Indie
[Sundance Review] ‘Outlaws and Angels’ is a Bloody Awful Western
It’s great to see a film shot and projected on film at Sundance. Too bad they didn’t know how to record sound. Half the locations drown out the actors and the score sounds like it was recorded on a boom box, it’s so blown out and distorted. That’s just one of the technically incompetent, amateurish aspects of Outlaws and Angels.
A gang of outlaws led by Henry (Chad Michael Murray) invade the home of bible thumping matriarch Ada (Teri Polo), her husband George (Ben BrowdeR) and daughters Florence (Francesca Eastwood) and Charlotte (Madisen Beaty). A lawman (Luke Wilson) is on the hunt but he won’t get there before the outlaws traumatized this family.
The 35mm film can’t hide that all the actors look like they’re in a Frontier Town theme park. Most are doing caricature western prospector accents. Wilson is saddled with lines like, “come out slow-like” and “That’s what you get for talking out your neck, you yellow scamp.” A cameo player as an abusive husband clearly does not make contact when he slaps his wife, twice.
The outlaws spend the night making cheap sexual threats on the daughters. Rape is portrayed several times for shock value, or one time in the case of a revenge re-rape for comedy. Ridiculous scenes like a protracted disrobing by Murray rob the villains of any menace. There are a few genuine shocks but the film has so failed to create a reality or the old west into which to buy. The kills are bloody, I’ll give them that.
Director JT Mollner and cinematographer Matthew Irving go overboard on zoom lenses in every scene. If Sergio Leone were still here to see this, he’d say, “Settle down, dudes.” They do Leone freeze frame opening titles too, but they only show the same thing over and over. It’s a guy in a mask from this angle, and that angle, and another angle!
Congratulations on getting this first feature into the Sundance Film Festival. I think it was a mistake to submit it though because it’s not ready. Now one of the largest audiences of decision makers in the industry has seen what looks like an unfinished student film.
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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