Red Menace

You might reconsider scrawling “Become a better person” on your bathroom mirror, ’cause huge, amorphous goals leave you vulnerable to smooth operators with their own agenda. Such is the dilemma of Billy, the hero of the Phoenix-made indie film The Constant Epiphanies of Billy the Blood Donor. What could possibly be wrong with donating blood and encouraging others to donate? Well, dude, it's blood, and the mojo's not to be taken lightly. "Supply," "demand," and, uh, "consumption" acquire ominous meanings as Billy uncovers a vast conspiracy and fights to protect all we hold dear (as dudes in movies tend to do). Speaking of epic quests, completing an 85-minute feature will drive anyone's hemoglobin down to anemic, vampire-victim levels, so tip your hat to producer/director Logan Blackwell and his colleagues, who have braved challenges beyond number to get this surreal comedy in front of your peepers. “There's been various degrees of it being 100 percent done,” Blackwell says. “We thought the whole thing would be done in two weeks, and it's been more like two years.”
Sat., Sept. 13, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., 2008