DVC 10 "Are You Dead Yet" by Bradley L. Marlow

[Bradley L Marlow]

Well, here we go once again. Another wonderful DV Challenge!

For a while there, I wasn't sure if this was going to get cut down to the required :03m:20s to be in the running. My best buddy Wally and I hadn't made a movie in a while and our eyes were bigger than or stomachs (so to speak). Many scenes thought up and shot were deleted however, am really happy with the final contest version. The end credits however will definitely receive a proper send off when redoing later.

This is a new sub-genre: A Western Comedy of Horrors

To make it even more interesting, I told Wally in the beginning, there can be no bloody violence, no plucked eyeballs, drilled brains and no ultra foul language. He immediately got in his truck and drove 3 hours back to his house. (just kidding) I know your disappointed in me Quentin. I'm sorry. But who says blood and guts itself is always scary anyway, right?

The inspiration to go in this direction actually came from fellow filmmakers like Hugh DiMauro and Lorinda Norton who expressed their desire to see more of "In Wyoming with Wally and Bradley". (Thank you)

Hope you like it and I welcome any comments, constructive criticism and questions.

I look forward to seeing your films!

[Meryem Ersoz]

where kin i git me some of those "wyoming prairie berries"?? looks fun.

another quirky trip through your twisted mind. always a fun romp.

i cracked up at the part where you start shooting blindly when your friend startles you...

great opening with the smoke n bulletholes with the music, which does the nice work of both enhancing and providing counterpoint to the rest of the piece at the same time. i think riding that edge between reinforcing the western/TV hunting genre and simultaneously undermining it is what works well with most of your stuff. when you combine something completely recognizable with something completely wacky and quirky and off-beat....

by contrast, i think the hallucination sequence pulls this piece away from the parts that work so well. i guess wyoming prairie berry hallucinations tend towards the random, but i probably would have preferred to see the hallucination sequence go somewhere less random, maybe have one of those shamans appear and start hunting the hunters. or something.

that section kind of pulls the piece away from its heart and "feel", when i'd prefer to see it add to that vibe. it doesn't do the same work as, say, the opening. suddenly you go out-of-genre entirely, into some allen ginsburg-esque reverie, and it seems you could stay in the genre and still accomplish the same thing, while being more even and consistent.

it's rather a tightrope, innit?

it always amazes me what you can toss together in a week, you make it look so effortless, you talented b******d. did i spell that right?

[Ronn Kilby]

Hil-F***ing-larious. (Pardon my asterisks)

Loved it. Some dang fine acting and I was entertained from start to finish. I could watch a passel of these "episodes." Great writing too. Class act. I won't go into the gun comments since I'm sure Bruce will cover that in his feedback :)

Scary? Not so much. Fun? Definitely.
PS Glad you weren't hunting ducks - see below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZMOGGY4Uc

Ronn

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

where kin i git me some of those "wyoming prairie berries"?? looks fun.

another quirky trip through your twisted mind. always a fun romp.

i cracked up at the part where you start shooting blindly when your friend startles you...

by contrast, i think the hallucination sequence pulls this piece away from the parts that work so well. i guess wyoming prairie berry hallucinations tend towards the random, but i probably would have preferred to see the hallucination sequence go somewhere less random...

it always amazes me what you can toss together in a week, you make it look so effortless, you talented b******d. did i spell that right?

To borrow a line:

"There is nothing worse than a man in the depths of a Wyoming Prairie Berry binge."

Thank you Meryem. I appreciate your comments and yes - we were aiming for completely random mental trips. The deer skull was the only thing that might make sense to a brain other than Abe Normal's.

Prairie Berries are in season and I can get some to you at a very reasonable price. :)

Finally, I believe that it is spelled "b*****dz" (You are very kind. Thank you Meryem)

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Ronn Kilby

Hil-F***ing-larious. (Pardon my asterisks)

Loved it. Some dang fine acting and I was entertained from start to finish. I could watch a passel of these "episodes." Great writing too. Class act. I won't go into the gun comments since I'm sure Bruce will cover that in his feedback :)

Ronn

Thanks Ronn. Ha! I loved the California Ducks Now video. Didn't know you could sing too. Bravo!

Thanks for the comments and I'm glad you liked the flickage.

[Robert Martens]

My other favorite so far, along with Daniel Kohl's entry. I expected comedy at first, but that quick trip into the bizarre at the end grabbed my attention. The lighting, the sound, Wally's dolly-riding float maneuver, all very creepy, good going!

Speaking of creepy, I don't suppose you're anywhere near Niobrara county up there, eh Brad? You might get a kick out of this user's videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ilovetofix They were part of an Alternate Reality Game run a few months ago, pretty freaky stuff even though it wasn't real.

[Lorinda Norton]

Hahahahaha!!!!! Oh, Brad……that was right up my alley. You’ve produced some great flicks but I don’t know…this one is darn close to topping them all.

You and Wally make the best team—better than Martin & Lewis, better than, uh, all the other comedy duos out there (sorry, can’t think of ‘em right now). I love your expressions, especially during that first sequence with the rifle. Then the way you two interact just had me laughing and smiling throughout. It even carried me through the hallucinations, which were just as bizarre as you meant them to be. I appreciated the deer getting in his shot, too. “How’s the hunnntting?” ;)

This romp delighted me to no end. I loved it! But I guess you can tell that…

[Hugh DiMauro]

Brad, once again you dazzled me with your just-left-of-center humor and amazing images. You and Wally nail an immediate audience/character connection that is difficult to explain. Why are some actors superstars and others destined to forever be on the “B” list? I don’t know. Charisma? Whatever it is, you and Wally have it with interactive comic timing, a certain “look” that translates well on the screen and last, but not least, you’re not afraid of a closeup. The camera likes you guys. You’re unafraid to dive in and combine the normalcy of a hunting trip with the zany abnormal result of consuming the wrong type of berries. I love those “oops” moments which make everyday life hilarious. This movie was superb on all levels. I was not scared out of my pants but I certainly did laugh my butt off. I’d rather be in pain from laughing than distress from horror. Great job!

[Daniel Kohl]

I am definitely a fan.

The best bit of comedy I have seen in a long time. I won't bother listing all of the things that I like about this film, and why it is abnormally entertaining ... I think its been covered already.

I wish I had a friend like Wally.

my favorite line: "this don't look good to eat".

Your films keep getting better and better.

... I've got a comment that wasn't already made. You use an unconventional editing style, particularly in the beginning part of the film (before you almost shoot your friend by accident). I think I would classify it as bumbling jump cutting. You have raised that to an art. One day I hope to master that as you have. It needs the right kind of acting though. You seem to have been born with that. So maybe I shouldn't even bother trying.

I liked the "Altered States" homage.

It was almost scary. I figure you put it in there just so that you could qualify for the DVC. I think the weird stalking animal POV near the beginning would have been enough to cover that though.

I hope you plan to make a directors cut available, with the "Trip" in its entirety. I'm sure that it is at least as long as the lead-up story is (and at least as funny). I have the feeling that when it's a bit less hacked up - with all the bits you left out for time reasons that it will defy all criticisms. it doesn't meet up to the quality bumbling jump cutting of the first half.

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Robert Martens

My other favorite so far, along with Daniel Kohl's entry. I expected comedy at first, but that quick trip into the bizarre at the end grabbed my attention. The lighting, the sound, Wally's dolly-riding float maneuver, all very creepy, good going!

Speaking of creepy, I don't suppose you're anywhere near Niobrara county up there, eh Brad? You might get a kick out of this user's videos: ...

Nice to "see" you again too, Robert. Thank you for your comments.

I live about 250 miles from that County here in fabulous Wyoming and no, I hadn't heard of this. I watched a few. Very interesting indeed and thank you very much for sharing that with me. I look forward to watching them all.

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Lorinda Norton

Hahahahaha!!!!! Oh, Brad……that was right up my alley. You’ve produced some great flicks but I don’t know…this one is darn close to topping them all.

You and Wally make the best team—better than Martin & Lewis, better than, uh, all the other comedy duos out there (sorry, can’t think of ‘em right now). I love your expressions, especially during that first sequence with the rifle. Then the way you two interact just had me laughing and smiling throughout. It even carried me through the hallucinations, which were just as bizarre as you meant them to be. I appreciated the deer getting in his shot, too. “How’s the hunnntting?” ;)

This romp delighted me to no end. I loved it! But I guess you can tell that…

So happy you liked the flickage and I know Wally will be thrilled to hear about these comments.

Speaking of Wally, he wanted me to be sure to say hello to all the DVInfo.net and thedvchallege.com folks. So, "Good morning Sunshine!" from Wally.

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Hugh DiMauro

Brad, once again you dazzled me with your just-left-of-center humor and amazing images. You and Wally nail an immediate audience/character connection that is difficult to explain. Why are some actors superstars and others destined to forever be on the “B” list? I don’t know. Charisma? Whatever it is, you and Wally have it with interactive comic timing, a certain “look” that translates well on the screen and last, but not least, you’re not afraid of a closeup. The camera likes you guys. You’re unafraid to dive in and combine the normalcy of a hunting trip with the zany abnormal result of consuming the wrong type of berries. I love those “oops” moments which make everyday life hilarious. This movie was superb on all levels. I was not scared out of my pants but I certainly did laugh my butt off. I’d rather be in pain from laughing than distress from horror. Great job!

Appreciate your comments, especially all the way from Jersey! And thanks again for being part of the inspiration process. It was earlier comments from you, Lorinda, Meryem and a few others that really spurred us on.

[Chris Barcellos]

Another fine and funny Marlow production. Love your manipulation of images with cuts, stop motion, and whatever, to get the feel you give to your fillms. Highly imaginative editing. I am sure the berries helped....:)

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Daniel Kohl

I am definitely a fan.

The best bit of comedy I have seen in a long time. I won't bother listing all of the things that I like about this film, and why it is abnormally entertaining ... I think its been covered already...

Really appreciate all the comments Daniel. Yes. Once I come out from under the effects of the Wyoming Prairie Berries I do plan to have a bit longer cut with scenes that got tossed and an alternate ending. Will let you know. :)

[Bradley L Marlow]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Another fine and funny Marlow production. Love your manipulation of images with cuts, stop motion, and whatever, to get the feel you give to your fillms. Highly imaginative editing. I am sure the berries helped....:)

I appreciate your comments Chris. Yes...the berries helped bigtime.