Wednesday - July 21, 2010
Comic-Con presence, new review, and graphic novel news
Several news items today...
First, reviewer Bill Williams has published a solid write-up of YESTERDAY WAS A LIE on TrekWeb. Excerpt, please...
"Where else can you see an old school film noir mystery, an extremely strong female lead, and explorations of quantum mechanics and the human heart? That's a rare and unique combination indeed, and in the hands of a talented writer/director and a believable cast, it's all the stronger as a result. The visuals are sharp... the black-and-white palette adds an additional depth of character and clarity rarely brought out in films today. YESTERDAY WAS A LIE makes you think, and that's a very good thing... something we don't get in today's era of dumbed-down moviemaking. It's a shame big-budget movies aren't made like this. Four-and-a-half stars."
This weekend is San Diego Comic-Con, the world's largest pop culture convention (of course!). E1 Entertainment is promoting the DVD release of YESTERDAY at their booth (#216) and with a full-page program ad. Chase and Peter will be signing copies of the film at the E1 booth from 3-4 pm on Friday, and they'll be available for autographs at other booths on occasion throughout the weekend. YESTERDAY cast- and crew-members Warren Davis, Andrew Deutsch, and I will be attending as well.
And... Chase will have a very limited number of SDCC exclusively-marked advance copies of the upcoming YESTERDAY graphic novel from artist James Hill! The book isn't out yet, so this is your only opportunity (for now) to get your hands on a copy. Check the schedule for place and time.
Posted at 01:46 PM
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Thursday - June 24, 2010
PopMatters
Check out the new review from PopMatters critic Lara Killian -- normally one of their literature reviewers! :)
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/127134-yesterday-was-a-lie
Posted at 01:57 AM
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Wednesday - June 23, 2010
Chase interview on TrekWeb
Posted at 04:27 PM
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Friday - May 21, 2010
Latest DVD review!
The newest DVD review was published tonight in FRED Entertainment (the new name for Kevin Smith's former Movie Poop Shoot site). Below...
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Yes, when you read a description that uses the words avant-garde, 99% of the time you should run in the other direction. Most likely what you’ll get is a movie that is so into itself it negates the possibility of anyone else liking it.
Not here, though, as this movie is a genuine treat that both entices and rewards on multiple levels. It feels like a noir thriller that ought to exist somewhere in the 30’s or 40’s with its minimalist set design, cinematography and music choices. The story revolves around a hard nosed female detective on a case that, while it would be useless to try and compress into a neat paragraph, blends the scientific with the very mundane aspects of filmmaking that have long since been tossed aside.
While not steampunk by any means, the movie still feels like a hybrid of the very old and the very modern. Director/writer James Kerwin blends some fantastic elements that deal with the nature of space and time with a fun take on the old gumshoe who just can’t say no to the sauce.
Again, looking at the film’s description you would be hard pressed to want to check out a movie that seems like a blend of too many genres, but I can assure you that it’s worth watching simply for Kipleigh Brown’s portrayal as the weather beaten detective Hoyle and for Chase Masterson of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame. These two together make seeking this movie out entirely worth it. Kerwin, as well, deserves much love and respect for crafting a story that not only works as a noir throwback, but also succeeds in bending your mind’s eye as it challenges your expectations of a film dealing with the subject matter it does. Such a wonderful outing for a filmmaker that finally does take a risk in a landscape of directors who play it safe.
-Christopher Stipp
Posted at 03:20 AM
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Tuesday - May 18, 2010
More reviews are in, plus a DVD contest
Three more nice reviews this week, from The Sacramento Bee newspaper, SciFi Chick, and DVD Playhouse:
"Smart, gutsy, and glamorous. The stunning visuals and accompanying jazz music take the film to a whole new level. Brown and Masterson are wonderful. Like no other noir or science fiction film ever made."
-Angela Schuch, SciFi Chick
"Stylish... sultry... stunning."
-Jim Carnes, The Sacramento Bee
"Cleaver and engaging... beautifully shot and designed."
-Allen Gardner, DVD Playhouse
And... DVD Talk is running a competition to win an autographed copy of the film. Check it out here.
Posted at 10:10 PM
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Saturday - May 15, 2010
Phoenix Comicon and other updates
A couple news items tonight. First, Chase, Warren and I will be at the E1 Entertainment booth at Phoenix Comicon over Memorial Day weekend. Last January, PHXCC screened YESTERDAY WAS A LIE as part of their film festival, so it'll be fun to go back now that the movie's actually out.
Also, the film got another strong review this week, this time from critic Ray Sidman of the Comics Buyer's Guide. We've had a few stinkers as well, like one today in the Denton Record Chronicle. So, in the interest of full disclosure (and, we admit, amusement), we've gathered the "best of the worst" on our website, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy. :)
Posted at 11:13 PM
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Friday - May 07, 2010
iTunes
Just a quick note to let everyone know that YESTERDAY WAS A LIE is now available in HD on iTunes. If you missed it in the theatre, this is your opportunity to see it in a high-definition format.
For now, iTunes is 720p... so while it's not FULL resolution, it's the highest format in which the film is currently available to consumers.
Posted at 04:12 PM
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Sunday - May 02, 2010
Netflix streaming
OK, I need to vent a little here. Thanks so much to everyone who's rented or bought the film. We really appreciate it.
That said, I want to encourage everyone strongly not to view the film via Netflix streaming. After a number of reviews and audience members complained about the film's cinematography being "out of focus," we went ahead and checked.
Below is a comparison. The top frame is the actual film, which is the way you'll see it on DVD. The bottom is the same frame of the film as viewed via Netflix streaming. (This was screengrabbed on a brand new quad-core Intel Xeon Nehalem computer with a super fast broadband connection. In short, this is about as good as it gets for streaming.)
No insult to Netflix, which provides a great DVD rental service... but watching the film this way does a tremendous disservice to Jason's cinematography. And the horizontal stretching isn't too pleasant either (especially for the actors, who each look about 15 lbs. heavier than they are).
If you've experienced this, I encourage you to complain to Netflix by clicking the "Report a Problem > Picture was blurry" box. And please, please watch the movie on DVD. It's so much nicer. :)
Posted at 05:35 PM
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Saturday - April 10, 2010
From Netflix...
Quite possibly the single greatest thing I have ever read:
"This is not a Memento type movie. It is more of mutated child of Casablanca and the Butterfly Effect. The instant streaming quality is hard to see considering it is low budget black and white. The plot is poorly constructed and impossible to understand. In the beginning you are hoping for something deep, but it is just nonsense. The Noir elements are even confusing. It is supposed to be in the 1940s and there are old timey cars, yet they have the internet and computers? The whole time you are hoping for the two blondes to make out to save the movie, but they dont."
I. Love. This.
Posted at 03:45 AM
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Thursday - April 01, 2010
DVD release and scheduled appearances...
Hey everyone,
We're now less than a week away from the DVD release (April 6). Thanks to all the people at E1 for their hard work in making this happen. The discs look great and include all sorts of special features, including an eight-page sneak peek at a proposed graphic novel.
We've got a number of appearances scheduled in the coming weeks. First, Chase and Peter will be guests at WonderCon this weekend, April 2-4, in San Francisco. There's a rumor that Chase will have a limited number of DVDs available there, a few days before the official street date... so maybe skip the chocolate Easter bunny this year and buy yourself something that'll last a little longer, eh...?! :)
Then, on the eve of the DVD release, DVD Geeks will be devoting a segment of their show to YESTERDAY WAS A LIE. You can catch it on Fearless Radio.
The following weekend, on April 11, Chase, Warren and I will be appearing at Spirit of Star Trek in Encino, CA -- a panel discussion series founded by Rev. Curtis Webster and Oscar-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore (of Trek fame) which covers the ethical, spiritual, and metaphysical aspects of science fiction. This special session will focus exclusively on YESTERDAY WAS A LIE and the philosophical implications of the film's story. Please join us there.
Then, from April 13-17, Chase and I are scheduled guests at Toward a Science of Consciousness, a biennial conference held by the University of Arizona's Center for Consciousness Studies and run by the great Dr. Stuart Hameroff. Every two years, scientists, writers, and artists from around the world gather to present their latest research in neuroscience, quantum mechanics in biology, consciousness in the arts, and more. If you've seen YESTERDAY WAS A LIE, you know that a number of these themes play an integral role in the film, and we're honored to have been invited this year to present excerpts from the movie. And Chase'll be singing in the evening, too! World renowned science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer -- whom you may know as the author behind FlashForward -- will be delivering a keynote at the conference as well. Visit the site linked above for more information.
Finally, two other goodies...
I was recently spot-interviewed by authors Dani & Eytan Kollin (of Unincorporated Man fame) at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society as part of their ongoing Neverending Panel series.
And last but not least, reviewers Bill Raker and David B. King gave YESTERDAY a solid write up this week in the LEO Weekly (Louisville's alternative newspaper), saying "This unique, B&W neo-noir distaff thriller is a wonder to behold... Highly receommended." Well there you go.
Posted at 08:42 PM
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Monday - February 22, 2010
DVD pre-orders!
We've been busy over the past couple months preparing for the upcoming DVD release of YESTERDAY WAS A LIE. We had a fun premiere and a great theatrical release in December, but the work doesn't stop there. The great people at E1 have been authoring what I think will be a wonderful commercial DVD of the film with many special features -- including a commentary track which they asked Kipleigh, Chase, and I to record last month at Juniper Post.
Although the DVD doesn't hit stores until April 6, the good news is that people can pre-order it for purchase or rental now. We strongly encourage you to do so, and pass this on to anyone you think would be interested. The number of pre-orders registered at Amazon and Netflix over the course of the next few weeks will determine how many copies are stocked by these companies, which translates into deferred salaries and residuals for our very deserving cast and crew.
You can pre-order by visiting yesterdaywasalie.com and clicking "SEE THE FILM," or add it to your queue directly at Amazon and Netflix.
Another quick note: YESTERDAY has gotten almost all positive reviews to date, and made a few critics' top ten lists; the latest is CJSF 90.1 FM Vancouver's "Hi-Sci-Fi" show, where it was named one of the year's ten best science fiction films. The DVD has also made the cut on the Independent Dealers of Entertainment Association's "Hidden Gems" list for March.
Congratulations to everyone. Now let's get the word out about the DVD!
Posted at 01:39 PM
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Thursday - December 10, 2009
Tickets on sale
Hey everybody, tickets for screenings of YESTERDAY WAS A LIE are now on sale. In L.A., they're available in advance here.
Also, you can reserve the DVD in your Netflix queue, in anticipation of the DVD release in March. We'll let you know when the DVD is available for pre-order purchase.
Finally, YESTERDAY WAS A LIE now has its own Twitter feed. If you've got an account, you can follow us here!
Posted at 03:37 PM
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Thursday - November 26, 2009
Release date
At long last, we have dates!
It's official: YESTERDAY WAS A LIE opens Friday, December 11, 2009. It will be released on DVD in the spring.
This has quite literally been a six-year journey of blood, sweat, tears and joy. After winning two dozen awards on the festival circuit and being named one of the ten best festival films of the year by Film Threat, YESTERDAY was picked up by E1 Entertainment this past summer.
Lately, we've been hard at work recutting and remixing the movie into its final incarnation -- including an all-new song on the soundtrack -- and we're finally done. There's a red carpet premiere scheduled for Monday the 7th, followed by the theatrical opening that Friday.
For more information -- including the pending DVD release -- check here. Details will be posted as we get them. Showtimes will be available as we get closer to the opening.
See you at the theatre.
Posted at 02:14 AM
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Friday - August 07, 2009
Distribution: Accomplished
It's been a seemingly endless road, but tonight, we can finally announce a deal that we've been working toward for a long, long time:
YESTERDAY WAS A LIE is being released!
E1 Entertainment (formerly known as Koch) has officially purchased the distribution rights to the film. We couldn't be happier.
A big congratulations to everyone involved. E1 is a great company, and we're proud to be with them. Their marketing department really "gets" the film, which is critical; the fact that they're willing to put their name behind a modern black-and-white noir about quantum mechanics speaks volumes!
There's still a lot more to do. We're currently working on the final cut of the movie, including a brand new song for the soundtrack. We'll keep you apprised of the film's release schedule as decisions are made over the coming months.
I'd love to breathe a big sigh of relief, pop open a bottle of champagne, and relax... but not yet. Back to the editing room! :)
Posted at 12:09 AM
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Friday - June 19, 2009
Chase in concert
Just a quick note! If you're in L.A., be sure to come see Chase Masterson performing live as part of the Universal "Celebrity Band Saturdays" concert series. Her show is July 18 at 9:15 pm.
More news on the film soon...
Posted at 10:17 PM
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Friday - May 15, 2009
Apple trailers
YESTERDAY WAS A LIE is now on Apple's movie trailers page! Check it out:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/yesterdaywasalie/
Of the countless independent films released every year, Apple chooses only a select few to include on its official site. It's quite an honor.
As of May 15, we are the tenth most popular trailer on their site (above a number of high-profile upcoming studio releases). Thanks to everyone for all the interest and attention the film has gotten recently.
Posted at 12:49 AM
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Thursday - April 09, 2009
Best of Show at the Accolade Film Awards
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of YESTERDAY WAS A LIE for winning "Best of Show" (that's the top prize) at the 2009 Accolade Film Awards! This is what the judges had to say:
"YESTERDAY WAS A LIE successfully merges an interesting plot into a film noir and sci-fi crowd-pleaser [with] a notable performance by Kipleigh Brown. James Kerwin delivers a film that will entertain both young and old."
Nice!
Posted at 06:40 PM
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Friday - January 09, 2009
Best of 2008
Great news to start off the new year! YESTERDAY WAS A LIE was just named one of 2008's best films on the festival circuit by Film Threat, and one of the ten best films of 2008 by Uncapie at Nuke the Fridge.
Posted at 01:30 AM
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Saturday - December 13, 2008
Closing night at the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival!
We're thrilled to announce that YESTERDAY WAS A LIE has been selected as the closing night film at the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival. The new cut of YESTERDAY will have its Los Angeles premiere at the gorgeous Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, screening in beautiful high-definition as it's meant to be seen!
January 4, 2009
5:00 pm
The Fine Arts Theatre
8556 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
For a full schedule of festival screenings, click here.
Hope to see you there!
Posted at 02:55 PM
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Friday - December 05, 2008
State of the art
Happy holidays, everyone! I wanted to take some time to let our audience know where the film stands at this point.
We've gotten a lot of emails lately from people following the progress of the film online. The question is almost always the same: When/where can I see the film in theatres and/or buy it on DVD?
The straight answer is: We don't know yet. YESTERDAY WAS A LIE is currently only screening on the festival circuit; keep an eye on the "Upcoming Screenings" page of our website for information on future festivals. We've had distribution offers -- some from very good companies -- but as of the present time, it's really a rights issue. YESTERDAY features numerous songs -- mostly jazz -- on its soundtrack; these songs are owned by various publishers. We got the rights to use the songs in the film; however, upon getting a wider release, we must re-negotiate for what are called broad rights.
That's the stage we're at now. Believe me, music rights are a complex and tricky maze to navigate, and this could take a while. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we just found out that we have another festival screening in L.A.! This will be the Los Angeles premiere of the new cut of the film, and it'll be in gorgeous hi-def at the wonderful Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. We'll let you know the date and time as soon as we find out; it'll be around the last week of December / first week of January.
Posted at 03:07 PM
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Wednesday - December 03, 2008
2009 Calendars
The YESTERDAY WAS A LIE 2009 wall calendars are now available! Click here to check 'em out. They're reasonably priced, and the proceeds go to Helicon Arts Cooperative (a 501(3)(c) non-profit arts corporation) to help fund our film festival run. Happy new year!
Posted at 01:29 PM
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Tuesday - December 02, 2008
Conquering the known world, one continent at a time
We're happy to announce that YESTERDAY WAS A LIE will be screening at the upcoming El Sawy Intl. Film Festival in Egypt. Check Africa -- our fourth continent -- off the list!
Posted at 10:58 AM
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Monday - November 10, 2008
Third continent
We're proud to announce our 45th festival screening (and the third continent on which YESTERDAY WAS A LIE will have screened) -- CamboFest: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia, December 26-28.
From all we've heard, it's a great festival in a country that really needs legitimate, high-quality arts festivals. They're enthusiastic about YESTERDAY and have given us some wonderful feedback about the film. We're happy to be invited to be a part of it.
Posted at 11:56 AM
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Friday - October 31, 2008
Barbados
We're proud to announce that the new cut of YESTERDAY WAS A LIE will be screening at the prestigious Barbados International Film Festival in December. This will be our second screening outside the United States. I was gonna say "We'll have screened on three continents now," but then I found out that Barbados is technically still considered North America.
Posted at 11:49 AM
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Tuesday - October 28, 2008
Fargo Fantastic Film Festival
We just found out that YESTERDAY WAS A LIE won the "Best Feature" and "Best Cinematography" prizes at the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival in Fargo, ND! Sweet!
Posted at 02:52 PM
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Tuesday - October 21, 2008
LA Femme win
Congrats to Chase, who won the Best Producer trophy for her work on YESTERDAY WAS A LIE at the LA Femme Film Festival this past weekend!
Meanwhile, we're hard on work on a (slight) re-edit of the film. Exciting. The new, improved cut will premiere at the St. Louis International Film Festival next month.
Posted at 07:49 PM
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Wednesday - October 08, 2008
ShockerFest wins!
In case you didn't hear... YESTERDAY WAS A LIE won Best Fantasy Feature and Kipleigh won Best Fantasy Actress at the ShockerFest science fiction film festival this past weekend! Sweeeeeeet.
Posted at 11:39 PM
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Wednesday - October 01, 2008
October the first...
...is too late.
Posted at 02:22 PM
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Tuesday - September 23, 2008
Visionfest wins!
YESTERDAY WAS A LIE took home not one, not two, but three trophies at Visionfest in New York this past Sunday night: Best Director, Best Screenwriter, and Best Cinematographer! Pretty sweet. We also won Best Film Noir at the Route 66 Film Festival.
Next up: our screenings in northern California at Movies On a Big Screen (October 3) and ShockerFest (October 4), followed by the LA Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles (October 19). Hope to see you there.
Posted at 01:04 AM
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