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HBO has released the first trailer for Alex Gibney’s “Crazy, Not Insane,” which delves into the minds of serial killers, including Ted Bundy and Arthur Shawcross.

The documentary follows Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a psychiatrist who has studied murderers throughout her career, trying to figure out why people kill.

“I have now seen 22 serial killers,” Lewis says in the trailer. “It’s fascinating to me — I think any of us, myself included, could kill. Don’t you ever wonder why you don’t murder?”

The documentary, which follows Lewis’ lifelong attempts to unravel the hearts and minds of these killers, was an official selection at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival and will be available on HBO and HBO Max on Nov. 18.

Dr. Lewis began her career working with children including violent juvenile offenders, and she was exposed to testimony of children who experienced physical and sexual abuse, which led...

Jeffrey Toobin weighed in on O.J. Simpson’s murder case following the NFL star getting parole on Thursday. “He was acquitted, and he doesn’t have to acknowledge his guilt, which I think was completely obvious,” said Toobin on CNN about the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The legal analyst’s book about the Simpson case was adapted as the FX series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Also Read: Best Oj Simpson Reactions to Parole Decision: 'Now Oj Can Find the Real Killers' Simpson was granted parole by the Nevada board on Thursday,...

Fox’s Almost Human Perception TV Show Trailer Plot and Images. Almost Human: Season 1, Episode 10, ‘Perception,’ tackles the subject of cosmetic eugenics, when a special drug impacts the world of special people. Press release plot synopsis for Perception: Drug Crimes From The Future Are Real Killers On An [...]

Continue reading: Almost Human: Episode 1.10: Perception TV Show Trailer, Plot, & Images...

The big names in horror are often recognized by both the genre community and mainstream entertainment culture, showered with accolades by horror fans and film critics alike. Directors like John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Wes Craven have secured their place in film history, but many more talented directors go largely unsung for their hard work and noteworthy contributions to the genre. To remedy that, we recently kicked off a recurring segment that gives much-needed credit to those groundbreaking horror filmmakers who aren’t always given the praise they deserve. [You can check out part one here and part two here.] Since the first two installments proved popular, we're back with another round, and this time we present not five, but six more of our favorite underrated genre film directors. Mike Mendez Director of The Gravedancers and Big Ass Spider, Mendez and frequent collaborator Dave Parker (Coldwater, The Hills Run Red) helped to inspire the popular Showtime series Masters of Horror, but...

Giant insect movies have been around for the better part of the last century. There’s just something about those tiny things that creep so many of us out running amok and squashing us for a change that seems to speak to moviegoers. When you couple that notion with the recent public adoration of made-for-cable campfests like Sharknado, Piranhaconda, or Mega-Whatever-Animal-Meets-Some-Other-Mega-Thing, it’s not hard to figure out why a movie called Big Ass Spider! (orginally known as Megaspider) would be a real thing. Well, as far as movies featuring giant CGI bugs go, Big Ass Spider! is far from the worst of the lot, but it’s also nothing that you need to rush out and see as soon as possible either.

The plot of the film is simple: Everyman exterminator, Alex (played by Heroes‘ Greg Grunberg), gets bitten by a brown recluse, resulting in a trip to the hospital.

The mighty Boston Underground Film Festival celebrates their impressive 15th edition this year on March 27-31 at the Brattle Theatre. Here’s some highlights to be on the lookout for:

Opening night film: I Declare War, a childhood parable about war and brutality, directed by Jason Lapeyre and Robert Wilson.

Closing night film: Big Ass Spider!, a raucous giant arachnid vs. the military flick, directed by Mike Mendez.

Other Feature Films: Both Drew Tobia’s first feature, See You Next Tuesday; and the punk documentary A Band Called Death by Mark Christopher Covino and Jeff Howlett recently won awards at the 20th Chicago Underground Film Festival and will now kill it at Buff. Sion Sono, a Buff regular, will be screening the last of his “Trilogy of Hate,” Guilty of Romance; while Calvin Lee Reeder has the gross-out feature-length version of his gross-out short The Rambler. And Zach Clark, a Bad Lit favorite,...

LatinoBuzz: I love to ask if there was there a particular film where you sat in that movie theater and something clicked and you knew that this is it!

Mike: There were several movies that had huge impacts on me when I saw them in the theater as a kid. An amazing and influential theatrical experience for me was "Friday the 13th part 7".  I saw it opening night in Westwood, where all the college kids would go from UCLA. I know it sounds crazy, but it was almost a religious experience for me, the mixture of horror with comedy in a packed theater was just electric. Hearing, laughter, screaming & cheering was just amazing.  Something just clicked with me, it was such a fun theatrical experience that it really cemented what I wanted to do for a living.

LatinoBuzz: Between going to Catholic school in Pasadena, CA and working at your parents Mexican/Salvadorean restaurant in Los Angeles, where did the obsession for cinema kick in?

Mike: Well my brother and dad were big cinefiles, so yes Sunday morning was reserved for the Lord, but Sunday afternoon was reserved for Spielberg & Carpenter. We went to movies all the time and it really became the center of my life. Still is.

LatinoBuzz: Latinos make up the largest percentage of movie-goers and genre films are immensely popular amongst us. Yet we so poorly represented. What do we do to change that?

Mike: Well with "Big Ass Spider" the revolution has begun, ha! But seriously, I'm very encouraged by the amount of Latino film makers working in the industry. Between Del Toro, Cuaron, De la Iglesia, Amnenabar, Almondovar among many others there is a strong presence of Latino film makers making really great stuff. I don't see that trend stopping and I hope only growing.

LatinoBuzz: Your first feature was 'Killers' back in 1995. It's quite a remarkable story of how two young 22 year old best friends went and shot a film in a very 90's by-any-means-necessary manner. Can you tell us about how that one came together?

Mike: Hey, points for doing your homework. "Killers" was my first film, shot locally in our parents house, it was funded on donations, loans & credit cards long before kickstarter existed. It was difficult, but fun, in retrospect kind of dangerous too, running around with shotguns shooting blanks in residential neighborhoods.  The short version of the story was that it was made because there were a lot of short ends of film left from another friends movie, so we took that film and made "Killers".  I owe that movie everything, it started my career.

LatinoBuzz: Do you ever recall a movie you watched on VHS that absolutely no one saw, that you thought you'd love to bring it back and remake it as a Mike Mendez film?

Mike: I do love "The Incredible Melting Man". I bet that could be cool to redo.  

LatinoBuzz: If a damsel from any film and a director from any film had a kid and named him Mike Mendez who are they?

Mike: Man, I have no idea, but little known fact, there is a German rapper who named himself after me. So, I don't know if that answers the question. But if Sam Raimi & Megan Fox wanted to have a love child and name him after me, please send me a video. ;) 

LatinoBuzz: What's your creative process?

Mike: My creative process? Hmmm, well I basically draw at the movie in pencil by story boarding it from start to finish, and I use my action figures as models.  True story.

LatinoBuzz: The highest and lowest points of your career so far?

Mike: Highest point of my career, it may be happening right now, the reaction to the trailer and clips from "Big Ass Spider" has been phenomenal, so at least for the moment I'm having a bit of renewed interest. Low points, I have many, ha, but It's a tie from when I had to follow a camera crew around all day and carry tripods all day or the time I had to direct a talent show for Microsoft starring American Idol reject William Hung. Sadly both of them were deep into my directing career. But like I said, things seem to be getting better, and the car wash I work at gives me Thursdays off to take meetings ;) 

LatinoBuzz: Who is a hero from history who would make a good drinking buddy?

Mike: I've always wanted to do blow with Genghis Khan, 'bet that guy knows how to party. I also think a bottle of wine with Hitchcock would've been cool. Also doing shots with the baby Jesus, bet that guy knows how to party ;)

Latinobuzz: What inspired Big Ass Spider aesthetically?

Mike: The spider itself was inspired by a cross between a black widow and the Alien Queen.  The movie itself, if just wanted to do something sharp and high key.  My last film "Gravedancers" was so dark, I really wanted to go in another direction.

LatinoBuzz: What's next for Mike Mendez?

Mike: Lunch! And I can't wait! Then after that we're premiering the movie, so we'll see what happens after that!

Dig Big Ass Spider at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Ass-Spider/121332304627476?fref=ts

Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and facebook.

Big Ass Spider will have it’s World Premiere as a part of the Midnighter’s lineup during SXSW 2013. Here’s the world premiere of the trailer with an introduction by director Mike Mendez.

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Big Ass Spider! (aka Mega Spider).

Mendez has directed the horror films The Gravedancers that premiered at Tribeca, The Convent (Sundance) and Killers (Sudance). This is his 5th feature film. The screenwriter is Gregory Gieras (Dark Asylum, Beyond).

The cast includes Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, and Patrick Bauchau.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mega-Spider/...

Madman Mike Mendez (Real Killers, The Convent, The Gravedancers) is back behind the camera for what promises to be another cinematic romp of insanity like only he can craft. Warning ... this one will not be for the arachnophobic!

Word has just come down that Mendez will be at the directorial helm of Mega Spider for Epic Pictures. Production is slated to begin this fall, and our skin is crawling already!

Synopsis

Surviving extermination by nuclear eradication, a horrible alien mutation in arachnid form is now growing at an exponential rate and making its way toward downtown Los Angeles. Hot on its spindly heels is a crack military unit with absolute authority, led by an obsessively driven commander and his beautiful but lethal sidekick. Unfortunately for them, this mutant spider has an array of deadly defenses including the ability to virtually disappear through camouflage. But the creature’s real adversary quickly...

Ever since Real Killers and The Convent debuted way back when, we knew one director we should be keeping an eye on was Mike Mendez. He struck back again a few years later with what's still one of the best films ever to hit the After Dark Horrorfest, The Gravedancers, and since then the madman himself has been cooking up something insane. Welcome to your first taste of what's to come in Ov3rk!ll!

Below you'll find the sales trailer for his next project, which he hopes to shoot later this year. As you'll see, it's home to just about everything we love about the genre ... famous killers, lots of gore, chainsaws, and Ray fuckin' Wise, who immediately ups the ante of whatever he's involved with.

Again, this is only a sales trailer and not a glimpse at the final product. Either way, though, we think you'll agree the premise rocks ... and knowing Mendez,...