14-year-olds Alec Atkins, Malcolm Brickhouse and Jarad Dawkins make up the metal band Unlocking the Truth. Though they started out playing to Times Square crowds, they eventually acquired a manager, a huge record deal, and became the youngest band to ever play Coachella. Luke Meyer’s music documentary “Breaking a Monster” follows the boys’ rise to fame and the troubles they face as they struggle with early adulthood and the pressures of stardom. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: How a Legal Battle With Sony Put This Documentary in Jeopardy
The film first premiered at South by Southwest in March of last year before traveling on the festival circuit. After the band underwent a contract dispute with Sony Music Entertainment, the film was in a holding pattern for over a year. Meyer and producer Tom Davis eventually started a Kickstarter campaign to help self-release the film with Abramorama.
Read More: How a Legal Battle With Sony Put This Documentary in Jeopardy
The film first premiered at South by Southwest in March of last year before traveling on the festival circuit. After the band underwent a contract dispute with Sony Music Entertainment, the film was in a holding pattern for over a year. Meyer and producer Tom Davis eventually started a Kickstarter campaign to help self-release the film with Abramorama.
- 10/6/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Sundance Bible: All the Reviews, Interviews and News Posted During The Festival In 2004, a young man named Brad Land published a gripping memoir entitled "Goat," a deeply personal chronicle of the vicious attack that left a then-nineteen-year-old Land damaged in ways both physical and emotional, and his subsequent attempts to heal up by joining his older brother's college fraternity, a choice that only made Land's life even more difficult to endure. A film version of "Goat" has been in the works for years now, first with David Gordon Green (who still has a screenwriting credit on the feature) and eventually with "Darkon" and "King Kelly" filmmaker Andrew Neel. For his take on "Goat," Neel cast rising star Ben Schnetzer as Brad, a sensitive and reserved teen whose world is shattered over and over, along with Nick Jonas as his beloved big brother Brett. The rest of...
- 1/25/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Becoming a music sensation may take time and effort, but the long rise to fame hasn't been an issue for the 12 and 13-year-old members of metal band Unlocking the Truth. In Luke Meyer's documentary "Breaking a Monster: Unlocking the Truth," the nonfiction filmmaker chronicles the band's breakout year in which its young members first encountered stardom and the music industry, ultimately transcending childhood to become the rock stars they always dreamed of being. What's your film about in 140 characters or less? The breakout year of pre-teen metal band Unlocking the Truth as they first encounter stardom and the music industry, and reckon with their rock-star dreams. Now what's it Really about? Art, commerce, big dreams, childhood, heavy metal and Grand Theft Auto. Tell us briefly about yourself. My first film, "Darkon," premiered here at SXSW where it won the Audience Award. After that I made a film called "New World Order,...
- 3/31/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Having seen some of his output, this writer can safely say that Andrew Neel is one of the most interesting new filmmaking voices to arrive on the scene and is here to stay- having directed the likes of Darkon, which explores the world of the LARPer and Alice Neel, a fascinating look at the life of his Grandmother, the famous painter, Neel manages to create films that not only raise questions but also entertain, with engaging and very human narratives- be they subjects he points a camera at or something he constructs.
He is one quarter of New York Film Production outfit SeeThink Films- one of SeeThink’s latest films, King Kelly, is Andrew’s first narrative feature and was a hit at SXSW which has enjoyed huge success.
Andrew was kind enough to take up his time to discuss the philosophical layers of King Kelly, how they managed to shoot the film,...
He is one quarter of New York Film Production outfit SeeThink Films- one of SeeThink’s latest films, King Kelly, is Andrew’s first narrative feature and was a hit at SXSW which has enjoyed huge success.
Andrew was kind enough to take up his time to discuss the philosophical layers of King Kelly, how they managed to shoot the film,...
- 6/29/2013
- by Oscar Harding
- Obsessed with Film
While there have been many films riffing on reality tropes in the last several years, few have been as cleverly conceived and entertainingly executed as Andrew Neel’s debut fiction film, King Kelly. Set in the world of amateur webcam porn, the film depicts a monstrously fascinating Tracy Flick for our oversexualized social media age. Played ferociously by Louisa Krause, Kelly is a high-school student who runs a profitable one-woman porn empire from her suburban bedroom, with her parents none the wiser. Stripping on cam, uploading details of her everyday life and ruling over her chat room with a gonzo glee, Kelly embodies oversharing capitalist narcissism.
Taking place during one 24-hour span, King Kelly has a speedy plot involving a bag of misplaced drugs which Kelly is forced to recover by an irate dealer. She enlists her friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) as well as one of her pay-channel subscribers, a...
Taking place during one 24-hour span, King Kelly has a speedy plot involving a bag of misplaced drugs which Kelly is forced to recover by an irate dealer. She enlists her friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) as well as one of her pay-channel subscribers, a...
- 6/21/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Article by Dan Clark of Movie Revolt
Welcome to the first installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure where I highlight interesting and unique films now available on Netflix streaming. In each segment I will focus on one major overall category – this first time round I am looking at some intriguing documentaries that are worth checking out.
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade
Directed By Lincoln Ruchti
Synopsis: At the unassuming Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, early gamers fought for bragging rights at the 1982 Video Game World Championships. See how competitive gaming started, and meet arcade owner Walter Day, who still oversees scoring.
Why You Should Check It Out: There is just something about that arcade experience that I really miss. Today’s online gaming world is full of foul mouth preteen kids mocking you in almost every turn. Back in the day those kids were standing right next to you...
Welcome to the first installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure where I highlight interesting and unique films now available on Netflix streaming. In each segment I will focus on one major overall category – this first time round I am looking at some intriguing documentaries that are worth checking out.
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade
Directed By Lincoln Ruchti
Synopsis: At the unassuming Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, early gamers fought for bragging rights at the 1982 Video Game World Championships. See how competitive gaming started, and meet arcade owner Walter Day, who still oversees scoring.
Why You Should Check It Out: There is just something about that arcade experience that I really miss. Today’s online gaming world is full of foul mouth preteen kids mocking you in almost every turn. Back in the day those kids were standing right next to you...
- 4/9/2012
- by Guest
- Nerdly
In 15 years of covering film festivals, SXSW 2012 is the first one where, frankly, I'm more interested in what's going to happen to these films on VOD than what they may do in theaters. Not because SXSW premieres won't get theatrical releases; theatrical distributors are here in force. No one wants to miss another "Undefeated," which won the Oscar for best documentary, or "Weekend," which was slotted opposite 2011 festival opener "Source Code." This year's SXSW breakouts have yet to reveal themselves, although early response is good for films such as Amy Seimetz's noir drama "Sun Don't Shine," found-footage drama "King Kelly" from "Darkon" co-director Andrew Neel and atmospheric New Orleans doc "Tchoupitoulas." However, if and when the SXSW deals go down, odds are it's VOD where these films will have the chance to make their biggest impression. ...
- 3/11/2012
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
"King Kelly" director Andrew Neel wrote, directed and shot four documentaries, including "Darkon," before venturing into fiction (though "King Kelly" was written "with several central cultural discussions in mind," says Neel; and shot with iPhones). Beginning with "Darkon," he believes his films are all "about examining the space between the way we imagine the world to be and the way we actually live in it." The space between is his obsession, "It’s where life really happens. I think one of the main reasons I make films is to try to capture what goes on in that gap between the imagined and the real, and look at the mess that happens when there’s an attempt to reconcile the two." What it's about: "It’s the story of two girls who go on a crazy journey - told through their camera-phones. But really it’s about identity in a socially-networked,...
- 3/7/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
While director Andrew Neel may not yet be a household name, in Austin, he's been a regular fixture at SXSW over the past few years. His documentaries "Darkon" (about Larp-ing) and "New World Order" (focusing on conspiracy theorists) premiered at the fest in 2006 and 2009 respectively, with the former taking home the Audience Award that year. Well, once again Neel is back, this time with a narrative feature that again finds him exploring a fascinating subject.
"King Kelly" will tackle the YouTube generation, with the story centering around the title character, played by Louisa Krause, an aspiring Internet star who performs webcam stripteases. When Kelly's car -- filled with illegal narcotics that she must deliver -- is stolen by her bitter ex-boyfriend Ryan (Will Brill) on the 4th of July, Kelly and her best friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) embark on an epic whirlwind of drugs, sex, violence, and mischief-making as Kelly...
"King Kelly" will tackle the YouTube generation, with the story centering around the title character, played by Louisa Krause, an aspiring Internet star who performs webcam stripteases. When Kelly's car -- filled with illegal narcotics that she must deliver -- is stolen by her bitter ex-boyfriend Ryan (Will Brill) on the 4th of July, Kelly and her best friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) embark on an epic whirlwind of drugs, sex, violence, and mischief-making as Kelly...
- 3/7/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Here’s your weekly dose of an indie film in progress; every Friday, we spotlight a bigger project, usually from an established filmmaker or affiliated with a bigger production company. "King Kelly" Director: Andrew Neel ("Darkon") Dp/Producer: Ethan Palmer ("Darkon") Producers: Tom Davis, Luke Meyer, Andrew Corkin, Susan Shopmaker ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Afterschool," "Martha Marcy May Marlene") Co-Producer: Ed Vassallo Casting Director: Susan Shopmaker Cast: Louisa Krause ("Martha Marcy ...
- 9/2/2011
- Indiewire
After Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer's fantastic documentary Darkon took us inside the world of Live Action Role Playing back in 2006, the floodgates have since opened on both documentaries and fictional comedies all poking fun at LARPers in progressively less flattering ways. David Wain's Role Models was perhaps the highest profile film to feature wooden swords and homemade armor, and now the first trailer has been released for a new indie comedy from Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2) called Knights of Badassdom. The plot revolves around a group of LARPers who accidentally summon a real demon from hell and are then forced to step up and become heroes. In my mind I was picturing something akin to Bruce Campbell's horribly unfunny My Name is Bruce and I was kind of expecting to hate it, but I'm happy to say that this trailer won me over. The cast...
- 7/25/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Heads up to improv comedy fans in the Seattle area. Matt Walsh, one of the members of the Upright Citizens Brigade and founders of the Ucb Theater, is playing his debut feature film, "High Road" at the Seattle Film Festival May 20th and 21st (for full details go to the Siff website).
According to the film's official site, "High Road" is described as the story of "Fitz, a lovable bone headed pot dealer, [who] mistakenly decides to go on the lam. He visits his estranged cross dressing dad, to seek advice. In Fitz's world, he has the worst possible case of love triangle where he is forced to choose between the three things he loves most: selling weed, his really bad rock opera, or his newly pregnant girlfriend." Here's the trailer:
High Road (Trailer) from Peter Atencio on Vimeo.
As you can see, the cast is absolutely stacked: Abby Elliott, Lizzy Caplan,...
According to the film's official site, "High Road" is described as the story of "Fitz, a lovable bone headed pot dealer, [who] mistakenly decides to go on the lam. He visits his estranged cross dressing dad, to seek advice. In Fitz's world, he has the worst possible case of love triangle where he is forced to choose between the three things he loves most: selling weed, his really bad rock opera, or his newly pregnant girlfriend." Here's the trailer:
High Road (Trailer) from Peter Atencio on Vimeo.
As you can see, the cast is absolutely stacked: Abby Elliott, Lizzy Caplan,...
- 5/12/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
We're all for getting out in the summertime, but there might not be anything more refreshing than cooling off in a movie theater... or seeing a movie in the comfort of your air-conditioned home on demand, on DVD, or online... or better yet catching a classic on the big screen at a nearby repertory theater. With literally hundreds of films to choose from this summer, we humbly present this guide to the season's most exciting offerings.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
- 5/6/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
From fantasy role-play gamers to conspiracy theorists? The most recent documentary by filmmakers Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel, New World Order, examines folks who are really, really dedicated to exposing a secret worldwide conspiracy. It had its world premiere at SXSW last Friday night and screened again this morning, in advance of its debut via IFC's on demand service (available on cable and satellite systems) next month.
But there's no need to feel left out if you missed the SXSW screenings. The duo's previous, full-bore colloboration, the fabulous Darkon, is just waiting for you to stream it free at Snag Films. Darkon won the Documentary Feature Audience Award at SXSW in 2006, and it's no wonder why. It examines folks who are really, really dedicated to fantasy role-playing games, the kind where the players create alter-egos, make their own costumes, and act out elaborate scenarios. The group has been active since...
But there's no need to feel left out if you missed the SXSW screenings. The duo's previous, full-bore colloboration, the fabulous Darkon, is just waiting for you to stream it free at Snag Films. Darkon won the Documentary Feature Audience Award at SXSW in 2006, and it's no wonder why. It examines folks who are really, really dedicated to fantasy role-playing games, the kind where the players create alter-egos, make their own costumes, and act out elaborate scenarios. The group has been active since...
- 3/17/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
If daylight savings time is upon us, it must mean the first quarter release graveyard really is out of sight now as some big name stars finally come out to play. Meanwhile, some previous SXSW alums make their theatrical bows as the film and music fest get underway in Austin and bromance continues to blossom.
Download this in audio form (MP3: 8:28 minutes, 11.7 Mb)
"Angel"
French helmer François Ozon's first English language feature is an adaptation of Brit author Elizabeth Taylor's seriocomic novel of the same title and promises to be a campy, ironic throwback to the melodramas of 1950s Hollywood. Romola Garai stars as Angelica "Angel" Deverell, the Barbara Taylor Bradford of the Edwardian era who specializes in romantic slush, which she flogs to long-suffering publisher Sam Neill. A woman of determined ambition, Angel callously manipulates anyone she feels will benefit her ascension to the upper echelons of society,...
Download this in audio form (MP3: 8:28 minutes, 11.7 Mb)
"Angel"
French helmer François Ozon's first English language feature is an adaptation of Brit author Elizabeth Taylor's seriocomic novel of the same title and promises to be a campy, ironic throwback to the melodramas of 1950s Hollywood. Romola Garai stars as Angelica "Angel" Deverell, the Barbara Taylor Bradford of the Edwardian era who specializes in romantic slush, which she flogs to long-suffering publisher Sam Neill. A woman of determined ambition, Angel callously manipulates anyone she feels will benefit her ascension to the upper echelons of society,...
- 3/16/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
I suppose you never appreciate your hometown as much as when out-of-towners spout out about its greatness. That's the way it is in Austin. I Do live in the best city on earth. Especially during SXSW!
MoonThis film has two things going for it before it even begins. 1) Its star, Sam Rockwell, is a talented, sometimes underrated, actor, and 2) it's a sci-fi flick, full of cool shots of moon rovers with the big, blue earth in the background, talking computers, life endangerment and extraterrestrial mysteries.
Sometime in the future, Sam Bell (Rockwell) is just finishing up a three-year contract for a mining operation on the moon. Alone. Or so it seems. After recovering from an injury, the result of an apparent hallucination, Sam encounters another man on the moon: himself. Is one of them an hallucination? A clone? Is this Hal-esque computer (called Gertie here with voice work by Kevin Spacey...
MoonThis film has two things going for it before it even begins. 1) Its star, Sam Rockwell, is a talented, sometimes underrated, actor, and 2) it's a sci-fi flick, full of cool shots of moon rovers with the big, blue earth in the background, talking computers, life endangerment and extraterrestrial mysteries.
Sometime in the future, Sam Bell (Rockwell) is just finishing up a three-year contract for a mining operation on the moon. Alone. Or so it seems. After recovering from an injury, the result of an apparent hallucination, Sam encounters another man on the moon: himself. Is one of them an hallucination? A clone? Is this Hal-esque computer (called Gertie here with voice work by Kevin Spacey...
- 3/14/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
By delving into the personal lives of conspiracy theorists and allowing them to speak for themselves, New World Order asks the viewer to look at them as actual human beings instead of the nutjobs they sometimes appear to be. Filmmakers Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel previously followed fantasy role-playing gamers in Darkon, and New World Order is cut from the same cloth: skillfully assembled and surprisingly absorbing.
The documentary will have its world premiere at South by Southwest tomorrow, March 13, and will screen again on Tuesday, March 17, before premiering on demand (via various cable and satellite systems in the Us) on IFC Free on April 16, 2009.
I was initially very resistant to the subject matter. Radio talk show host Alex Jones stridently screams into a microphone in Austin, Texas, and I rolled my eyes. College student Luke Rudowski talks quietly and earnestly in Brooklyn, New York, and I shook my head.
The documentary will have its world premiere at South by Southwest tomorrow, March 13, and will screen again on Tuesday, March 17, before premiering on demand (via various cable and satellite systems in the Us) on IFC Free on April 16, 2009.
I was initially very resistant to the subject matter. Radio talk show host Alex Jones stridently screams into a microphone in Austin, Texas, and I rolled my eyes. College student Luke Rudowski talks quietly and earnestly in Brooklyn, New York, and I shook my head.
- 3/13/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Screen Anarchy
IFC Films
NEW YORK -- A cinematic, ethnographic portrait that ranks with anything done by National Geographic in terms of sheer exotica, Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer's documentary explores the mores of a large group of people who participate in fantastical renditions of medieval-style battles. While the subject matter inevitably wears thin over the course of its feature-length running time, Darkon has an undeniable fascination and fairly begs for a feature film comedy adaptation.
The filmmakers don't take a condescending view toward their subjects -- that's wisely left to the viewer -- with the result that their effort never takes on the air of cheap mockery. It concerns a group of more than 200 adults who gather every other Sunday in the Baltimore suburbs to enact the fantasy world that gives the film its title. Battling each other on various fields and playgrounds while wearing homemade costumes and brandishing makeshift weapons, the participants clearly relish their momentary escape from day-to-day realities. Needless to say, this sort of activity already has been given a handy acronym: LARP, for "live action-role playing game."
The filmmakers concentrate on a few of the players in particular, including Skip Lipman, a stay-at-home father still bitter over being shut out of the family business. As we learn, Lipman's alter-ego is Bannor, a warrior of Laconia attempting to bring his arch-enemy Keldar of Mordom (Kenyon Wells) to justice.
Watching the extensive footage of the players in action that is interspersed with interviews and scenes of their real lives, it isn't always hard to see why they occasionally feel the need to enter an imaginary construct. The fact that they do so with such undeniable energy and enthusiasm is what ultimately gives Darkon its entertainment value.
NEW YORK -- A cinematic, ethnographic portrait that ranks with anything done by National Geographic in terms of sheer exotica, Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer's documentary explores the mores of a large group of people who participate in fantastical renditions of medieval-style battles. While the subject matter inevitably wears thin over the course of its feature-length running time, Darkon has an undeniable fascination and fairly begs for a feature film comedy adaptation.
The filmmakers don't take a condescending view toward their subjects -- that's wisely left to the viewer -- with the result that their effort never takes on the air of cheap mockery. It concerns a group of more than 200 adults who gather every other Sunday in the Baltimore suburbs to enact the fantasy world that gives the film its title. Battling each other on various fields and playgrounds while wearing homemade costumes and brandishing makeshift weapons, the participants clearly relish their momentary escape from day-to-day realities. Needless to say, this sort of activity already has been given a handy acronym: LARP, for "live action-role playing game."
The filmmakers concentrate on a few of the players in particular, including Skip Lipman, a stay-at-home father still bitter over being shut out of the family business. As we learn, Lipman's alter-ego is Bannor, a warrior of Laconia attempting to bring his arch-enemy Keldar of Mordom (Kenyon Wells) to justice.
Watching the extensive footage of the players in action that is interspersed with interviews and scenes of their real lives, it isn't always hard to see why they occasionally feel the need to enter an imaginary construct. The fact that they do so with such undeniable energy and enthusiasm is what ultimately gives Darkon its entertainment value.
- 10/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IFC is expanding its original nonfiction programming slate with a trio of documentaries on topics ranging from fantasy role-playing gamers to a punk band to the execution of an innocent man.
In addition, Janeane Garofalo has signed on to offer editorials in four episodes of the network's The Henry Rollins Show, which will have its second-season premiere April 13. A one-hour special, Henry Rollins: Uncut From Tel Aviv, documenting Rollins' two-night performance in the Israeli city, will kick off the new season.
Meanwhile, the three feature-length docus are:
Darkon, premiering in fall 2007, follows the real-life adventures of an unusual group of weekend "warrior knights," fantasy role-playing gamers whose live-action "battleground" is modern-day Baltimore reimagined as a make-believe medieval world called Darkon. Darkon, winner of the South by Southwest Film Festival Audience Award, is directed by Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer of SeeThink Prods.
Heavy Load, airing in spring 2008, centers on the punk band of the same name comprising musicians with and without learning disabilities.
In addition, Janeane Garofalo has signed on to offer editorials in four episodes of the network's The Henry Rollins Show, which will have its second-season premiere April 13. A one-hour special, Henry Rollins: Uncut From Tel Aviv, documenting Rollins' two-night performance in the Israeli city, will kick off the new season.
Meanwhile, the three feature-length docus are:
Darkon, premiering in fall 2007, follows the real-life adventures of an unusual group of weekend "warrior knights," fantasy role-playing gamers whose live-action "battleground" is modern-day Baltimore reimagined as a make-believe medieval world called Darkon. Darkon, winner of the South by Southwest Film Festival Audience Award, is directed by Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer of SeeThink Prods.
Heavy Load, airing in spring 2008, centers on the punk band of the same name comprising musicians with and without learning disabilities.
- 12/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Austin's South by Southwest Film Festival announced its jury and audience award winners Wednesday. Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin's crime caper Live Free or Die took home narrative feature honors from the jury, while Eric Byler's romantic dramedy Americanese won the audience award in the same category. The latter also garned a special jury prize for ensemble cast, making it the only film to nab two honors. The jury awarded Mark Woolen's roller derby-themed "Jam" best documentary feature and gave a special jury prize to James D. Scurlock's credit card docu Maxed Out. Audiences went for Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel's medieval fantasy game study, Darkon, as best docu feature.
- 3/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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