Stars: Nicholas Saenz, Brea Grant, Dave Buckman, Jon Michael Simpson, Adriana Guerra | Written by Ron Maede | Directed by Matt Patterson
Marco spends his days applying for jobs online and waiting for Dana, his pregnant girlfriend, to get home. Strange post-it notes mysteriously appear around the apartment with cryptic warnings. A mechanic texts and calls him with menacing messages from an old non-functioning cell phone. The walls close in and tensions build between Marco and Dana’s relationship until all sense of safety dwindles as the lines between imagined and reality blur for both Marco and the audience. When Marco discovers the root of it all, his real problems begin.
I jokingly thought to myself, in the early going of Apartment 413, that a really daft reason for what’s happening to Marco would be that black mould in the air conditioning unit Marco loves to stand in front of was driving...
Marco spends his days applying for jobs online and waiting for Dana, his pregnant girlfriend, to get home. Strange post-it notes mysteriously appear around the apartment with cryptic warnings. A mechanic texts and calls him with menacing messages from an old non-functioning cell phone. The walls close in and tensions build between Marco and Dana’s relationship until all sense of safety dwindles as the lines between imagined and reality blur for both Marco and the audience. When Marco discovers the root of it all, his real problems begin.
I jokingly thought to myself, in the early going of Apartment 413, that a really daft reason for what’s happening to Marco would be that black mould in the air conditioning unit Marco loves to stand in front of was driving...
- 11/26/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
On an early summer afternoon, amid the sound of squeaky toys and his neighbor's Boxer barking, Houston-based filmmaker Mike Akel and I discussed his segue from teaching to film, his dramedy, An Ordinary Family (Slackerwood's Aff 2011 interview), and his latest foray into the world of tennis.
The co-writer/director of the 2006 award-winning mockumentary Chalk said he and his writing partner, co-film producer Matt Patterson, began working on An Ordinary Family in February 2010 (read Mike's review). The writing process took about four months to complete. After 18 days of filming on location in Austin and Lago Vista in June 2010 and editing in the fall, the film was accepted by the Los Angeles Film Festival and premiered in June 2011. An Ordinary Family went on to receive the Best Feature award at the New Orleans Film Festival and has been released on DVD, and is for rent or sale online through digital channels.
An Ordinary Family...
The co-writer/director of the 2006 award-winning mockumentary Chalk said he and his writing partner, co-film producer Matt Patterson, began working on An Ordinary Family in February 2010 (read Mike's review). The writing process took about four months to complete. After 18 days of filming on location in Austin and Lago Vista in June 2010 and editing in the fall, the film was accepted by the Los Angeles Film Festival and premiered in June 2011. An Ordinary Family went on to receive the Best Feature award at the New Orleans Film Festival and has been released on DVD, and is for rent or sale online through digital channels.
An Ordinary Family...
- 6/28/2012
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: A handful of stellar titles with Oscar aspirations have been programmed into this year’s Austin Film Festival schedule, which begins on Oct. 20 with an as-yet-unnamed Opening Night selection.
In between, Aff audiences will get their first looks at Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” – all films with awards hopes that will screen as part of the festival’s Marquee category.
“We’re proud to be taking our program in some exciting new directions while maintaining our focus on strong writing and engaging stories,” said new Film Programmers Stephen Jannise and Stephen Belyeu.
In addition, the fest has set up special screenings of “Toy Story” (presented by John Lasseter), an “Edward Scissorhands” screening, and a tribute to Polly Platt...
Hollywoodnews.com: A handful of stellar titles with Oscar aspirations have been programmed into this year’s Austin Film Festival schedule, which begins on Oct. 20 with an as-yet-unnamed Opening Night selection.
In between, Aff audiences will get their first looks at Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” – all films with awards hopes that will screen as part of the festival’s Marquee category.
“We’re proud to be taking our program in some exciting new directions while maintaining our focus on strong writing and engaging stories,” said new Film Programmers Stephen Jannise and Stephen Belyeu.
In addition, the fest has set up special screenings of “Toy Story” (presented by John Lasseter), an “Edward Scissorhands” screening, and a tribute to Polly Platt...
- 9/20/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
La Film Fest is just about wrapped up and awards have been announced for the Narrative Competition films premiering at this year's festival. The $15,000 top Narrative Prize went to Stéphane Lafleur's Familiar Ground. While I have yet to catch Lafleur's French-Canadian deadpan comedy, I did see and like How to Cheat - which took home the Best Performance award for the ensemble cast of Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street, and Gabriel Diamond. Here's a quick look at a few of the competition films premiering at this year's fest: My pick of the competition lineup is Mike Akel's An Ordinary Family. This very well scripted verite piece, co-written and produced by Matthew Patterson, takes us inside a family vacation that becomes a bit...
- 6/26/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Making its world premiere at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival, Mike Akel’s “An Ordinary Family” explores what happens when one brother shows up at the family reunion with his boyfriend in tow. Here, writer-director Mike Akel (“Chalk”) writes for Moving Pictures about his inspiration for the project, collaborating with actors during development and filming, and raising finances via crowd-funding
By Mike Akel (writer-director of “An Ordinary Family”)
(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Mike Akel
“An Ordinary Family” was birthed out of my close friendships with Christians, homosexuals and homosexual Christians. Homosexuality in the church is probably the most divisive issue in the flyover states today. I found myself being drawn to tell an intimate story where a man of the cloth is forced to wrestle with his beliefs, not in the pulpit dissecting scripture but at the dinner table while breaking bread with his gay brother and unannounced boyfriend in tow.
By Mike Akel (writer-director of “An Ordinary Family”)
(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Mike Akel
“An Ordinary Family” was birthed out of my close friendships with Christians, homosexuals and homosexual Christians. Homosexuality in the church is probably the most divisive issue in the flyover states today. I found myself being drawn to tell an intimate story where a man of the cloth is forced to wrestle with his beliefs, not in the pulpit dissecting scripture but at the dinner table while breaking bread with his gay brother and unannounced boyfriend in tow.
- 6/23/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Making its world premiere at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival, Mike Akel’s “An Ordinary Family” explores what happens when one brother shows up at the family reunion with his boyfriend in tow. Here, writer-director Mike Akel (“Chalk”) writes for Moving Pictures about his inspiration for the project, collaborating with actors during development and filming, and raising finances via crowd-funding
By Mike Akel (writer-director of “An Ordinary Family”)
(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Mike Akel
“An Ordinary Family” was birthed out of my close friendships with Christians, homosexuals and homosexual Christians. Homosexuality in the church is probably the most divisive issue in the flyover states today. I found myself being drawn to tell an intimate story where a man of the cloth is forced to wrestle with his beliefs, not in the pulpit dissecting scripture but at the dinner table while breaking bread with his gay brother and unannounced boyfriend in tow.
By Mike Akel (writer-director of “An Ordinary Family”)
(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Mike Akel
“An Ordinary Family” was birthed out of my close friendships with Christians, homosexuals and homosexual Christians. Homosexuality in the church is probably the most divisive issue in the flyover states today. I found myself being drawn to tell an intimate story where a man of the cloth is forced to wrestle with his beliefs, not in the pulpit dissecting scripture but at the dinner table while breaking bread with his gay brother and unannounced boyfriend in tow.
- 6/23/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Mike Akel
Written by: Mike Akel and Matt Patterson
Starring: Troy Schremmer, Greg Wise, Janelle Schremmer, Chad Miller, Steven Schaefer, Megan Minto and Lauire Coker
With the tagline “A week of vacation. A lifetime to unpack,” “An Ordinary Family” is shaken up when Seth (Greg Wise) decides that the family reunion is the time to introduce his boyfriend to his Christian family, the majority of whom not only don’t know about his significant other but are in some denial about his homosexuality. Portrayed with wonderful realism and shot with fly-on-the-wall measure, the vacation home provides physical confines within which each of the family members must accept or challenge their predispositions and prejudices.
While Chris (Steven Schaefer) and his wife (Seth’s sister) Sharon (Megan Minto) provide comic relief, Seth’s brother Thomas (Troy Schremmer...
(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Mike Akel
Written by: Mike Akel and Matt Patterson
Starring: Troy Schremmer, Greg Wise, Janelle Schremmer, Chad Miller, Steven Schaefer, Megan Minto and Lauire Coker
With the tagline “A week of vacation. A lifetime to unpack,” “An Ordinary Family” is shaken up when Seth (Greg Wise) decides that the family reunion is the time to introduce his boyfriend to his Christian family, the majority of whom not only don’t know about his significant other but are in some denial about his homosexuality. Portrayed with wonderful realism and shot with fly-on-the-wall measure, the vacation home provides physical confines within which each of the family members must accept or challenge their predispositions and prejudices.
While Chris (Steven Schaefer) and his wife (Seth’s sister) Sharon (Megan Minto) provide comic relief, Seth’s brother Thomas (Troy Schremmer...
- 6/19/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Mike Akel
Written by: Mike Akel and Matt Patterson
Starring: Troy Schremmer, Greg Wise, Janelle Schremmer, Chad Miller, Steven Schaefer, Megan Minto and Lauire Coker
With the tagline “A week of vacation. A lifetime to unpack,” “An Ordinary Family” is shaken up when Seth (Greg Wise) decides that the family reunion is the time to introduce his boyfriend to his Christian family, the majority of whom not only don’t know about his significant other but are in some denial about his homosexuality. Portrayed with wonderful realism and shot with fly-on-the-wall measure, the vacation home provides physical confines within which each of the family members must accept or challenge their predispositions and prejudices.
While Chris (Steven Schaefer) and his wife (Seth’s sister) Sharon (Megan Minto) provide comic relief, Seth’s brother Thomas (Troy Schremmer...
(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Mike Akel
Written by: Mike Akel and Matt Patterson
Starring: Troy Schremmer, Greg Wise, Janelle Schremmer, Chad Miller, Steven Schaefer, Megan Minto and Lauire Coker
With the tagline “A week of vacation. A lifetime to unpack,” “An Ordinary Family” is shaken up when Seth (Greg Wise) decides that the family reunion is the time to introduce his boyfriend to his Christian family, the majority of whom not only don’t know about his significant other but are in some denial about his homosexuality. Portrayed with wonderful realism and shot with fly-on-the-wall measure, the vacation home provides physical confines within which each of the family members must accept or challenge their predispositions and prejudices.
While Chris (Steven Schaefer) and his wife (Seth’s sister) Sharon (Megan Minto) provide comic relief, Seth’s brother Thomas (Troy Schremmer...
- 6/19/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
The Los Angeles Film Festival has announced the world premiere of Richard Linklater's Bernie as the opening night film for the 2011 festival.
The film will kick off the festival on June 16 at Regal Cinemas Stadium 14 at L.A. Live. It is written by Skip Hollandsworth and director Linklater and stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey.
The film follows a beloved mortician (Black) from a small Texas town, even winning over the town's richest, meanest widow (MacLaine). Even after Bernie commits a horrible crime, people still will not utter a bad word against him.
"We're thrilled to be opening the Festival with the world premiere of this delicious black comedy - a treat from one of the most original and exciting voices in independent film, Richard Linklater," said Festival director Rebecca Yeldham. "With its fabulous all-star cast, Bernie is a perfect stage setter for the incredible line-up of...
The film will kick off the festival on June 16 at Regal Cinemas Stadium 14 at L.A. Live. It is written by Skip Hollandsworth and director Linklater and stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey.
The film follows a beloved mortician (Black) from a small Texas town, even winning over the town's richest, meanest widow (MacLaine). Even after Bernie commits a horrible crime, people still will not utter a bad word against him.
"We're thrilled to be opening the Festival with the world premiere of this delicious black comedy - a treat from one of the most original and exciting voices in independent film, Richard Linklater," said Festival director Rebecca Yeldham. "With its fabulous all-star cast, Bernie is a perfect stage setter for the incredible line-up of...
- 5/30/2011
- by alyssa@mediavine.com (Alyssa Caverley)
- Reel Movie News
Whenever I think of the apocalypse, I tend to think of it as manifesting due to a natural disaster, a virus or some out-of-this-world phenomenon (like an alien invasion). I’m sure at some point I’ve connected it with war but I can pretty much guarantee that I never considered it from the perspective of Jeffrey Travis’ Dragon Day.
Think for a moment of all the bits of technology you own, from your microwave to your car. 90% of those items are made in China and chances are, it has a chip of some sort in it. There’s also a very high chance that there are millions of others in the Us (and likely the world) who have that same item. Travis and co-writer Matt Patterson’s story takes place after China calls a type of war on the Us by literally shutting down the country via those pesky made in China chips.
Think for a moment of all the bits of technology you own, from your microwave to your car. 90% of those items are made in China and chances are, it has a chip of some sort in it. There’s also a very high chance that there are millions of others in the Us (and likely the world) who have that same item. Travis and co-writer Matt Patterson’s story takes place after China calls a type of war on the Us by literally shutting down the country via those pesky made in China chips.
- 11/23/2010
- QuietEarth.us
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