Sunday, July 19th, 2009 (Short Film Sunday: Treevenge)

Jason Eisener is a name most people does not yet know, but I predict will eventually be in the ranks of Sam Raimi, Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino when it comes to being able to direct quirky exploitative horror/comedy meshes, and a huge figure among the cult film scene. So far, the Canadian-born director has only put his name on three shorts, the most famous Hobo with a Shotgun, appearing as a faux trailer in Rodriguez and Tarantino's brilliant double feature, Grindhouse. His first short was Discrimination of the Dead, a mockumentary PSA-styled film warning of zombie discrimination.

His latest short however, may put him on the map. It aired as a precursor to the Tommy Wirkola Nazi horror film Dead Snow at the Sundance Film Festival and gained widespread acclaim when all 15+ minutes was released to the Internet, circulating around most movie blogs. The film is called Treevenge, a gory, comedy/splatter film where Christmas trees strike back against the cruelties they were suffered. It may also be noticed that Sarah Dunsworth (who served as a producer in Grindhouse) and Jonathan Torrens, both of Trailer Park Boys fame, appears in the film.

So it is my pleasure to present to you, Treevenge. Enjoy. You can also familiarize yourself with Eisener's work here and here.


P.S. A few briefs before we go. An awkward story on Cinematical where Joel Silver, at a press junket to promote the upcoming Orphan, talked about what his version of Watchmen would have been like. Funny if you read the story, looks like complete shit.

I forgot to say anything about (500) Days of Summer on Friday, as it seems Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has completely overshadowed all other releases this week. From what I can tell, the film looks incredible, has had nothing but great reviews, and stars the wonderfully charming Zooey Deschanel. If you have a chance, and don't want to visit Hogwarts for the seventh time this week, it definitely looks to be a great alternative. Myself, probably have to wait for the DVD release.