1974 brought the world one of the first Star Trek fan films that went to the point of creating realistic sets, costumes, special effects and miniatures. Paragon’s Paragon was the brainchild of John Cosentino (Alien Factor, Galaxy Invader, Blood Massacre) and starred his family and friends as members of Star Fleet as well as on the side of the Klingons.Much of this project was covered in the original  CINEMAGIC by Don Dohler. The film itself is 100 minutes long. I received a truncated version of 30 minutes from Don Dohler. From that I have made an 8 minute highlight reel. It can be viewed on YOUTUBE (sans sound) and on VIMEO (with a soundtrack).It would be incredible to see John’s work restored and in its original 100 minute format. Perhaps some day he will get a kickstarter project for it going. I for one would put money towards it. Paragon’s Paragon is an incredible Super 8mm feat considering it was done well before the days of CGI. I urge you to check it out.

The first segments are now up at Vimeo!!! Click on the image above to go to them. My sincere thanks to Les Bradley and Frank Lama for the great job of design and editing. I also want to thank all those that have supported us through the making of the first episode. Write back and let us know what you think!

So – am I going to stop talking about how great Smash or Trash TV is looking? Well as you can see above I have put a little slide show together showing some of the “sweetening” the Producer Frank Lama has done.  But, no more news on that until the finished product is done. I will say that everyone involved has a lot to be proud of. For a first episode it turned out great. I think Frank and I are looking forward to taking a short break away from this (once done) and then getting on to episode 2.

Horrorfind Weekend is coming up at the end of August, and I hope to be there on Saturday. I believe they will be screening the 2nd episode of Lee Doll’s “Adventures of Louanna Lee” and I want to be there to see it on the big screen (I play the bad guy). Besides starring Louanna Lee and Victoria Lynn, the episode includes genre legend George Stover and Scream Queen Leanna Chamish. The guest star for this production was none other than TV’s Count Gore De Vol! He and Leanna Chamish will be at Horrorfind so be sure to get get a picture and a signed copy of this DVD!

If you see me walking around in my Smash or Trash T-shirt by all means introduce yourself. I always enjoy talking to people that visit this website.

Actress Judy Furlow celebrated her birthday this week, and let’s see what she has cooking for the movie reviews for the site.

Stay tuned…

So it has been quite a while since anything of weight has gone on at the site.

What has been going on?

Well the big news is that the 1st episode of Smash or Trash TV has been edited by Les Bradley. The final sweetening and tweaking is being done by Producer Frank Lama, Everything is going well, and we hope to have the final show finished in very early August of 2011. Stay tuned – it is going to be a lot of fun and will target the work of Maryland filmmaker Lee Doll in the premiere episode.

Besides this, the usual bugaboo of real life has reared its ugly head, so there has not been much time for writing film reviews or post articles. Changes in the economy have kept me glued to my seat at work with very little time to devote to the passion of indie filmmaking. I am hoping that changes soon. I do know that Mitch Klein of our group has been very busy with the effects for the Timewarp Film called CRAWLER. Les Bradley and Frank Lama – as stated above – have been busy with the final edits to the show. Leanna Chamish has a new show with comedian John Dimes coming out called Spooky Movie Television. On the whole however, these pursuits have had to be worked around the usual drudgery of making a living.

Filmmaker Wayne Shipley has shot a trailer for a proposed Western movie, Lee Doll is working on a musical, and Kristopher Erik Myers is getting ready for the world premiere of ROULETTE. Kevin Kangas is continuing his post production work on GARDEN OF HEDON, and his movie BOUNTY had a successful run on cable. MIDNIGHT MARQUEE is gearing up to do a sci-fi movie. THE BONEYARD COLLECTION – an indie movie shot in Hollywood – will be discussed here soon on the site.

Movie review-wise Judy Furlow and I will be back to discuss what we have seen recently, including a very good movie titled BLOOD OATH. Until then, try to stay cool out there, and we hope you hear from us soon.

Robert Long – creator of Smash or Trash

Hey people! No new news on Smash or Trash TV. I’ve had a ton of things hit in the “real world” and have had no time to work on it with Frank Lama and Les Bradley. I hope to change that stating this week. However there is an update:

I asked actress Judith Furlow (Fear of Clowns, Garden of Hedon) to help me with some of the movie reviews because I have been so backed up. Also there are projects I have been a part of that I cannot review myself without being bias. Judith agreed to, and her first one is posted. She takes a look at Lee Doll’s “The Fixer” which stars Brian St. August and Alfred Guy. Overall I think Ms. Furlow was fair in her review, and did a good job. I look forward to seeing what she writes for the other movies I have given her. You can go to the review by clicking on The Fixer image above. Thanks Judy!

The website is up for the independent film “Senior CUT Day: The Movie”. Everyday more photos, behind the scenes video, and cast and crew commentary will be added to the website. The film will premiere August 2011. Visit them by clicking on the image above!

Shooting has commenced on the fourth installment of the “Adventures of Louanna Lee.” Penned by Mitch Klein, this time her family and friends get caught up in a murderous whodunit at a creepy mansion. I can’t wait to be able to grab some Scooby snacks and watch the finished episode of this!

And what has everyone’s favorite Smash or Trash member been up to? Well, Leanna Chamish can be spotted in the current Sutliff Chevrolet commercial in the Harrisburg, PA area. The spot’s name? “Bunny Slippers!”

Hello everyone! I have been out of the picture for a little bit, so here is an update. First up, I have a brand new movie review up for an indie horror film called GHOSTS DON’T EXIST. This was a pretty decent ghost story (shot in the DC area) and I think you will enjoy it; I’d urge you to at least give it a rental. Also our new resident reviewer – Judy Furlow – has received her screener copies and will be getting us new reviews soon. The first one will be Lee Doll’s THE FIXER. Check back for that.

Smash or Trash correspondent Leanna Chamish clued me in on a really cool podcast called NINJAS VS YOU. This podcast is hosted by director Justin Timpane. On the premiere show he has actor Daniel Ross on and they talk about their beginnings on the set of CRAWLER, and the debt that they owe to both partners of Timewarp Films; Joe Ripple and Don Dohler. This is a very sincere discussion about how these two men inspired Timpane and Ross to make their own movies. Also, they have a very fun and intelligent discussion about why they have NOT moved to Hollywood, but have instead pursued their passion for making films in Virginia – and have found success doing so. I strongly urge everyone to give this a listen.

And what about CRAWLER? It is moving forward! Visual effects artists Mitch Klein and Brian Anderson are meeting to start outlining the final post-production effects of this much anticipated indie film from Timewarp Films. More information as it becomes available.

SMASH OR TRASH TV: I got some good news from my friend and co-producer Frank Lama. He is getting the footage of the first episode digitized next week so we can turn over to editor Les Bradley. Two words – freakin’ fantastic! We shot it in February and here it is April, and it gets frustrating that it isn’t moving forward faster. What are you going to do? Real life comes first and both Frank and I have day jobs – you have to do what you have to do to keep the roof over your head, and the entertainment arts have to come 2nd. However this is good news, we have momentum and I am thrilled that this is all coming together! Stay tuned…

Wow. Just wow. I was having dinner with some incredible friends last Sunday – Les Bradley being one of them. He asked how the 1st episode of Smash or Trash TV was coming along. I was honest with him – both Frank Lama and I have been too busy to cut the show we shot a month ago.  Then he dropped a bomb on me; he would be willing to help us edit it!

I had to lift my jaw up off the floor. What you need to know is that Les is a real pro in this business; for him to offer that kind of help for us is just – words fail me.  I talked to Frank and we are both enthusiastic about getting together and talking with Les about the 1st episode! We hope to do that soon, and Smash or Trash TV can get started on the premiere show, as Frank and I work on the script and schedule for the 2nd show.

So we send out a heartfelt thank you to Les for his offer, and will let you know the progress on the show in the near future. As I stated, Les is a pro in the field. He taught audio/video at the College of Notre Dame for years, and he edits a lot of the Baltimore area commercials. To learn more about him and his services, click on the banner below: