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Latest Highlights & Media Features

Stay updated with BrainDagger Films' latest projects, awards, and media appearances. From international festivals to local news coverage — here’s what’s making headlines.

📢 Explore The News Here

Moe Taylor

Kathryn Taylor - IMDb

Voyage Ohio

BrainDagger Films and Moe Taylor's Bob Gatewood Music Video "Island in the Sun" Wins at Prestigious Film Festivals

Bob Gatewood Shoots Music Video with Ardent Fans at Put-in-Bay

Community Highlights: Meet Moe Taylor of BrainDagger Films

David Kovatch, Owner of The Sacred Vortex, Taps Renowned Filmmaker Moe Taylor for Graphic Design of Newest Kava Bar - Benzinga

AN INTERVIEW WITH MOE TAYLOR, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OF "AS ORGANISM" (cannesworldfilmfestival.com)

Unveiling the Naked Film Festival at Glorious Inferno: Redefining Art, Acceptance, and Expression

Cleveland's Own BrainDagger Films Wins Big This Year on the Film Festival Circuit- EIN Presswire (einnews.com)

BrainDagger Films Selects Matt Klesel aka Youth Large for its Coveted Production Assistant Position

Applications For The BrainDagger Films Video Production Incubator Are Now Being Accepted. Video Production Crash Course. (einpresswire.com)

BrainDagger Films Releases Kickstarter Page, "Gelker in the Treehouse" After Discovering Costa Rican Friends in Need | Costa Rica Conservationist

Lyn Stokes, Prolific Costa Rica Based Artist and World Traveler Publishes New Online Gallery of Her Fantastical Art. (einpresswire.com)

BrainDagger Films [USA] Partners with One Blood Records [CR] to Promote "Arte Pura Vida" Music Festival in Heredia | Costa Rica Industry Network

BrainDagger Films Begins Pre-production on 7-year, 65-Country Filming Marathon for Tentatively Titled Doc, "Organism". - EIN Presswire (einnews.com)

Moe Taylor

Kathryn Taylor - IMDb

Voyage Ohio

BrainDagger Films and Moe Taylor's Bob Gatewood Music Video "Island in the Sun" Wins at Prestigious Film Festivals

Bob Gatewood Shoots Music Video with Ardent Fans at Put-in-Bay

Community Highlights: Meet Moe Taylor of BrainDagger Films

David Kovatch, Owner of The Sacred Vortex, Taps Renowned Filmmaker Moe Taylor for Graphic Design of Newest Kava Bar - Benzinga

AN INTERVIEW WITH MOE TAYLOR, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OF "AS ORGANISM" (cannesworldfilmfestival.com)

Unveiling the Naked Film Festival at Glorious Inferno: Redefining Art, Acceptance, and Expression

Cleveland's Own BrainDagger Films Wins Big This Year on the Film Festival Circuit- EIN Presswire (einnews.com)

BrainDagger Films Selects Matt Klesel aka Youth Large for its Coveted Production Assistant Position

Applications For The BrainDagger Films Video Production Incubator Are Now Being Accepted. Video Production Crash Course. (einpresswire.com)

BrainDagger Films Releases Kickstarter Page, "Gelker in the Treehouse" After Discovering Costa Rican Friends in Need | Costa Rica Conservationist

Lyn Stokes, Prolific Costa Rica Based Artist and World Traveler Publishes New Online Gallery of Her Fantastical Art. (einpresswire.com)

BrainDagger Films [USA] Partners with One Blood Records [CR] to Promote "Arte Pura Vida" Music Festival in Heredia | Costa Rica Industry Network

BrainDagger Films Begins Pre-production on 7-year, 65-Country Filming Marathon for Tentatively Titled Doc, "Organism". - EIN Presswire (einnews.com)

📰 Magazines

Explore featured articles, interviews, and magazine spotlights showcasing the vision and work of BrainDagger Films.

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🎬 Film Reviews

Honest takes and critical acclaim — see what the world is saying about our films.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRANGE PERCEPTIONS

What an interesting documentary! All about psychedelics and trying to “explain the unexplainable,” “The Importance Of Strange Perceptions” is a journey through what it was like in the mind of writer/director Moe Taylor. Choosing to go with narration, interviews, and a whole bunch of trippin’ visuals to shed light on a subject that’s still wildly considered taboo, Taylor’s tapped into a topic that’s genuinely crucial to explain – in as vivid detail as possible. For some, the mere suggestion of psychedelics conjures up a whole bunch of stories and folklore of bad trips and experiences that have raged out of control – and for others, psychedelics represent the gateway to an essential aspect of mental freedom that might not otherwise have existed in this world. I know where I stand on all of this already, and I’m hardly able to be as objective as I’d usually be in reviewing something I’m watching after having already had so much personal experience with psychedelics. That said, I wouldn’t even be here today without them; they opened the door to understanding this planet in awe-inspiring ways – that I could have never learned from a textbook or the assistance of some traditionally prescribed medication.

The Importance of Strange Perceptions – SCRIPT to INDIE (FOR FULL REVIEW)

JEREMY GLADSTONE

“The Importance of Strange Perceptions” | Independent Movie Review

The Importance of Strange Perceptions, by Moe Taylor (Director, Editor, Writer, Producer), explores the world of psychedelics, while more specifically focusing on the psychoactive substance ayahuasca, and the journeys a few people experienced in their pursuit of trying to find answers to issues about themselves that they were attempting to understand.

One of the things I enjoyed, was that all the people in the project were really able to articulate their experiences in a very thoughtful and concise way. Their experiences left me thinking that they were able to get something from their journeys that they were needing and just were not able to find before. But at the same time, the project wasn’t about advocating for people to just go try ayahuasca or take other psychedelics. The project really just shared some stories and encouraged people to think about things a little differently, if you’re in need of finding some inner peace or structure, and that “knowledge is good”.

So yeah, I thought the project was really well done on many levels. Moe projects that this project was “edited in a rapid chaotic form in the hopes that the viewer can get a dose of what it was like being [himself]”, but to me The Importance of Strange Perceptions was visually stimulating and complex, but in those complexities all the pieces fit together nearly perfect and therefore simplified a lot of information and philosophical ideas, so you were able to see the forest through the communicative trees.

Langdon Alger | Independent Movie Review (FOR FULL REVIEW)

Langdon Alger 

The Importance of Strange Perceptions – Moe Taylor’s Psychedelic Gonzo Journalism

One of the essential features that is noticeable in The Importance of Strange Perceptions is the presence of Hunter Stockton Thompson’s gonzo journalism: a writing style that blends traditional journalism, personal insights, and narrative techniques to provide a unique perspective on events and situations.

Some of Thompson’s most famous works, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell’s Angels, are examples of gonzo journalism. It is often associated with a countercultural ethos and is characterized by its irreverent and often humorous approach to serious topics. It is characterized by a first-person perspective, a subjective tone, and a blurring of the lines between fiction and non-fiction. In gonzo journalism, the writer often becomes a central character in the story, and their personal experiences and opinions are woven into the narrative.

Tommaso Paris/ artesettima.it (FOR FULL STORY)
 (FOR FULL REVIEW)

Tommaso Paris

A Complete Interview With Moe

I was near the end of my rope with various mental diagnoses incurred from military service and had tried all the medications and treatments available through traditional medicine and the Veteran’s Affairs healthcare system. I was extremely desperate to find any way to get just a little bit of happiness out of life so I went to Costa Rica and began studying psychedelic plant medicine for the film in hopes I could find something that could fix myself outside the realm of big pharma and mainstream medicine as those drugs had done more harm over the years than anything beneficial.

Moe Taylor – Liverpool Indie Awards (FOR FULL STORY)

Moe Taylor

Exploring the Unknown:As Organism Reviewed by Film Threat

From BrainDagger films, Moe Taylor’s As Organism is a documentary short, shot in a visually over-stimulating MTV style that is hard to pull off and so easy to fail at. In Taylor’s case, he found the secret that makes it work. The writer and director starts from the microscopic and pulls back to a universal perspective.

I’m a little removed from my high school science days but, I remember that an organism is defined as “a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements whose relations and properties are largely determined by their function in the whole.” Taylor shows us all levels of what an organism is, from its simplest structure to the most complex to the unimaginable, thanks to dark matter.

He presents it all in a fast-paced, non-stop music video fashion. We are barraged with one video or image after the other. It’s vibrant, colorful, and relentless. I’m not a fan of this style of presentation. It can produce a lot of anxiety, and for a person with dyslexia, like myself, it’s just too much stimulation. Taylor, though, found a way to make it palatable and engaging.

Moe Taylor’s As Organism (FOR FULL REVIEW)

Alan Ng

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRANGE PERCEPTIONS (USA)

In the latest episode of BrainDagger Films Presents: Knowledge is Good, Moe Taylor invites us to embark on a sensorial and cerebral exploration of psychedelics in “The Importance of Strange Perceptions.” Channeling the spirit of Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, Taylor leads us down the rabbit hole to demystify and dissect the world of psychedelic substances and their potential therapeutic properties. As we traverse the vibrant landscapes of Ayahuasca ceremonies in Costa Rica and delve into the intricate inner workings of the human psyche, the film illuminates the transformative powers of these mystical compounds.
Taylor’s directorial prowess is evident as he weaves a visual tapestry that oscillates between the ethereal and the grounded, reminiscent of the surrealistic compositions found in Wang’s The Journey of Murder and the hallucinogenic lighting of Bocchini’s Ride with the Guilt. Drawing inspiration from cult film classics and the narrative minimalism of independent cinema, “The Importance of Strange Perceptions” challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding psychedelics and offers a fresh perspective on their role in mental health and personal transformation.
The documentary’s cast of protagonists, including researchers, therapists, and those who have experienced the healing powers of Ayahuasca, Mushrooms, Ketamine, and MDMA, form a captivating ensemble that enriches the film’s thematic tapestry. Much like the endearing duo in Wang’s The Journey of Murder, the individuals featured in Taylor’s film offer profound insights into the complex interplay between psychedelics, the human psyche, and the quest for self-discovery.
One of the film’s most striking features is its ability to balance the academic rigor of its subject matter with a witty and approachable tone. Echoing the thematic and psychoanalytic explorations found in the reviews of Veitch’s Lonely and D. Michael’s The Bezonians, Taylor masterfully navigates the intricate web of conceptual terms, cinematographic techniques, and storytelling tools to create a deeply engaging and thought-provoking film.
“The Importance of Strange Perceptions” is an intellectual and visual feast that transports us to the outer reaches of human consciousness and invites us to reevaluate our understanding of psychedelics and their potential for healing. With its rich cinematic language and bold exploration of uncharted territory, Moe Taylor’s latest installment in the BrainDagger Films Presents: Knowledge is Good series is a shining example of the power of independent cinema and the transformative potential of strange perceptions. Grade A* 

SPRING FEST (28 APR) – Lonely Wolf (lonelywolffilmfest.com)

Adrian Perez

The Art of Complexity in a Short Film

In its most basic form, “As Organism” is a documentary that ends up explaining its unusual name to its audience. Yet, there’s nothing basic about this short film – at all. This flick covers everything from world points of view and ecosystems within the atmosphere – to mother nature being just plain lazy; there’s a brain-busting wealth of information laid out in this fast-paced doc, for sure. As it was stated in the film, “As Organism” could lead to an overload of the mind – but as long as you keep a little of what you’ve seen in the back of your head, your perception of things may forever be altered – even if only slightly.
The setup is a familiar one to anyone who enjoys science docs, mystery series, or anything that combines a tonne of images and sounds with the now-familiar “talking head” expert testimonials. The reality and realism of the film will no doubt vary from person to person – but it has no problem keeping you hooked no matter what you believe. I found a few things a little sketchy but interesting nonetheless. Example? A segment on bees stated that we’d lose half of our food without bees existing, plunging the world into chaos. Although, in my opinion, that is totally true, the context is a little twisted in the film. You see, if there were no bees, the population probably wouldn’t have gotten so large, to begin with. There would be no world-shaking problem because the problem wouldn’t have existed. I brought this example to light because a lot of “As Organism” is presented in a forced perspective, bending the facts, so they jive with what’s being explained onscreen. Is there anything wrong with this? Not at all – it’s actually pretty great, and as for the film in its entirety? Excellent. Very well done.

As Organism by Moe Taylor (FOR FULL REVIEW)

WILL CONRAD

As Organism: A Cosmic Journey Through the Subatomic to the Sublime

Written, directed, edited and produced by Moe Taylor, ‘As Organism’ is a high concept short film that seeks to take its audience on a journey from the subatomic world to the edge of the cosmos as it opens the possibilities of the existence of the universe as a single, connected As Organism. Narrated by Rachel Sellers, ‘As Organism’ seeks to broaden the horizons of human understanding regarding their place in the cosmos. Does it succeed in this regard? Only time will tell but Moe Taylor’s short manages to impress in more ways than one.

It is commonly seen that films with such lofty ideals and high concepts often get muddled in the wake of their own exposition and end up far short of where they ought to be. However, As Organism manages to buckle this trend with ease; Moe Taylor’s film uses the perfect blend of visuals, narrative cohesion and exposition to clearly elucidate what it is trying to achieve. The result is a product that is both easy on the eyes and stimulating for the mind; a combination rarely achieved in the industry plagued by recycled stories made for the lowest common denominator.

For all of the film’s various home runs, it is also true that some of the ideas presented in the film are complex for some. However, the brilliance of the production lies in the fact that Moe is able to weave the narration in such a way that these aspects and arguments seem highly plausible. Using science and logic, ‘As Organism’ also dives into complicated theories of physics and uses them to further its plot, impressing with a level of sophistication seldom seen in works of such genre.

Written by FilmmakerLife (FOR FULL REVIEW)

FilmmakerLife

As Organism: A Visual Feast and Thoughtful Exploration

Awesome film! Very thought provoking, and captivating from start to finish

Rotten Tomatoes Review: As Organism

David K