From the Press
Pests. There are many different ways to explain what that word means to you, but in general it denotes a persistently annoying or destructive thing; a nuisance, a bother. Box Elder bugs are pests. In packs they are loud, ugly and destructive with no true purpose besides using their sheer numbers to suck the life from other things around them, but on their own they are benign little creatures, not capable of biting or stinging or doing much harm. In Todd Sklar's first feature length film, he explores a generation of brohams as represented by four ne'er-do-wells whose lifestyles bare a striking resemblance to those of these bugs.
Read more here...
"Although the film is definitely geared towards fans of Jud Apatow, serious cinephiles will appreciate Goddard's influence in one climactic scene full of constant and jarring jump cuts."
Read more here...
"Sklar is like any other 20-something dude you see on the street. He wears jeans and sneakers, his speech is casual and conversational, he loves eating, and he's been to more than a dozen cities in the course of six weeks promoting a movie he wrote, directed, and starred in. Okay, that last part probably threw you a bit."
Read more here...
The well-garnered John August spots Todd on a small piece of what went into touring Box Elder around last spring and what is coming down the pipe.
"They basically treated their indie film like an indie band, going gig to gig and selling out of the back of their car. It worked, more or less, but it demanded an amazing amount of chutzpah and commitment, which not all filmmakers are going to be able to muster."
Read more here...
College pals go out to eat, get drunk and spend more time lying on the couch than learning or cleaning themselves. They also endure breakups, annoying frat brothers and apartments with non-functioning heat. The first-time actors include Nick Renkoski, Chad Haas, Alex Rennie and writer-director Todd Sklar.
Big question: Is this low-budget comedy anything more than another excuse to show guys -- like some of the men in "Knocked Up" -- sitting around, doing very little with their lives and not really caring?
Read more here...
Highly reminiscent of Richard Linklater's Slacker, this low-budget debut feature by Todd Sklar isn't much more than 91 minutes of banter from a quartet of college pals. But the dialogue has actual wit in addition to the usual ironic gloss, and Sklar's vision of college is the fond fiction we all like to remember in adulthood:
Read more here...
For the past few weeks, four men in their early 20s have been riding around the American heartland in a smelly van. Every night or two, they stop in a college town, find the venue, then wait for the audience to show up. They sleep on friends' couches. They travel light: no roadies, no groupies, no amps or guitars.
Read more here...
Sunlight still lingers outside, a strange occurrence when walking into the Broadway Diner. It's Aug. 20, and at 7:45 p.m. the diner isn't open. A cook and server are on hand to feed the cast and crew, who are here for just one reason: to make a movie...
Read more here...