Congratulations to Producer Tyler Levine, Director Leo Scherman, and the entire crew from Carousel Pictures for an unbelievable job on Trench 11, a film noir-esque movie about the final days of World War I, when “a shell-shocked soldier must lead a mission deep beneath the trenches to stop a German plot that could turn the tide of the war.”
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So, funny story.
I went to see a movie earlier today about a bear chasing a burned bison. Then some kids got killed at Yellowstone National Park. Then a self-admitted murderer was set free without as much as a trial. Something about holes being looped together, or loops being holed together…or some such thing. But that wasn’t the funny part.
The funny part came approximately 20 minutes into watching Population Zero, the much-heralded film from producer @TylerLevine and directors @JulianPinder and @Adamlevins, when a grouchy old man a few rows up from me proclaimed (loud enough for everyone in the theatre to hear), “I didn’t pay to come and see a documentary! I want to see a real movie!” His wife (I assume) then fled to the other side of the row (i.e. the burned/shamed bison), while the husband (i.e. the stalking bear) soon followed her lead and took a seat beside her on the far end.
The theatre quickly filled with the smell of urine because the rest of us were busy peeing our pants laughing.
First thing’s first, though: Population Zero is so good and in so many ways that it’s hard to believe it was made on a shoestring budget. The cinematography was breathtaking, the music mesmerizing, the acting spot-on and completely believable, and the storyline compelling, to say the least.
Second thing’s, well, second. Duh! I don’t want to give away too much, but if you believe metafiction works like Don Quixote, Barney’s Version and The New York Trilogy are not “real” novels – and metacinema works such as A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club and Stranger than Fiction are not “real” films – because their creators warped the whole suspension of disbelief thing, then perhaps Population Zero is not for you.
If, however, you go in open-minded and appreciate real grit through the cinematic lens, then you will be drawn in as slowly as the waters of the Upper Niagara River. Soon enough, without even realizing it, you’ll be sent barreling down the river when you suddenly hit a series of rapids, your heart pounding with anticipation. This all culminates in an ending that is sure to shock/surprise/titillate even the harshest of movie critics when the Falls themselves seem to knock you over the head right out of the blue.
To sum up: (1) Bison and bears make interesting animals to watch chase each other; (2) do not camp in an area of any national park without at least 12 local residents; and (3) Niagara Falls makes a wonderful metaphor for strong-to-quite-strong films.
The end.
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That’s right: “compulsive viewing.” When you consider that about 78.456789% of society now suffers from OCD, that can only bode well for Population Zero, the gritty new film produced by Tyler Levine (@TylerLevine) and directed by Adam Levins (@Adamlevins) & Julian T. Pinder (@JulianPinder). It is currently being released in Canada by A71 Entertainment (@A71Ent).
Film critic Greg Klymkiw (@GregKlymkiwCFC) was at the premiere of the film here in the T dot and blogged about his thoughts in a piece called “How To Get Away With Murder in the U.S.A.” You can can read the review for yourself, but I think Mr. Klymkiw sums it up nicely when he writes:
“What I DO know is that it’s a damn enjoyable movie as it stands and I highly recommend that everyone stop going to see movies knowing what they’re going to see. It’s so much more edifying.”
Population Zero will be playing at Carlton Cinema until Thursday, June 1.
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And…the first review is in from Brad Wheeler (@BWheelerglobe) at The Globe and Mail for Population Zero. Congratulations to @TylerLevine and his entire team for putting together a film that is “compelling,” “cleverly told,” and an “earnest cross-genre thriller.”
Population Zero is playing at Carlton Cinema until Thursday, June 1.
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My good, good friend, Sir Baron von Tyler Levine IV (@TylerLevine), produced a kick-ass crime/mystery/thriller called Population Zero, and it premieres May 26 at Carlton Cinema in downtown Toronto (Yonge and Carlton).
As per IMDB, here’s a summary of the plot:
In April 2009, three young men were killed in a remote part of Yellowstone National Park. Authorities Never Found the Murderer. He Found Them. Only hours after three young men were gunned down in cold blood, Dwayne Nelson walked into a ranger station miles away and confessed to the crime. Despite his detailed confession, Dwayne Nelson was allowed to go free because of a loophole in the American Constitution. Award Winning Canadian Documentarian Julian T. Pinder (Trouble in the Peace, Land, Jesus Town) travels to Yellowstone in a cinematic and compelling chase for truth behind a crime that should have rocked the nation. How did the United States Constitution, the supreme law of the United States of America, let a guilty man go free? In his hunt for answers Pinder breaks the first rule of documentary film making by allowing himself to become a subject in the story; risking his life and others when he finds evidence that could re-open the case of the Yellowstone Murders years later.
It’s a great film, but it’s only running for one week, from May 26 to June 1, so make sure you head down and check it out.
Tickets are $10 for adults ($5 all day on Tuesday, May 31), and here is a link to Carlton Cinema, where you can find showtimes and make a reservation online.
If you’re a real go-getter and like harassing good-looking people who are bound to be famous before long, there will be a Q&A after the 6:45 p.m. screening of Population Zero this Friday, May 26.
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Purchase your copy online from
Richard H. Harris 