Pushin' Up Daisies

Pushin' Up Daisies
Film poster
Directed byPatrick Franklin
Screenplay byPatrick Franklin
Story byPatrick Franklin
Robert J. Wagstaff
Produced byPatrick Franklin
CinematographyTom Pritchard
Production
company
Pushin' Up Daisies
Release date
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Pushin' Up Daisies is a 2010 American comedy film written and directed by Patrick Franklin. It stars Sheehan O'Heron and Orlando Vicente as documentary filmmakers Darren and Anthony, who film Darren's brother, Rusty (Simon Sorrells). In the midst of their documentary, a zombie attack breaks out. It premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival on April 16, 2010.

Plot

Documentary filmmaker Darren convinces his friend Anthony to travel with him back to his hometown in Georgia and make a film about Darren's brother, Rusty, a flower deliveryman. With the help of the blind voice actor Mr. Emerson, they follow the reluctant subject throughout his delivery schedule despite his objections. While filming, a zombie outbreak occurs, and Rusty insists that they continue the documentary. Annoyed with the disruption from zombies, Rusty attempts to shoot around them and maintain his creative vision, which does not allow for zombies in his artistic documentary.

Cast

  • Sheehan O'Heron as Darren
  • Orlando Vicente as Anthony
  • Simon Sorrells as Rusty
  • Ken Osbourn as Mr. Emerson
  • Mitch Maxey as Dunbar

Production

The film was shot in Crawfordville and Washington, Georgia.[1] It was shot on a consumer video camera and presented as found footage.[2] Franklin conceived of the idea for the film while driving through a quiet town on the way to shoot a documentary. He began to brainstorm ideas with a friend, eventually deciding on a story that involves a documentary filmmaker who refuses to acknowledge a supernatural disaster. Shooting began in 2007 and ended in 2009.[3]

Release

Pushin' Up Daisies premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival on April 16, 2010.[1] It was later shown at Athfest on July 25, 2010.[4] Franklin turned to Kickstarter to raise funds for distribution.[5][6]

Reception

Mark Bell of Film Threat rated it 4/5 stars and called it "a fun, entertaining film on a number of levels".[7] Andrew Shearer of the Athens Banner-Herald wrote that the film avoids the common pitfalls of both mockumentaries and zombie films.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Burke, Kip (March 18, 2010). "Locally made film to debut soon at Atlanta Film Festival". The News Reporter. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Vanhoose, Joe (April 15, 2010). "'Pushin' up' coming out". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ^ White, Josh (May 7, 2009). "Former Athens resident finishing up debut film". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Movie made here to be shown during film festival in Athens". The News Reporter. June 24, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Pushin' Up Daisies film is using unique fund-raiser". The News Reporter. August 26, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  6. ^ Wardell, Gabe (August 12, 2010). "Movies / Fruits of the Interwebs Will Kickstarter help Georgia's 'Pushin' Up Daisies' find a DVD afterlife?". Creative Loafing. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  7. ^ Bell, Mark (November 15, 2013). "Pushin' Up Daisies". Film Threat. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  8. ^ Shearer, Andrew (July 1, 2010). "Shearer: Daisies succeeds where many others fail". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2014.