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SDCC 2012 – Movie Review: Dust Up

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San Diego Comic-Con isn’t just about comic books, really the majority doesn’t seem to be about comics anymore. Along with that, you’ll find folks promoting television, movies and more. Case in point, Dust Up, which I knew nothing about going into seeing the movie. I received an invite to the movie, so I said “why not, I could use a break from walking” and decided to attend the screening. Seriously, this was my logic.

In a small room about the size of my living room, I sat with about a dozen people including the director and some of the actors including former Buffy actress Amber Benson. It was a very odd experience. Walking in I was greeted by a man who turned out to be Ward Roberts, the writer and director and offered refreshments. So far, pretty interesting….

We walked to a small screening room after sitting around for about 15 minutes where we were told we were the first audience, not involved in the movie, to see the film. That’s a first for me. Finally, one of the cool kids!

Ok, so about the movie and that review…

The movie is a grindhouse western. Post viewing, Roberts admitted this was a labor of love of friends and had little budget. Even with the low-fi feel and at times laughable dialogue and action, there was something so much fun about the film.

The movie follows Jack (Aaron Gaffey), a war vet and his protecting Ella (Amber Benson) whose drug addict husband owes a lot of money to Buzz (Jeremiah Birkett) a local drug dealer and psychopath. Did I mention Jack’s best friend is a man dressed as an Indian? Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s over the top. Yes, it’s hilarious.

The story is straight forward, but you can tell people are having fun and just going crazy with the characters playing them so out there that it’s hard not to laugh and enjoy. That’s a good thing, because there’s absolute issues. The first 2/3’s of the movie is a grindhouse/western/b-movie that feels like something Tarantino might recommend. The last third derails a bit with some scenes so over the top, and some plot points that don’t make too much sense. But the blood splattering fights and killings make you forget all of that and just enjoy what’s in front of you.

If this movie hits your town and you’re a fan of this type of movie, absolutely take the opportunity to see it.

Direction: Ward Roberts at times has a great eye. The angles and how he frames some of the scenes and dialogue remind me something I might see Tarantino do, but at the same time it might be a mumblecore movie with the conversations. There’s a quick wit at times in the writing and the back and forth between Jack and Herman is awesome. Absolutely some solid moments and exactly what I’d hope for in this type of movie. Rating: 7

Acting: I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t have fun and go over the top with their characters or the acting. How can you not enjoy it? Mike C. nelson’s Keith stands out in the delivery and movements. There’s no Oscar performance here, but are you expecting it? Rating: 7

Plot: Generally a good guy gets caught into a bad situation and tries to do good. It’s basic, it’s been there, but there’s small details that just stand out, mostly surrounding the characters. A guy wants to be an Indian! Trust me, it’s funny. The first 2/3’s is great and then there’s some issues in the last 1/3. I wish I could give specifics, but that’d ruin the moments. Rating: 6

Overall: I liked the movie. The feel of the film is a B-movie and grindhouse flick. We’re not talking Shakespeare, but I wasn’t expecting it. I wanted over the top acting, violence, crazy scenes and it’s all there. When this movie hits the theaters in the Fall, grab some popcorn and enjoy being able to turn your brain off for an over the top experience. Overall Rating: 7

Graphic Policy was provided with FREE screening of the movie.

IDW Unleashes Zombies vs. Robots Prose ePub Program

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IDW Unleashes Zombies vs. Robots Prose ePub Program
“8×8 Plan” offers one new story each week for eight weeks starting Jan. 20, 2012 

Writer/actress Brea Grant spearheads ZVR e-single pulp-lit push for New Year.

[Zombies vs Robots Brea Grant Cover]San Diego, CA (January 20, 2012)—IDW Publishing continues expanding its prose publishing activities with a two-month-long “e-singles” promotion featuring all-new stories set in the gleefully gory ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS universe. The property was first published in 2006 as a two-issue mini-series from the creative team of artist Ashley Wood and writer/editor Chris Ryall. Helpless to resist ZVR’s rowdy mix of clunky, wise-cracking robots trying to stem the zombie apocalypse (the fault of clumsy scientists), with the remnants of mankind caught in the middle. There have been multiple ZVR miniseries, and in 2010, Sony Pictures optioned the film rights for Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company.

Beginning on January 20, IDW will digitally release one new ZVR prose story each week for eight weeks.

“We’re calling this our ‘8×8’ plan,” explains Jeff Conner, the IDW contributing editor responsible for the ZVR prose line. “Each week, from January 20 to March 9, we’ll debut a new short story torn from the festering jaws of the shambling, clanking world that is ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS. And these all-new tales will be a tasty $0.99 each—it’s our New Year’s gift to the brain-eating reading public.”

“Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” is the first 8×8 offering, and comes from the multi-talented actress/writer Brea Grant (Heroes, Dexter, Halloween II). Told via blog entries, her story extends the recent Zombies vs. Robots: Undercity comic book miniseries, which introduced readers to the young blogger from India, and ended with the members of an elite subterranean enclave underneath the Washington Monument being wiped out by ravenous zombies—or so we are led to believe.[Zombies vs Robots This Means War Image]

“I wanted to put someone in one of the most difficult places possible by ripping away her community, family, and everything she knows, leaving her with her own thoughts,” states Grant, whose writing credits include the IDW comics We Will Bury You and Suicide Girls. “I wanted this person to deal with religion, love, gods and sanity all alone, separated from the raging violence outside. And who better to put in that position than a jaded, flippant teenage blogger named Pammi?”

“We’re quite committed to e-singles,” Conner noted. “They’re such an effective way to present our scintillating shambling dead vs. gun-crazed warbot content. Going exclusively digital with 8×8 was, as we say around IDW, a no-brainer. For sure we’ll be doing more digital-only promotions as the year unfolds.”

Debuting weekly starting on January 20, 2012, the ZVR e-singles will be available on the Kindle, Nook and in iBooks. The full 8×8 schedule is:

Brea Grant — “Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” (1/20/12)
UnderCity’s lone survivor continues her blog and meets (creates?) a digital deity with its own ideas about fighting the zombie apocalypse.
Brea Grant is sometimes a writer (We Will Bury You; Suicide Girls), sometimes an actress (Heroes; Dexter; Halloween 2) and all-the-time a nice person. She is currently directing her first film.

Steve Rasnic Tem — “To Denver (with Hiram Battling Zombies)” (1/27/12)
What happens when high-test chronic is tainted with potent zombie blood? Will it be a high to die for?
Multiple award-winning author Steve Rasnic Tem has published over 300 short stories in the areas of fantasy, science fiction, crime, and horror.  His latest novel is Deadfall Hotel.

Nancy A. Collins — “Angus: Zombie-Versus-Robot Fighter” (2/03/12)
A young man is trained by his scientist father to fight zombies, robot-style. What could go wrong?
Nancy A. Collins is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including the best-selling Sunglasses After Dark, and was a writer for DC Comics’ Swamp Thing. She is a recipient of the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Awards, and has been nominated for the World Fantasy, Eisner & International Horror Guild awards. Left Hand Magic, the newest installment in the acclaimed Golgotham series, is now available.

Nick Mamatas — “Throckmorton’s Bad Day” (2/10/12)
Years before the zombie apocalypse, an enterprising and amoral young college student (later to become “Dr. Throckmorton in the ZVR comics) tests experimental street drugs on the local users. The results will have unforeseen consequences for his future self.
Nick Mamatas is the author of several unusual novels, including The Damned Highway with Brian Keene, and The Last Weekend. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s SF, Long Island Noir and many other magazines and anthologies.

Amber Benson — “Mademoiselle Consuela and Her Army of One” (2/17/12)
Like a princess locked in a tower, Consuela lives on a secluded island with only her loyal warbot for company. Then the pirates come…
Amber Benson is an actor, filmmaker, novelist and amateur occultist who sings in the shower.  Best known for her work as Tara Maclay on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, she is also the author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones series and the co-director (with Adam Busch) of the feature film, Drones.

Don Webb — “The Wizards vs. the Bots” (2/24/12)
Can black magic control zombies? What about warbots?
Don Webb has 20 published books ranging from the nonfiction occult classic Uncle Setnakt’s Nightbook to the best weird west book, Webb’s Weird Wild West.

Kaaron Warren — “The River of Memory” (3/02/12)
An Amazon goddess thinks she can restore humanity to zombies; a warbot has doubts.
Kaaron Warren is an award-winning horror and science-fiction writer based in Australia. She has two short story collections and three novels in print.

Lincoln Crisler — “Kettletop’s Revisionary Plot” (3/09/12)
A distraught scientist travels back in time in a desperate attempt to save his wife and prevent the discovery of the deadly Z Virus.
Lincoln Crisler is author, editor and reviewer as well as an active-duty soldier in the United States Army. His books include Magick & Misery and Wild.  He is the editor of the dark-superhero anthology Corrupts Absolutely? He has served as a contributing writer for The Horror Library and Shroud Magazine.

Analog media fans needn’t worry that IDW’s new ZVR stories will only be available in e-pub formats. “We aren’t abandoning print in any way,” confirms Conner. “From the beginning we designed the ZVR prose program to have distinct identities for print and digital. So while it’s true that there will never be print incarnations of any of the 8×8 series themselves, we do have a full slate of ZVR collections and novellas in production on the print side; the ‘8×8’ stories will appear there, just in different contexts.”

The first print collection will be THIS MEANS WAR!, set to appear in March, 2012.

“PAMMI SHAW: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” ($0.99, digital only) will be available on the Kindle, the Nook, in iBooks, and Kobo on January 20, 2012.

ZVR: THIS MEANS WAR! ($17.99, 342 pages, 6″ X 9″ hard cover, full color) will be available in stores in March 2012. ISBN 978-1-61377-143-3.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

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Hit Graphic Novels Get Literary Treatment

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Official Press Release

Hit Graphic Novels Get Literary Treatment

IDW Unleashes Prose Program for Breakout Comic Series: Zombies vs Robots

35 Writers Explore, Expand and Remix ZvR World

[Zombies vs Robots Prose Cover]San Diego, CA (September 6, 2011)—IDW’s gleefully subversive ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS comic book series from creators Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood will soon be eating readers’ brains from the inside via a series of short stories, novellas and more. As announced at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con in July, the company plans for an ambitious slate of original prose stories set at different points in this epic adventure of a zombie apocalypse. In ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS, the clanking robots are built to fight the shambling braineaters, in a desperate attempt to save Earth’s dwindling population.   “It’s gratifying to see that ZvR has taken on an unlife of its own,” asserts Ryall, series co-creator and Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief for IDW. “Expanding from comics into prose is a logical progression, though as the heretofore sole writer of the series I must admit that letting other writers into our subversive little world was at first troubling. But now I’m fine with it. Really. Mostly. Especially since editor Jeff Conner has corralled such a talented array of writers to tackle some really bizarre and creative prose stories. As long as no one expects me to let them write ZvR comics, too…” A lurching cohort of writers—including such notable talents as John Shirley, Nancy A. Collins, Rio Youers, Brea Grant, Steve Rasnic Tem, Amber Benson, James A. Moore, Rachel Swirsky, Norman Prentiss, and John Skipp & Cody Goodfellow, led by Ryall himself—has been assembled to pen original stories of life during wartime in the ZVR world. “It’s our biggest project so far,” states Conner, the IDW contributing editor helming the ZVR prose program. “In a way it’s a follow-up to our Classics Mutilated release, at least in terms of its anything goes spirit. The results so far have been—um, riveting.”The rest of the ZVR writer roster includes: Dale Bailey, Amelia Beamer, Jesse Bullington, Simon Clark, Lincoln Crisler, Stephen Dedman, Rain Graves, Rhodi Hawk, Robert Hood, Stephen Graham Jones, Nicholas Kaufmann, Steven Lockley, Nick Mamatas, Jonathan McGoran, Joe McKinney, Gary McMahon, Mark Morris, Bobby Nash, Yvonne Navarro, Hank Schwaeble, Ekaterina Sedia, Sean Taylor, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Kaaron Warren, and Don Webb.

A film version of ZVR is currently in development through Sony Pictures, with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes as producer.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s Doctor Who; Toho’s Godzilla and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

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