Jacob Winfield – Memphis Flyer

Has Monday got you feeling stabby? MVM is here for you.

Memphis pop maniac Brenden Villines is having an incredible year. First of all, he signed with Rockasaurus Records. Then, he appeared on the NBC talent show The Four, and made some big waves. Villines has an uncanny knack for picking a perfect cover song, like he did with Ozzy Ozborne’s “Crazy Train”. His rendition of “Wild Horses” at last year’s Gimme Shelter benefit for homeless charities brought the house down. National audiences got a taste of his interpretive talent with this piano rendition of The Proclaimers “500 Miles.”

Music Video Monday: Brennan Villines (2)

Last week, Villines released the first video from his upcoming EP “Make It Work”. The song is called “Better Than We’ve Ever Been,” and here’s what the artist has to say about it: “I wrote the song in 2016 after participating in a very historic Black Lives Matter march in Memphis, Tennessee, where I’m from. People from all walks of life coming together and insisting that enough is enough in regards to police brutality, racism, homophobia, transphobia, the list goes on. The country was also at the height of division in the wake of the upcoming presidential election. At the end of the day, everything is far from perfect, but we are better going through it together as a people.”

The video is directed by Andrew Trent Fleming and it’s a doozy. In a mood that we can all relate to, our hero struggles to get out of bed in the morning, knowing that he will be faced with a firehose of bad news.

Truth

Then, Villines appears as his new news alter ego Lan Jevinson.

Reporting live, baby!

After jovially running down a pedestrian with a car full of M-town’s finest dancers, Villines then brutally stabs a rando on the street, played by Jacob Wingfield, who doesn’t seem to mind the violence.

The best-natured reaction to a stabbing this reporter has ever witnessed.

Will Winfield survive? Will Villines be brought to justice for his crime spree, or will he lead us all in a joyful singalong? Find out in this dramatic installment of Music Video Monday.

Music Video Monday: Brennan Villines

If you feel up to joining Brennan on Music Video Monday with your own music video, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com

Mark Jones hasn’t made a feature film in several years, but he’s on a roll with short films.

“I’ve kind of stumbled upon something. ‘Winding Brook’ is the exception. But if you look at ‘Death In A Small Town,’ ‘The Best Wedding Gift,’ and ‘Henry,’ they all take place on one set with few characters.”

Corey Parker in ‘Death In A Small Town’

Jones will screen these four films at Studio on the Square on Tuesday, April 24 at 7 PM.

Taken together, the snack-sized scenes form their own universe of domestic drama with a cynical, sometimes soapy edge. The dark comedy “Death In A Small Town” contrasts the feel-good political speech of a small town mayor with the horrible reality behind his rise to power. The short is built around a pitch-perfect performance by Corey Parker.

“He’s a top-notch actor,” Jone said. “We’re fortunate to have someone like him in our community.”

Drew Smith in ‘Henry’

Jones loves to put the pieces on the table and watch them snap into place, as he does in “Henry”, which features a tour-de-force performance by Drew Smith as a single father having a heated conference call with his siblings about the arrangements for his mother’s death. Here, the big reveal is used for pathos rather than a punchline.

Savannah Bearden in ‘The Best Wedding Gift’

In “The Best Wedding Gift,” Savannah Bearden gets to go full soap opera anti-heroine.

“Savannah knocked it out of the park,” says Jones. “I’ve been wanting to work with her for a while, but it hasn’t been the right opportunity. So, when I conceived of this script, I thought, ‘man, Savannah will be great.’ She owns this film.”

Bearden is a bride to be who has an icy confrontation with the best man, played by Jacob Winfield.

”Jacob is a theater actor,” says Jones. “Usually, when I work with theater actors, they’re great, but their first three or four takes are huge. That’s not needed in film. Usually theater actors are playing to the guy in the twelfth row. But he played it so well, I had to tell him to play it up. He was too small.

Jones says careful casting and preparation is the key to a good performance.

“I really try to work with the actor individually, and then in pairs with their cast mates to give them the background of their character,” Jone says. “Why are you entering this scene thinking what you’re thinking?

“That’s something I really believe in as a writer: character motivation. I go to too many films and think, ‘Why is the character doing that? That doesn’t make sense. No one would actually do that. What’s their motivation?’ Jacob’s motivation in this film comes from a very good heart. He really thinks he’s doing the right thing.”

His care with the actors pays off in “Winding Brook”.

“Cecilia Wingate is only in about 45 seconds of ‘Winding Brook,’ but she does great,” Jones says. “That’s a great example of someone who has a really small role — she’s a nurse — but she owns that 45 seconds. There are no small parts.”

Corey Parker, Kim Justice, Ryan Azada, and Jack Prudhome in ‘Winding Brook’

Jones was recently named Honorary Director for Life of the Outflix Film Festival and is the primary mover behind Indie Memphis’ IndieGrant program.

All proceeds from this screening will go to the Indie Memphis Youth Film Festival. His next short film “Football Jocks vs. Theater Fags Memphis Style” is already in the can.

“It’s different,” he says with a laugh. “I want to make another feature, but I’m enjoying this two-year run of short films.”

The Mark Jones film showcase starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 at Studio on the Square. You can purchase tickets on the Indie Memphis website.