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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Film Dammit! Also Available on DVD

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 1:46 PM

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I knew I was forgetting something when I was putting together Today in DVD Releases. Also out on DVD today is Cthulhu, the locally produced horror movie.

Grant Cogswell wrote about the making of Chtulhu here. I was not a fan of Cthulhu, to say the least. Dave Schmader provided a balanced roundup of reviews that saw more in the film than I did.

But no matter what you think of the movie, it's still a big deal to have a made-in-Washington film released on DVD. And it is available on Netflix and at video stores near you starting today, so you can decide for yourself. Apologies to everyone who worked on Cthulhu for the totally unintentional snub.

UPDATE: Gold Star Comment goes to WA Film Lover, who says:

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is another feature film, made in WA, that is also out on DVD right now. Unlike Cthulhu, though, it has recieved nothing but praise from critics and even a thumbs up from scifi geeks like Wil Wheaton. So why hasn't The Stranger covered this film? Let's try and promote a few WA movies that don't suck.

WAFL, I can't speak for everyone else, but I haven't covered the film because I have never heard of it. I saw a mockumentary called Gamers that was unexceptionally bad, but I now realize that it's a different movie. I just moved TG:DR to the top of my Netflix queue, though; thanks for suggesting it.

Comments (20) RSS

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Yay, more cute animals on Slog! Woo! Hopefully this one is being well cared for (if not well protected in the wild).

Posted by whatev, mind on March 31, 2009 at 1:51 PM

All your base are belong to Fnarf

Posted by I Am Cthulhu, Hear My Mindless Scream on March 31, 2009 at 2:06 PM

I'm not really that interested in all your base.

Posted by Fnarf on March 31, 2009 at 2:17 PM

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is another feature film, made in WA, that is also out on DVD right now. Unlike Cthulhu, though, it has recieved nothing but praise from critics and even a thumbs up from scifi geeks like Wil Wheaton. So why hasn't The Stranger covered this film? Let's try and promote a few WA movies that don't suck.

Posted by WA Film Lover on March 31, 2009 at 2:18 PM

The Cthulhu movie was fine, up until that third-reel blooper where the movie cuts straight to the credits.
Haha, what a laugh we all had as we stormed out!

Posted by Trayson on March 31, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Suggestion: play the Cthulhu dvd on a nice big tv with the sound off in a setting where you won't get drawn into it. You'll enjoy it better that way, occasionally noticing the nice cinematography but not getting frustrated by all the other elements.

Posted by stinkbug on March 31, 2009 at 2:49 PM

@6 So, basically, it's the Cremaster Cycle?

Posted by SF in SF on March 31, 2009 at 2:55 PM

Interesting - the article the Cogswell wrote about making Cthulu has had all the comments deleted.

Probably just an accident. Or another of many benefits of The Stranger's pension plan.

Posted by John Galt on March 31, 2009 at 3:04 PM

Just for reference - here's a Letter to the Editor that the article inspired - penned by one of the very many people who COGSWELL left feeling shorted:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/lette…

Posted by John Galt on March 31, 2009 at 3:11 PM

Drug-soaked gay-themed disasters created by friends of the Stranger always get more coverage than local films with none of those characteristics. From reading Cogswell's own account of the creation of his film, it appears he needs to be filed next to the asshole who did "Boondock Saints" and the "Coven" guy under "Hacks who must never be allowed to make another film".

Posted by tiktok on March 31, 2009 at 3:16 PM

Most of the filming was done in Oregon. The movie made a point about it being part of the plot and all.

Posted by Zander on March 31, 2009 at 3:22 PM

My mistake - the honor of the paper is intact. The article was published prior to comments being allowed on articles - they can be found in the SLOG stub here:

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/06/this…

Posted by John Galt on March 31, 2009 at 3:29 PM

I saw an early version of Cthulhu at the LGBT film festival. It truly sucked. To be fair, part of the problem was that they had a bad copy, which rendered the whole thing so dark you couldn't see it half the time.

But I've heard that major revisions were made, and there was enough promise there that I plan to rent it and give it a second chance.

Posted by Reverse Polarity on March 31, 2009 at 3:35 PM

@4, I'm skeptical. Where, exactly, did you see any critical review of Dorkness Rising? I know a couple people involved in the production, and it sounded very silly. Rottentomatoes doesn't rate it at all by anyone. Did it even get a theatrical release? Or just go straight to DVD?

I'm all for promoting local film, but you sound a little ridiculous pimping a film like Dorkness Rising.

Posted by Reverse Polarity on March 31, 2009 at 3:39 PM

Fnarfs base is at least 9000 years old

Posted by Fnarf Hank Hill on March 31, 2009 at 4:10 PM

But you should see the decor!

Posted by Fnarf on March 31, 2009 at 4:22 PM

Dorkness Rising is just as stupid as the first, but anyone who has ever played an RPG will see it as goofy fun. It is bad in that on-purpose amateur film way.

And it is always better than the schlock short films made by artists who "earn" a living applying for grants that modern art museums always have running in the corners.

Posted by StC on March 31, 2009 at 4:57 PM

Dorkness Rising is a really nice, fun film made to entertain. And it does it's job well.

Just because it didn't get picked up for theatrical distribution or the almighty Rottentomatoes didn't provide you with the assessment you wanted, doesn't mean it's not worth mentioning.

Local filmmakers need all the help they can get, and people who give it are not inherently "ridiculous".

Posted by Undead Turkey on April 1, 2009 at 5:14 PM

Oddly, Dorkness Rising does have a Stranger connection - Charles Mudede taught several of the filmmakers writing when they were back in college. But frankly, we never sent it in to The Stranger for review because we didn't make it for jaded Seattle hipsters who, love them though we do, tend to pan local film on principle. Our intended audience is passionate about Dorkness Rising and in our book that's a success. Plus, you know, our movies actually sell. What more could we ask for? (Although, if The Stranger decides to review our movie, give Charles a crack at it - he'll appreciate the Hegelian tension between the 'real' and 'imagined' worlds.)

Posted by Ben on April 1, 2009 at 8:08 PM

(Don't take me wrongly, The Stranger is my favorite paper, hands down. I just enjoy flying under your radar as much as possible. Don't change a thing, etc.)

Posted by Ben on April 1, 2009 at 8:12 PM