Alastair Stewart Mar 2, 2017
Arguably, British tech ensemble Bugs paved the way for the likes of Spooks, Sherlock, Torchwood and more...
It feels a long time ago that watching Saturday night TV with the family was the norm, but back in the 1990s, millions crowded around the box for the likes of Noel's House Party, Due South, The Generation Game, and of course, Bugs. The latter ran for four series between 1995 and 1999 and arguably holds the distinction of being embryonic of later, more intensive, tech-heavy UK shows including Spooks and Sherlock.
See related Deadpool: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick interview Deadpool: Ryan Reynolds on channeling the character
The general Bugs premise involved a team of crime-fighting gadget experts facing a range of modern (now charmingly redundant), technology-centred threats. The main triptych of regulars included Nick Beckett (Jesse Birdsall), Ros Henderson (Jaye Griffiths) and Ed (Neighbours alumnus Craig McLachlan in series...
Arguably, British tech ensemble Bugs paved the way for the likes of Spooks, Sherlock, Torchwood and more...
It feels a long time ago that watching Saturday night TV with the family was the norm, but back in the 1990s, millions crowded around the box for the likes of Noel's House Party, Due South, The Generation Game, and of course, Bugs. The latter ran for four series between 1995 and 1999 and arguably holds the distinction of being embryonic of later, more intensive, tech-heavy UK shows including Spooks and Sherlock.
See related Deadpool: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick interview Deadpool: Ryan Reynolds on channeling the character
The general Bugs premise involved a team of crime-fighting gadget experts facing a range of modern (now charmingly redundant), technology-centred threats. The main triptych of regulars included Nick Beckett (Jesse Birdsall), Ros Henderson (Jaye Griffiths) and Ed (Neighbours alumnus Craig McLachlan in series...
- 2/25/2017
- Den of Geek
The Strongest Man is a dry, dead-pan comedy about a Cuban man in Miami called Beef, played by Robert Lorie. Beef works in construction, but is known by friends and coworkers for being exceptionally strong. Beef is a good-sized man, but his natural strength goes far beyond the limits of any man I’ve ever met. Ultimately, this is a relatively insignificant fact about Beef, as his one love and passion in life is his gold-painted BMX bike, which he rides proudly like a child when not working construction or hanging art for a local rich white woman named Mrs. Rosen, played by Lisa Banes.
Beef’s best friend and coworker is the son of Korean immigrants and a seemingly talented yet underachieving man called Conan, played by Paul Chamberlain. The two spend most of their time together, often having peculiarly philosophical conversations in English, while Beef’s thoughts narrate the film in Spanish.
Beef’s best friend and coworker is the son of Korean immigrants and a seemingly talented yet underachieving man called Conan, played by Paul Chamberlain. The two spend most of their time together, often having peculiarly philosophical conversations in English, while Beef’s thoughts narrate the film in Spanish.
- 6/25/2015
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The Strongest Man” is a record of determination; not just in plot, but in production as well. Riches’ stick-to-itiveness work method is on full display - par for the course for someone who, as a kid, lived, breathed, and ate skateboarding (and lots of concrete pavement).
History
Originally from Salt Lake City, Riches gained early experience making short films with childhood friends Patrick Fugit, Paul Chamberlain, and David Fetzer. Branching out from an interest in skate videos and visuals, Riches studied art in university, but his success as an artist was not enough to deter his silver screen goals.
“I realized I wasn’t making films and doing what I cared about, so that’s when I started writing again.”
Utilizing the fanbases of Patrick Fugit, and Ashly Burch of the popular web series “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?,” Riches partially funded his first feature film, “Must Come Down,” by spearheading a strong Kickstarter campaign - a “good tool for young filmmakers” says Riches.
Friends/Family
“When we lived together, every day, me and [David Fetzer] would wake up and watch a movie. We’d assign each other screenwriting homework. We had our own form of school. [Patrick Fugit] and David are so invested in performance. They were my film school. They were the ones that showed me how to appreciate story and character and writing. That’s the language they spoke. Patrick - going to visit him on set. He’s so supportive and he’s the reason why I’d ever been on a film set in the first place.”
Riches brought along the majority of the same cast and crew from “Must Come Down” to “The Strongest Man” likening it to a family reunion and a reason to get his friends all together.
“I’m learning as I go. I don’t like when people bring ego to set. I like the collaborative spirit. I’m very happy I can bring my friends along and they all found where they fit. It’s a family that I try to keep together as long as I can.”
Writer/Director
“For the most part my films are regional, reactionary, and circumstantial. Just towards what is happening. Presently or in the past.”
On the strength of “The Strongest Man”’s Sundance premiere, Riches has signed with UTA, and now faces a difficult decision about the direction of his career. For now, Riches has only directed features of his own creation.
“I think I’m hitting that step of my career where filmmakers have to find answers to that question. Right now I’m not sure what I want. I want to do what I do, but I haven’t closed that door of taking a look at other projects. I wouldn’t trust someone to direct something I’ve written because it’s so specific and visual… things might be lost in translation.”
With his career taking off to new heights, finding balance in business and creation is about finding the right compromises to make.
“It’s really hard to stay focused on writing if you have a day job. And I just try to live as thin as possible. My cost of living is so low and it’s more important to me to focus on film rather than upgrade my car. That’s the struggle all filmmakers have: you don’t want to lose your voice, you want to make the stuff you want to make so you have to sacrifice a little.
Miami
“Having a relationship with this place gives it another texture that you just don’t get. It’s just a weird place.”
Trading salt lakes for saltier oceans, Riches moved to Miami after a period of restlessness and took inspiration from the city’s unique way of life. Set on the streets of Miami, “The Strongest Man” portrays a rare slice in an already legendary locale, incorporating ostentatious cultural norms with an introverted twist.
“My film is very Miami-centric, references that you’ll only know if you’ve ever been or lived [there]. Miami’s image of money and the complexities it brings with poverty and luxury bumped up right next to each other is interesting. All of that stuff is a part of the culture so I just thought it was appropriate for [Beef, the protagonist] to have a gold bike, but live in a tiny apartment across the street from a luxury condo development. Beef’s anxiety monster in the film is made of palm fronds and palm leaves that fall off the trees; they start decomposing and turn black. So everything was influenced by being there. My bike was stolen, just like Beef’s was.”
Contrasting, relative to the typical depictions of the city which have been immortalized in films like “Scarface” and series like “Miami Vice.” A city of stereotypical excess has never been so humbled, down to earth, and yet so rightly touted and honored at the same time.
“There’s something very exciting happening in the indie film scene in Miami. It’s the one place I’ve been where indie theaters are opening instead of closing.”
Beef
Though the protagonist “Beef,” portrayed by Robert “Meatball” Lorie, has the Miami affinity for the material, his monastic nature is equally level throughout the film. Lorie’s performance is akin to surface tension - constantly on the edge of rupturing; and his relatively transparent tone and goal is tempered by humorous deadpan along with mindful contemplation, perhaps giving more insight into Kenny Riches’ being rather than Beef’s.
“I had crazy bad anxiety. Beef is kind of a mash-up of me and [Rob Lorie.] I’m more introverted and he’s much more charming. I like the conflict it brings. Having this physically strong character who’s telling this story that’s engrained in masculine Latin culture, but on the inside… a small, insecure person – that juxtaposition set up something different.”
The Strongest Man
There’s an understandable amount of ambivalence when it comes to Riches’ sophomore effort - a dark comedy that carries indie’s knack for quirk and offbeat mindsets; featuring a storybook aesthetic like Wes Anderson, and sharing the esoteric humor of other Slc natives Jared and Jerusha Hess, the film finds terra firma on universal themes in spite of its individual attitude.
“As long as your characters are relatable. That’s the most important part. I’m interested in flawed human characters that anyone will get it. With “Must Come Down” I thought I was making a film that was more marketable or relatable, but this time I wrote something that I wanted, without considering how it would be received, and it’s interesting to me that this is the film that I went to Sundance with. Do what you want to do, oftentimes that voice is more honest.”
“The Strongest Man ” premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015. FilmBuff has acquired North American distribution rights. Isa: Xyz Films .
Kenny Riches is the Vice President of the David Ross Fetzer Foundation which is a grant giving organization for filmmakers and playwrights dedicated in memory to the late David Fetzer. Riches is currently represented by UTA .
The Phoenix Film Festival is an annual international festival that takes place in Phoenix, Arizona.
Special thanks to Erik O’Malley.
History
Originally from Salt Lake City, Riches gained early experience making short films with childhood friends Patrick Fugit, Paul Chamberlain, and David Fetzer. Branching out from an interest in skate videos and visuals, Riches studied art in university, but his success as an artist was not enough to deter his silver screen goals.
“I realized I wasn’t making films and doing what I cared about, so that’s when I started writing again.”
Utilizing the fanbases of Patrick Fugit, and Ashly Burch of the popular web series “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?,” Riches partially funded his first feature film, “Must Come Down,” by spearheading a strong Kickstarter campaign - a “good tool for young filmmakers” says Riches.
Friends/Family
“When we lived together, every day, me and [David Fetzer] would wake up and watch a movie. We’d assign each other screenwriting homework. We had our own form of school. [Patrick Fugit] and David are so invested in performance. They were my film school. They were the ones that showed me how to appreciate story and character and writing. That’s the language they spoke. Patrick - going to visit him on set. He’s so supportive and he’s the reason why I’d ever been on a film set in the first place.”
Riches brought along the majority of the same cast and crew from “Must Come Down” to “The Strongest Man” likening it to a family reunion and a reason to get his friends all together.
“I’m learning as I go. I don’t like when people bring ego to set. I like the collaborative spirit. I’m very happy I can bring my friends along and they all found where they fit. It’s a family that I try to keep together as long as I can.”
Writer/Director
“For the most part my films are regional, reactionary, and circumstantial. Just towards what is happening. Presently or in the past.”
On the strength of “The Strongest Man”’s Sundance premiere, Riches has signed with UTA, and now faces a difficult decision about the direction of his career. For now, Riches has only directed features of his own creation.
“I think I’m hitting that step of my career where filmmakers have to find answers to that question. Right now I’m not sure what I want. I want to do what I do, but I haven’t closed that door of taking a look at other projects. I wouldn’t trust someone to direct something I’ve written because it’s so specific and visual… things might be lost in translation.”
With his career taking off to new heights, finding balance in business and creation is about finding the right compromises to make.
“It’s really hard to stay focused on writing if you have a day job. And I just try to live as thin as possible. My cost of living is so low and it’s more important to me to focus on film rather than upgrade my car. That’s the struggle all filmmakers have: you don’t want to lose your voice, you want to make the stuff you want to make so you have to sacrifice a little.
Miami
“Having a relationship with this place gives it another texture that you just don’t get. It’s just a weird place.”
Trading salt lakes for saltier oceans, Riches moved to Miami after a period of restlessness and took inspiration from the city’s unique way of life. Set on the streets of Miami, “The Strongest Man” portrays a rare slice in an already legendary locale, incorporating ostentatious cultural norms with an introverted twist.
“My film is very Miami-centric, references that you’ll only know if you’ve ever been or lived [there]. Miami’s image of money and the complexities it brings with poverty and luxury bumped up right next to each other is interesting. All of that stuff is a part of the culture so I just thought it was appropriate for [Beef, the protagonist] to have a gold bike, but live in a tiny apartment across the street from a luxury condo development. Beef’s anxiety monster in the film is made of palm fronds and palm leaves that fall off the trees; they start decomposing and turn black. So everything was influenced by being there. My bike was stolen, just like Beef’s was.”
Contrasting, relative to the typical depictions of the city which have been immortalized in films like “Scarface” and series like “Miami Vice.” A city of stereotypical excess has never been so humbled, down to earth, and yet so rightly touted and honored at the same time.
“There’s something very exciting happening in the indie film scene in Miami. It’s the one place I’ve been where indie theaters are opening instead of closing.”
Beef
Though the protagonist “Beef,” portrayed by Robert “Meatball” Lorie, has the Miami affinity for the material, his monastic nature is equally level throughout the film. Lorie’s performance is akin to surface tension - constantly on the edge of rupturing; and his relatively transparent tone and goal is tempered by humorous deadpan along with mindful contemplation, perhaps giving more insight into Kenny Riches’ being rather than Beef’s.
“I had crazy bad anxiety. Beef is kind of a mash-up of me and [Rob Lorie.] I’m more introverted and he’s much more charming. I like the conflict it brings. Having this physically strong character who’s telling this story that’s engrained in masculine Latin culture, but on the inside… a small, insecure person – that juxtaposition set up something different.”
The Strongest Man
There’s an understandable amount of ambivalence when it comes to Riches’ sophomore effort - a dark comedy that carries indie’s knack for quirk and offbeat mindsets; featuring a storybook aesthetic like Wes Anderson, and sharing the esoteric humor of other Slc natives Jared and Jerusha Hess, the film finds terra firma on universal themes in spite of its individual attitude.
“As long as your characters are relatable. That’s the most important part. I’m interested in flawed human characters that anyone will get it. With “Must Come Down” I thought I was making a film that was more marketable or relatable, but this time I wrote something that I wanted, without considering how it would be received, and it’s interesting to me that this is the film that I went to Sundance with. Do what you want to do, oftentimes that voice is more honest.”
“The Strongest Man ” premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015. FilmBuff has acquired North American distribution rights. Isa: Xyz Films .
Kenny Riches is the Vice President of the David Ross Fetzer Foundation which is a grant giving organization for filmmakers and playwrights dedicated in memory to the late David Fetzer. Riches is currently represented by UTA .
The Phoenix Film Festival is an annual international festival that takes place in Phoenix, Arizona.
Special thanks to Erik O’Malley.
- 4/7/2015
- by Vincent Lay
- Sydney's Buzz
Besides the Student Academy Award, which the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awards to five students chosen for their under-40-minute short films, there is another short film grant program, in memory of David Ross Fetzer, that helps aspiring independent filmmakers create their own films.
The Davey Foundation is once again offering aspiring writers and filmmakers the chance to produce their own films by delivering three short film grants this year. The Davey Foundation was founded last year in honor of David Ross Fetzer, the Salt Lake City-based actor known for his work in indie projects such as "Must Come Down" and "Point B." Fetzer was committed to helping up-and-coming independent filmmakers and the foundation aims to continue his legacy.
Two of the grants are $5,000 each to produce a short film. The third allows the user to use a $10,000 Cinema Camera Package. The Davey Foundation stayed true to their promise of offering more from the grant in 2015, as last year they offered one $3,500 grant. The deadline is March 15, 2015.
Recipients of the grants will also be assigned mentors to help in the filmmaking process. The mentors include last year's grant recipient Ben Kegan ("The First Men") and award-winning filmmakers Kenny Riches ("The Strongest Man") and Dustin Guy Defa ("Person to Person," "Bad Fever").
Joining Riches and Defa this year as a finalist judge is David Zellner, writer and director of "Kumiko the Treasure Hunter."
For more information about the Davey Foundation and grants offered, click here.
...
The Davey Foundation is once again offering aspiring writers and filmmakers the chance to produce their own films by delivering three short film grants this year. The Davey Foundation was founded last year in honor of David Ross Fetzer, the Salt Lake City-based actor known for his work in indie projects such as "Must Come Down" and "Point B." Fetzer was committed to helping up-and-coming independent filmmakers and the foundation aims to continue his legacy.
Two of the grants are $5,000 each to produce a short film. The third allows the user to use a $10,000 Cinema Camera Package. The Davey Foundation stayed true to their promise of offering more from the grant in 2015, as last year they offered one $3,500 grant. The deadline is March 15, 2015.
Recipients of the grants will also be assigned mentors to help in the filmmaking process. The mentors include last year's grant recipient Ben Kegan ("The First Men") and award-winning filmmakers Kenny Riches ("The Strongest Man") and Dustin Guy Defa ("Person to Person," "Bad Fever").
Joining Riches and Defa this year as a finalist judge is David Zellner, writer and director of "Kumiko the Treasure Hunter."
For more information about the Davey Foundation and grants offered, click here.
...
- 2/23/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Davey Foundation is once again offering aspiring writers and filmmakers the chance to produce their own films by delivering three short film grants this year. The Davey Foundation was founded last year in honor of David Ross Fetzer, the Salt Lake City-based actor known for his work in indie projects such as "Must Come Down" and "Point B." Fetzer was committed to helping up-and-coming independent filmmakers and the foundation aims to continue his legacy. Two of the grants are $5,000 each to produce a short film. The third allows the user to use a $10,000 Cinema Camera Package. The Davey Foundation stayed true to their promise of offering more from the grant in 2015, as last year they offered one $3,500 grant. The deadline is March 15, 2015. Recipients of the grants will also be assigned mentors to help in the filmmaking process. The mentors include last year's grant recipient Ben Kegan ("The First Men") and award-winning filmmakers Kenny Riches.
- 2/17/2015
- by Travis Clark
- Indiewire
Writer/director Kenny Riches unveiled his feature debut "Must Come Down" a couple years back, hitting a handful of low key festivals and getting on the right radars. His sophomore effort "The Strongest Man" is now gearing up for a Sundance Film Festival premiere, and today we have an exclusive look at the movie. Starring Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit and Lisa Banes, the light, oddball story involves characters named Beef and Conan and a distinct prized possession: a solid gold BMX bike. Here's the official synopsis: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think,...
- 1/23/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
The 2nd annual South Texas Underground Film Festival, running Oct. 3-6 in Corpus Christi, Texas, is a massive celebration of international alternative cinema, including plenty from Texas filmmakers, of course.
The fest opened on the 3rd with the drop-dead hilarious comedy Pictures of Superheroes by Austin filmmaker Don Swaynos.
But, there’s still plenty more to see throughout the jam-packed weekend wherein films screen from morning until, well, early into the next morning.
The film that’s absolutely not to be missed is the screening on the 6th at 10:30 a.m. of Savage Witches, the amazing celebration of the art of filmmaking by British directors Daniel Fawcett & Clara Pais. A colorful spectacle of multiple filmmaking styles, Savage Witches is a real joy to experience.
Also to be on the lookout for are on the 5th at 11:00 a.m. is the new rockin’ documentary Mondo Fuzz: Twilight of the...
The fest opened on the 3rd with the drop-dead hilarious comedy Pictures of Superheroes by Austin filmmaker Don Swaynos.
But, there’s still plenty more to see throughout the jam-packed weekend wherein films screen from morning until, well, early into the next morning.
The film that’s absolutely not to be missed is the screening on the 6th at 10:30 a.m. of Savage Witches, the amazing celebration of the art of filmmaking by British directors Daniel Fawcett & Clara Pais. A colorful spectacle of multiple filmmaking styles, Savage Witches is a real joy to experience.
Also to be on the lookout for are on the 5th at 11:00 a.m. is the new rockin’ documentary Mondo Fuzz: Twilight of the...
- 10/4/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Both Battleship and The Cold Light of Day get the international treatment in the form of new trailers. First, Battleship essentially melds together the two domestic trailers we've seen thus far with hardly any new footage. Regardless of where you stand with the movie, the editing is pretty crisp. Speaking of crisp editing, The Cold Day of Light takes the domestic trailer released a couple weeks ago and puts it through the editing process for a tighter and much more compelling international trailer. Take a look at them down below. Video: The Cold Light of Day trailer We can't leave out the indies. First up is the promising comedy Must Come Down, starring Ashly Burch and David Fetzer as a couple of unemployed people in the midst of their quarter-life crisis. The...
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- 2/22/2012
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
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