Happy bank holiday evening film fiends! First things first – The Stricken Land has joined up with those great folks over at the Smashbomb website! For those unaware, Smashbomb is a review aggregator covering all manner of media, from films, books, video games comics to music as well as stuff like podcasts, tv shows and even tabletop games.

It’s a truly brilliant ‘bottom up’ initiative bringing no nonsense, ‘from the coalface’ honest reviews from media consumers themselves. And with most things in theses days of the Internet Revolution, the best things is that anyone can join in. Sign up now and users can earn kudos points and badges dependent o  how many reviews they post and the level of interaction they generate from other users. And look out for yours truly leading the trash cinema invasion on this, er, smashing new platform!
Any way, enough of my promotional prelude – a veritable plethora of celluloid goodness to while away the remainder of the long weekend –

Dark Star Pictures has announced a June 4, 2019 digital release for the Spanish Civil War whimsical comedy THE BASTARDS’ FIG TREE.
Ana Murugarren’s genre-meshing masterpiece provides a fresh, magical exploration of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, showing both the brutality of war and its ability to inspire hope and change in a broken society. Karra Elejalde stars.
Near the end of the Spanish War, a “trigger happy” fascist soldier turns into a hermit and gets caught up in the care of a fig tree after the look in a ten year old child’s eyes, son of one of his victims, awakes in him the certainty that the kid will kill him as soon as he reaches sixteen years of age.THE BASTARDS’ FIG TREE. available on digital June 4 (US).

An award-winning new film about a haunted road in New Jersey has been picked up for distribution by Midnight Releasing, who are targeting a summer theatrical bow.

CLINTON ROAD, directed by Steve Stanulis and Richard Grieco, stars internationally acclaimed musician and actor Ice-T (New Jack City, “Law & Order : SVU”), James DeBello (Cabin Fever, Detroit Rock City), Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”, Goodfellas), and Erin O’Brien (Pernicious, Killing Joan).
In the film, scripted by Derek Ross Mackay, a widowed fire fighter seeks closure after his wife goes missing on an actual haunted road in rural New Jersey but must unlock the roads secret if he wants to get out alive.

Ace Young (BONES), Katie Morrison (THE BLACKLIST), Bo Dietl (VINYL), and Oscar Nominee Eric Roberts also star. Grieco, Noel Ashman and Steve Stanulis produce. The PVOD release of CLINTON ROAD begins June 14 (US)

Director Mark Wilson’s WADE IN THE WATER, a semi-finalist for the prestigious Nicholl Fellowships in 2018, will premiere at the prestigious Dances with Films Film Festival Wednesday, June 19th, 2019 at 7:15 PM.  
Sure, our man never gives his name. He works from home. His neighbours are all idiots. He doesn’t really “do” friends. But all that changes when a mis-delivered package arrives in his post office box bearing a horrifying secret –one that will set him on a collision course with a predator, the man’s disillusioned daughter, and his own dark past.

Real Rob’s Tom E.Nicholson and Danika Golombek (I AM THE NIGHT) star. Wilson, whose film was awarded “Best Drama” at the 2019 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, directs from a script by Chris Retts.
From writer-director Keith Sutliff, a non-stop thrill ride through the streets of Los Angeles, THE REFUGE in theatres June 28.

A getaway driver finds himself in harm’s way when he gets caught up in a job involving casino heist money in the adrenaline-charged new crime thriller from Keith Sutliff. KS Pictures presents THE REFUGE, starring Keith Sutliff (THE MASON BROTHERS), Julien Cesario (CLOSE RANGE), Matthew Webb (127 HOURS), Reine Swart (THE LULLABY), Stefanie Estes (BETHANY), Demeterius Stear (DEATH POOL), Martin Copping (HAWAII FIVE-O) and Cheyenne Buchanan (A DARK PLACE).
In US Theatres June 28.

From Robert McGinley, the writer, director, and star of the apocalyptic skate punk classic SHREDDER ORPHEUS, DANGER DIVA is the brand new cyberpunk rock-enthused thriller starring Molly Sides of Thunderpussy! Unlike anything before it, DANGER DIVA is a science fiction futurist nightmare for the ages.Marie Adler, CEO of Adler and Associates remarks, “We’re excited to be working with Robert. Everyone knows him as a veteran director and cult-classic hero but with Danger Diva he has really outdone himself.”
Robert McGinley notes, “Marie Adler and her team are true believers in independent film and have a sustainable business plan built to navigate the changing landscape of film distribution. Their sales and marketing approach to DANGER DIVA bodes well for the film finding a devoted audience and I look forward to our collaboration on this and future endeavors.”
In DANGER DIVA, audiences are taken on a dystopian journey into the near future with hard rock singer Devi Danger (played by Molly Sides) as she is coerced into becoming an electronically enhanced new-music diva. Her singing voice is used to control and energize the brains of indoctrinated employees (also known as “Brain Cattle”) that are being used as external processors for the advancement of corporate high tech clients. Operating in a digital sweatshop, these “Brain Cattle” process binary algorithms that serve as a chorus for Devi Danger.  
Writer / director McGinley’s influences for the film came mainly from cyberpunk literature and films; in particular, William Gibson’s “NEUROMANCER” and the science-fiction classic, BLADE RUNNER. Further inspired by the Ella Fitzgerald “Is it live, or is it Memorex” commercial, DANGER DIVA explores the conflict between high tech vs. high touch, and what it means to be human in a digitally enhanced bio- tech future.  
Music anchors these themes with an eclectic rocking score with songs by Seattle-based rock band THUNDERPUSSY and composer Regan Remy. McGinley explains, “In the midst of this rock ‘n roll saga, the audience will have an opportunity to ponder future technology nightmares like the use of enslaved human brains as external hard drive processors, or employing human offspring as vehicles for life extension.”
DANGER DIVA will screen at Cannes Film Festival on May 17th at 8:00PM at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès located at 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France.

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!
Ian