http://www.smalltowncritic.com COOP COOPER is an independently syndicated film critic with a split personality. His "Southern Side" prints mainstream reviews that appear in various print publications across the mid-south. His "Dark Side" from Los Angeles befouls the site with reviews of horror and grindhouse flicks. Welcome to the site where COOP's two halves (and his contributors) review and debate the latest film/DVD releases... Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:00:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/10-reasons-to-attend-the-2nd-annual-clarksdale-film-fest/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/10-reasons-to-attend-the-2nd-annual-clarksdale-film-fest/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:00:51 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=3169 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/10-reasons-to-attend-the-2nd-annual-clarksdale-film-fest/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/gypsy-heart-brings-a-fresh-spin-to-an-old-legend/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/gypsy-heart-brings-a-fresh-spin-to-an-old-legend/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:41:10 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=3174 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2012/01/24/gypsy-heart-brings-a-fresh-spin-to-an-old-legend/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/11/04/mississippi-indie-filmmaker-spotlight-michael-williams-illumination/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/11/04/mississippi-indie-filmmaker-spotlight-michael-williams-illumination/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:20:09 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=3134 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/11/04/mississippi-indie-filmmaker-spotlight-michael-williams-illumination/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/04/04/coop-coopers-sci-fihorror-short-film-the-best-day-has-a-trailer/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/04/04/coop-coopers-sci-fihorror-short-film-the-best-day-has-a-trailer/#comments Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:30:51 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=3006 Crossroads Film Festival (thanks to all of you who attended), I finally have the opportunity to release the trailer by way of a blog post where it will reach many more viewers... A few details about this sci-fi/horror short:  It was filmed in four days in December 2010 entirely in Clarksdale, Mississippi by myself and a crew of locals.  It stars Anna Carson Tyner as Jenny, Amye Gousset as Mommy, David Dallas as Daddy and Lois Erwin as Miss Vargas.  The film is currently in the final stages of post production. Logline:  Little Jenny wishes nothing more than to reunite with her "sick" mommy and daddy, but poor Jenny will live to regret this wish...  again, and again, and again. CLICK "Read More" below to watch the trailer...]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/04/04/coop-coopers-sci-fihorror-short-film-the-best-day-has-a-trailer/feed/ 1 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/26/coop-predicts-the-2011-academy-awards/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/26/coop-predicts-the-2011-academy-awards/#comments Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:33:34 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2961 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/26/coop-predicts-the-2011-academy-awards/feed/ 2 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/15/the-8th-annual-oxford-film-fest-reviewed-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/15/the-8th-annual-oxford-film-fest-reviewed-by-coop/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:22:35 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2949 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/02/15/the-8th-annual-oxford-film-fest-reviewed-by-coop/feed/ 2 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/01/20/production-stills-from-the-short-film-the-best-day/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/01/20/production-stills-from-the-short-film-the-best-day/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:10:40 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2942 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2011/01/20/production-stills-from-the-short-film-the-best-day/feed/ 3 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/11/07/the-cast-of-sci-fi-short-the-best-day-has-been-chosen/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/11/07/the-cast-of-sci-fi-short-the-best-day-has-been-chosen/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:04:34 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2903 The Small Town Critic) with a production crew that consists entirely of Clarksdale, Mississippi residents. “The Best Day” is a 15-minute science fiction short about an innocent child in a dire situation. Jenny arrives home from school, excited that newly “resurrected” Mommy has returned, only to find that something is very wrong with her. When Mommy’s memories fully return, so do the tragedies of the past. They were once human, now part of a cruel experiment that repeats over and over… and it is all Daddy’s fault. THE CAST...]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/11/07/the-cast-of-sci-fi-short-the-best-day-has-been-chosen/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/10/18/so-yeah-im-making-this-short-film/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/10/18/so-yeah-im-making-this-short-film/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:45:50 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2899 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/10/18/so-yeah-im-making-this-short-film/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/08/18/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-best-of-the-feel-good-film-festival-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/08/18/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-best-of-the-feel-good-film-festival-by-coop/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:24:43 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2844 Coop’s most recent MICRO REVIEWS (via Twitter): I got to conduct some great Q & A's for some terrific films at the FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL this past weekend. I met some truly gifted filmmakers and inspirational people. I'd like to thank these special guests for affecting me the most: Cheryl Hines for her big intro, Shirley Jones for classing up the joint with her presence, Marty Ingles for reminding us what this festival is really about, Leeza Gibbons for singling me out with a nice compliment, writer/director Lexi Alexander for the lively discussion, producer/actor Googy Gress for his sincere enthusiasm, the League of S.T.E.A.M. for entertaining us all weekend and motivational speaker/actor Nick Vujicic for the sheer inspiration he gave to us all with his fantastic short film The Butterfly Circus (watch here!). I'd also like to give big high-fives to all of the coordinators and volunteers for making the festival such a fun and engaging experience. I had a great time bonding with you all. Finally a big congratulations to producer/actor Joe Russell and writer/actress Casey Strand from the short film "Strawberries" whose engagement I helped orchestrate during one of the more memorable Q & A's. I wish I had seen them all but of the ones I did see, here are the films that I felt were the best (in no particular order)... ]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/08/18/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-best-of-the-feel-good-film-festival-by-coop/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/07/27/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-pecker-watching-the-detectives-salvage-2006-salvage-2009-2012-apaches/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/07/27/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-pecker-watching-the-detectives-salvage-2006-salvage-2009-2012-apaches/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:15:23 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2802 Coop’s most recent MICRO REVIEWS (via Twitter): Nothing brand new here, but I just can't get the energy up to go see WANTED II... I mean, SALT... THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: Quirky autistic hacker chick fights crime and has a lot of sex in Sweden. High brow yet boring. 2 out of 5 PECKER: Photog's quick fame ruins lives of loved ones. Semi-autobio of John Waters. Clever allegory for artistic expression. 3&1/2 out of 5 WATCHING THE DETECTIVES: A girl (Lucy Liu) uses wild pranks to woo a nerdy boy (Cillian Murphy). Well-written indie rom-com. 3&1/2 out of 5 SALVAGE (2006): Girl relives her death at the hands of a serial killer over and over. Above par indie horror with a great twist. 3 out of 5 SALVAGE (2009): Mother searches for daughter during invasion by soldiers hunting a murderous mutant. Good tension, lame BBC plot. 2 out of 5 2012: John Cusack tries to save family from the apocalypse. Worst disaster movie ever. Roland Emmerich should take up bowling. 1 out of 5 APACHES: Sinister 1977 British public service film about irresponsible brats dying in farming accidents. Brutal and brilliant. 4 out of 5 Thy Twitter has spoken.]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/07/27/micro-reviews-via-twitter-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-pecker-watching-the-detectives-salvage-2006-salvage-2009-2012-apaches/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/02/09/coop-reports-from-the-2010-oxford-mississippi-film-festival/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/02/09/coop-reports-from-the-2010-oxford-mississippi-film-festival/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:10:58 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2637 th year of the annual Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi kicked off the night of Thursday the 4^th by taking over half of the Malco Oxford Studio Cinema and roping an area off for the media, filmmakers and other assorted guests. While I had attended screenings at large festivals during my tenure in Los Angeles, I was only moderately enthused about covering a local one. I figured I'd see a few underwhelming indie flicks and slink on back home to Clarksdale for some light writing and shut-eye. Boy was I ever wrong.

]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2010/02/09/coop-reports-from-the-2010-oxford-mississippi-film-festival/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/18/the-mud-dog-blues-movie-shoot-at-ground-zero-blues-club-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/18/the-mud-dog-blues-movie-shoot-at-ground-zero-blues-club-by-coop/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:40:06 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2515 Ground Zero Blues Club is any indication, Clarksdale may become one of the most filmed cities in the state. ]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/18/the-mud-dog-blues-movie-shoot-at-ground-zero-blues-club-by-coop/feed/ 4 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/15/viral-marketing-for-motion-pictures-whats-the-future-of-this-trend-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/15/viral-marketing-for-motion-pictures-whats-the-future-of-this-trend-by-coop/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:05:43 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2503 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/09/15/viral-marketing-for-motion-pictures-whats-the-future-of-this-trend-by-coop/feed/ 5 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/08/10/new-mystery-team-short-film-will-get-you-psyched-for-the-movie-release-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/08/10/new-mystery-team-short-film-will-get-you-psyched-for-the-movie-release-by-coop/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:41:25 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2371 first trailer for MYSTERY TEAM, it's been high on my must-see list. The idea of three Scooby-Doo, Hardy Boys wannabes still acting like their 10 while in high-school is funny enough, but throw them in to real-world crime and adult situations and you have a recipe for genius. For Comic-Con the "Derrick Comedy" group put together a short film titled "The Case of the Haunted Hotel" and it's got some perfectly hilarious moments where innocence meets extremely uncomfortable situations...]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/08/10/new-mystery-team-short-film-will-get-you-psyched-for-the-movie-release-by-coop/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/20/the-short-film-heart-of-karl-has-been-creeping-me-out-since-the-weekend-by-dark-side/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/20/the-short-film-heart-of-karl-has-been-creeping-me-out-since-the-weekend-by-dark-side/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:33:47 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2276 Martyrs. The second after watching the short film Heart of Karl...]]> http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/20/the-short-film-heart-of-karl-has-been-creeping-me-out-since-the-weekend-by-dark-side/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/15/oh-no-you-didnt-5-cheech-chong-have-remade-tron-no-im-not-kidding-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/15/oh-no-you-didnt-5-cheech-chong-have-remade-tron-no-im-not-kidding-by-coop/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:00:43 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=2255 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/07/15/oh-no-you-didnt-5-cheech-chong-have-remade-tron-no-im-not-kidding-by-coop/feed/ 0 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/05/21/42below-vodka-hires-42-directors-to-create-42-films-each-lasting-42-seconds-by-coop/ http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/05/21/42below-vodka-hires-42-directors-to-create-42-films-each-lasting-42-seconds-by-coop/#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 19:03:51 +0000 admin http://www.smalltowncritic.com/?p=1853 http://www.smalltowncritic.com/2009/05/21/42below-vodka-hires-42-directors-to-create-42-films-each-lasting-42-seconds-by-coop/feed/ 1