Best Film: Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo. I can’t wait to see this one again. My favorite short films were Miracle Investigators (funny even the third time I saw it), Whore, and Hitboys to Men.

Best Party: Umm, can’t I just say that they were all fun in their own way? If I had to pick just one, though, I’d have to go with the XO Lounge party. Most of the parties had free Stella, but this one had the best food. Bruschetta. Cheese. Bacon-wrapped chicken. Stuffed artichokes. And asparagus the size of Olive Garden breadsticks. Seriously. The damn things were freakish (in a good way).

Best Meal: I actually didn’t eat that many meals during the festival. I would pretty much just eat a big breakfast, and then graze on the free party food whenever I could. However, best Party Food definitely goes, hands down, to the XO Lounge (see above). An honorable mention shout-out goes to the cupcakes at the kick-off party – thanks, Cuppies and Joe!

Best Venue: Although the chairs weren’t exactly the most comfortable, I really love Untitled. I was so happy to see that it was going to be a venue again this year. It didn’t hurt that they happen to have a couple of great exhibitions at the moment, “Walter Nelson: The Darwin Shrines” and “Phil Stein: Streets.” (Get down there and check them out, while you can. They’re fantastic.) I wish there were more opportunities to see films while surrounded by cool art.

Biggest Giggle-Like-A-Schoolgirl Moment: Learning that a portion of what I’d written about Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo was posted, the next day, on the film’s official website. Umm, does this mean that Brad Beesley now knows that I want to marry him?

Most Interesting Discovery: Uptown United. I love finding out about some new place I’ve never heard of before. I also love when you have to walk through some random alley to get there. And finally, I love me some weird art. Uptown United had all three. I’m still in the process of trying to figure out what exactly this place is, and how I can go here again in the future.

Also, Singletree Productions. I loved their “Hard Justice” spots, as well as their short, Hitboys to Men. Hilarious, hilarious stuff. I can’t wait to see what these guys do next. They have the full “Hard Justice” series on their website, in case you want to revisit the fun – or if you haven’t seen them at all (because you’re a loser who didn’t go to deadCENTER). Either way, watch and laugh.

Best Single Moment of the Festival: I wish I had something more profound than this, but probably the most random, silly fun I had all weekend was our Friday night photo shoot with the Alba Shark. Suburban Kitsch and I flashed peace signs. We “jumped the shark.” Dwight held me as I cowered in fear of the mighty Alba Shark. It was entirely juvenile, entirely unoriginal, but entirely fun. And in some weird way, it kind of encapsulated what made this festival a little different than the ones that came before. It was the first year where a fairly large film was being shot in OKC at the same time as deadCENTER, and where one of the stars of said film created a minor stir by posting pictures of great white sharks all over downtown. (Incidentally, we noticed that our particular Alba Shark was painted over the very next day, which made our Friday night photo shoot all the more special.)

Best deadCENTER Endorsement: Found today on the Troma site:

Lloyd Kaufman Here,

Last weekend I attended deadCENTER Fest in Oklahoma City , the Gyno operated and incredibly well-organized festival showcased a slue of brilliant films and relevant panel discussions on the state of Independent Cinema. I mention that deadCENTER Fest was organized by Gynos (more politically correct term for woman) because it was the best run film festival I’ve ever been to! The G.O.C’s for the festival (Gyno’s in Charge) were Melissa Scaramucci, Kim Haywood, and Cacky Poarch. They took care of every detail, everything at deadCENTER went on without a hitch or a glitch, they are all perfect human specimens!!! The Film Fest was refreshingly idealistic, untainted by the cynicism and evils of Hollywood . This was truly a film fest for Independent films, supported and organized by lovers of Independent film.

A couple films I attended especially kicked ass! Specifically, Weather Girl, Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (my film of course), Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie, and Official Rejection, which I was in and elaborates on the BS I have encountered at so called mainstream film festivals. I recommend deadCENTER Festival to all filmmakers, regardless of experience or genre. This is Uncle Lloydie’s highest endorsement. Take it and spread the word kiddies! Looking forward to next year’s deadCENTER Fest!

Xoxo,
Uncle Lloyd

Seriously. A huge thank you to Cacky, Kim, Melissa, Ian and all the other “perfect human specimens” who were responsible for putting on such an incredible festival. You guys are phenomenal. I think this may have been the best deadCENTER yet. Now get some rest and then start working on next year’s!

I haven’t pushed myself this hard since our trip to Europe a few years back. I didn’t think I still had it in me. I’m normally a pretty chill (some may say “lazy”) kind of gal, so this kind of whirlwind activity doesn’t come naturally or without great effort. In fact, part of me simply wants to write a post listing all the different synonyms for “tired.” Sleepy, fatigued, depleted, drained…

You get the idea.

So while I’m depressed that deadCENTER is over for another year, I can say that I’m looking forward to returning to my normal routine. Three proper meals a day, regular exercise and sleep, minimal booze – all very good things. But for now, let’s return to the hazy days of last weekend for a quick recap. (When I say “hazy,” I mean just that. Between too much Stella and too little sleep, most of Saturday and Sunday, for me, is a blur.) However, a few of the wonderful things I do recall are:

OKC, circa 1950-something

* That completely absurd, surreal moment as I walked down Robinson and caught a glimpse of what OKC must have looked like 45 years ago. There were dozens of vintage cars and trucks driving around the block, and women milling about in full skirts and flipped-out bobs. I soon realized that what I was seeing was not the result of too much booze, but the set of The Killer Inside Me. I longed to hang around and watch the filmmaking process up close, but alas – we were due at Untitled for the Short Femmes block.

Wavy Gravy takes Saul for a walk

* Meeting Wavy Gravy before the outdoor screening of Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie. He told me that his fish on a leash was named Saul (after Saul Bass), and since I happened to recall that Saul Bass was the genius title designer for several of Hitchcock’s films, including Psycho and Vertigo, we chatted briefly about that. I’m very ashamed to admit that my prior knowledge of Wavy Gravy was limited to the fact that he had a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor named after him. After Saint Misbehavin’, I know now that this guy is all kinds of awesome. He got his name “Wavy Gravy” from an encounter he had with B.B. King. He was friends with Bob Dylan. He was one of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters. He’s a peace activist, runs a performing arts camp for kids, and just seems like one of the most genuinely nice people ever. I love him.

A really dark picture of OKC, taken from the after-afterparty

* The afterparties. We checked out the Skirvin afterparty for awhile, and then moved on to the after-after party, which was on the rooftop of what appeared to be someone’s loft apartment. Here, I happily partook of Hoegaarden and Bobo’s chicken, while trying very hard not to make a drunken fool of myself. Dwight and I spent some time talking with a lovely couple, who I very much would like to ask to be my adoptive parents. They were super-cool.

* On Sunday afternoon, we had our very own Casey Affleck sighting. (Poor Casey Affleck – that makes him sound like he’s OKC’s temporary version of Bigfoot or Nessie.) Dwight spotted the elusive Affleck in the lobby of the Colcord, where he (Affleck, not Dwight) was looking for a ride to Bricktown. Oh, Casey Affleck, I wish I could have told him, there are so many better places you could go than to Bricktown. I would have taken him to Iguana, or up to N.W 23rd for some kick-ass pho. Then we would have gone for caipirinhas at the Bossa Nova bar, or perhaps a couple of pints at McNellie’s, and laughed late into the evening.

Next up, Sarah’s annual Best of Fest.

Since I’m starting to operate in chronic sleep-deprivation mode, I hereby give you one very brief recap of deadCENTER, Day Three. (Actually, it’s less of a recap, and more like a random collection of whatever semi-coherent thoughts happen to pop out of my very, very cloudy brain.)

I really enjoyed Official Rejection, as well as the panel discussion afterwards. Lloyd Kaufman is hilarious. I could’ve listened to him go on and on all day. I believe that at one point, he referred to women as “gyno-Americans,“ and also made the wonderfully offensive observation that another of the panelists was “well-hung – like David Carradine.”

Ouch.

I also had the pleasure of chatting briefly with Mr. Kaufman following the panel. Well, actually my friend Suburban Kitsch did the chatting, while I stood around, yet again, like an awkward oaf. I chalk it up to the fact that I was a little intimidated after having just seen Kaufman’s ass in Official Rejection, and also to the fact that I had yet to partake in any Liquid Courage. But he was a very nice man, took a few pictures with us, and gave us some Troma swag.

The rest of the day is pretty much a blur. I vaguely remember some Okie shorts, some horror shorts, and lots of Stella. However, perhaps my best time at deadCENTER so far came at the midnight shorts.

First of all, Untitled is a fantastic venue. I love the art they have there right now, especially “The Darwin Shrines.” While some may scoff at the idea of someone traveling the world, making little shrines to his dead dog at each location, I’ll freely admit to tearing up while gazing at a portrait of the eponymous Darwin, a beautiful red heeler.

But, back to the midnight shorts. This may have been the strongest block of shorts I’ve seen so far. I was happy to see Miracle Investigators again, and found it perhaps even funnier the second time. Whore was the film I’ve been longing to see, in a world seemingly dominated by male filmmakers and male characters. It captured the confusion and awkwardness of early adolescence from a female perspective, and highlighted the extra challenges faced by young girls. I’m definitely going to be seeking this one out again.

Finally, I was able to make peace with Dewayne Austin, who was there with his latest acid trip, Misadventures of Moon Kitty. It was just as weird as Shwarma, but was the kind of weirdness that fits perfectly at the midnight shorts. I go to the midnight shorts for Teh Weird, after all. And it was nice to be able to catch up with him again, and get a hug.

Today, we’re planning on hitting the Short Femmes block, and we’ll be there tonight for the Wavy Gravy hippie love-fest. I’m totally going to put flowers in my hair.

Check out the deadCenter Live Blog at their site. Check back here and at The Filmcake for additional coverage.

Who’s ready for a little recap action? Here we go: deadCENTER, Night Two.

First up, the OKCMOA Party.

OKCMOA Party

I was so glad this was on the rooftop terrace again this year, although I forgot my sunblock and unfortunately, my vampire-pale skin suffered a bit of a burn. Aside from that, this was a good opportunity to sit down with a couple of Stellas, chat with friends, and develop the evening’s plan of attack. Said plan included:

Comedy Shorts at Uptown United

Uptown United

Getting here was truly half the fun. One of the things I love about deadCENTER is the amount of time I spend in buildings I never knew existed. I love having to go through an alley way to get to my destination, and when my destination is a dingy little art space with awesome freaking murals (I loved the creepy Muppet guy) – even better. As for the short films, I particularly had fun with The Spam Job and Miracle Investigators, the latter of which gave me what is sure to be my most-quoted dialogue exchange of the entire festival:

“I gave up ass-kicking for Lent.”
“It’s not Lent.”
“I know.”

We stuck around after the shorts, because up next was:

Yesterday

I was so primed to love this movie. For one thing, I have a deep and abiding passion for the zombie genre. For another, I was absolutely in love with the clever drinking game, which included instructions like, “Take two drinks and shake your fist as though you are cursing Khan” every time there are “dystopian images of newscasters.” Then there was the “Canadians are adorable” category, which required two drinks and a shout of “eh!” every time there was unnecessary apologizing, or if one of the characters said, “eh” himself. (And I say himself, because there were only two minor female characters, who enjoyed about a combined five minutes of screen time in what was a two-hour film.)

Yesterday Drinking Game Rules

So, with Stella in hand and an overwhelming urge to shout, “Innards!” at the first sight of blood, I was super-pumped up for Yesterday. Unfortunately, the drinking game turned out to be better thought-out than the movie. After about 30 minutes, (which was actually some of the most fun I’ve had outside of Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse), the fun wore off and I was left to try and make it through the rest of this thing without disemboweling myself. Besides simply being about 90 minutes too long, Yesterday seemed more like a collection of strung-together scenes than an actual movie. It was as if a group of friends decided that would make a zombie movie, but without any attention to pesky little details like, oh, story structure. The best word I could find for Yesterday was indulgent.

But, Big Ups on the drinking game. Way clever, guys. Oh – and Lloyd Kaufman showed up to watch the film. That was super-cool, too.

Lest I sound like a total bitch about this movie, let me just say that it’s the bad movies that inspire me most. Dwight and I ended up talking  late into the night about how we want to try our hand at filmmaking.

Now, it’s time to rest up a little more before Official Rejection at 2:00.

Check out the deadCenter Live Blog at their site. Check back here and at The Filmcake for additional coverage.

With about a gallon’s worth of coffee sloshing around in my belly, I’m awake, alert, and looking forward to another spectacular night of deadCENTER festivities. (Hell, I’m zipping around like a damn Jack Russell terrier. Caffeine is fun! Whee!)

On the agenda for this evening: OKCMOA party. Comedy shorts. And most of all, a big thanks to Ian, (a.k.a. Interwebs Guru Extraordinaire), for giving us the heads up on tonight’s Canadian zombie movie, Yesterday.

As if the two words, “Canadian” and “zombie” weren’t enough to pique my interest, Ian sweetened the deal even further when he mentioned the drinking game that will be involved. With blood-red Stella. And the possibility of brain-shaped Jell-O shots.

Please let there be brain-shaped Jell-O shots…please let there be brain-shaped Jell-O shots…

Check out the deadCenter Live Blog at their site. Check back here and at The Filmcake for additional coverage.