-in-cheek dialogue and blood-splattering effects to keep you in your seat till the closing credits.

While meeting some of the bar's patrons (complete with captions on their chances of survival) it's clear that the scriptwriters ('Project Greenlight' winners Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton) wanted to establish the characters' identities quickly, hence their names: Heroine, Beer Guy, Honey Pie, Grandma, Bozo, Harley Mama, Vet. But just when you think you know what will happen next, it doesn't.

If there were doubts about Gulager's abilities as a director, they are swept away by some wonderful performances. Henry Rollins is dead-on in his portrayal of a not-so-convincing motivational coach. And Gulager's real-life dad and veteran character actor Clu Gulager was perfectly cast as the stern and steady bartender. And what's a monster flick without some gratuitous cheesecake. Jenny Wade easily steals scenes as the ditsy waitress Honey Pie.

Like the B-movies of the 50's and 60's, the creatures' appearances are few and far between—portions of slimy body parts, something running across the parking lot. But instead of detracting from the suspense it enhances it. You'll especially love the sex-crazed, monstrous offspring that makes it into the bar. If you watched the Greenlight series, you know about the many discussions on how the creatures should look, and where they came from. (During the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Gulager hinted at more changes.) However, as also played out in the series, too many cooks can put a real damper on a good barbecue. My suggestion is to leave well enough alone and let the "Feast" begin.

*** 1/2

[modage]

For those of you who've been eagerly anticipating the release of the film made during "Project Greenlight's" third season, the pseudo-parody horror comedy FEAST, you'll be glad to know that it's set for a theatrical "special late night showing" beginning September 22nd and 23rd. However, the film will only have a three week theatrical run as the DVD will be released on October 17th. Under wacky director John Gulager, the film stars Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins, Navi Rawat, Josh Zuckerman, Judah Friedlander, Clu Gulager, Jason Mewes and Krista Allen in a story that parodies horror film character stereotypes while retaining the grit and gore of a "real" horror flick. So be sure to head out to theaters on September 22nd if you want to see the film on the big screen because there won't be much chances to do so.

[MacGuffin]

The Movable 'Feast'
Gulager talks about life after Greenlight.

When the third (and most likely last) season of Project Greenlight finished airing in the spring of 2005, the series ended on a hopeful note that the final product, the horror movie Feast, would eventually see a theatrical release. But it wasn't until last September that the film eventually opened, in a handful of low-profile midnight screenings.

But those who missed the fleeting opportunity to see Feast in the theater will at least have a chance to catch it when it comes out in an unrated version on DVD Oct. 17. In an appearance at Fuse and Fangoria's Chainsaw Awards on Oct. 15, the film's director, the quirky and possibly brilliant John Gulager, discussed the aftermath of the series as well as the upcoming DVD release.

"There's trailers on the TV now for the DVD, but there weren't for the movie," Gulager said. "It was kind of like, 'Let's see if we can keep it a secret that Feast came out for a couple of days.' It's like [puts on a spooky voice], 'The special midnight screening.' Everybody's like, 'Be happy that it happened.' And it's like, 'Well...'"

Much of the blame for the delay can be placed on the parting of Miramax, which produced the film and the Project Greenlight series, from former parent company Disney. But even Gulager doesn't know for sure what exactly happened.

"I'm still trying to figure it out," he said. "I don't know. I have no idea. We were a victim of timing on that one. Because if you go back to when that happened, just the upheaval and the two companies splitting, we basically just sort of got put on the cooler. Then finally our number came up and we finished the movie and it came out. For five minutes."

The DVD version will include some scenes that were edited out of the theatrical release for extreme blood and gore. But since they also have content which advances the plot, Gulager says that the unrated version will make more sense to viewers.

Gulager participated in the commentary on the DVD, but admitted that he wasn't too impressed with how it turned out. "It kind of sounds like we were drunk when we were doing it," he said. "There's so many of us in the room and we're all trying to top each other. At the end of it we kind of went, 'Oh, man. We didn't talk about the film very much, did we?' It's pretty fun. Someone said, 'Oh, so the commentary is a cult commentary also, huh?' I said, 'OK, I guess so.'"

Since appearing on Project Greenlight, Gulager has had a number of offers to direct future films, one of which he's close to accepting. But though he doesn't mind continuing in the horror genre, he noted he's been sent a lot of scripts that sound the same.
   
"Basically, because I did a horror film, it'll be like six kids running down the road being chased by someone dressed like fill in the blank, who kills each person by doing fill in the blank," he said. "And you go, 'Well, I don't know if I want to do that one, with all the kids.' And then they go, 'OK, we've got another one. These six college students are running down the road ... " I'm not even kidding."

Horror fans in Los Angeles will have one last chance to see Feast on the big screen at the Screamfest horror film festival on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The unrated version will be shown in a digital projection at the Mann Chinese Theater in Los Angeles beginning at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are free and include a Q & A with Gulager after the screening.

[elpablo]

my friend managed to download a torrent of this

i expectations were extremely low and it still managed to disappoint.

[MacGuffin]

While I didn't think it was "HORRIBLE" (mod's word), it just didn't bring anything to the horror genre and I enjoyed better than any Masters Of Horror episode I saw. It had a couple moments; Krista Allen was awesome; the opening intros were a nice touch, but you knew right away that those descriptions couldn't be taken to heart because you could tell the film was trying to break cliches (the biggest one being: killing a kid). The irony, however, is that the film relies heavily on cliches; the bulk taken from the Alien series. But from watching Project Greenlight, I was actually surprised how it was all pulled together; the lead heroine, however, was totally miscast. I do agree with mod that given a bigger budget and a better script, Gulager could be a talent.