Nicholas Meyer, Tom Shadyak, Vincent Ward, Sam Mendes, Michael Moore
Directors
Robert Wise, James Cameron, M. Night Shyamalan, Tom Shadyac, Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, JJ Abrams, Nicholas Meyer, Sam Mendez, Alexander Payne, Alfred Hitchcock, Nancy Meyers, Mark Rydell, George P. Cosmatos, Penny Marshall, Ivan Reitman, Martin Scorsese
Allen Film & Video's Interests
General
There's nothing better than creating something visual. To see it play out in my mind and then to translate that to screen...I can think of no better professional pursuit. Because of my love of the art, I'm producing the 48 Hour Film Project in Columbus, Ohio for 2008. It's the first year for Columbus in the event, and I'm proud to help bring it to the capitol city.
Music
Just like everything else, I like storytelling in my music, so I naturally gravitate to the 70's and early 80's when all the great minstrels were still in their heydey...Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Gilbert O' Sullivan, Elton John, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Gordon Lightfoot and so on. I also still like the jazz/rock sound of Toto and 80's-era Chicago, and one of my favorite albums is David Crosby's Thousand Roads. On the rock side I like Linkin Park's first 2 albums, Queensryche, Collective Soul, and so on. My guilty pleasure is KISS, and my all-time favorite is Pink Floyd.
Movies
I really like stories that are satisfying. Movies that have some depth or extra purpose. Horror is fine if it's smart, but I prefer small casts in intimate situations...the exploration of the human condition through relationships and conflict. This can happen on the road, on a date, in a classroom, in church, awake or asleep. I'll try to name a few favorites...
Sideways, American Beauty, What Dreams May Come, Mr. Holland's Opus, Stand By Me,
Nothing In Common, Three O'Clock High, Bruce Almighty, Crash, The Shawshank Redemption, Tombstone, Rocky Balboa (Rocky 6), Castaway, Road To Perdition, Jarhead, Memento...man, the list is endless.
Although it's not reflected here, I do love comedy, I enjoy the computer-animated work of Pixar and Dreamworks, and I love space fantasies like Star Trek, Star Wars, Close Encounters and so on. Ivan Reitman and John Hughes are geniuses. Steven Spielberg is a pioneer. But Sam Mendes has my top nod. The man is amazing.
Jud Apatow and Michael Bay - I could do without either of them (although I did enjoy 40 Year Old Virgin a lot).
Television
Comedy and drama are my things. I like medical shows like House and court dramas like Boston Legal. I enjoy some of the new comedies like Carpoolers and Big Bang Theory as well as The Office, My Name Is Earl, How I Met Your Mother and Two And A Half Men. I love the new show Reaper, with Ray Wise as the devil. He chews the scenery everytime he shows up. Surprisingly enough, the controversial hit, "Kid Nation" was almost an addiction. SciFi's reimagining of Battlestar Galactica is good, and Lost is a do-not-miss.
Books
Only two..."The Monster At The End Of This Book" and "How To Eat Fried Worms". The BEST!
Heroes
My heroes are the people who stand up and make their voices heard. We Americans are living as consumers, not citizens. We pay our taxes and expect certain services or products, as if we were buying them from a retailer. It is our American duty not to let 2% of the people speak for the other 98% of us. PETA, the ACLU, reckless politicians - they would never last if we as Americans stop complaining to each other and instead take it to the people we elected. If you're not willing to rise up and be heard, you're not acting as a citizen of this country.
My heroes are the people who wear the uniforms of our country. From our brave military to law enforcement to fire fighters and EMTs, to doctors and nurses, to garbage men and crossing guards. Without those in uniform, society would halt.
I admire the thinkers.
I admire the writers.
I admire the performers and the clowns.
But my heroes are the ones who can do it without minimizing themselves to the lowest common denominator.
Whether it's directing a project or standing behind the camera, or putting it all together - I just want to meet good people with good stories. I appreciate any chance to be creative.
About me:
KC Allen started his career in 1985 as a radio DJ. He wrote scripts and created "Theatre Of The Mind" in his audio production. KC made the inevitable switch to video and film production in 2001, and continues to write, direct and edit commercials, episodic television, corporate productions and feature films. He has recently completed his first screenplay, and has started his 2nd and 3rd script.
