Monday, September 21, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
An Ode to the Hot Rod
An Ode to the Hot RodI never met Roddy Piper to tell him that I thought he was the greatest. No, not just his iconic roles in such movies like the take no shit anti-hero Nada in They Live, or his performance as the last fertile man Sam Hell in Hell Comes to Frogtown. It wasn't only his role in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as the bat-shit crazy past his prime wrestler The Maniac. Nor was it the days worth of content in Roddy's vast career inside the squared circle. I wanted to tell Mr. Piper that he was a great life inspiration.
My first introduction to Roderick Toombs was John Carpenter's They Live when I was around the age of 10. I wasn't a wrestling fan until a few years later in my life, but the way Roddy carried himself oozed charisma. I believed everything he said, and every action he did. The character of Nada was real to me, but while I loved his performance I never researched Roddy's body of work. When the USA Network aired B-Movies on late Saturday night in the early 90's I caught Hell Comes to Frogtown, and again I was reminded of how awesome Roddy was.
By the time I entered middle school I was introduced to the world of professional wrestling, and, while Roddy at the time was working for Ted Turner at World Championship Wrestling, I learned the history of Piper's in-ring work. The numerous Piper's Pit segments which laid way for the biggest storylines in wrestling. The Hollywood Backlot Brawl he had at Wrestlemania XII with Goldust parodying the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase. How personal a feud between he and Brett Hart could be. The list is endless with how awesome and memorable Piper was. Yet, even with the impression left on me by the above examples, I was not yet enamored with the man they call Hot Rod.
I started learning more about the man behind the venom spewing anti-hero. A man who, at the drop of a smile could make the crowd cheer, and, by the same token, be kicking in the guts of his opponent to make him the most despised person in the building. The more we learn about how important family was to a person who once worked 97 days on the road straight, the more we can apply to our own lives. Through his 50 plus episodes of the podcast Piper's Pit I heard him say how important it was to be a dad. Roddy said in many installments that any asshole can have a kid, but it takes a real man to be a daddy. The conviction this man spoke about how to raise his kids was inspired.
Perhaps it's that for almost every week for a year Roddy made it a point to talk for me, and thousands others on his Podcast. Each week I looked forward to hearing the stories Rod told of being trained by Judo Gene LeBell. Counting the amount of times he'd say "Sweet Baby Jesus" in an hour span. Hearing how genuine he sounded when he said "I love you" to someone with whom he had respect for, and I guess that's why I felt the urge to write this. I never got a chance to tell Roddy I loved him too.
- Chris Nichols
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Murder of Sgt. Macklin (1993)
For most movie fans the idea of finding a new film to enjoy
is one of pride. While most cinephiles like to think we’ve seen it all, the sad
matter of fact is that we’ve only scratched the surface. Sure, we try to
broaden our pallets with foreign films and obscure shot-on-video titles from
the mid-80’s to late 90’s, but the truth is that there are thousands of movies
left untouched, and unfortunately, forgotten by the masses. The past few years have shown that films once
thought lost, like The Basement or Run Coyote Run, can be seen again and
appreciated by new audiences.
What I’m getting at is that finding a film that has no
history, or barely a mention anywhere on the internet is pretty much the bee’s
knees of being a movie fan. Where was it made? What was the background? How many copies were distributed? Was it
primarily a regional release? The more questions come up, the sooner the
answers arrive.
As those who have been reading the blog and listening to our
podcast are aware we’re avid VHS hunters.
While following a Craigslist post for a media sale in Southern New
Hampshire I found myself digging through banana boxes of analog titles,
grabbing a few sealed blanks and couple other random movies. Then, I see a
title released by a company I was unfamiliar with: Stage 1 Productions. With
the haunting visage of a scowling man adorning the cover, the name of the movie
would become a quest: The Murder of Sgt.
Macklin.
The Murder of Sgt.
Macklin spills the legend of a school house in La Junta, Colorado that just
so happens to be built on the same ground as the horrendous Sand Hill Massacre.
New owner Harry Furgeson experiences a chilling spiritual attack while walking
the school, and finds drifter Mike Broderick to take on the roll of manager
for his new building. Soon, Mike himself starts to experience strange goings-on
inside the empty school, even seeing a ghastly apparition come out of the
night. Alongside locals Ellie Franklin and Harry’s wife, Sylvia, Mike and the
women get to the bottom of what exactly happened all those years ago.
“Like many of my generation, I had wanted to make movies as long as I
could
remember. We bought the old schoolhouse and moved to La Junta in 1991 with the intent of making it into a film production center. Because we had very little money, I wrote a script to use the building, people and equipment available. Macklin's Sand Hill Massacre theme was a fictional adaptation of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre committed in this area in the 19th Century. I figured anything of that magnitude should have at least one unsettled spirit hanging about.”
remember. We bought the old schoolhouse and moved to La Junta in 1991 with the intent of making it into a film production center. Because we had very little money, I wrote a script to use the building, people and equipment available. Macklin's Sand Hill Massacre theme was a fictional adaptation of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre committed in this area in the 19th Century. I figured anything of that magnitude should have at least one unsettled spirit hanging about.”
With smaller films you’re apt to expect and forgive a few
shortcomings in terms of production value. However with Macklin, most aspects you’d expect to be lackluster are
surprisingly tip-top. The actors and
actresses, while being of no significant note and without national recognition
in 2015, all fit their characters well, and handle the dialogue with enough
believability to bring you into the world. The story, while being a slow-burn,
offers ample atmosphere with the talents of Director of Photography Vincent
Gearhart with Key Grip Bill Milliken and the synth-centric soundtrack from
Kevin Foster.
“The whole project took a little over a year from scripting to release.
A local group here in La Junta held a Dinner Premier for us and we ultimately
sold maybe 250 copies”
After I had enjoyed Macklin
more questions bubbled up. I listed those questions earlier, so try to keep
up. Thankfully on the back of the film
there was contact info for the writer, director and producer Bob DuBois.
Through a few emails back and forth I was able to learn more about this unique
little ghost story out of south-eastern Colorado.
“The actual shooting schedule was 22 days, but because of a volunteer
cast and crew it took about 10 weeks to complete. Our principal acquisition camera
was either a Panasonic AG 450 or the 455, I don't remember exactly when I
upgraded. For a couple of scenes (such as Mike & Sylvia exploring the
building in the dark) we used our DP's personal Sony (C or 8mm, I forget which)
in tandem with the Panasonic. We used his for low-light acquisition and the
Panasonic for recording with better audio.”
An interesting note I had learned in talking with Mr. DuBois
in regards to the production of the Macklin.
Key Grip and friend Bill Milliken had taken residence in the school house that
was purchased for the hopeful production studio. Roughly halfway through the
making of Macklin Bill Milliken suffered a
heart attack, and although he survived and is living to this day, that had to
make for a nervous bump in the road. One has to wonder if there were more
spiritual happenings going on than just what was captured on video.
Ultimately, The Murder
of Sgt. Macklin is a prime example of someone who has an idea, and goes
about creating a story using the location and actual historical events to
elevate the yarn being spun. While
learning the background of the film is one mystery solved, I feel the bigger question
is how this independently made and distributed VHS survived a trip halfway
across the country to a little church book sale in southern New Hampshire.
However the trip may have started, I’m happy that Macklin ended up in my hands. It was a fun, no-nonsense spiritual
trip that I now aim to offer to a like-minded and wide audience.
**Thanks to Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat for the editing of this article.**
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