"LOANSHARK"

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LOANSHARK, was shot on the streets of Hollywood, California. After enjoying critical acclaim at film festivals around the world, it has been deemed a bonafide "Cult film", playing at special "Midnight Movie" screenings across the U.S. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From David Del Valle, Films In Review:
"With it's realistic dialogue and "the walls are closing in" atmosphere, LOANSHARK, is a direct homage to, "Taxi Driver" (1976) and "Bad Lieutenant" (1992). The film's stark, black and white photography, weird jump cuts and haunting soundtrack even brings to mind the French New Wave classic, "Breathless" (1960), not to mention the independent films of John Cassavetes."

From Christopher Dietrich, DVD Drive-In:
"Writer-Director, Jay Jennings, is definitely someone to keep an eye on. His gritty, "in-your-face" tale of a loanshark and his slow descent into hell is completely mesmerizing. Lead actor, Charlie Santore, does a remarkable turn as the tortured shark. He's the next, Robert DeNiro, hands down."
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"Listen priest, tell me where the money is, or I'll rip your fucking heart out!"
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Film Synopsis:
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Teddy Greene is a vicious, street-level, money collector who cruises the streets and alleys of Hollywood, California in his ‘75 Cadillac, looking for deadbeats who owe him money. Teddy has a tendency of getting a little too excessive when people don't have all of his money, sometimes beating them up in broad daylight or simply putting their hand in a garbage disposal. In contrast to his job, Teddy has very little control of his personal life. His nagging ex-wife continually shakes him down for child-support payments. His new girlfriend is a non-stop pain in the ass and his fast-talking, scheming father wants to take Teddy to Vegas for a few days.
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As the pressure builds, Teddy has no choice but to take out his frustrations on his frightened clients. His boss, Mr. Stone, disapproves of his actions, resulting in a warning to tone things down or else. His old friend, Charlie, a retired hit-man, sets Teddy up with plane tickets to Miami to get out of town to cool off for a while. Unable to change and unwilling to leave, Teddy takes the tickets but tells his mentor only that he'll think about it. As expected, things only get worse.
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After punching out a crooked cop and being robbed of his collection money by an Asian hooker, Teddy desperately tries to make up for the loss of the money. He even shakes down a local priest and steals his wallet! With no options in sight, Teddy decides to take Charlie's advice and leave town, but when he finds out that his old friend’s been murdered by Mr. Stone, Teddy, fueled by vengeance, bursts into his boss’ home during a birthday party and holds him at gun-point.
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Caught off guard, Teddy stumbles to the ground, only to be held down by Stone’s henchmen, who in turn, drown Teddy by hanging him upside down in Stone’s swimming pool, holding his head under water until he eventually loses consciousness and succumbs to the water that has filled-up his lungs. The next morning, a garbage truck makes its way down the street, as a pair of feet can be seen sticking out of a garbage bin. Inside the bin, wrapped in a large, plastic sheet, is the decomposing head of Teddy Greene, one-time tough guy, now just another dead body waiting to be identified.
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ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
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From David Del Valle, film historian and critic for Films In Review:
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“When I first met Jay Jennings in the mid-1980's, he was an up-and-coming filmmaker with his own, cable TV show. Today, he is a gifted director with many entertaining and thought-provoking films under his belt (i.e., “Loanshark”, “Tortured Soul”, “Redneck Actor”), taking filmmaking to the next level with his innovative, “in-your-face" camerawork. Another of Jay's cinematic trademarks is his use of recognizable streets in and around Hollywood, California (much like Martin Scorsese uses New York City). Fans of his include director's Christopher Nolan and Richard Linklater."
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"Jay's upbringing included making Super-8 home movies with a young Nicolas Cage, jamming in garage bands with (a then unknown) Lenny Kravitz and performing stand-up comedy in the late-1980's. After attending Hollywood's Columbia College of Film, Jay embarked on a filmmaking career, that so far, has produced many clever and amusing short films, documentaries and the aforementioned feature, "Loanshark". His films have tackled a wide range of subjects, including: struggling actors, money collectors, vigilante cops, dying mothers, UFO encounter groups, drowning children and weird museums."
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"Jay is currently busy with multiple projects which are in varius stages of development. This critic strongly believes that it won’t be long before Hollywood takes notice and gives Mr. Jennings a chance to reach a larger audience with one of his original projects. I, for one, look forward to it."
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"MOM'S LAST WISH"

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Film Synopsis:
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Gloria's cancer spread faster than the doctor's had anticipated. Her son, Chuck, a local drug dealer who hangs out with the "wrong" crowd, decides to visit her in the hospital. Upon his arrival, Gloria experiences terrible pains, as Chuck hands her a bouquet of flowers and some gossip magazines.
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Gloria is reluctant at first to acknowledge her son because she is so disappointed in his lifestyle and the bad influences who pretend to be his friends. She slowly opens up and tells her son exactly how she feels.
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Not really comprehending the seriousness of Gloria's illness, Chuck keeps telling his mom not to worry and that everything will turn out all right. Gloria reveals to him that she's only got a few weeks to live and that if Chuck doesn't change his ways, he'll be joining her soon.
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Chuck bids his mom goodbye with a kiss and a hug, not knowing if it'll be the last time he sees her. As the door shuts behind him, Gloria breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably, knowing that death is right around the corner.
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"UFO ENCOUNTER GROUP"

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Film Synopsis:
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Eight UFO abductees gather once a month at a private home to share their horrifying experiences of alien abduction and experimentation.
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As they tell their stories, the abductees vividly describe their own ordeal, coming to grips with the fact that these events have drastically altered their lives….and for the worse!
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The meetings are moderated by John O'Hara, himself, a UFO abductee. His goal is to try and help these people “get on with their lives".
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Unfortunately, at the conclusion of this particular session, two of the abductees will experience uncontrollable outbursts. One of them will even suffer a breakdown, so intense, it will leave the rest of the group in complete shock!
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"Calm down....they aren't coming for you!"
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"TORTURED SOUL"

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From David Del Valle, Films In Review:
"TORTURED SOUL, is a haunting and mysterious film whose intense subject matter reaches out and grabs you, as it examines a guilt-ridden father trying to regain his sanity after the drowning death of his young son. Desperate for answers, his lack of faith ultimately takes him over the edge! Echoing elements of “Repulsion” and “Jacob's Ladder", the film looks and feels like a bad dream....a claustrophobic nightmare that never ends. Utilizing hand-held, camera-techniques and real-life locations, the film also brings to mind the early works of Jean Luc Godard and David Cronenberg."
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"I know your son is gone, but God is watching over him now"

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Film Synopsis:
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Richard is a divorced dad whose estranged ex-wife only allows him to see their 10-year-old son, Jimmy, on the weekends. On this particular day, Richard and his little boy go to the park, ride the swings, play in the grass and spend some quality time together. Afterwards, Richard visits his new girlfriend and takes Jimmy along, who wants to go swimming. Unfortunately, Richard neglects to keep an eye on Jimmy, who tragically drowns in the swimming pool, despite Richard’s vain attempt to revive him.
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Within hours of visiting his son’s grave, Richard is tormented by uncontrollable feelings of depression and guilt, as his mind sinks deeper and deeper into oblivion. To make matters worse, he vehemently refuses to see his psychiatrist anymore, while his nagging apartment manager demands his overdue rent money.
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Consequently, Richard’s life is reduced to walking around in a complete daze, trying to ignore the deafening noises in his head that are driving him slowly insane. As fate would have it, he is confronted by a strange prophet who tells him that his son is waiting for him on the “other” side. Even a visit to the neighborhood church, where he’s counseled by a priest, fails to give Richard any hope, let alone, the strength to keep on living.
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With his grip on reality slipping away, not to mention, his unwillingness to accept Jimmy’s death, Richard tosses and turns in his sleep, crying out for his son. The next morning, with no alternative in sight, he finally decides to join him.
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TORTURED SOUL, was an official selection at The Silverlake Film Festival.
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"REDNECK ACTOR"

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From Psychotronic Magazine:
"A likable, Robert Altman-style film."
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"You're my agent, find me work.....Whaddya mean no one will hire me?"

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Film Synopsis:
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REDNECK ACTOR, takes a realistic look at the opposite of Hollywood's rich and famous----a struggling, hack actor with unrealistic expectations of fame and wealth.
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Carl is an unknown, out of work, movie extra from Atlanta, Georgia who's only claim to fame was that he once shared a small scene with Billy Bob Thorton at The Actor's Studio. In his own mind, Carl considers himself an undiscovered genius on the verge of stardom.
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In a series of bizarre vignettes, we meet Carl's oddball friends and his no-good agent, as Carl searches for his elusive 15 minutes of fame in the underbelly of Hollywood. Will he get the re-occuring role on, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", that he's been dreaming about? Maybe....if he doesn't oversleep and miss his audition again!

"COP ON THE EDGE"

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Film Synopsis:
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What happens when a deranged cop becomes a vigilante and declares open season on all drug dealers and ex-cons? It's time to get out of his way, that's what!
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If he has to use a parolee’s eye socket as an ashtray, he‘ll do it. If he has to throw a bail-jumper off a Hollywood rooftop, he won‘t even think twice about it. If he has to snap the neck of a no-good drug dealer, so be it. He's on a mission to take out the garbage and his badge is just an excuse to carry out his objective.
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Carmine Puccio, portrays this “demon-of-a-cop” with such realism, that one can easily sense his inner madness, as he just doesn’t give a fuck about the law or anything else. He’s clearly gone over the edge.
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-- "Don't move, or I'll blow your brains all over those palm trees down there!"

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COP ON THE EDGE, is a uniquely different film, as it was produced using three different shooting formats (16mm, Super-8 and Video), giving the film it's gritty, 1970’s look.
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"THE WEIRD MUSEUM"

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The Story Behind The Film:
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Don't be afraid! Just step behind the black curtain and witness the unbelievable! For half a century, THE WEIRD MUSEUM, gave personalized tours of it's unique and amazing displays. In 1993, it moved to it's final location near the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard, inside Panpipes Magickal Marketplace. The museum would eventually close two years later in 1995.
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Known as the world's only, "walk-in-off-the-street" sideshow, the museum was originally owned by Dr. Donald R. Blyth, a fire-swallowing contortionist who, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", billed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Before his death, he willed the museum to his good friend, Isis.
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In late 1995, after 50 years of existence, the entire contents, which included skeletons, skulls, shrunken heads, birth oddities and mummys, not to mention, the remains of Bluebeard, Hamander the Warlock and Vlad Tepes (Count Dracula), were gathered up and put into storage. The fetuses, tumors and brains were all donated to a medical school.
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Only eight minutes of my time was requested by the museum's tour guide, who's vivid descriptions and stories behind each display sent shivers down my spine. This short film was shot only a week before the museum closed it doors. It is known to be one of the very last tours inside...THE WEIRD MUSEUM.
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One of the more bizarre displays at, The Weird Museum, was, "The Hand of Glory". Believed to be only one of three in existence, the hand was cut from the wrist of a murderer as his neck swings from the gallows. It is known to have dark powers, such as the ability to open locked doors and to become invisible.

THE WEIRD MUSEUM, was an "audience favorite" at TromaDance.

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