For people on the midcoast of Maine who wanted to see an action-comedy film shot in their backyard and made in the style of 1970s martial arts films, good times have come.
Matt Enos, the Searsmont-based creator of the surreal comedy web series “The Slim Duffy Show,” has produced a feature film that will make its screen debut at Belfast's Colonial Theater on Tuesday night. .
The film, called “Battle Legends: The Legend of the Battlemaster,'' follows Jim Duffy, who loses the title of best fighter in the town of Duffyville to local villain JT Smash, and Daffy tries to regain it. I am.
The film features characters from “The Slim Duffy Show,” including Slim Duffy, his brother Jim, and JT Smash. In an interview, Enos said that the film was shot and produced in a comical, action-packed style that would have been chosen by the characters.
“Let's spend a few bucks, buy an old VHS camcorder or something, and, of course, make this really cheesy action movie,” he said, recounting their thought process. “Because in their minds, you're an action hero, right?”
This isn't Enos' first film in the world of Slim Duffy, nor is it his first feature film, he said. This was created after he made a trilogy of short films based on his web series several years ago and decided to expand one of his into “Battle Legends”. Ta.
Enos filmed “Battle Legends” in 2022 using locations throughout Waldo County, where he grew up with creative partners and high school friends Mike Urchin and Cade Nickels. They co-star with him in the production.
Enos' love for movies began with horror movies he watched as a child, but his taste also led him to further genres such as comedy. He spends his days working at Liberty Graphics, a printed T-shirt company, but said movies are his passion.
“I started making movies because I was a big fan of George Romero and John Carpenter. As a kid, my interest in filmmaking was mainly horror movies,” Enos said. Told. “For the first few years, I was making movies, but all my movies were just rip-offs of their movies. And eventually I got into other things.”
Recalling his love of old movies, Enos spent a year editing Battle Legends to make it appear as if it had been shot on actual film rather than an actual digital camera. To further enhance the effect, the team dubbed the dialogue, which was done in an intentionally lame manner.
Enos said they didn't even have a complete script when they started filming, but the group took the time to craft a story that featured the characters they spent five years developing on “The Slim Duffy Show.” .
Enos said the group already had filming and editing equipment, so the budget was only about $2,000. But mostly, he's just excited to see his work on the big screen.
“We thought, if we were going to make a movie, what better place to show it than in the hometown theater where we grew up,” Enos said.
For those who can't get enough of the Duffy Brothers and JT Smash, Enos is planning to make another movie set in their world, with filming set to begin this summer. He said this time it will be a horror exploitation film.
He doesn't want to spoil anything about the next movie, but he said he's not sure if a sequel to Battle Masters will do well. But he didn't rule it out.
A solo screening of “Battle Legends: Legend of the Battle Master'' will be held at the Colonial Theater on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The filmmakers will hold a roundtable after the show to discuss their approach and production style.Movies are also being released blu ray.
