Here they are, The Goons!... They won't know what hit you...
Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook have likely seen me posting a lot about The Goons and the CineCoup Film Competition lately. The Goons is an action-packed comedy about three throwaway characters, the red shirts of the action world, that become the unlikely heroes. With their beloved 'Ma behind bars the three adopted sons must fight their way through the seedy underbelly of the crime world and free her from prison. With several other rival gangs looking to take over the city, The Goons are in for a tough fight as they bumble along in their unique, goofy way, discovering harrowing twists around every corner. Follow along with these three Goons as they attempt to top the crime ladder, save their town, and their loving 'Ma.
The Goons is the brainchild of three friends who met at Capilano University in the Acting for Stage and Screen program. They each have a solid background in on-screen fighting and always perform their own stunts. The Goons are Malcolm Masters aka The Brawn, Ryan Bolton aka The Brain and Camden Filtness aka The Blue. In the Spring of 2014 the three men began filming an action-comedy webseries that would follow their characters as they worked on various odd jobs and tasks that were always on the wrong side of the law and always hilarious. They were soon joined by David de Montigny aka The Son, who was the true, biological son of their adopted 'Ma and was in charge of setting the Goons up with their jobs, and Tom Hackett aka The Boss, who came on as the lead bad guy in the webseries. The series consists of 6 episodes, each 8-15 minutes long and can be found on YouTube (click the link above to find episode 1 and go from there).
By the fall of 2014 The Goons had entered their project into ComedyCoup, a contest run by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that would allow indie filmmakers from across the country a chance to earn the financing to create their very own 30 minute pilot episode of a comedy series that would be aired on the television network. After gaining a solid following and earning the love of fans through various challenges such as creating a poster and behind-the-scenes looks at the series the Goons' title hopes were stopped short just outside of the top 10 as they finished 11th. The awesome and gory violence of the series was likely a key contributing factor as to why they did not make it further in the contest run by the rather tame CBC.
Enter the CineCoup Film Competition. CineCoup is very similar to ComedyCoup yet differs as it is much more adult-oriented (Jameson Irish Whiskey is a key sponsor) and is all about the action, violence, gore and cursing. With Cineplex being the main sponsor, the contest is offering up to $1 million in financing to the winning project to make their very own full-length feature film which will be released across Canada and potentially worldwide. The Goons have their eye set on the prize, and have added myself on board to be the Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. Our talented team now consists of 6 core members as well as several other friends and fans that have come aboard to help with makeup, stunts, and extra work. After learning that the man in charge of CineCoup loved us in ComedyCoup we know that we've got a real shot at this and promise to not disappoint our fans!
Along with the script and our performances in the challenges, fan support is critical to success in the CineCoup Film Competition. You can help us out and do your part by signing up as a fan on www.cinecoup.com. From there you can check out our challenge each week, follow us, rate and comment on the videos and share us through your own Facebook and Twitter accounts. By doing all of this you will be earning votes that you can then put towards the major voting stages of the competition. Top 60 voting begins this Monday, then top 30, top 15, and top 5 in the weeks to come. It is quite fun to do as you discover our project as well as many of the other 75 entered in the competition. It can also be easily done on your mobile device or tablet if you're crunched for time. And some other fun ways to follow the Goons would be through social media of Facebook: "Like" The Goons at facebook.com/TheGoons3, Follow us on Instagram: @goonsthemovie and follow us on Twitter: @goonsthemovie as well as the guys' individual character accounts @GoonsTheBrawn, @GoonsTheBrain, @GoonsTheBlue and @GoonsTheSon. I post to all of these regularly and promise to always keep you entertained!
I've decided to focus on the webseries this week as it is a great way to get introduced to the characters, action and comedy. Here are my 3 favourite music moments from season1:
1.) Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble
"Ramble Tamble" is the opening song from Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic album Cosmo's Factory. The track has a wicked chug-along rhythm with fast-paced lyrics sung in beautifully rugged southern drawl by lead singer John Fogerty. The song then slows down for a cool guitar mid-section before blasting back to an epic climax. Epic climax is the perfect description for this song's use on The Goons as it was the score to the massive battle in the alleyway between the real Goons and the false, evil Goons at the end of season 1. A great old-school rock song for a great old-school back alley brawl!
2.) Newbeats - Bread and Butter
This garage-rock classic by Newbeats is a perfectly constructed pop nugget. Sung in an incredible high-pitched voice by Larry Henley, and backed by simple piano and guitar rhythm "Bread and Butter" will instantly put a goofy smile on your face. And that's just what it did during episode 4 as it scored a fun scene of The Goons just hanging out and being their goofy selves.
3.) The Blackbyrds - Do It Fluid
"Do It Fluid" by The Blackbyrds is a brilliant funk gem. I love the slow-burning groove that creates a chilled-out yet exciting atmosphere. The simple chants of "I like to party" backed by the too-cool singing of Keith Killgo create a masterpiece of horns, harmonica and funky electric guitar. This song is played during a funny trip the Goons take to the hardware store for some "supplies". I won't give away the exact reason for the shopping experience but the title's use of "fluid" has a lot to do with it!
From here on out I will add a section called "The Goons Update" to each week's blog post. In it I will chronicle what we've been up to, what we will be doing in the future, how you as a fan can help us out, and many other fun, action-packed moments along the way. After all, they're Goons... they won't know what hit you...
From here on out I will add a section called "The Goons Update" to each week's blog post. In it I will chronicle what we've been up to, what we will be doing in the future, how you as a fan can help us out, and many other fun, action-packed moments along the way. After all, they're Goons... they won't know what hit you...
