Film Review: Modern Con Man Collection

December 4, 2012 in Indie Films by Michele Wilson-Morris

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Imagine being dropped off in a major city with absolutely no money to your name, no contacts, and no credit cards either. How do you think you’d fare for 7 days? You might be a smooth talker, but something tells me (at least I can speak for myself) that it would be a nightmare. But not for Todd Robbins, who is a master is manipulation. At the end of his 7 days, Robbins was staying in a nice hotel and had $500 in his pocket.

The Modern Con Man Collection Boasts 3 DVDs:
- How To Scam Your Way Into Free Beer (And Other Bar Bets)
- Poker Night Games (And Other Card Playing Tricks)
- Workplace Pranks (And Other Ways To Con Your Co-Workers)

Brought to us courtesy of First Run Features, the DVDs are hilarious and great for anytime you want to have a few friends over and have a laugh, or just enjoy the craziness all alone. I can tell you now that Robbins is not the guy you want to buy your next used (or new) car from. Slicker than a frog’s back, on Disk 1, Robbins shows you how to drink your way through the night for free on How To Scam Your Way To Free Beer by giving you some of his tricks that will prank drinkers at the party or bar. Smoothly, like a uncle who’s come into your life that you didn’t know about and your parents didn’t want you to know about, he shares his secrets of the bar con game with many brilliant manipulations that will confound your victims like he does his. He really makes it look so simple on this very entertaining and enlightening DVD . It’s very funny at times and will make you wonder if you could really pull it off, and after watching, I think I could. Con after rib chuckling fun, this is a must for the party guy or girl. Read the rest of this entry →

Film Review: The Heart Of The Peloton 3 DVD set

December 2, 2012 in Indie Films by Michele Wilson-Morris

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The Heart Of The Peloton is a riveting 3 DVD set from First Run Features that goes behind the scenes of professional bike racing. It’s one big shot adrenaline from beginning to end, and biking fans are sure to enjoy these immensely.

Blood Sweat and Gears is about a the forming of the professional bicycle racing team Team Slipstream, product of the vision of Johnathan ( JV) Vaughters, former racer and now manager of Team Slipstream, a collection of riders who race competitively all around the world in hopes of getting a invite to the Tour De France and sponsorship. The sport suffered from rampart drug use to enhance performance and he was determined to change that, so he created a dope free team. With frequent testing, he and his athletes remain drug free and very competitive. Realizing his dream, he recruited riders like David Miller, Christain Vende Velde, Mike Freidman, Magnus Backstedt, and the rest of Team Slipstream. See what it takes to form a team, get a sponsor, and get the invitation to the biggest race of the sport. There is only one way to do that and that is what this very uplifting documentary is about. Can they win their way into sponsorship and the race? The dedication to the sport by these athletes is really something that will impress and inspire you along with the vision of Jonathan Vaughters who is the one making it happen in the U.S. first. He’s a real innovator and believer of fair play. Highly informative, viewers sett what happens in the struggle for real improvement in, a sport that needs to be drug free! I applaud Team SlipSream, and was fascinated by this DVD.

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Film Review: Doubletime

November 30, 2012 in Indie Films by Michele Wilson-Morris

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Doubletime, from Producer/Director Stephanie Johnes, is a wonderful documentary about competitive jump roping. The energy, skill, and dedication of the athletes as they prepare and compete is breathtaking. Astounding acrobatics with amazing precision are all done while skipping rope. Let me clarify things a little. There are two kinds of competitive jump roping. Double dutch is done with two ropes turned in an egg beater fashion with one person jump roping at a time. With many different competitive categories like speed and fusion, a musical and dance oriented type of expression is done while jumping.

This very interesting documentary not only shows and teaches you about the history of the sport, but also tells of the diversity of the teams (The Bouncing Bulldogs of Chapel Hill, NC and The Double Dutch Forces of Columbia, South Carolina) and the two leagues that compete against each other and the world. The two teams are followed as they prepare for a invitational at The Apollo Theater in New York. One team is predominantly inner city blacks (The Double Dutch Forces) and the other is suburban whites (The Bouncing Bulldogs), but both are world and national champions.and viewers get to watch them go up against each other for the first time Meet them and their coaches, see the way they coach and their insightful philosophies about the sport and the world that divides them. This DVD is not only about competitive jump roping, it is also about taking a look at race and the role it plays in American culture.

Doubletime is an excellent production and every child and coach who appears in it is a big winner. These star athletes are not well known, but they are setting the foundation for a strong competitive productive activity that all children should partake in because it’s fun, competitive, and rivals any other sport or activity in intensity and physical fitness requirements. These youth have amazing strength and tenacity, and display it beautifully on this amazing DVD. Doubletime also features an excellent soundtrack from Keyshia Cole, Petey Pablo, MIA, Pete Miser, and The Caesars. Highly recommended!

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by TMC

A Moment In Time By Shade Law for the 2013 Neuro Film Festival

October 17, 2012 in Indie Films by TMC

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Video Description:

Film By Shade Law [I have MS-Remission] Music By Shade Law “A Moment In Time”

Percussion By: Ryo Utasato Artist at Devotions Recording Guest Speaker with Shade Nancy “B” Live Motivational Speaker

Song: “A Moment In Time” ©2012 Devotions Recording-Shade Law instrumental soundtrack at reverbnation.com

American Brain Foundation Film Competition A Moment In Time
(Multiple Sclerosis My Story) Let’s put our brains together to cure brain disease

Well where to start, the beginning would be good. First of all it’s an honor being invited here. Independent Music really is the heartbeat of Music today, original, dynamic, and very needed in today’s expression.

I actually started writing music because I became weary receiving notices from You Tube about Music for my short films for my company Knight Productions 4 or commercial work I do with my business partner for our company Striking Concept Films-Video. I don’t have a keyboard or a studio as I did when I was younger so turned to a good Friend of mine to try to figure out what to do so I could keep working on what I love (without getting those notes from You Tube).

I was refereed to a host of links lol. Native Instruments, Sony Vegas Music and HD Movies, Reverbnation, and Tutorial links at You Tube. So began my new career in Electronic Music. It’s been challenging for sure, learning what comes naturally for kids today, but well worth the work. It has been really fun meeting so many good friends and doing what I dearly love to do, Films and Soundtrack Music. Again thank you for the kind invitation.

The Beat Hotel – Film Review

September 28, 2012 in Indie Films by Michele Wilson-Morris

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In 1957, the Beat Hotel in Paris became a haven for artists like Allen Ginsberg, the now esteemed writer of the poem Howl, which was once considered obscene to some. In search of a respite from the strict censorship of America in the 1950′s, Ginsberg found a small, cheap (and dirty) hotel, which is now famous for the refuge that it offered to its patrons. In Alan Govenar’s exquisite film The Beat Hotel, viewers are treated to an amazing historical journey that captures the heart and purpose of a place that allowed the freedom of expression, which has resulted in some of the greatest works of our time.

Amazingly, Ginsberg was an “occupant” at the Beat at the same time as other writers who were destined for fame like Peter Orlovsky, Gregory Corso and William Seward Burroughs, who completed his work “Naked Lunch” there. The Beat not only offered them the luxury of sharing life and their art together, it also had an atmosphere of non-judgment that freed their minds to such a degree that they could become the great artists that we now respect them as being.

The Beat was run by Madame Rachou, who thought that artists should be cared for, and who went out of her way to bring them together in tolerance and permissiveness, freeing them creatively. The Beat continued to be a haven for artists through the early 1960s, and has produced what are known as Beat artists and the Beat generation. It is fascinating to hear firsthand accounts from the artists themselves about the Beat and life inside of its walls. The documentary is insightful about many different art forms: poetry, writing, photography, and painting. There are brilliant glimpses of what made the Beat artists great, and the methods they used to come up with their various styles. This is a vividly exquisite display of important cultural history about Beat generation art. It is very well done and highly entertaining, and includes shots from British photographer Harold Chapman who also lived there.

The Beat Hotel is rich in history and may be the best documented film of our time on the subject. Govenar could not have done a more impeccable job.

Fixation Is An Adorable Film

September 18, 2012 in Indie Films by Michele Wilson-Morris

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Fixation is an adorable film by Alex Trudeau Viriato about bike riding of a certain kind. Fixed gear and track bikes are unique in the way they are made and the way one rides them. First of all, these bikes don’t have gears or brakes. So, not only does the rider determine how fast or slow the ride is, but leg strength is required for braking. The bike also never stop pedaling, and there is no coasting. Put simply, the rider and the bike become one.

Viriato’s Fixation is a behind the scenes look of the love of this style of bike, its riders, and their love for the design. Many of the young people one sees doing bike tricks are using fixed bikes, sparking an entire movement that is centered around it. And it’s not necessarily the style of the bike that’s new, so much as it is the differences in attitude and concepts about being on the edge, and setting new standards. Filmed in the west coast, mainly San Francisco and L.A., viewers get more than just a peek at riders doing what they do on every level from bike clubs to racing. There are also some very beautiful shots of those areas.

Fixation is a fun and lively documentary, and Viriato has no doubt pleased bike enthusiasts with this great film.

By: Charles A. Smith

FIXATION Official Trailer from Alex Trudeau Viriato on Vimeo.

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by TMC

Forever K Michael: The Journey

July 31, 2012 in Indie Films, News by TMC

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When “Failure is not an option,” success is the only possible outcome. Truer words were never spoken or lived than by K Michael, the multitalented, innovative, and stylepreneur New Yorker and creator of the Forever K Michael designer eyewear collection. With the hottest, most impeccable state of the art designer eyewear to hit the industry in recent years, 2010 saw the birth and near vertical rise in K Michael’s success. Merging his love for music and high fashion came second nature to the young entrepreneur, so after partnering with the founders of the prestigious NYS Collection, he took on a more colossal challenge – one that stood exactly 7 feet and 1 inch tall. Shaquille O’Neal.After just one meeting in December 2010 at The Four Seasons Hotel in New York, K Michael and Shaq, basketball’s most gregarious personality, shook hands and committed to the Dunkman Eyewear brand, which would prove to be every bit as stunning and extraordinary as the man himself. As the Forever K Michael Collection continued its upward spiral of success like the music moguls turned fashion icons P. Diddy, 50 Cent, and Jennifer Lopez, Dunkman Eyewearbegan its ascent to stardom as well. But having a megastar as a client puts the ball in a completely different court. The next phase of the journey would take K Michael to Shaquille O’Neal’s home in Orlando, to a strategy session with a crew of the most elite, influential, and powerful corporate names around the globe – Shaq’s partners and endorsers.Seated in a room that was illuminated by top executives from TNT, the NBA, Kraft, Icy Hot, Oreo, Judith Lieber, Power Balance, and many of the world’s most recognizable brands, K Michael tossed his notes, picked up the microphone, and gave an awe-inspiring presentation. Confident in his products and abilities, he concluded the presentation and addressed Shaquille with conviction and said, “Nobody is going to work harder for you than me. Thank you.” His genuineness, honesty, and humbleness impressed the crème de la crème of Fortune 500 companies and others, and they shook his hand, offering both their congratulations and good will. In the midst of the accolades, K Michael realized that something had just changed. He had legitimized himself as a world class businessman, and was being recognized by the others who were present that day as a tour de force as well. K Michael no longer had anything to prove. He was now sitting among peers. Read the rest of this entry →
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