IT CAME FROM URANUS (2003)
WINNER: McMaster Film Festival - Best Sets/Costumes
Synopsis:
In 1956, evil aliens from Planet X attempt to take over the world by
turning the people of Earth's belly button lint into fierce creatures
using a silent but deadly space gas from Uranus. In doing so, the
people of Earth are turned into evil space drones. It's up to Rocco
Bullwinkle, his fiancee, Alice Toppenbottom, and a rag-tag group of
strangers (including traveling envelope salesman Buddy Palchum, Carl the scientist and Billy, the little orphan boy) to foil the nefarious plot. Can they do it before all of humanity is brought to its knees? Probably, or it'd be a pretty sucky ending.
Starring:
Ken Turner, Paul J. Boresky, Beth Bagnall-Duncan,
Ryan Duncan, Jessie Keyte, and a Styrofoam Head
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky and Ken Turner
WINNER: McMaster Film Festival - Best Sets/Costumes
Synopsis:
In 1956, evil aliens from Planet X attempt to take over the world by
turning the people of Earth's belly button lint into fierce creatures
using a silent but deadly space gas from Uranus. In doing so, the
people of Earth are turned into evil space drones. It's up to Rocco
Bullwinkle, his fiancee, Alice Toppenbottom, and a rag-tag group of
strangers (including traveling envelope salesman Buddy Palchum, Carl the scientist and Billy, the little orphan boy) to foil the nefarious plot. Can they do it before all of humanity is brought to its knees? Probably, or it'd be a pretty sucky ending.
Starring:
Ken Turner, Paul J. Boresky, Beth Bagnall-Duncan,
Ryan Duncan, Jessie Keyte, and a Styrofoam Head
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky and Ken Turner
This was our very first attempt at independent filmmaking. We shot on a Sony Handicam from Best Buy and edited using a Toshiba laptop and over-the-counter Pinnacle Studio 10 software. Quite literally we had a zero budget. What few props we had were my house, items cobbled together from stuff around the house, a few bits and pieces from Value Village and a main character was primarily played by a styrofoam head. The results were less than stellar but the experience sparked something that couldn't be shaken and the first germ of Poor Fishy Films had been born.
It all started with a mysterious space gas from Uranus. No, I'm not talking about your Uncle Charlie at Thanksgiving. I'm talking about an evil alien plot to take over the world in 1956.
In 2002, Paul J. Boresky and Ken Turner teamed up for the first time to make It Came from Uranus (a 1950s sci-fi spoof) for the McMaster University Film Festival. The shoot took only a few days but the edititng took . . . well . . . forever.
In 2002, Paul J. Boresky and Ken Turner teamed up for the first time to make It Came from Uranus (a 1950s sci-fi spoof) for the McMaster University Film Festival. The shoot took only a few days but the edititng took . . . well . . . forever.
It would be another four years before Ken and Paul worked on another project. In that time, Ken went to teacher's college and Paul began working in film. In the meantime, Ken was also writing a book and a series of short film scripts, learning how to format screenplays and both were watching lots and lots of movies while Paul started meeting people, making contacts and gaining a profound understanding of the film business from the inside. It was inevitable that the day would come when they decided to put together another film.
Armed with the same Sony Handicam and two fish from the pet store (one of which had recently expired), Fishy was born. The final result was pretty decent and was ultimately accepted into the 2008 Hamilton Film Festival, where it was very well recieved. Almost immediately Paul and Ken began planning their next project.
Armed with the same Sony Handicam and two fish from the pet store (one of which had recently expired), Fishy was born. The final result was pretty decent and was ultimately accepted into the 2008 Hamilton Film Festival, where it was very well recieved. Almost immediately Paul and Ken began planning their next project.
Fishy
FISHY (2007)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2008
Synopsis:
When his beloved pet goldfish, Fishy, unexpectedly passes
away , Stu relies on his best friend Ted to console him in
his time of grief.
Starring:
Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2008
Synopsis:
When his beloved pet goldfish, Fishy, unexpectedly passes
away , Stu relies on his best friend Ted to console him in
his time of grief.
Starring:
Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Almost immediately following Fishy, Ken and Paul began to work on their next short, Unexplained Mysteriousnesses. The humour was dry and intricately woven into the dialogue in this subtle but hilarious parody of Unsolved Mysteries - a whodunnit-type investigative show popular in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.
The use of external sound was used for the first time, though this would be the last film that relied on the good ol' Sony Handicam. Bigger and better things were on the horizon.
The use of external sound was used for the first time, though this would be the last film that relied on the good ol' Sony Handicam. Bigger and better things were on the horizon.
"It looked like a mutant space virus from Uranus, but I can't be sure." - Rocco Bullwinkle
"Poor Fishy!" - Stu
"Less than zero percent. Those are pretty low odds." - Lloyd Lipschitz
After their short but successful foray into comedy, Ken and Paul decided that the time had come to try something daring and new. Based on Ken's short story, 'The Devil Lives in Saskatoon', the dramatic thriller Abattoir came to light (after several name changes including Just Deserts and The Quietus) in an effort to prove themselves 'serious' filmmakers.
Gone was the Sony Handicam and in its place was a Panasonic DVX100. Shot over several weekends on location in Caledonia and Hamilton, Ontario, Abattoir was, according to Jeff Mahoney of The Hamilton Spectator, "[t]heir most ambitious effort to date". And he was right.
The folks at The Checkered Flag in Caledonia, Ontario, were extremely giving, allowing us to film in their bar for free between 5 am and twelve noon on Saturdays and Sundays (even after we forgot to turn their beer cooler back on and they had to serve their customers warm beer for the better part of a day). Without Jimmy and Laura at The Checkered Flag, the film could not have been made. It is also worth noting that filming outside in December is a fool's errand and Paul, Ken and the very generous cast and crew spent many freezing cold hours in a parkinglot, only pausing briefly to warm up the camera, which had a tendency to stop working in the extreme temperatures.
Abattoir was selected for the 2009 Hamilton Film Festival.
Gone was the Sony Handicam and in its place was a Panasonic DVX100. Shot over several weekends on location in Caledonia and Hamilton, Ontario, Abattoir was, according to Jeff Mahoney of The Hamilton Spectator, "[t]heir most ambitious effort to date". And he was right.
The folks at The Checkered Flag in Caledonia, Ontario, were extremely giving, allowing us to film in their bar for free between 5 am and twelve noon on Saturdays and Sundays (even after we forgot to turn their beer cooler back on and they had to serve their customers warm beer for the better part of a day). Without Jimmy and Laura at The Checkered Flag, the film could not have been made. It is also worth noting that filming outside in December is a fool's errand and Paul, Ken and the very generous cast and crew spent many freezing cold hours in a parkinglot, only pausing briefly to warm up the camera, which had a tendency to stop working in the extreme temperatures.
Abattoir was selected for the 2009 Hamilton Film Festival.
ABATTOIR(2007)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Synopsis:
Mitch Milligan is a two-bit
hood with a long history of
bad mistakes and poor choices,
the most recent of which is
stealing from the mysterious
and notorious gangster known
only as LaFontaine. When Mitch
is called to meet with LaFontaine,
he quickly discovers that he has
bitten off more than he can chew.
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Synopsis:
Mitch Milligan is a two-bit
hood with a long history of
bad mistakes and poor choices,
the most recent of which is
stealing from the mysterious
and notorious gangster known
only as LaFontaine. When Mitch
is called to meet with LaFontaine,
he quickly discovers that he has
bitten off more than he can chew.
"He told me everything, Mitchell. Of course, that was before I ripped out his tongue.
After that he was far less talkative." - LaFontaine
After that he was far less talkative." - LaFontaine
Though Paul and Ken considered Abattoir a successful venture into dramatic, 'serious' filmmaking, they quickly decided that comedy was where their true strength and passion lay and it's with the return to comedy that things started rolling for Poor Fishy Films.
The 1950s was a very different time. Men were the breadwinners, women stayed at home, television was a new and exciting medium for advertisers and networks and no one knew smoking was bad for you. Bundle that all together in one commercial for a tobacco-based breakfast cereal and you end up with Tobacc-Os.
TOBACC-OS (2009)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Synopsis:
In 1956, General Ills Cereal Company produced a tobacco-based
breakfast cereal called Tobacc-Os. They made only one commercial
before the product was pulled from the shelves due to health
issues such as, among other symptoms, black lung, pustulating
lesions in and on the mouth and mild death-like symptoms. This is
that commercial.
Starring:
Phil DelVecchio
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
The 1950s was a very different time. Men were the breadwinners, women stayed at home, television was a new and exciting medium for advertisers and networks and no one knew smoking was bad for you. Bundle that all together in one commercial for a tobacco-based breakfast cereal and you end up with Tobacc-Os.
TOBACC-OS (2009)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Synopsis:
In 1956, General Ills Cereal Company produced a tobacco-based
breakfast cereal called Tobacc-Os. They made only one commercial
before the product was pulled from the shelves due to health
issues such as, among other symptoms, black lung, pustulating
lesions in and on the mouth and mild death-like symptoms. This is
that commercial.
Starring:
Phil DelVecchio
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
"All the nutrition of that other O-shaped cereal, but with the fresh, crisp taste
of tar and nicotine in every delicious bite." - Narrator
of tar and nicotine in every delicious bite." - Narrator
After submitting a total of six films to the Hamilton Film Festival over the past two years, festival coordinator Nathan Fleet invited Ken and Paul to kick off the newly created JUXT - an ongoing filmmaking experiment where each year a new filmmaker creates a segment of an ever-growing film. The only criteria were that the film had to be open ended and had to be filmed in Hamilton.
Paul and Ken initially had a much larger idea in mind - one that involved monkeys, bananas and a dramatic murder - but with time constraints and the quick realization that monkeys were harder to come by than they initially thought, the idea quickly changed to a 1920s silent film featuring a fictitious Chaplinesque character named Cecil J. Krebbs called Splits-Ville.
SPLITS-VILLE (2009)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Official Selection: Best of the Fest
Synopsis:
When The Shabby Little Man (Cecil J. Krebbs) laments his
lost love, he finds himself strolling the seashore in an
endless quest to find his beloved. After a chance encounter
with a gust of wind, The Shabby Little Man finds his lost
love, only to have his heart broken yet again.
Starring:
Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Paul and Ken initially had a much larger idea in mind - one that involved monkeys, bananas and a dramatic murder - but with time constraints and the quick realization that monkeys were harder to come by than they initially thought, the idea quickly changed to a 1920s silent film featuring a fictitious Chaplinesque character named Cecil J. Krebbs called Splits-Ville.
SPLITS-VILLE (2009)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Official Selection: Best of the Fest
Synopsis:
When The Shabby Little Man (Cecil J. Krebbs) laments his
lost love, he finds himself strolling the seashore in an
endless quest to find his beloved. After a chance encounter
with a gust of wind, The Shabby Little Man finds his lost
love, only to have his heart broken yet again.
Starring:
Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" - The Shabby Little Man
Starring:
Phil Delvecchio, Ben Josipovich, Christina Whitfield,
Ed Pztula, and Teri Phillips
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Phil Delvecchio, Ben Josipovich, Christina Whitfield,
Ed Pztula, and Teri Phillips
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Many consider The Yard Sale to be Paul and Ken's finest short so far. This was certainly true at the 2009 Hamilton Film Festival, where the film was voted Audience Choice Best of the Fest. Along with Splits-Ville, The Yard Sale is in the process of being aquired by Ouat Media in Toronto, who provide material for stations such as Moviola and CHTV.
The Yard Sale (2009)
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Winner: Best of the Fest Audience Choice
Official Selection: Hamilton Film Festival 2009
Winner: Best of the Fest Audience Choice
Synopsis:
When a customer discovers that the mixed tape he
has purchased at a yard sale isn't as awesome as
its label claims, he is determined to get his
money back. Unfortunately, this proves to be
much more difficult than he initially thought.
When a customer discovers that the mixed tape he
has purchased at a yard sale isn't as awesome as
its label claims, he is determined to get his
money back. Unfortunately, this proves to be
much more difficult than he initially thought.
Starring:
Ben Herbert, James Knowles, Gail D'Aoust, Timothy Veenstra
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Ben Herbert, James Knowles, Gail D'Aoust, Timothy Veenstra
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
The Wheel Deal (2010)
The Phill Botting Band is on the cusp of super-stardom. What they need as they imagine a life of world tours, luxury hotels and assortments of cheeses the likes of which only the rich and famous dare to dream, is a tour bus like no other band before them has ever had.
But the band is about to learn an age-old lesson: Be careful what you wish for.
Starring:Phill Botting, Steve Fenton, Ben Herbert and Rob Davidson
Idea by: Steve Fenton
Written and Directed by: Ken Turner
The Phill Botting Band is on the cusp of super-stardom. What they need as they imagine a life of world tours, luxury hotels and assortments of cheeses the likes of which only the rich and famous dare to dream, is a tour bus like no other band before them has ever had.
But the band is about to learn an age-old lesson: Be careful what you wish for.
Starring:Phill Botting, Steve Fenton, Ben Herbert and Rob Davidson
Idea by: Steve Fenton
Written and Directed by: Ken Turner
On February 2, 2010, The Phill Botting Band made their debut performance at the Living Rock Soupfest VIII, a fund raising event for Hamilton, Ontario's Living Rock Ministries youth outreach program. Phill Botting and Steve Fenton asked Poor Fishy Films to create three videos for their live performance. Of course Ken and Paul jumped at the opportunity.
They soon discovered that creating shorts for others is a very different experience than creating them on their own. While they found it somewhat challenging, the final outcome was exciting and the band loved what the guys had put together.
The Wheel Deal is a short film in the style of 'Adventures with Bill' from 'The Red Green Show'.
Weekend Train and Remember Whenare original songs by The Phill Botting Band and Paul and Ken's first attempt at making a music video.
They soon discovered that creating shorts for others is a very different experience than creating them on their own. While they found it somewhat challenging, the final outcome was exciting and the band loved what the guys had put together.
The Wheel Deal is a short film in the style of 'Adventures with Bill' from 'The Red Green Show'.
Weekend Train and Remember Whenare original songs by The Phill Botting Band and Paul and Ken's first attempt at making a music video.
"That's right. I am a peregrin falcon. MRAWWWWWWWWWW!" - Dweeby Man
The
Films
The Umbrella is intended to be a pseudo-sequel to our first short, Fishy.
The Umbrella (2010)
Poor Stu, still mending from the loss of his beloved Fishy, is again distraught - this time over an umbrella that he believes has homicidal motives against him. Once again it's up to his best friend, Ted, to help calm his nerves.
Starring:Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
The Umbrella (2010)
Poor Stu, still mending from the loss of his beloved Fishy, is again distraught - this time over an umbrella that he believes has homicidal motives against him. Once again it's up to his best friend, Ted, to help calm his nerves.
Starring:Ken Turner and Paul J. Boresky
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
"They're just a bunch of immature monkey children, if you wanna know the truth."- Narrator
Perhaps second to The Yard Sale, Circus Temps is considered one of Poor Fishy Films' finest shorts. This is a turning point for us as the production values and performances are top-notch.
Circus Temps (2010)
Mr. Dingles, a clown who is anything but clowny, sits down with Mr. Anderson, Assistant Deputy Director of Unsolicited Employment Relations and Personell at Circus Temps, a temporary employment agency for circus performers. Will Mr. Dingles get the job? Will Mr. Anderson even survive the interview? Watch and see how business is handled down at Circus Temps.
Circus Temps has recently been secured by Ouat Media for North America-wide distribution.
Starring:James Knowles, Ben Herbert, Beth Duncan,
Ann Cognito and Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
Circus Temps (2010)
Mr. Dingles, a clown who is anything but clowny, sits down with Mr. Anderson, Assistant Deputy Director of Unsolicited Employment Relations and Personell at Circus Temps, a temporary employment agency for circus performers. Will Mr. Dingles get the job? Will Mr. Anderson even survive the interview? Watch and see how business is handled down at Circus Temps.
Circus Temps has recently been secured by Ouat Media for North America-wide distribution.
Starring:James Knowles, Ben Herbert, Beth Duncan,
Ann Cognito and Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Written by: Ken Turner
"It's a very threatening umbrella!" - Stu
"I'm a clown for cryin' out loud!" - Mr. Dingles
Click image above to see a
preview of Circus Temps
preview of Circus Temps
Unexplained Mysteriousnesses (2007)
Official Selection:
Hamilton Film Festival 2008
Synopsis: Edwin and Matilda Whizzknuckle have lost their beloved sock in the laundry. It's up to Lloyd Lipschitz and the team of investigators at the show Unexplained Mysteriousnesses to solve the baffling case.
Starring: Rico Sanchez, Stewart Tugnut, Sara Mitchell, Charles Winston, Allan Jeffries, and Ken Turner
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Official Selection:
Hamilton Film Festival 2008
Synopsis: Edwin and Matilda Whizzknuckle have lost their beloved sock in the laundry. It's up to Lloyd Lipschitz and the team of investigators at the show Unexplained Mysteriousnesses to solve the baffling case.
Starring: Rico Sanchez, Stewart Tugnut, Sara Mitchell, Charles Winston, Allan Jeffries, and Ken Turner
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
The Mickey Montgomery Show with Chip Farthington (2010)
Talk show host Chip Farthington has his hands full with
his guest, author/scientist/inventor/part-time heart
surgeon Albert J. Abernathy. What begins as a standard interview quickly spirals out of control, much to the
chagrin of Farthington and a surprise to the studio
audience.
This film is a bit of an experiment for Poor Fishy Films,
as we integrated a live audience interraction between the actors and the audience at the 2010 Hamilton Film Festival.
Starring: Lance Darren Cole and John Darling
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
Talk show host Chip Farthington has his hands full with
his guest, author/scientist/inventor/part-time heart
surgeon Albert J. Abernathy. What begins as a standard interview quickly spirals out of control, much to the
chagrin of Farthington and a surprise to the studio
audience.
This film is a bit of an experiment for Poor Fishy Films,
as we integrated a live audience interraction between the actors and the audience at the 2010 Hamilton Film Festival.
Starring: Lance Darren Cole and John Darling
Written by: Ken Turner
Directed by: Paul J. Boresky
"I invented headbands! Not that one...that one!" - Albert J. Abernathy
Click the image above to view
The Mickey Montgomery Show Live Edit
The Mickey Montgomery Show Live Edit
Where's Fishy?
On the counter behind the actor
On the counter behind the actor
Where's Fishy?
On the beer bottle label
On the beer bottle label
Where's Fishy?
Fish Monthly magazine
Fish Monthly magazine
Where's Fishy?
On the desk in the foreground
On the desk in the foreground
Where's Fishy?
The Stay Tuned title card
The Stay Tuned title card
Where's Fishy?
Opening credits sequence
Opening credits sequence
Where's Fishy?
On a beer label at Mitch's apartment
On a beer label at Mitch's apartment
Click on the image above to watch The Yard Sale
Click on the image above to watch The Wheel Deal
Click the image above to
watch Splits-Ville
watch Splits-Ville
Click the image above to view Tobacc-Os