Cool News
Presenting Tom Holland's "5 Or Die"!
Beaks here...
When I interviewed Tom Holland back in September for that incredible FRIGHT NIGHT reunion at the Nuart, he was eager to discuss Strike.TV, an online network of sorts created during the recent writers strike. The goal was to generate ad revenue through original programming (written, directed and performed gratis) which would then be donated to the Writers Guild Foundation Industry Support Fund (which, according to the website, is now a part of the Actors Fund's Entertainment Assistance Program).
Well, now it's live. Check out the front page, and you'll find a bunch of new short films featuring folks like Bob Newhart, Kristen Wiig, Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley and Mindy Kaling. Some of these appear to be one-offs, but others, like Steven E. De Souza's "Unknown Sender", are intended to be actual series.
This is the case with Tom Holland's "5 or Die", a gory little piece of work that uses a RING-like gimmick to scare the crap out of teenagers. Tom freely admits that he's "feeling his way" with this series. Though he's very excited about connecting with his fans online, this is also something of a new medium for him. He's a filmmaker, first and foremost, and a damn fine one at that. But I've every confidence he can make this work.
Here's the first installment of "5 or Die":
-
+ Expand All
-
Met him once, great guy.
Fright Night is still one of the best vampire movies ever. -
...was fucking dumb. "All you people out there watching this, admit, you've been enjoying it."
No. -
cause like Fright Night and Child's Play are fucking great, but it took a lot to get through. If I didn't know Holland did it, I would've honestly thought this was one of those really unoriginal DTV ideas that Asylum does so poorly.
-
I'll be leaving now.
-
I thought the guy made movies? I love his previous films but, there's no lighting, the actors suck and the whole internet thing is pretty lame. I have more mood lighting in my room at home than this thing.
-
you think the guy is dead and then he SITS UP! never seen that before.
-
they should figure out a way to turn this into a santa claus origin story.
-
This is the Santa Claus origin story. What are you, a moron?
-
That would get the grocery lines moving.
-
that was pretty terrible. It's like something some middle school kids would make. It would never be seen by much of an audience if aintitcool hadn't put it up.
-
This looks worse than most student films I've seen.
-
but that was about it
-
look at that! my bad.
-
For a second...5 or Die Hard. Now that would be a crappy title.
-
sorry, couldn't resist...
-
Honestly, that was abysmal. Terrible fucking script, lousy music. Acting was decent, given the shit material. But as a packaged whole, it was pretty fucking dire.
-
in the safety of our rooms? Maybe you missed the point of this no budget project. What have you guys EVER done? Why don't you put YOUR art up here on the internet and see how it feels when people like you spit at it without a care. Nah, you'll never actually do anything for anyone else to see.
-
On the shelves there are like 3 or four Ecto-1 license plates.
That guy wasnt much of a ghost buster though. -
I feel like having a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!
-
as a horror flick. The problems start with the writing. There's no reason to have three deaths in a 10-15 minute short film, especially if the intent is to continue the story in future episodes. The first few minutes should have been used to setup the characters and give them some depth. Maybe throw in some misdirection, foreshadowing or create some anticipation. He could have then used the second act to steadily build tension leading up to the killer and first murder. Focusing on character and story would've had the added benefit of saving money on special effects which could have been used to get better lighting and equipment or allowed for more takes or whatever. And having the story take place in the day time wasn't a good choice. Night time offers much better atmosphere plus there's the obvious advantage of using darkness/shadows. He could have easily made a much scarier movie without showing the killer's face or even seeing the victim get stabbed. Lastly, characters have to act reasonably like real people. You don't stay in the same room as the crazy boogeyman you just shot so you can chat on the computer with your friend. Neither do you stay in the same room as the guy who's skull didn't crack with repeated blows with a hammer and who you just witnessed didn't die from a shot to the head. Obvious flaws in character behavior take us out of the moment and vastly reduce the impact of a scene.
-
That's it, really. Nothing to invest in here.
-
that sucked on so many levels - i think a big reason the kids get killed is the fact that theyre alone in their rooms (in their pajamas no less) in the middle of the afternoon - and appear to be tethered to their laptops - and too dumb to leave the house in a panic - this is lame creatively lazy junk for self absorbed american teens - is tom sending a message? - get a real life kids, or youll die while wasting it - stupid looking monster/killer too - nice "jesus and mary chain" plug though - are they still around?
-
hey dumb ass - you dont have to be an artist to critique someone else's art - its online for the world to see and open to responses - that was garbage - it was a tech demo for who ever supplied the gore fx - which were the only highlight - this is gore porn - here is a challenge, scare teens while showing less gore - if you thought that was "good", you are an idiot
-
jesus, you nailed it - no set up or real story telling - just witless kids in their rooms waiting to get hacked - im still trembling
-
there has got to be many more short films out there - by people we havent heard of - and much better than this one - post them - make part of this site a venue for shorts of all genres
-
I thought it was Tom Hollander's Live or Die.
Interest lost... -
That's just the type of response I'm talking about that drags down AICN talkback. It's okay not to like something, but it is possible to be more tactful about it. At least Veritasses is specific in his criticism without just insulting the filmmakers with profanity. You, in fact, called me a dumbass and an idiot without knowing anything about me except for the fact that I was angry about the lowbrow responses to Mr. Holland's project. I doubt you'd call me a dumbass or idiot if we were having this conversation together in a room. The internet is like liquid bravery for Eddie Hasskel types who would get their butts kicked in the real world if they ever voiced their "I'm right, you're an idiot" attitudes out loud.
-
the fact remains that it is crap. I for one, question why it even appears on this site. Cool, it is not.
-
i apologize - mr sensitive - youre right, the internet is liquid bravery for eddie haskels - im more of a lumpy or larry mondello with balls - but the internet is also a place where you will get honest from the gut reactions to art in the form of a short film - something so awful and with such "blah - in your face violence" doesnt warrant a kind and measured response - its critics should be allowed the same visceral attitude the piece itself adopts - lingering shots of stabbings and a head getting crushed, wow thats art
-
Hey internet heroes behind your keyboards, how many times have you run the third reich? None. And you'll never be chancellor of Germany, so how about you stop giving Hitler shit and try and run your own dictatorship. Thats right, your'll all losers in your parents basement, so that will never happen.
-
What were you thinking when you made this?
-
Not really. I couldn't give a flying toss if he's present reading this TB or not. I've said my piece, I see many agree with me (for sometimes different reasons, or unstated reasons) and I draw little to no comfort from that. It simply is what it is.
-
I thought it was okay. I liked the Back to the Future and Ghostbuster nods.
-
I'm pretty sure he was.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 273 total posts 271 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 92 total posts 92 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 160 total posts 69 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 151 total posts 63 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 67 total posts 59 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 60 total posts 57 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 484 total posts 49 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 69 total posts 42 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 120 total posts 32 posts
- SPACE 2099!! -- 183 total posts 24 posts