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.

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"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."

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"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)

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...

Click here to read the full article

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?

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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.

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Vox Magazine: Box Elder and the Sundance Kid

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Four college buddies put the “bro” in bromance in this low-key, goofy comedy that plays like a cross between Richard Linklater’s Slacker and TV’s Seinfeld: plot-wise, nothing much happens, but the eccentric people grow on you nevertheless. It benefits from better acting than what’s in many debut indie features and from a sweet-and-sour tang arising from the characters’ rueful awareness of time passing.

Thinking outside the Box

IT'S AUTOMATICCCCCC!!!

The story of a van...a group of guys...a lot of sandwiches...and a plan...

It seems like yesterday that we made Annie wait in her sweltering hot car for 3 hours while Todd ran around town buying $60 worth of smart water and 3 espresso drinks before heading to Lawrence...

Extra bit about her experience that fateful day: The film pitch, does it work?

Fuck yea it does.

 Shootin' some b-ball outside of my school...

The Rake likes Box Elder!

A splendid feature in the Des Moines Register, profiling the film with a special focus on the endlessly handsome, Mr. Nick Renkoski.

Iowa man is handsome in new film

Preview:

Renkoski, 23, a 2003 high school graduate, has a featured role in "Box Elder," the independently made comedy that has generated positive reviews from bloggers and from movie-goers in the cities where it has been shown.

The movie - described as "four dudes in college on the road to nowhere" - will be shown at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Bijou Theater in Iowa City and at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Fleur Cinema & Cafe in Des Moines.

"The heart of the movie is about growing up and finding out what you want to do, and realizing that apathy and procrastination aren't going to last you the rest of your life," Renkoski says.

Read more...(the full article has pics of Nick's gorgeous face)

 A nice little mention by MN film critic extraordinarire, Euan Kerr...

Enjoy...

An awesome review from RowThree.com, a great source for no-bullshit movie reviews that go deeper than your average blog/newspaper...

Check it out here: Indie Review: Box Elder

All night preview...

One of the things we love to get into around here, although we don’t always get much of an opportunity to do so, is the world of the independent filmmaker. Which is actually a real shame because in this day in age, independent films are quite accessible and easy to find. Not to mention, many of them are quite good; or at least good enough to beat out 95% of the shit we see (or don’t see) at the multi-plexes. And lastly, indie filmmakers are also the bread and butter of the future. In other words, most movie makers (unless they have a rabbit foot stuck up their ass) start off with small independent tries before becoming a huge success (Kevin Smith, David Lynch… even George Lucas). So those of us in the third row and those that hang out in the general vicinity of said row, should and will do all we can to support these guys… especially when their movie is good. Damn good.

Such is the case with Box Elder. Minneapolis born and raised Todd Sklar has spent the better part of three years conceiving and developing script to film to give us what is likely to be one of the better comedies of the year. I was a bit apprehensive at first as the trailer appears a bit weak - but complaining about that would be a bit hypocritical wouldn’t it? I mean usually I’m bitching that all the best parts of a comedy are in the trailer and hence nothing to laugh at come showtime. Not with Box Elder. It’s a laugh riot from nearly start to finish. 

(keep on reading, it gets even better!) 

Comedy paints picture of lazy college students

preview for the click-disinclined...

"One of the cardinal rules of aspiring writers is to "write what you know." Todd Sklar, the writer-director of the amusing shaggy-dog comedy "Box Elder," has taken that advice to heart. The film, Sklar's first feature, premiered at the Dobie theater on Monday. It was well-received, as it was at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. Sklar is now touring college towns with the film, cast and crew in tow..."

[cautious webmaster note] Mention of DVDs being available at the premiere is inaccurate and totally false.

Read the article here...

A snippet...

"Things are changing in the film industry. It's true. We've gone from indie to super-indie, or something of the sort. Todd Sklar is of this new regional indie-auteur variety — the new school of film, or should I say video?"

You can read the article here.

It is the third story on the page.

A snippet

"That success has encouraged Ragtag to extend screenings until at least Wednesday for the film that Ragtag’s Paul Sturtz and "Box Elder" producer Brock Williams are calling "by far" the biggest locally produced box-office hit in Columbia history."

The download is around 11mb and includes the full half-hour interview with Box Elder producer and Boxcar Films owner Brock Williams.

Topics include; filming in missouri, about the movie, fan reactions, and of course why Todd loves sandwedges sooooo much.

Download the MP3 here

Living in Misery: Blog write up...