Tough Case
When loose cannon Detective Dick Murdock is called to investigate another all-too-familiar murder, he embarks on a path toward redemption and bloodshed. In his quest to find the cantankerous Shoestring Slasher, there are no rules except his rules. But he doesn't follow the rules.
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Stefan PerezDirector
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Stefan PerezWriter
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Stefan PerezProducer
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Jackson RosenfeldProducer
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Adam CarraProducer
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Miranda LimonczenkoProducer
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Stefan PerezKey Cast
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Comedy, Noir
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Runtime:12 minutes 10 seconds
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Completion Date:June 10, 2014
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Production Budget:150 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Black & White
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
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LA Neo Noir Film FestivalLos Angeles, California
August 15, 2014
Best Comedic Film -
Reel East Film FestivalHaddon Township, New Jersey
August 22, 2014
North America Premiere
Audacity Award -
Shortz! Film FestivalChico, California
September 13, 2014 -
Highway 61 Film FestivalPine City, Minnesota
October 4, 2014
Finalist -
Embarras Valley Film FestivalCharleston, Illinois
November 7, 2014 -
Flagler Film FestivalPalm Coast, Florida
January 10, 2015
Best Student Comedy -
The Hollywood Festival of New CinemaHollywood, California
February 24, 2015
March 2015 Selected Winner -
SRJC Student Film FestivalSanta Rosa, California
April 3, 2015
Judge's Selection -
American Student Film FestivalLafayette, Indiana
April 23, 2015 -
Film Fest PetalumaPetaluma, California
May 2, 2015 -
Ha! FestChico, CA
May 9, 2015 -
Windsor Independent Film FestWindsor, CA
May 30, 2015
Best Home Grown Film
Stefan Perez received his first rejection at the age of six when he auditioned to act in a Toys R Us commercial. Since then, Stefan has had two shows canceled (one radio, one television), death threats, and less than 100 likes on Facebook for his production company, Flat Quack Films. Stefan is masterfully bad. But his mother loves him and so does his production crew at least.
I’m a fraud. I don’t care for film noir. However I am a fan of low budget films that use style and creativity to make up for depravity. Roger Corman, Alrugo Entertainment and Red Letter Media didn’t have a good script and definitely didn’t have the money, yet they put what little resources that had into a project that was riddled with problems but inspired ingenuity. Without resources, they can attract a cult following and trust - all without a budget. Sometimes even without a filming permit.
The character of Detective Dick Murdock is a fusion of Ryan Gosling in Drive (2011), main characters from Sin City (2005) and Clint Eastwood in general. This fusion can create only one kind of character in noir: utterly cliched. Along with writing and directing, I knew I must star in it too. And while I was at it, I played every character down to the arm of Murdock’s dead wife.
Murdock is not only a jab at the “tough cop”, but he is also the wannabe auteur filmmaker who writes his name a dozen times in the opening credits, playing the cool, Tarantino-like character found in film classrooms and even my own past work. This film encompasses all that: the cliched characters, the writer/director/actor, the negligent budget, and absolutely everything you’ve already seen before. This film has it all - or it has nothing - depending on how you look at it.
The difficulty with parodying bad films is trying avoid making one in the process. Similar to Leslie Neilsen in The Naked Gun films, the comedy occurs when nobody reacts to the bizarre world. No matter how stupid or ridiculous a movie gets, the characters never notice they’re in one.This movie takes place in a comically anachronistic world where everyone looks the same. They talk and dress like typical 40’s noir, but they have cell phones and cars from the 90’s, all while referencing Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. Time has no meaning in this world. Proof of that: they nonsensically smoke cigarettes without lighting them.
I take back that I don’t like noir films. I admit that I liked Brick (2006). It may be neo noir but it counts.