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The Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth blog returns! Rick and Ben are back with independent reviews and analysis of Marvel’s latest film Captain America: Civil War. Check out Ben Alpi and Rick Arthur’s unique double blind, double shot movie review!

Read it here!
http://mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com/2016/05/captain-america-civil-war-special.html

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Ben and Rick are back! Their Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth blog officially began on February 4, 2011. Three years in the making, the blog features a series of personal emails between the pair which started out asking the question: If they were to be asked to bring Captain America, a character with 70 years of history, to the big screen, how would they do it?  They explored the character, his creators and the life and times of the WWII era as well as the foundations of storytelling and character.  The blog also featured many portions of scripts and vignettes Ben and Rick were inspired to write by their communications.

“We certainly never expected to make our conversions public, but when we looked at all the great material we had collected and created, we started talking about doing more with it,” explains Ben.

Rick adds, “Every time I would send something to Ben, he would come back with amazing and unexpected insights. His script at the start of the blog, Captain America: A Beginning is worth the price of admission alone.” The blog also features illustrations and collages on almost every post created by Rick specially for the posts they appear in.  Ben also contributed graphics on a few of the posts.

The “Emails” series ran for six months totaling close to eighty entries.  “I wish we could have recorded our phone calls as well. They were pretty epic,” Ben adds. “Rick’s passion for not only the material, but also good storytelling is something not to be kept under wraps. ” We’ve considered doing podcasts which I think would be fantastic, but time has been tight for both of us.”

“The Myth Discussion blog stands on its own and is so chock full of detail that I am finding new ideas even after six or seven readings. Compelling,” says Rick.

Also featured on the blog were “double” reviews of superhero films which were released over the run including ?THOR,?X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and of course CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER. Rick and Ben wrote independent reviews of the films and didn’t get to read the other’s until it was posted.  The dynamic duo admits it was funny how similar their reviews ended up being fundamentally, but how different they were in many respects as well. Rick also wrote an excellent review of another Marvel hit, THE AVENGERS.

Rick and Ben both speak about the enjoyment they derived from collaborating on the blog.  On the subject Ben says, “I miss working with Rick a lot and I really hope we can team up again soon.  He’s one of the most creative fellows I know and an excellent collaborator. It was great to do the anniversary post with him again. Looking back on the last one we wrote, wow what a difference!”

Rick has moved to New Mexico and has added teaching to his many hats. Ben has gotten married and completed the short film, Cowboy Creed. For more check the blog!

To read the second anniversary post, click here:
http://mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com/2013/02/captain-america-vs-world.html

To read the blog from the very beginning, click here:
http://mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com/2011/02/by-way-of-introduction.html

Cowboy Creed director/writer Ben Alpi along with editor Jeff Handy were interviewed on the long-running Digital Production Buzz podcast. Hosted by Larry Jordan and Mike Horton and produced by Cirina Catania, Ben and Jeff answer questions about making Cowboy Creed, an action-packed short shot on 16mm film. (The Cowboy Creed segment begins at about 29 minutes in.)

Many thanks to Cirina, Larry, and Mike for having Ben and Jeff on the show!

Listen for free here: http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2012/11/digital-production-buzz-nov-15-2011/

On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-production-buzz-aac/id73329533

Direct link to the MP3: http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/BuZZ_Audio/Buzz_121115_Cowboy_Creed.mp3

From the director’s apple box…

As the director and writer of the short film Cowboy Creed, I’m very happy to announce that our mini epic is complete! With a Herculean effort by our post production staff including Jeff Handy our editor, Joel Bellucci our visual effects supervisor, Joe Terrana our music composer and performer, Ralph Miller our sound designer and foley artist, Chris Orazi sound mixer, David Berry color correction, and myself working a bit of movie magic as well, we completed the film in time for our first private screening at the Cahuenga Theater in Hollywood. Invited to the intimate showing were our high-level Kickstarter donors, cast and crew, and friends and family including an Oscar-winning producer, and cinema immortals Walter Koenig, Richard Bustillo, and Greg Jein amongst others. I’m glad to say without any bias (ahem!) that the film looks and sounds fantastic in the theater! We had a Q&A session after the screening with the attending cast and crew which was a lot of fun. The reception of the film was quite positive, one of the big questions being ‘how did you fit so much into the film on such a tight budget?’ That is of course thanks to a dollop of ingenuity and an amazing team who reduced their rates to help put as much quality on the screen as possible. Many thanks to the cast and crew for their efforts in helping bring my vision to fruition.

Our next step is to submit Cowboy Creed to festivals around the world. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to see the film in a fest near you!

Until next time!
Ben
Director/Writer of Cowboy Creed

Cowboy Creed is a Western short film from writer/director Ben Alpi, producer JT Tepnapa and Cinematographer David Berry. It’s a co-production of Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to release their highly anticipated trailer for their short Western epic, Cowboy Creed.

‘Cowboy Creed’ Official Trailer watch it in HD on Vimeo.

The period short film stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis with Doug Drexler, Leandro Cano, and Wayne Webb. Directed and written by Ben Alpi, Cowboy Creed tells the story of Phineas (Wells), a young man who must face the most harrowing showdown of his life when the international criminal ?Limey? (Carrigan) kidnaps his ladylove Miss Graves (Platt). The trailer will feature rich original music composed and performed by Joe Terrana and textured sound design by Ralph Miller. The film is produced by JT Tepnapa with cinematography by David Berry.

Also released today was their first official poster featuring artwork by Scott Deyett of inHouse Graphics.

Principal photography was completed in December and is currently in post-production bringing together composer Terrana and visual effects wizard Jo?l Bellucci.

A release date for the complete Cowboy Creed film has not been chosen, but as director Ben Alpi says, “Keep your ear to the rail for more.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bob Alpi, 818-588-6880
email

Runic Films is an Los Angeles-based film production and entertainment company dedicated to upholding the traditions of mythic storytelling.

Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles production company. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Runic Films and Blue Seraph Productions are proud to announce that on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, they will release the highly anticipated trailer for their short Western epic, Cowboy Creed.

The period short film stars Kendall Wells, John Carrigan, Tara Platt, and Anthony De Longis with Doug Drexler, Leandro Cano, and Wayne Webb. Directed and written by Ben Alpi, Cowboy Creed tells the story of Phineas (Wells), a young man who must face the most harrowing showdown of his life when the international criminal “Limey” (Carrigan) kidnaps his ladylove Miss Graves (Platt). The trailer will feature rich original music composed and performed by Joe Terrana and textured sound design by Ralph Miller.  The film is produced by JT Tepnapa with cinematography by David Berry.

When asked about the trailer, Ben noted, “We have some truly great footage thanks to the amazing talent of our cast and crew. Our special thanks go out to our Kickstarter Backers.” The team of Alpi, Tepnapa, and Berry, with the help of sound man Erik “Gooch” Goodrich, set out last September to raise funds via the popular creative fundraising platform Kickstarter.com and successfully exceeded their goal. Principal photography was completed in December and is currently in post-production bringing together composer Terrana and visual effects wizard Jo’l Bellucci.

A release date for the complete Cowboy Creed film has not been chosen but Ben added, “This film is a great balance of tradition and cutting-edge and brings together a brilliant group a creative people. I can’t wait to share the whole film! It’s going to a wild ride.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bob Alpi, 818-588-6880
email

Runic Films is an Los Angeles-based film production and entertainment company dedicated to upholding the traditions of mythic storytelling.

Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles production company. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

The Captain America: First Avenger movie opened in theaters to a strong $65 million dollar weekend. Writer/cartoonist Rick Arthur viewed the film in Central New York and film producer/director Ben Alpi caught a screening in Los Angeles. In the tradition of movie reviews done for the Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth blog such as THOR and X-Men: First Class, the writing team produced two separate, non-collaborative reviews. Neither know what the other would write. Taken together, they form a complex analysis of the Cap film.

The reviews are posted and readers are invited to dive in at: http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

The Cap reviews come closely on the heels of a highly successful five-part Red Skull series detailing the final conflict between Cap and Red Skull. This marks the end of almost four years of writing between the blog team and presents one possible outcome for a screenplay based on their writings.

Worth seeing for yourself!

One final note: Runic Films wishes to thank all the readers who tuned into the blog and made it successful. Visit any time: http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

The blog between filmmaker Ben Alpi and cartoonist Rick Arthur announces that yet again records have been broken for June. The final figures won’t be in until July 1st yet personal records for Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth are already apparent.

“I am astounded by the response from readers,” said Arthur.

Records include:
1) Best Single Day Page Views – June 8th;
2) Highest Monthly Page Views – June (whopping 40% increase over May);
3) Highest Single Post – THOR movie review has more than doubled the post average and is 80+ views higher than the next most popular post.

http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

“4th of July is almost here!” commented Alpi. Runic Films has helped plan a very patriotic Cap-style Independence Day for our readers. “Why wasn’t Cap released on the 1st of July?” The later date is too far away…

A powerful 5-Part Cap vs. Red Skull post series is being worked on to give readers an exclusive look at the loose draft of the final battle between our hero and one of the most evil villains of all time!! Don’t miss it!! Starts July 6th.

After the Captain America: First Avenger movie comes out, look for an exclusive double feature film review by Alpi and Arthur. “This will be done in the same double blind style as both THOR and X-Men: First Class” Noted Arthur. Alpi, writing from the west coast will have no knowledge of what Arthur is thinking on the east coast. See the review for the first time on Monday, July 25th!!

Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth can be read at:

http://www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com

From Ben:

 
Sliding back into the writer’s chair has been a truly rewarding experience. I’ve never really stopped writing, but I’ve been inspired lately to flex those muscles anew. I’m happy to say that we have a bevy of cool stuff coming although, I can’t reveal many details!

  (more…)

Los Angeles-based, Runic Films, an independent film production company, congratulates filmmaker Ben Alpi and comic artist Rick Arthur for their blog Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth which continues like a juggernaut to break their own records for greatest number of single day page views, greatest single monthly page views and greatest recorded single all-time number of views of a post.

 
“The growth is explosive and exciting,” said Alpi before adding that his creative partnership with fellow blogger Arthur allowed for experimentation and constant tinkering.

 
“Watching the numbers climb is amazing. We are doing in two days now what we would get in ten days a short time ago,” Arthur said.

 
They noted that the” Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth” blog currently draws an audience from over 18 countries to read the three fresh posts that come out every week.?

 
Runic Films schedules new posts three times each week and can be accessed either on the blog site, on the Facebook companion page or Twitter. Do not miss a post and find out what a real Cap movie character could be all about. All posts are easily accessible and many readers like to start at the beginning or with favorite topics.

 
Alpi and Arthur discuss Captain America from all angles as a character for film and readers have responded strongly to a “THOR” double feature film review, three “Avengers” posts and a new movie review? “double shot” onX-Men: First Class. Not surprisingly anything with the Red Skull also draws a lot of interest according to Alpi.

 
The main goal of this series is craft a character for a two hour feature film and the topics go from WWII, comics, movies, Nazis, patriotism, Pearl Harbor, “Simon and Kirby” and much more. Additional Non-Continuity posts are under wraps at Runic Films.

 
Read all about it at www.mythdiscussionseries.blogspot.com.