Indie
[Sundance Review] ‘Bushwick’ – Birdman of the Apocalypse
Bushwick is the Birdman of apocalyptic survival movies. There are some cuts to cover the passage of time but the amount of action they pull off in single tracking shots is ambitious and mostly impressive.
When Lucy (Brittany Snow) and her boyfriend arrive at the Bushwick subway stop, they find it eerily vacant. Up the stairs they witness a siege on New York with lots of random violence. Lucy escapes inside where Stupe (Dave Bautista) saves her from some more attackers and teams up with her to get to New Jersey.
The synopsis already gives away that this is a new Civil War so I guess they want you to know, even if the characters only find out by capturing a soldier. That’s even scarier now and probably didn’t seem as prescient when they were filming.
The very first sign of trouble is major and there is plenty of graphic violence throughout. CGI fire is telltale. I can forgive them for not pulling off real pyro in the middle of these complicated tracking shots, although it would’ve been even more impressive if they had.
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This is a solid vehicle for Bautista to be a badass in extreme violence. You may see a body slam in his fights but really it’s more rough and tumble. Stupe has Marine training but it’s not some Zero Dark Thirty style either. It’s just getting the job done. It’s actually more of a vehicle for him to play a normal guy, so he’s not typecast as a superhero or Bond villain. He gets an emotional dramatic monologue and pulls it off nicely.
There’s some Rambo medical action of self-cauterizing wounds. Snow’s reactions to pain are adorable considering the context. There’s some fun background action. I actually wish there was a bit more but look for the Hassidic Jews’ moment.
There are some cuts which I think is fine. No need to contrive a reason to stay tracking just so you can say you did. In other long sequences the cuts are carefully concealed. They’re still extravagant takes of violent chaos.
Not all of the twists are as clever as they think it is. Often the cinematography leads you to read what’s about to happen long before it does. And many bold choices are made just to be shocking but with no real motivator to the story.
Bushwick won’t end up a theatrical hit after Sundance but when it appears on VOD, people won’t be disappointed. Or maybe like Cooties, directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott will be able to shoot additional footage and make it more awesome, and perhaps even more seamless.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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