Showing posts with label EARL OWENSBY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EARL OWENSBY. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 07, 2017

3-DEMENTIA! coming to Philadelphia on July 16th!



3-DEMENTIA! is a series of cinematic events spotlighting rare 3-D movies from the last 40 years – First screening to take place at International House Philadelphia on July 16, 2017

For nearly twenty years, Exhumed Films has been the premier cult movie cooperative in the Philadelphia area, screening literarily hundreds of horror, sci-fi, and exploitation classics on the big screen. Now, Exhumed Films brings their audience a new dimension in genre cinema: 3-DEMENTIA! Is a major retrospective of 3-D films from the past four decades. The 1970’s and 1980’s saw a resurgence of three-dimensional movies, particularly in the realms of horror, science fiction, and action/adventure films. Some of the most infamous and beloved 3-D titles in history were released during thisera; the majority have not seen the light of the projector bulb in over 30 years, but they are ready to be re-discovered! 3-DEMENTIA! will spotlight some of the most famous films from the era, as well as some extreme rarities.

The first 3-DEMENTIA! screening will take place at International House Philadelphia’s Lightbox Film Center (3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104) on Sunday, July 16. This five film marathon begins at 12 noon and runs until approximately 10:00 PM. Tickets are $40 for general admission to all five movies. The features will be projected from original 35mm film prints using state-of-the-art 3-D technology and high quality 3-D viewing goggles.

Exhumed is also pleased to announce that filmmaker Worth Keeter, who shot more 3-D films than any other director in history--will be on hand to introduce two of his movies and discuss the heyday of 3-D mania!

3-Dementia! will feature the following flicks:


FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III 3-D
1982 / 35mm / Dir. Steve Miner / 95 minutes
While not necessarily the most original installment in the series, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III is arguably the most influential slasher sequel of all time due to its introduction of the iconic hockey mask that would soon become a horror movie hallmark. Moreover, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III features some of the most entertaining 3-D gags in cinema history. The story, though, is nothing new: unstoppable killer Jason Voorhees, apparently recovered from his injuries at the end of the last film, finds a new slew of torpid teens to terrorize.


TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS
1983 / 35mm / Dir. Ferdinando Baldi / 97 minutes
The 1981 3-D Spaghetti Western COMIN’ AT YA! was a financial success that effectively started the 3-D resurgence of the 1980’s. The filmmakers behind that hit followed it up with TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS, an action/adventure film clearly inspired by RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Tony Anthony stars as a soldier of fortune that assembles a team of thieves with the goal of stealing a set of mystical gems. The quest leads them to creepy caves and booby-trapped fortresses, setting the stage for a series of inventive 3-D gimmicks. Indiana Jones it ain’t, but TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS is nevertheless an enjoyable artifact from a bygone era.


ROTTWEILLER
1983 / 35mm / Dir. Worth Keeter / 89 minutes
Producer/actor Earl Owensby created a series of low budget regional genre films throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, and even built his own soundstage in North Carolina to accommodate his productions. When the 3-D craze of the early 1980’s began to take hold, Owensby quickly jumped on the bandwagon, bringing along his longtime collaborator, director Worth Keeter. Their first foray into the realm of 3-D was ROTTWEILLER (aka DOGS OF HELL), a horror thriller about a murderous pack of killer canines. Owensby stars as a small town sheriff who must defend the community against a group of deadly dogs that have escaped from a secret military project. If you love “Animals Attack” movies, then ROTTWEILER in 3-D is not to be missed!


HIT THE ROAD RUNNING
1983 / 35mm / Dir. Worth Keeter / 92 minutes
Worth Keeter and Earl Owensby followed ROTTWEILLER with HIT THE ROAD RUNNING, an action-packed 3-D car chase comedy that takes obvious inspiration from SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. Owensby once again stars, this time as Beau Jim Donner: a fast talking, fast driving “good ol’ boy” who returns to his hometown to free his uncle and neighbors from the clutches of a corrupt land baron. Hijinks—and lots of car crashes—ensue. Exhumed Films is proud to welcome Worth Keeter to what is surely the first theatrical screening of HIT THE ROAD RUNNING in nearly 35 years!


REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN
1977 / 35mm / Dir. Mei Chun Chan / 98 minutes
The Hong Kong martial arts film REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN (aka 13 NUNS) tells the tale of a group of women who are assaulted and degraded by a gang of bandits. In order to protect themselves from future attacks, our heroines become masters (mistresses?) of martial arts, and it is not long before they seek out vengeance against their attackers. Featuring a plethora of projectiles popping off the screen, REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN is definitely one of the impressive 3-D features ever made.


ABOUT EXHUMED FILMS
Since 1997, Exhumed Films has been providing the Philadelphia and South Jersey area with a dedicated horror and cult repertory cinema experience like no other. Through their ongoing double features and highly anticipated special events like eX-Fest and the annual 24 Hour Horror-thon, Exhumed Films' commitment to bringing audiences the best of genre cinema, exclusively on film, is unprecedented in the region.

Aside from screening hundreds of different films and literally thousands of vintage trailers and shorts, Exhumed Films has also hosted such prestigious guests such as director John Waters and the late, great "Godfather of Gore” Herschell Gordon Lewis, and co-presented musical performances by filmmaker/composer John Carpenter and the legendary Italian progressive rock band Goblin.

*For more information about 3-DEMENTIA! or Exhumed Films, please visit our website at www.exhumedfilms.com, or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ExhumedFilms.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Film Makers Blast Movie Ratings Code as ‘A System of Censorship’



WASHINGTON (UPI) – Two independent filmmakers have blasted the movie ratings code and those who run it, saying small producers must fight “censorship without representation” and often get an undeserved “X rating” for their work.

“Simply stated, an X rating is by and large a curse,” said Jonathan Dana of Los Angeles, because it precludes most mass media advertising and cuts financial returns since many theaters will not play such pictures “regardless of content.”

Earl Owensby of Shelby, N.C., was equally bitter and made similar points in alleging that those who apply the ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America tend to discriminate against independent producers by going easier on films done by big companies.

Both related their experiences with the MPAA Thursday in testimony to a House Small Business subcommittee trying to find out if major studios, distributors or other “insiders” have more clout in the ratings process than independents outside Hollywood.

Panel members said they wanted to view some of the films in question before taking a position.

Dana and Owensby said independent filmmakers have been treated unfairly by the MPAA because they don’t belong to the association.

“We are…living under a system of censorship without representation,” Dana said, adding “drastic revision needs to be made in both the rating and appeal process.”

Dana, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology, complained about an X rating for his movie called “Sandstone.” Owensby was angry about the same rating given to a film he made, “Dark Sunday.”

Dana described “Sandstone” as “a sociological film about an unusual experiment in group living, a community which practiced an open sexual lifestyle,” and he said “various shots of lovemaking” for about four minutes near the end provided “the only specifically sexual activity” in the 80-minute picture.

Owensby said his movie had “absolutely no profanity, nudity or sex…nor was it any more violent than quite a few movies that were currently being shown with PG ratings.”

(reported May 1977)