Well, here's a happy little success story.
We first wrote about Christopher Sharpe's Sex Machine back in January, almost a full year ago now, commenting on the raw energy and style apparent in the trailers - unusual things for a film cobbled together on a microscopic budget that was shot on weekends over roughly a year using props built by hand from materials found cheap at the Home Depot. But skill behind the camera is something that budget can neither fake nor disguise and, having had the chance to actually see the full film, Sharpe's definitely got that. Yeah, the low budget roots are apparent but it's got smarts and style and hangs off a surprisingly compelling lead performance. Here's the skinny:
"Frank isn’t quite himself ... literally. His head is wrapped in bandages. One arm sports a tattoo reading “Sex Machine.” The other arm is black. He can’t remember why.
It’s going to be a very bad day.
Turning for help to the girlfriend who thought he was dead, Frank’s past catches up with him in the form of deadly assassins, all working for a mad scientist with a sinister plan. Can Frank learn the secret behind his extreme makeover before he’s put out of commission?
Shot with a bold visual style, SEX MACHINE is a fast-paced crime thriller that reimagines the Frankenstein myth with heavy doses of horror and humor."
The sort of thing that usually slips away without ever being noticed Sharpe's little film has defied the odds and found itself a home on DVD, Anthem Pictures having just announced that they will release the film on DVD in MArch 2007. Read on for the press release.
Sex Machine Website
Sex Machine Trailer (downloadable Quicktime)
Sex Machine Leaves Mark on Anthem Pictures
Scary Actioner – part Frankenstein, part pulp – Acquired for Worldwide Distribution
Agoura Hills, CA – Anthem Pictures President & CEO Chuck Adelman announced today it had acquired all rights to Austin, TX filmmaker Christopher Sharpe's debut feature film, Sex Machine for worldwide distribution. The scary action-thriller is scheduled for a DVD Premiere in the United States in March 2007.
Sex Machine, which takes its name from a mysterious tattoo on the hero's arm is the gripping story of a man who wakes up in the middle of a gangland hit to discover that his limbs are not his own. Frank is a tough-talking patchwork assassin, stitched together from the body parts of other failed assassins. When Frank learns that his ex-girlfriend is the next test subject, he opens both barrels on his "creators" and unleashes a gory bloodbath of revenge.
"When we first screened the movie we knew we had a winner – not only with the audience who love movies like Reservoir Dogs or The Killer , but with the folks who like their gore, "said Adelman. "Sex Machine really delivers the goods. This is a pulpy hybrid of horror and hitmen that really goes for the throat."
Sex Machine , winner of the 2006 MicroCinema and DeadCenter Film Festivals was shot in and around Austin, TX and Oklahoma City, OK and comes from the demented minds of Director Christopher Sharpe and screenwriter John Oak Dalton. Shot for over several months as cast and crew were available, Sharpe and Director of Photography Shogo have infused with the movie with what critics have called, "killer visual style" from the opening credits onward. Hundreds of sketches, conceptual photos and makeup tests were completed so that the filmmakers could keep a consistent and interesting look on their meager budget. The planning paid off.
The movie was brought to Anthem by writer-producer Bill Cunningham (Scarecrow, .Com For Murder and the upcoming Gore Gore Gore-met ) when the director sent him a copy for his advice. "I watched the movie from beginning to end without having to fast forward, which is a testament to the story's punch. I called Christopher right away and asked if the film had distribution and if he was represented by anyone. I wanted to be that guy. From there I took it around to my colleagues in the industry and Chuck really responded to what I did – the film's pulpiness."
Plans for the March 2007 DVD include: the feature, trailers, a DVD commentary track with the filmmakers, a behind-the-scenes feature and a gallery of stills and artwork.