murderpartymovie.com

Um. Okay. Here’s the thing about that headline…it is, technically speaking–that is to say, in a literal sense– NOT true. Not even a little bit.

HOWEVER!

Jeremy and Macon WERE  in a theater last night that WAS showing Zodiac: The Director’s Cut and, yes, the mastermind himself David Fincher was there for some quality snuggle time afterwards. So you can see how I got confused, in my excitement and all, writing that headline.

Obviously, we love us some Zodiac and we love us some David Fincher. The man is apparently incapable of making a bad movie. (That’s right, Alien 3, I got your back.) In Murder Party, you’ll notice that Paul takes a bitchy jab at Mr. Fincher’s style and, of course, that’s a reverse jab at ourselves since much of our movie is clearly trying to ape the look of Fight Club. Ahhh, the  navel gazing….

So for my birthday Jeremy bought me a ticket to “An Evening with David Fincher”, and last night we went to the Lincoln Center here in New York to get a look at Zodiac: The Director’s Cut and to hear what the Man himself had to say.

Because Chris was unable to go, I described the event to him in an e-mail, as copied-and-pasted below (so please forgive all the paraphrasing/sloppiness/informality etc.):

Fincher  is going to DP ‘Moustache’!  Very exciting!  (Ed. a reference to the next movie by The Lab of Madness and a blatant horrible lie.)

 ’Zodiac’ looked absolutely amazing: it was projected directly off the hard drives and apparently Fincher had set all the controls on the projector exactly how he wanted it. The most gorgeous thing I’ve seen all year. (For me, this and ’No Country’ are my absolute favorites of 2007. Only ‘There Will Be Blood’ has the juice to possibly join them in my heart.)
>
There was about 7 minutes of new footage, nothing major like the LOTR extended cuts, just more investigation details and some things to show the passage of time, but I’m glad I didn’t buy the theatrical cut when it came out…I’m gonna get this one.
>
The man himself was very soft spoken and funny and self-effacing and obviously an extremely smart person. Despite his charm and good manners, I got
the sense that he would not suffer fools on his set.
>
One question had to do with how he directed actors. He said something like “The quickest way to get an actor to stop fucking around is to stop giving them
direction. You’ve got this actor and they’re not giving you what you need, either because they don’t understand it or they’ve got their own ideas, you just
go– (and here he dropped his voice very low, almost to a whisper) — ‘Cut. Okay. Let’s do one more.’ (and then he did this funny impression of an actor who is suddenly very unsure of themselves, looking around nervously) You do that a few times and you can bet the actor’s gonna come back like ‘WHAT do you want me to do?’ and then they WILL listen to you.”
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(He told that story way funnier in person than I just did typing it out.)
>
Other tidbits:
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- He said he dropped out of Mission Impossible 3 because there was only half a script done (which he said was great, written by the Robert Towne who wrote
 Chinatown, but still only half a script) and Paramount wanted to go ahead with locations and prepping the stunts and he just said “No, the script has to be perfect before we do any of that” and walked away.
> 
- He talked a little about ‘Torso’, the graphic novel which will be his next movie. The true story of Elliot Ness (post Chicago/Capone) hunting a serial killer
in Cleveland. Sounds like it’ll be more like ‘Zodiac’ than ‘Seven’, with the murders just being a backdrop for the time and place and character, with Ness being made to look like an asshole. (Love the graphic novel: no doubt the movie will be awesome.)
> 
- He talked about his sci-fi movie ‘Rendevous With Rama’, basically that it would cost over 200 million to make right now and they new to wait for
technology to catch up/become cost effective. (I have not read this book, but apparently many  big sci fi movies have stolen from it: Alien, Deep Impact, Event Horizon, Mission to Mars, etc.)
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- He talked a LOT of camera technology gobbledy-gook with the nerds in the crowd. Jeremy seemed to know what they were talking about. I cupped my hands around my mouth and went “Borrrrinnnng!”
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- He had very high praise for Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards. (Apparently, Ruffalo was EXACTLY like the real life Dave Toschi, who was a consultant on the movie.) Notably muted praise for Gyllenhaal. Maybe I was reading into that, because of that stuff with them in the press back when it first came out, but that’s how it seemed to me. (Ed. Bragging time: I worked as a P.A. on a cop show called ‘The Beat’ years ago which starred Mark Ruffalo. Nicest guy I’ve ever met in the industry. My first paid acting gig was a scene with him on that show, three lines, still a professional highlight for me.)
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- Talked a little about his childhood in California, just that the Zodiac story was such a big thing for him (and everyone) there at the time.
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- I had my hand raised THE WHOLE TIME during the Q&A but when he pointed at me, some turkey behind me started asking his question and stole my chance. Because Fincher stated that Arthur Lee Allen is a very strong suspect BUT was never convicted, so the question of him being Zodiac is NOT certain, and because Fincher stated that all of his main actors really embodied their characters to the extreme, my question was to be this: Did the actor
who played Lee Allen (John Carrol Lynch) also play the Zodiac character when he had his mask on, when he was obscured in shadow, and when he made phone calls to the cops? I mean, in the context of the movie, THAT would be the definitive statement that Lee Allen WAS the Zodiac, right? I thought that was a good question.

 Also, I had a copy of Murder Party with me but as soon as the Q&A was over, he disappeared off stage and there was no way to hand it to him. Rats.
>
Brilliant flick, brilliant dude, lotsa fun.
>
-mb

I’ll admit, I was pretty nervous about this one…

 If you throw a dead cat in today’s age of instant information and access, chances are you’ll hit someone with a blog or a message board name or an avatar for posting user reviews. Everybody within spitting distance of a computer now has a forum for their opinions, for better or worse. Now, it’s no secret that we enjoy having a little high-spirited fun with the Murder Party haters online but at the end of the day, you really can’t take any of it seriously. Life’s too short and, besides, we’re not talking about a cancer cure here, we’re talking about movies. Silly movies, at that. And as a man wiser than I once said, “If you believe it when they say you’re great, it means you have to believe it when they say you stink. And sooner or later, they will- bet on it- say that you stink.”

There is however, as Neil McCauley said to Vincent Hanna, a flip side to that coin. It’s the fact that we set out in the making of this flick to give the audience a good time, as best we knew how. And having that intention validated is important not in terms of our own egos, but in terms of dollars and fucking cents, baby! Clout and cred and the opportunities to come! The newspapers, the magazines, the websites and blogs that have, over time, built respected brand names for themselves are essential to this validation (or non-validation). If Johnny Basement from So-what, USA, slams your movie on his MySpace page, it’s relatively harmless. But if a big wheel like Film Threat or AintItCool gives you the thumbs down, that’s a much harder bell to unring.

Which brings me (finally!) to Arrow In The Head. The sister site to the hugely entertaining JoBlo.com, Arrow (as I will presumptuously/affectionately call it now) covers all things horror, kung-fu, sci-fi, strange and obscure. Movies, TV, games, books, industry, whatever. Exhaustive reviews, genuine scoops, interviews with genre icons and a truly populist community board that encourages discussion and frowns upon trolling. Good writing and a sense of humor. It’s safe to say I visit Arrow any time I find myself screwing around online.

Now, we knew they had a screener of Murder Party. They’ve had it for a while. Still no reviews to be found. The pessimism builds: Ah shit…they hated it so much they’re not gonna even bother writing it up! It’s like one of the only girls in school you genuinely care about impressing, and you just walked up to her with your fly down and a booger in your nose. Ugh, get lost, dweeb!

But then, today, I see our name in the new news column. A DVD review has been posted. Gullllp….

And here it is. Essentially, that girl I was just talking about? She didn’t notice the booger and she thought I’d left my zipper down on purpose, as a goof, and found it oddly charming. We’re now going to Prom.

MURDER PARTY Reviewed by:  Ryan Doom Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier Starring: Chris Sharp Sandy Barnett Macon Blair Movie: Printer-friendly version It’s Halloween and a hapless loser has nothing to do. By chance, he receives an invitation to a costume party, but it’s not any party as he stumbles into being the potential victim for the sake of art. Murder Party is a strangely fascinating, extremely odd film that found that perfect, mystical line between chaos, gore, comedy and cheese. So many movies attempt to balance the line between comedy and horror that most fail. Almost always, the comedy seems too often forced and it lingers too long on the violence. With Murder Party there’s a near perfect combination of stupidity and blood that keep viewers laughing and disgusted at the same time. The pacing moves quickly as a loser with nothing to do on Halloween quickly finds himself as a potential victim for a murder party. They need a victim so they can create art out of death in order to win grant funds from a mysterious art dealer. With a set-up like that and the fact that it takes little time to have the main character captured, the film captivates and never slows so the audience never has a chance to question what the hell is going on. The tight script by director Jeremy Saulnier gives plenty of memorable one-liners to warrant multiple viewings. In fact, I’ll take it a step beyond. It’s a great story that has enough twists and turns make this a true cult classic. Combining elements from a variety of horror films that any knowledgeable film fan will recognize, Murder Party succeeds on a number of levels. First, the DVD claims it’s Napoleon Dynamite meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And for once, a box doesn’t lie. The claim for Dynamite worried me more than latter, because it was such a unique, odd little film that carbon copies are bound to appear. But here, somehow they found the right combo. The main character, Chris, seems such a dork and is so passive that when he wants to sit in his favorite chair and finds his cat in it, he asks it nicely to move. When it doesn’t, he doesn’t sit, and decides to leave instead, thus allowing a cat to rule. Pathetic. And for the costume party, the notion of making a cardboard knight seems so wonderfully idiotic that one can’t not laugh as he rides the subway and fights for his life wearing the getup. What’s more Dynamite than that? I must also address the gore. While this clearly is low-bugdet, I found Murder Party effectively gory and horrific. Two scenes in particular stand out. One: a great burning sequence. Two: a great chainsaw sequence. Actually, I’ll leave those at that. See them for yourself. Disappointment, there will be none. Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio Commentary: Director Sauliner and producer/actors Sharp and Blair provide a humorous, sometimes witty track that’s worth a listen. Extreme Truth: The Making of Murder Party: 30 minutes of great behind the scenes footage and interviews that’ll make anyone appreciate the movie all the more since these are all childhood friends. Valediction in Black: A goofy, pseudo art film with hotdogs and ducks. Don’t ask. Seriously. Outtakes and Bloopers: Three minutes of people cracking up. How to Make Your Own Brown Knight Costume: It’s as goofy as it sounds and purposely badly edited. And somehow, I expect some fans will construct this thing. Pumpkin Bread Recipe: Exactly what it says. For any fan of Evil Dead, Murder Party is a must see. It effectively combines horror and comedy and creates a unique, original movie that should fall into the elusive cult category. Discuss this movie on the Arrow’s Horror Board All Rights Reserved JoBlo.com

Whew. Thank you, Ryan, and everyone at Arrow in the Head and JoBlo. We couldn’t ask for a better Friday treat than that.

As for the advice that wise fella gave me about believing what’s said about you? Um…I’m gonna scrap it for now. Later, when I’ve been told that I stink again, I’ll fall back on it but, at this particular moment, I’m gonna realllly believe what they’re saying…

Feels good.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Me? I’m going to see Beowulf in IMAX 3-D, so I’m not sweatin’ it either…

Lotsa love!

Good Wednesday to you all! Hope the week is treating you well. Me, I’m still wandering around in the haze of goodness that No Country For Old Men dropped over me like so much cinematic heroin. I think my co-workers might be getting a little tired of me walking up to them and flipping a coin and demanding- in the lowest voice I can manage- that they call it.

“Dude. You’re uh…you’re really not scary,” says my co-worker.

“You’ve been putting it up you whole life, you just didn’t know it.”

“No, really. It’s not working.” (Becoming annoyed now.)

“You know how this will end, don’t you?” (And I show him the fire extinguisher I took off the wall which I am pretending is my compressed air thingy.)

“Put that back. And knock it off. Seriously.”

And that’s pretty much how the week’s been going. I’m getting a Prince Valiant haircut on Saturday.

Thanks to our friends over at Renerd.com (do that knife trick, Bishop!), we have a fun little feature for you today: the Coming Zombie Apocalypse Q&A — Murder Party Edition!

So far, Chris and Macon and Miss Stacy and Paul G. have chimed in and as more cast members and perhaps even our reclusive new-dad director make their opinions known, we’ll add them here…

16 Nov

Chris Sharp VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition

This week, we are presenting the C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition. Various members of the cast have been gracious enough to give us a response, so many in fact, that an entire edition is called for.

Chris is a lonely parking enforcement officer who decides to one day take a chance, to break out from his typical routine of being a slave to his cat Sir Lancelot. He finds an invitation to a “Murder Party” and decides to go. Boy is he going to regret that. The protagonist of “Murder Party” plays the perfect Everyman, quiet and unassuming, so when he is lynched at the party your heart goes out to him. Chris doesn’t seek bloody revenge or go on a rampage a la John McClane, he just wants to go home. He wants to turn back time, he wants to never have even seen that fateful invitation. Ladies and gents, Chris Sharp VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A.

1) Slow Zombies or Fast Zombies?
Fast zombies are scarier to me…because they come at you all fast like – more animalistic.
2) If you had to pick one weapon in the Coming Zombie Apocalypse, what would it be?
I’d take a pulse rifle from Aliens. Compact, exploding 10mm rounds, large magazine and grenade launcher – with lots of extra clips.
3) Hole Up and Wait, or Roll Out and Regroup?
Probably roll out and regroup. Get out of NYC would be primary goal.
4) What would you rather face, Zombies or The Infected?
I’d rather face zombies, the infected are scary as shit and their blood spatter is just as dangerous as their bite.
5) Favourite Zombie movie of all time?
Weekend at Bernies.

Stacy Rock VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition

This week, we are presenting the C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition. Various members of the cast have been gracious enough to give us a response, so many in fact, that an entire edition is called for.

Lexi spends the entire movie in her costume as Pris from the movie “Blade Runner“. I will give you a few minutes to let that sink in.

…

Ok, let’s continue. Not surprisingly, Lexi is the object of affection for many involved in the Murder Party, and every movie nerd in the house spent the next 90 minutes with jaws a-wagging. Her character is ruthless, and wants nothing more than her money and fame. I have to admit to my feelings swinging back and forth on this character as she almost seemed just as lost as Chris, begging for validation from Alexander. In the end though, everyone gets what they deserve, and Lexi is no different. I give you the amazing Stacy Rock VS. The C.Z.A Q&A.

1) Slow Zombies or Fast Zombies?
hmmm, if I were approched by a zombie, of course I would want the slow one. BUT, if i’m sitting safely in a theater chair… I’ll take those fast buggers.
2) If you had to pick one weapon in the Coming Zombie Apocalypse, what would it be?I
I did some research on this one. It seems differently directed zombies require different weapons. This scares me. I’m going to simplify and say Shotgun. I know how to shoot one of those!
3) Hole Up and Wait, or Roll Out and Regroup?
I’m not really one for sitting around. Ya gotta face em’ either way, so, let’s roll out.
4) What would you rather face, Zombies or The Infected?
Zombies. I can just blast that son of bitch without feeling as guilty.
5) Favourite Zombie movie of all time?
Dawn of the Dead gave me fast zombie nightmares, but Night of the Living Dead (1968) is the movie I think about when I think about zombies. I’m rather limited in my experiences though

13 Nov

Macon Blair VS. The C.Z.A Q&A : The Murder Party Edition

 This week, we are presenting the C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition. Various members of the cast have been gracious enough to give us a response, so many in fact, that an entire edition is called for.  

One of the characters in “Murder Party” that I found myself to be surprised to be rooting for was The Wolfman. He likes him his booze and drugs, but what he likes more than that, is the unattainable (to him anyway) Lexi. Each of the antagonists was a reference to another film, and Macon Blair’s wolfman was feral and savage while mainting the “love-sick puppy” side that longed for attention from Lexi. I give you Macon Blair VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A.

1) Slow Zombies or Fast Zombies?
Fast. I know the purists will hate this answer, and trust me, I love the classics as much as anyone. But what are we talking about here? What’s “scarier”? If that’s what you’re asking, there’s no question I’m gonna be more freaked out by the thing that can easily outrun me.
2) If you had to pick one weapon in the Coming Zombie Apocalypse, what would it be?
I really wish I could say chainsaw, but since I can only pick one, I gotta go with what’s practical: sawed-off shotgun
3) Hole Up and Wait, or Roll Out and Regroup?
Well, I feel like roll out and regroup is the right thing to do but….what if I’m holing up with a bunch of really hot girls…in a steakhouse…with a stocked bar and cable? I might just hang out inside if that’s the case.
4) What would you rather face, Zombies or The Infected?
Zombies. (see 1).
5) Favourite Zombie movie of all time?
“Goldfarb”

15 Nov

Paul Goldblatt VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition

This week, we are presenting the C.Z.A. Q&A: The Murder Party Edition. Various members of the cast have been gracious enough to give us a response, so many in fact, that an entire edition is called for.

The Victorian Vampire, Paul, falls victim to the insiatiable appetites of their intended patron Alexander so may times that a part of you feels so bad for him, while the other is laughing its ass off. Paul reminds me so much of so many people that I went to Art School with that truly loved their art, or, more appropriately, truly loved being artists more than they loved their art. Paul provided some of the funniest moments of the film, and they often caused us to wince at the same time. Folks I present to you, Paul Goldblatt VS. The C.Z.A. Q&A.

1) Slow Zombies or Fast Zombies?
This is tough one. I like both and what I’d like to see is a combination of the two. I think their agility should be relative to their physical condition. Immediately after resurrecting, they might be fast, but over time, as they begin to decompose they would slow down.
2) If you had to pick one weapon in the Coming Zombie Apocalypse, what would it be?
A crowbar. It’s portable, good for smashing heads, perfect for breaking locks, prying doors, etc. Plus you don’t need ammo!
3) Hole Up and Wait, or Roll Out and Regroup?
I’m in DC right now, so if the outbreak started today, I’d get out of the city and head to a more remote, rural location. I’d stay put during the warmer months, then wait till the dead freeze in the winter to move around and look for survivors, supplies, etc.
4) What would you rather face, Zombies or The Infected?
One on one, I’d prefer to go up against the undead. They would likely be less agile than one of The Infected and easier to dispatch. Also, the living dead don’t spit blood, so the only way to become infected is through direct, physical contact.
On a grand scale, I’d prefer The Infected. Since the transformation is immediate, it would be easier to quarantine and contain the outbreak. There’s no risk of someone who is infected slipping through because they haven’t started to display symptoms.
Since The Infected are alive, once the area is quarantined, I could hole up and wait for them to starve to death or succumb to the elements.
5) Favourite Zombie movie of all time?
I guess I’m obliged to say the original “Night of the Living Dead”, but, and this always sends fanboys through the roof, I love Zack Snyder’s 2004 “Dawn of the Dead”.

http://www.renerd.com/

Thanks Renerd…we can always count on those dudes for a fun read!

But now (depressed sigh) we have to take another turkey to school. Look: as we’ve always said, it is fiiiiine if people don’t enjoy Murder Party. It’s fine if they hate it, hell, it’s fine if they wanna blog and post and send out chain letters about what an awful stinkbomb they thought it was. God bless America.

BUT! If they insist on backing up their opinion with ignorant statements and sloppy stupid writing, then that means that I have to take time out of MY day to make fun of them (the thin-skinned snob in me absolutely compels it) and frankly I’m tired of it. Therefore, I must insist that if you want to slam the movie, please know what in the hell you are talking about and think it through before you type it out and make it public. It’s my birthday today and I really resent being called away from working on my Chigurh just to get into a penis-measuring contest with some anonymous stranger online.

So, without further ado, our Hater of the Week is this goofus from IMDb…

0 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A n Old Jersey Guy’s Idea Of The Brooklyn Art Scene, 13 November 2007

Author: jwpappas from New York City

This movie is a real time waster. It has decent production values & a few OK performances (the lead victim & the photographer) but it is undermined by a truly awful performance by the art “patron” & a ludicrous script. The film has a “Hee Haw” attitude towards the Brooklyn art scene & seems like something a clueless old fart would’ve written for a skit on the “Sonny & Cher Show” back in the 1970s. The irony here is that if the writer & director were better artists they may have pulled this off. Instead it’s a stale comedy that isn’t funny & a horror/thriller that isn’t suspenseful. Even the soundtrack is a joke–what self respecting NYC artist listens to speed metal?

Great stuff, JW, great stuff. Let’s get to it, shall we?

1. There is NOTHING on the soundtrack that even remotely comes close to anything resembling what is popularly known as “speed metal.” Sure, the labels that are applied to various styles of music are subjective, unregulated and often overlapping but if you actually listen to the songs we used in the movie, “speed metal” is about as appropriate as “Aboriginal folk.”

2.  ”what self respecting NYC artist listens to speed metal?” Alright. Let’s say for a moment that there was what you call speed metal in the movie. This is still a very strange question to pose: is this person suggesting that he/she knows every single artist in New York well enough to determine whether or not they are self-respecting AND to know what sort of music they listen to? How would this person have time to troll around on message boards with that many friends in their life? No, I’m kidding. I know what they meant. It’s just a smug fucking thing to say.

3. Okay. Let’s say this person DOES know every artist in New York and what they listen to and so forth. The fact remains that the (once again) FICTIONAL CHARACTERS who are (not) listening to speed metal are NOT SELF-RESPECTING. With the possible exception of Paul the Vampire/Photographer, these folks don’t really like themselves. Kinda the whole point of the flick…but I will concede perhaps we didn’t make that clear enough. Okay. Our bad. That one’s on us.

4.  “The irony here is that if the writer & director were better artists they may have pulled this off.”   C’mon, man, not this tired shit again. Alanis Morisette, I blame you! Irony is the discrepancy between an expected result and the actual result. Now, if the writer/director (same guy) really was a  great artist, and the movie still failed, that would be ironic. What you’re talking about is a hypothetical scenario and irony doesn’t factor into it at all.

Whew! Do I feel better after that? No. I feel worse. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Why? Because I’m emotionally retarded.

“The coin and me got here the same way.”

There…how was that?

Remember that old show 3,2,1 Contact where they would do science experiments and stuff? And the show-within-the-show was The Bloodhound Gang about the kids who solved mysteries using their science and math knowledge? Man, that show was awesome.

Anyhow, we’ve got some nice readable content today plus I’ll have a pissing contest with our Hater of the Week as well as cooking tips, new music recommendations, and more! Let’s get started…

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