Monsters Andrew Kaulder's Flickr stream

Gareth Edwards' Monsters will be released on the UK big screen on December 3. I was lucky enough to catch an early preview of it at this year's FrightFest as well as hear Gareth talk about the making of Monsters at both Empire's Moviecon and the aforementioned screening.

I'm a fan of the super talented Gareth Edwards and loved Monsters. Comparisons have been drawn to District 9 because of it's super low budget and minimal production, but I felt the tale has a lot more in common with Cloverfield.

Even though Gareth has said that Monsters is "part sci-fi, part romance, part road movie" you will get a lot more out of it if you go into the cinema not expecting District 9, Cloverfield or any other special FX laden extravaganza. Although Gareth is a FX wizard the magic of Monsters is that it is a quiet, understated character film set in the near future.

I particularly liked the match up of visuals with the haunting soundtrack as well as romantic play between the two lead characters. Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able are married in real life so the chemistry between them is spot on.

As soon as I get some time I'll throw up a full review as well as some clips of Gareth Edwards talking about making Monsters in the meantime - I have serendipitously stumbled across Andrew Kaulder's Flickr stream. Andrew Kaulder is the male lead character from Monsters played by Scoot McNairy.

If you have already seen Monsters these are presumably some of the photos Kaulder is seeing taking throughout the film. This is a nice understated touch of marketing and it compliments the general feel of Monsters. His full photostream can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaulder

Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring:Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able

UK, 2010, 2009, 94 mins

Monsters Andrew Kaulder's Flickr stream

Monsters will be released in the UK on Dec 3, 2010

More info:
Over at the MONSTERS website or follow the MONSTERS spreading UK infection via Twitter here @stra_monsters

Film4 FrightFest 2010

If you are still unfamiliar with FILM4 FRIGHTFEST it's time to come out from under that rock and embrace the UK's premiere fantasy and horror film festival.

Now in its eleventh year, each August thousands of genre fans gather together in the heart of London's West End at the prodigious Empire Cinema for five packed days of premieres, previews, personal appearances, signings and surprises.

FrightFest first hit the scene in August 2000 and right from the start the festival set out its stall with the World Premiere of Ed Gein and UK premieres of Scary Movie, Pitch Black and Audition. Then based at the world famous London grindhouse cinema The Prince Charles, the annual 4-day festival has grown to become, in the words of Time Out, “the premiere event of the year for horror fans”, in the process helping to launch the careers of directors Christopher Smith (Creep, Severance) and Simon Hunter (Mutant Chronicles) plus hosting many first UK screenings including Shaun of the Dead and Eli Roth’s Hostel.

We have been fortunate enought to attend events at Frightfest in previous years and will be going along this year which looks to be the biggest and best yet.

The schedule for this year's 5 day extravaganza is as follows:

FILM4 FRIGHTFEST 2010
Thursday 26th to Monday 30th August 2010.

MAIN EMPIRE SCREEN	DISCOVERY SCREEN
Thursday 26th August
6.30 - HATCHET II 9.15 - PRIMAL 11.15 - DEAD CERT
Friday 27th August
11.00 - EGGSHELLS 1.00 - TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE 3.00 - TOTAL ICON TOBE HOOPER 5.00 - ISLE OF DOGS 7.15 - F 9.25 - RED HILL 11.30 - ALIEN VS. NINJA	10.45 - BURNING BRIGHT 12.45 - THE CLINIC 3.00 - FINALE 5.00 - WOUND 7.15 - OUTCAST 9.45 - HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND2
Saturday 28th August
11.00 - CHERRY TREE LANE 1.15 - THE TORTURED 3.15 - 13 HRS 6.30 - I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 9.00 - MONSTERS 11.30 - DREAM HOME	11.00 - CHRISTOPHER ROTH 1.15 - FANBOYS 3.30 - AFTER.LIFE 6.35 - FINALE 9.00 - BURNING BRIGHT
Sunday 29th August
11.00 - THE PACK 1.00 - ANDY NYMAN'S QUIZ FROM HELL + FILM4 FRIGHTFEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM SHOWCASE 4.00 - WE ARE WHAT WE ARE 6.30 - DAMNED BY DAWN 9.00 - A SERBIAN FILM 11.30 - THE LOVED ONES	11.00 - HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND 1.30 - OUTCAST 4.05 - WOUND 6.35 - AMER 9.05 - THE CLINIC
Monday 30th August
11.15 - VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP AND VIDEOTAPE 1.15 - THE DEAD 3.30 - BEDEVILLED 6.30 - RED WHITE & BLUE 9.00 - THE LAST EXORCISM	11.00 - AMER 1.30 - AFTER.LIFE 3.35 - FANBOYS 6.35 - CHRISTOPHER ROTH

The full schedule can be found here!

This year, highlights for me include; a Total Film discussion with Tobe Hooper (director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre), screenings of Gareth Edwards eagerly anticipated Monsters and the Eli Roth produced The Last Exorcism.

Film4 FrightFest 2010

Where:
The Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, London 26th to 30st August 2010

When:
Thurs 26 - Mon 30 August 2010.

More info:
Over at the FrightFest website and tickets on 08 714 714 714 or over at the Empire Website

Monsters & Gareth Edwards the one man film revolution

Gareth Edwards is a bit of a hero of mine. I first heard of him when I did fxphd's AFX301 - A Guerrilla Filmmakers Guide to After Effects . Which actually turned out to be Gareth Edwards going through the work flow and shot by shot breakdown of how he made a TV film called "Heroes and Villains - Attila the Hun". For some context - Attila the Hun is basically a pared down TV version of Oliver Stone's Alexander or Wolfgang Petersen's Troy or Ridley Scot's Gladiator or you get the picture with the exception that in essence one guy put it together on his laptop. If you are at all interested in digital film making I recommend this course. After seeing Gareth Edwards in action you understand that the tag being applied to him of a "revolutionary filmmaker" is not hyperbole.

Too be honest I was astounded and couldn't understand why I had not heard of him before. A quick IMDB search showed that he had worked as a visual wiz on a couple of TV shows. But his adeptness at creating an Epic spectacle single handedly marked him as a super talent.

A little while later I heard that a Gareth Edwards had won the 2008 SCI-FI-LONDON's 48 hour film making challenge Factory Farmed.

Here is Edwards talking to the SCI-FI-LONDON team about making Factory Farmed.

Subsequently I had heard the same rumblings about Gareth Edwards's Monsters that you have heard. Here is SCI-FI-LONDON festival Founder & Director Louis Savy introducing the opening film of the 2010 SCI-FI-LONDON Festival Splice and the 48hr film challenge winner Abducted by the Shoot The Runner team. He starts off by talking about previous winner Gareth Edwards and what he has gone on to.

Which bring us to the clip below released yesterday by Best Buy about Edwards talking about making Monsters and some great insight into low budget film making.

Monsters
A hip, compelling road movie/romance ... with massive octopi from space.

Multi-talented Gareth Edwards wrote, shot, directed and created the visual effects for this beautifully made amalgam of monster movie and wrong-side-of-the-tracks love story – think District 9 meets It Happened One Night. Contact with alien life has gone horribly wrong, and large parts of South America are dangerously infested. It falls to rough-edged young photojournalist Andrew to track down and save the rich-kid daughter of his boss, and get her out alive...

Having looked at the Edinburgh's International Festival line up. I'm a little jealous that I won't be up there this year.

Monsters & Gareth Edwards the one man film revolution

Monsters

Director:
Gareth Edwards

Starring:
Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

2010, UK, 90 mins

Where:
Filmhouse 1
88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ

When:
10:15pm, Fri 18 June, 2010
6:00pm, Sat 19 June, 2010

More info:
Over at the Edinburgh's International Festival website