A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT

THE SETUP

I’ve always been a fan of the idea of firsts. I may not always like the end result, but when you make something unique or that we haven’t seen before, you should be getting a certain type of recognition for it. “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night” is the very first Iranian made, Western inspired Vampire film. With her first full length feature, Ana Lily Amirpour has fused a visual palette similar to that of a Sergei Leone western, with the surreal nature of a classic Vampire tale. The film is set in the fictional town of “Bad City”, a place with a stench of addiction and loneliness. It’s townspeople go about living there painfully mundane existence, all the while blind to the fact they have a lonesome vampire living in their midst. The story centers on several different characters, the most important being Arash (played by Arash Marandi). He’s a young man doing odd maintenance jobs in order to pay off his father Hossein’s (Marshall Manesh “True Lies”), drug debt. On the other side of town, a mysterious girl (Sheila Vand “Argo”), is seemingly selecting men as victims, based on their overall treatment of the town’s women. Women that include Atti, the local prostitute (Mozhan Marno) and a beautiful princess named Shaydah (played by the lovely Rome Shadanloo). The film also stars Dominic Rains and Milad Eghbali.

THE GOOD

It’s a credit to young Ana for writing such an experimental and different screenplay. Making the very first Iranian film in this sub-genre is quite an accomplishment, and one this reviewer deems worth noting. Aside from this being the first of its kind, the colorful and standout poster also helped sell me on the idea. I was impressed that with only a handful of short films to her name, Amirpour has a clear grasp of the technical side of things and what works best for a film like this. This is the second movie I’ve watched in the last week that was shot entirely in black and white and I’m loving it. Given the landscape here and the town’s apparent isolation, the lack of color ties in nicely with the desired atmosphere. Not only that, but the shot choices are carefully structured and the audio is consistent. There’s also an assortment of different music. Some songs work better than others, but it’s all got a specific style or sound catering to the individual scene. There’s a wonderful Tarantino inspired piece of music that plays during the opening credits sequence. Some of the electro, pop rock music playing during interactions with The Girl and Arash, reminded me of the film “Drive” and I thought they were amongst the best pieces.

When it comes to the performances no one really misses a beat, the timing and delivery are both good. I had seen Sheila in Argo and thought she was quite a good actress, she backs that up here. All the more memorable because it’s a role that relies heavily on her facial expressions and the way she carries herself, because dialogue is scarce. Early on, Arash reminded me of a young James Dean cross with actor Mike Erwin. This was a key role and he played it pretty well. It was nice to see Marshall Manesh in such a different film. The guy’s a solid actor, with a lot of credits who always does his bit. Mozhan who appears in TV’s “House Of Cards”, rounds out the supporting cast nicely. I’ve been chatting a bit with the beautiful Rome Shadanloo about the film and how she got into acting. I was disappointed that her character of The Princess wasn’t explored to greater lengths. She brings a classic beauty to it, but unfortunately only appears in a couple of scenes. I understand in order to keep the running time down, a lot of stuff that get’s shot ends up being cut, I just think the film had it’s fair share of filler that could have been cut instead. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is in short supply of action but a couple of the sequences that are on-screen look cool. One involving a finger done with practical effects was the highlight.

THE BAD

I noticed several times throughout the film there was a bad glare from the lighting, it only appeared for a short time but ruined the look of a couple of shots. I didn’t understand the relevance of the cat in the beginning either. My perception was that Arash was either stealing the cat, or retrieving it from someone his Father had got on the wrong side of. Or maybe he was trying to sell it? I’m not sure what was going on there, it was a bizarre opening sequence. I understand in the context of this story a minimal amount of characters probably sufficed. Saying that, “Bad City” could have been filled out a little with a secondary cast of extras, to make it look like a rougher town than it was. One of my main issues was the fact that we really don’t get to learn much about The Girl. She’s basically just a shell of a character that never gets explored. We don’t find out how she came to end up in the town, or her main purpose for being there. Nothing gets revealed through the dialogue and it’s missing some much-needed flashback sequences. In the end there’s little to no context within the overall story. What was the relevance of stealing victims jewellery, valuables and such? Was she doing it trying to get money in order to leave the town? A solid reasoning for that plot point wasn’t made known to the viewer.

A couple of the more surreal scenes started out quite poignant, but coupled with a series of overly long music montages ended up dragging on far too long. In fact, a lot of the uneventful scenes are the ones that stretch the running time, and the scenes that could have been explored further aren’t. Simple stories can often be the most pure and authentic, they deliver honesty and your almost always entertained when there done right. Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is all about character, and in particular Arash and The Girl. We probably get just barely enough coverage when it comes to Arash, but we fail to learn anything at all about The Girl and that’s the big problem. The lack of development with a key character, in this case the key character is one thing, but combine it with the very slow burn nature of this one and you can find yourself quickly losing interest.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night deserves its accolades for being the first of its kind to come out of Iran. The mundane existence these people live, parallel’s that of the characters in Harmony Korine’s, “Gummo”. Mixed with the industrial feel of “Eraserhead”, Amirpour channels a harsh and bleak reality, that’s handled with absolute professionalism. The film looks and sounds great, and the characters although not fully fleshed out are still competently written. Unfortunately this reviewer relies on multifaceted storytelling delivered faster than snail’s pace, something this film is sadly missing. I wanted to really immerse myself in it and the beautiful Princess character almost intrigued me enough, but alas. People who don’t mind plodding films might enjoy this one more than I, none the less it’s still a very well made film I just saw some missed potential.

My rating for “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night” is 5.5/10

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2

THE SETUP

Dutch filmmaker Tom Six came onto the scene back in 2009 with his controversial, and perverse Horror film “The Human Centipede”. Audiences watched Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser), a mad scientist hell-bent on kidnapping a trio of tourists and surgically joining them from buttocks to mouth in order to form a human centipede. Now one’s typical responses are usually What type of person makes a film like this? or, They must be pretty sick and demented to write such a screenplay. Even I have to admit, that was probably my initial response and I’m a fan of the genre, so you can imagine what your regular theater goer would think. None the less, film is one of the most common art forms and I’m always open to the idea of watching anything and everything. I saw the original film a couple of years after it was released, and I thought it was a competently made film. Given the obscure and horrid subject matter and the challenge of bringing it to life, I don’t think you could ask for a lot more. Everything you need to know is in the title and In fact, majority of the original film was psychological and several of the most graphic scenes were only implied (not to say that’s still not disturbing). When Tom Six promised to return with a deeper darker sequel, fans of the original wondered what they were getting themselves into. Although with 2010’s “A Serbian Film” whom this reviewer couldn’t stomach, going beyond everything and anything we’ve ever seen, who knows how disturbing number two would actually be.

“The Human Centipede 2” joins up pretty well with its predecessor, as we are introduced to Martin (played by Laurence R. Harvey), undoubtedly the biggest fan of Dr Heiter’s previous work. Martin lives a mind-numbingly dull existence, consisting of working security in a car park, doing therapy sessions with Dr Sebring (Bill Hutchens), along with awkward dinners with Mother (Vivien Bridson), that are constantly interrupted by a noisy, violent and tattooed upstairs neighbor (played by Lee Harris). Martin sets out to turn his obsession into reality, replicating a 12 person centipede using what ever’s in his toolbox to get the job done. The film also stars Ashlynn Yennie, Kandace Caine, Emma Lock and Peter Blankenstein.

THE GOOD

Firstly, your probably thinking Really Adam? You’ve seriously got a heading labelled “Good” for the plot I’ve just described to you? My answer is yes, yes I do. Anyone who knows me knows my take on film is that nothing can be all good, nor all bad. So you might ask how does a film that was banned in several countries possess any redeemable qualities? Well let’s find out. Let’s start with the cinematography and shot choices, which are executed as well as anything in the genre. Tom’s decision to shoot the entire film in Black and White really works. I read somewhere he wanted to do the original film the same way and then for whatever reason opted against it. Due to the content of the movie already being extremely graphic, the color wasn’t as necessary and it wouldn’t have fit the dark themes in the same manner. The harsh and bleak look of all the scenes and their complementary lighting, only helped to emphasize Martin’s loneliness and isolation. No color parallels no hope. The abuse he suffered as a boy, his mother’s treatment towards him and the general public’s disregard for his entire existence, are all evident through the style in which this was shot. The audio levels are solid, although in this case not so important taking into account the fact Martin doesn’t utter a word for 87 minutes, only laughs, cries and moans (yes disturbing, I know). The sound effects and the way in which they are used create a very unsettling feeling (your thinking, like I wasn’t unsettled already right? haha). There was a three or four note tune that was played several times throughout the movie, and it sounded like a shrill version of a kids nursery rhyme, it definitely struck a chord (pardon the pun).

Harvey’s performance is intense and creepy. It was his first time acting in a full length feature and he deserves a lot of praise for having the guts to take on such a daunting task. He’s reaping the benefits now though, going on to shoot The Human Centipede 3 along with a few other projects that are in the pipeline. Unlike the first film, we are immediately thrust into a day in the life of Martin. We see his fixation on the original film, which he watches countless times while at work. We pick up on his infatuation with the insect itself, as he shows true excitement when he gets a chance to feed his pet centipede. Lastly and most importantly we get some insight into his home life. He was horribly abused by his father (thankfully only implied), and his mother holds him responsible for allowing his dad to go to prison. Up to a certain point he is trying to go about his business and just wants to be left alone, but yeah that doesn’t happen (haha). Six is able to make you feel sorry for this pot-bellied loner, well at least up to a certain point so I commend him on that much. The violence is aggressive to say the least, but I did enjoy the first half of the film more than the second. The first 40 minutes takes the same path the first film did. Everything is much more psychological as we witness the build up to Martin’s despicable plan. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still nasty and pretty in your face, But you have to expect that. From what I could see all the effects were practical and very well executed. The most impressive impact kill comes about half way through (see link at end of review). It involves someone’s head being caved in with a tire-iron, its gruesome as hell and the aftermath is incredibly bold.

 THE BAD

Okay let’s get to it, now everyone wants me to explain why you shouldn’t watch the film right? In no particular order I’ll discuss a few of the nit picky things first. Martin spends a fair chunk of his day coughing profusely, followed by constant use of his puffer. I thought they were alluding to a sickness of some sort, and not just the fact he had asthma. It was a particular focus throughout the film, so I was hoping it might have amounted to something more. Maybe he wanted to do this “experiment” before he died or something, who knows. Most of the acting was impressive but Vivien Bridson didn’t rise to the occasion when she was supposed to be scared of Martin. Her other scenes were fine, but that one came off as rather melodramatic and forced. Originally, I thought Martin’s lack of medical knowledge, other than what he had taken in from countless viewings of the first film, would be a problem. Then I realized that he was approaching it from a DIY point of view. He knew nothing about how to surgically attach anything, so you can imagine the result when he gets his hands on various tools and tries to build the sucker. If they were going with the same setup of using medical supplies then its got holes galore in it, but in this case I suppose the alternative still works.

There are a couple of minor continuity issues I would have liked to seen fixed. Such as the abrupt editing, during what would have been a garage owners death, who then consequently becomes part of the pede. On top of that most, if not all of the characters are fiercely knocked out at one point or another yet all wake up far too quickly. I mean granted I’ve never been hit with a tool and knocked out, but I’d imagine it takes a little while longer to recover. Martin’s careful selection of potential parts starts out reasonable enough (as reasonable as you can get of course). He finds a pretty horrible low life couple, a pedophile and his buddy, as well as a hooker and the oaf of a neighbor he lives below. Sadly the film takes a turn for the worse (is that possible haha??), when he selects a few people who haven’t done anything wrong (an issue I had with Billy Pon’s “Circus Of The Dead”). The revenge approach goes out the window when you put innocent people in those kind of situations. I guess this isn’t a revenge film so everyone is fair game, but still. Coupled with some unnecessary sick fetishes and harsh treatment, along with an extra brutal and bleak 15 minute finale, it all goes a bit haywire and too far for the average horror audience. I’m also somewhat against what it’s trying to say about the Horror community and people who enjoy it or watch a lot of films in the genre. My intake of this kind of stuff (meaning regular gore based horror) is relatively heavy. Although I do watch other kinds of films in between my binges, I watch a lot of horror and yet I’m perfectly sane and healthy. To link these kinds of films to the reason why psychotic people exist, and or act out their sick fantasies just isn’t fair. It’s a very small percentage of the population that are unhinged and yeah if you are struggling with personal problems or sensitive issues you’re probably best to steer clear of anything involving violence or sexually confrontational stuff.

The Human Centipede 2 like its counterpart, is a competently made Horror film. The first half is psychological and voyeuristic in nature, reminiscent of a film like “Bad Boy Bubby”. The second half goes deep into the sick and depraved and never backs out or apologizes for it, so don’t say you weren’t warned. I admire the shooting style, enjoyed the score and saw an impressive lead performance from a newcomer in Laurence Harvey. On the other side of the coin I saw some plot holes/ continuity issues, a change in direction towards selecting the victims and some pretty sick stuff that I could take or leave. I have no choice but to leave my thoughts firmly on the fence when it comes to this one, I mean it is what it is, I’ll probably still watch number three (haha). I think it’s wrong to say it’s a poor film but at the same time it’s definitely not a good one. These types of films make for an interesting critique because it depends if you can separate yourself from it all. I just want to close with a quote from director Tom Six, that bothered me. I have no problems with people making anything they see fit but don’t try to justify it to save face. He says “I try to create original films, why write stories that are done a hundred thousand times? Create something new, push boundaries, why else bother?”. First of all, new doesn’t always mean good, and surely there comes a point when you can push the boundaries too far and produce stuff will all be better for not seeing. Also Tom don’t be a hard ass. Why else bother? The most common reason is to entertain. Hollywood rarely make anything original, but they still manage to entertain an that’s key. Yes film is an art-form. Yeah this is an original film, but don’t say your making art or entertainment because you’re not. Call this exactly what it is, it’s shock value. It’s a film made for shock value and you should be able to own that, not justify why you wrote it. In that sense, it delivers exactly what you set out to do but absolutely nothing more.

My rating for “The Human Centipede 2” is 5/10

THE SETUP

“Das Missen Massker” aka “The Swiss Miss Massacre”, is a Swiss made Horror/Comedy film from 2012, directed by Michael Steiner. I stumbled across the film online while searching for some other new independent titles. There aren’t many films coming out of Switzerland so this one naturally jumped out at me. In fact the last one I watched was a genre film called “American Burger” *see review*. The Swiss Miss Massacre is set in the world of European beauty pageants. Jasmin (played by the beautiful Meryl Valerie), is a young girl aspiring to go to college, hoping to be something more than just beautiful. The problem is she can’t afford it, not without prize money from competing. Her mother won several crowns in her day, but has since been driven insane by the competition and now resides in a psychiatric facility. After a young contestant in the local competition is mysteriously decapitated, promoter and boss Pino Falk (Mike Muller), decides it would be wise to move the rest of the beautiful young women to an island in Thailand, in order to finish the competition. There, Jasmin meets Serge (Patrick Rapold), a young man trying to woo her. At the same time she has to deal with Ashley, the token stuck up one of the group (played by Lisa Maria Barenbold), and of course survive a masked maniac whose hell-bent on killing the rest of the competition. The film also stars Alexandra Merle, Nomi Fernandes, Jennifer Hurschler, Martin Rapold and Nadine Vinzens. The estimated budget for the film is 3 million Swiss Francs.

THE GOOD

Please forgive me if any of the information above is wrong, and bear with me as I go about reviewing this one. Unfortunately I was unable to find a version with any hard-coded English subtitles, the spoken language is German. Of course if you’re like me and you don’t speak German, you’re going to be in for a tough time (haha). Normally I wouldn’t bother watching a film that wasn’t in English or didn’t have subtitles (what’s the point). In this case though, I was pretty keen to watch the film and the fact that it’s a horror/comedy, the dialogue doesn’t take precedence quite the same as it usually would. If after this review you decide to check it out, just don’t say I didn’t warn you. How many films do we see coming out of Switzerland? Not many, so there’s one reason straight away to support a film like this (although they make it difficult when they don’t aim for the appropriate target audience). Both the camera work and the audio levels were solid here, not to mention there was a lot of pretty clever editing throughout, in particular the first half. The music was a mixed bag, but a lot of the electronic and house music fit the tone nicely. A fair portion of this was shot during the day, which is rare for a Horror film. About 30 minutes in, the film shifts locations to the resort in Thailand and it gives things a fresh feeling. It reminded me of “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” in that way. The crew opted to light scenes using a lot of red’s and green’s, I thought that was subtle and effective.

The two most important things when it comes to Horror are usually the characters/acting, and of course the deaths/body-count. Firstly, all of the girls look great. I couldn’t understand a god damn word they were saying, but that was irrelevant (haha). In all seriousness though, they were lovely and they played their respective roles with the appropriate amount of camp. I had to make up passages of dialogue in my head though, trying to do so close to what I imagine was being said. A little frustrating, but a fun way to watch a film like this. Meryl playing the lead character, probably gives the best performance. Not only is she stunning but she carries that air of confidence and makes the smart choices as well. It’s blatantly obvious from the film’s first act Halloween throwback, that this thing is going to nod either directly or indirectly to everything under the sun (haha). There were a couple of decent kills scattered throughout the film, but I won’t spoil them for you encase you decide to watch it. The mysterious killer uses various masks from multiple horror franchises, including “Nightmare On Elm St” and “Friday The 13th”, along with a couple of obscure ones you definitely won’t expect to see. Truth be told, that aspect was probably my favorite part of the film.

THE BAD

The big bad here is obviously the fact Das Missen Massaker doesn’t have English subtitles. Therefore people who don’t speak German are unable to understand the film in its entirety. I read somewhere that the filmmakers never aimed to market the film towards English-speaking audiences. If that’s true, I’m not sure why. Maybe they thought it wouldn’t appeal to those not familiar with European culture? Either way, they have squandered an opportunity to expose the film to a much wider audience. Clearly I can’t judge the comedic aspect of the film nor any of the dialogue. There may have been several really funny gags in there, but I wouldn’t know. The characteristics so important to a film like this don’t quite hit the spot and that’s a problem. The background information or development of any of the girls seemed non-existent. Now I don’t know that for a fact, but as a rule I’m not to bad at judging body language or getting the gist of what’s being said. Based on what I was seeing, it seemed as though a majority of the characters were extremely conceited or fake and that was the limit of their arc. Sure, there are always going to be characters you hate and their the ones you want to see taken out. However, you still need a few core characters the audience can care about and get behind, aside from Jasmin I didn’t care about anyone.

I enjoyed a few of the scenes that were shot POV (point of view) through the various masks of the killer. It was fun to see the different homages to some of my favorite films. During one scene, the killer is laying out five or six different weapons and ends up reaching for the chainsaw cut (pardon the pun). I literally mean cut. The scene cuts and the next time we pick up with the killer they are holding something different, it wasn’t the only continuity issue but one worth mentioning. Like I said, I’m not sure how much of the comedy I would have found funny anyway, but I guess we’ll never know. Saying that, what I didn’t find funny just awkward and forced, was an impromptu sex scene between a middle-aged woman and one of the male assistants. She forces him to act out a multitude of animal noises while she thrusts him (haha eek), I’m all for a bit of foreplay but this isn’t 50 Shades Of Grey… The most crucial dilemma in this genre is how much action to include, How much is too much? Who do you kill off? How do you kill them off? The action in this one is scarce and when it does hit it’s fairly unimpressive. I can be difficult to please and maybe it’s just because I’ve seen some truly brutal European films, but this one feels notably lack-luster. I was hoping for more of a German splatter film. I’m not necessarily talking about making a disturbing macabre art film simply for shock value. I’m saying fun lighthearted slasher films that nobody takes seriously can be gory, and rightfully should be. They can be there just often not, as is the case here. My advice would be to write some more inventive kills, and use a bigger chunk of that budget to craft more creative gags. As a student of the genre that’s what we want to see.

Das Missen Massaker has the tropic feel of “Survival Island” meets “Club Dread” with the slashing goodness of “Girls Gone Dead” and “Prom Night”. Sadly It’s a bit of everything without solidifying a place within the genre. From the shot choices and location, to the beautiful Central European women, It’s all very aesthetically appealing. What’s not pleasing, is not understanding a bloody word anyone says, the labored pacing and the complete lack of suspense. Combine those with mostly generic kills and a lack of prosthetics and you have a rather mediocre 90 minutes. As a one watch on a rainy day, The Swiss Miss Massacre is worth a look I just anticipated something much messier but in all the right ways.

My rating for “Das Missen Massaker” is 5/10

HARVEST

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to Co-Directors Martin Sonntag and Kim Sonderholm, for allowing me early access to an online screener of their 19 minute, Body Horror short “Harvest”. It’s a Danish film that follows a deranged surgeon named John (played by Sonderholm himself), who deals in selling organs on the black market. His latest deal went south when the buyer Zarko (played by Slavko Labovic), found damage to the organ. John’s life hangs in the balance, as he has a very small window of time to locate someone with a specific rare blood type and get their organs to the buyer. The film also stars Siff Andersson and Julie Kunz. I’m not sure about the total budget for this one but it’s low, indie film-making that I’d estimate at $3,000 to $5,000, but don’t quote me on that.

THE GOOD

Initially, the way I found out about this was through the reputable Dreadcentral.com, who recently did a short write-up on the film. I was pleased with the quick response from Kim and thought it sounded like my kind of gruesome time (haha). The first thing that jumps out at you is the cool poster artwork. It looks as if it’s been hand drawn and that, in of itself is pretty unique. Harvest opens with a young girl walking down a subway tunnel of sorts, where she’s taken from behind and injected with something. I enjoyed the way the opening credits played out being intertwined with sections of the scene. I was surprised to hear such clear audio, given this is a very low-budget film that’s normally an issue. Obviously because the film is in Danish with English subtitles, the dialogue level probably wasn’t as crucial because your just reading.

Kim’s performance as the mad doctor was pretty solid. He did a good job of conveying the desperation of finding a new victim, but on the other side of the coin a couple of the conversations he had didn’t quite express the fear one might be going through in this situation. Although, who knows how long he’s been in the business for, he may just be used to it all by now. The practical blood and gore and a couple of little twists in the story, are the strongest parts of Harvest. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen the film yet. Let’s just say fans of the macabre will not be disappointed. Nearly all the good stuff takes place on-screen and there are a couple of really sweet kills, not to mention a standout ending that I didn’t see coming.

THE BAD

Despite the copious volumes of red stuff and its eventful finale, Harvest isn’t without its issues. Most of the problems are with the technical side of things, some of which you might chalk up to budget constraints. Most of the lighting was okay, but on a couple of occasions the shades used, clearly show the difference in prosthetic skin coloration versus real human skin. It was clearly fake and not at all well combined, when mixed with actors being shown on-screen. The music and suspense also left a lot to be desired, I suppose the film is relying more on the shock value though, so that’s understandable. The subtitles need some editing as well. I won’t pick on these guys too much, because I definitely can’t speak another language so I commend anyone that does. They might want to just go through the film, with someone fluent in English and correct a few of the lines. The biggest disappointment for me was a lot of the shot choices and camera distance when framing some of the actors. Tops of heads are cut off in certain scenes, and we don’t get that spacial awareness we probably need to get into the scene, It’s most noticeable in the very opening of the film. The girl is in a tunnel kind of system, no doors or back entry’s or outlets are shown, yet somehow John is able to sneak up behind her, I didn’t really get that, From where?

Overall, Harvest was a pretty solid 19 minute short film. I’ve watched about 15 or 20 of these over the last 12 months, and I’m really getting behind some of these ideas. Really crisp audio, a decent performance and a cool twist complement this screenplay nicely. Gnarly blood and gore will be why most fans of the genre will want to see this. If not for technical issues, the big one being camera placement and shot choice, this would have been that bit better. Instead, it winds up being a little bit of a chore at times. Saying that, if you enjoy good, fast and twisted gory fun, Harvest is definitely worth checking out.

My rating for “Harvest” is 6.5/10

THE BADGER GAME

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Co-Directors, Joshua Wagner and Thomas Zambeck for allowing me early access to an online screener of their latest film “The Badger Game”. I’ve been following the film for about a year, so it’s nice to finally see it getting closer to a wider release. The Badger Game is a particular scheme to trick a married man, putting him in a compromising position and leaving him vulnerable to blackmail. Liam (played by Sam Boxleitner), is a successful businessman who seems to have it all. The good looks and smooth talking, plenty of money and a supposedly happy marriage. That is, until he’s targeted by four masked strangers seeking compensation for the wavering commitment to his family and two of them. Shelly (Jillian Leigh) and Alex (Augie Duke) are friends from way back, but have drifted apart over the years. Alex has called Shelly looking for help with the situation. She claims to have been seriously involved with Liam, and enlists her brother Kip (Patrick Cronen), along with another scorned lover Jane (Sasha Higgins), to help swindle $2 million from Liam’s private accounts. What starts as a simple grab and blackmail easy money-maker, quickly spirals out of control when personalities and relationships come to a head. I’m guessing the film’s estimated budget to be around $500,000, but don’t quote me on that. It also stars Mark Siciliani, Josh Eichenbaum and Aria London.

THE GOOD

The Badger Game opens with a repetitive quirky, bass and symbol score as a detailed definition appears of what is about to take place. Normally you may think having something spelt out for you is going to ruin any surprises, but that’s not the case here. I think it’s imperative that initially you know what the core of the story is. Everything else can and probably will be made known to you, throughout the rest of the film. That particular part of the score that’s used on several occasions, reminded me of that recurring Jazz sound used in the Oscar-winning “Birdman”, it was a nice touch. Some of the early edits and scene transitions were great. For the most part, the shot choices were smart and the camera work fluent. The audio track was crystal clear, and given this relies heavily on interactions between the group as well as conversations that involve Liam, it was of the utmost importance you knew what was being said. Majority of the sounds were conveyed with just bass and parts of a drum kit, it didn’t have any of the classic Horror/Thriller music we’re used to hearing. If I’m honest, I think some more diversity in the soundtrack would have been a good thing, especially to give it more of an impact as things build to the finale.

Some of the cast looked familiar, but after doing some research I realized that I hadn’t seen any of them before. Most of the acting is solid and consistent throughout, probably aided by the natural chemistry of the group. Alex and Kip had some simple but honest banter and Jillian’s job of Shelly, conveyed that isolation, the back against the wall type of behavior. She was easily the most likeable of the bunch though. Much of the best dialogue comes from Kip during his multiple interrogations of Liam. Speaking of Liam, he was written in such a way that you couldn’t help but despise the guy. You could see through what a liar he was, I was sitting looking at the screen like, Are you serious? This is what girls go for? Unfortunately yes. That is often what they go for (haha). Some of Jane’s dialogue didn’t seem important enough in moving the story along, and probably could have been cut. I also enjoyed the fact that these guys and by that I mean not just Joshua and Thomas (haha), but the group as well, didn’t make any real boneheaded decisions. Everyone can understand and give or take a bit when it comes to creative license, but often these types of films stretch the plausibility factor beyond its limits. This group of four made sure before they did anything, they had masks and plastic gloves and covered their tracks, all that stuff was good.

The standout aspect for me when it comes to the story/script, is in the way one of the secondary characters is introduced (or to be more accurate), not introduced (haha). Ordinarily I’m not a fan of abrupt cues or revelations within the story, especially if they don’t have context. I feel like most things need to be explained (within reason of course). Directly or Indirectly, Wagner and Zambeck have taken the brilliant approach to that of the Coen Brothers (Blood Simple and No Country For Old Men), choosing not to openly introduce an important character that eventually comes into the mix. It’s not often something that’s given much thought too, so I thought I would reference that reference in this review (haha). I really respect the way in which that was done and if you watch carefully, there’s an acknowledgement of said approach earlier in the film. I just want to touch on “You’re Next”. It’s one of my favorite home invasion horror films, so it’s hard not to make comparisons between that and the masks in Badger Game, minus the fact that they are over sized (haha). I know that animal masks have been a gimmick for a while now and people are sick of it. I for one though, don’t care how many times they get used they serve their purpose.

THE BAD

Well into The Badger Game I was thinking, if this stays the course it could be top shelf (I mean that figuratively and literally), it would actually go into the top shelf of stuff I own (haha), but sadly it won’t. Most of the hangups are either technical or a bit nit picky, so keep that in mind. Some of the shots early on in the film that I’m guessing were supposed to be still shots weren’t. Unfortunately, when the camera was stationary it was bobbing up and down ever so slightly, but enough to be distracting. As I previously mentioned, some of the lines especially during the more intense scenes involving Liam, didn’t quite hit the mark. The opening act has some excessive and slightly unnecessary profanity too. Normally that kind of thing doesn’t bother me if it’s in the context of the film, but at that particular point it wasn’t because nothing had really escalated. From a technical point of view, the only thing really holding the film back is the lack of prominent lighting. I understand that sometimes it’s the filmmakers decision to light, or in this case to not light something in a particular way. However, ninety percent of this film is set at night and there are several scenes where the audience has to be able to see whats going on. The scenes on the road, in and outside the bar and of course the basement of the house are all problematic. Who knows, this could just be me, I just know what I like to see and sometimes lighting something subtly works, but other times you just want to see what’s happening, each to their own I guess. The film-making facet of things is obviously only one piece of the puzzle. The other crucial things that let The Badger Game down a little, fall on a lack of suspense and some revelations in the script direction and tone that didn’t fit.

The action is scarce but when it does go down, we get some pretty cool practical effects and blood. This one plays out more like a mystery rather than delivering anything with a shock value, therefore the tension and suspense level needs to be high, and it’s just not. Every time I felt like things were progressing and building to something, they either didn’t or I didn’t feel that change strongly enough. I was hoping for a more tense and accidental meeting for Liam and Shelly. It feels like the viewer comes in half way through their conversation (actually kind of did haha), of course it’s part of the plan to make it easy for him to woo her, but the sequencing could have been tidied up. A couple of minor issues stood out as it got further into the film, simply for the fact that most of the bases were covered and they had done things well up to a certain point. I was thinking that one of the group probably should have been watching Liam at all times. Often it’s that everybody takes a shift and they rotate. A similar problem when they are in the kitchen, rather loudly discussing their next potential move. Unless the walls are sound proof or they blocked his ears, it’s not a stretch to think he might hear them is it? Considering they were smart about a lot of things, those couple of times they weren’t. The sudden transformation of Kip’s character arc is what ended up being the kicker for me. It was reminiscent of Pat Healy’s character in “Cheap Thrills”. I suppose the two were in similar positions, but still. We know very little about Kip up until the final act, so when things go south and behavior changes naturally we are going to think it’s out of character for him. It seems a little convenient to just throw in some late exposition about who he’s been or what he may or may not have done, you’d think we would have known that before they planned anything. Even though he was the typical jerk for a fair chunk of the film, he was often funny and mostly likeable. Sure, he wanted a cut of the money like everybody else, but he was doing the right thing in looking out for his sister. The last ten or fifteen minutes of the film there was that definite change in tone and I don’t think it was for the better.

The Badger Game at heart is much the same as a few of my favorite Crime/Thrillers, such as Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan” as well as, The Coen’s “Blood Simple”. Luckily, I never get sick of the blackmail, the revenge and the twist that compliments these types of films. It’s nice to see a bunch of fresh faces performing pretty well. The camera work and audio were first-rate, and some of the writing was a perfect mix of originality and nostalgic tip of the hat. Regrettably, it’s the inconsistent and often dark lighting, along with some holes in the plot and a missed opportunity to create more suspense that hurt it. The unfavorable direction change late in the piece, ended up dampening my overall enjoyment a bit, and hence my rating. Commendable effort though guys, I’m hard to please and anticipation and expectation will forever be a tough thing for any of us to live up too. Well done guys!

My rating for “The Badger Game” is 6/10

FUN SIZE HORROR

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thank you to creator/writer Zeke Pinheiro for allowing me early access to an online screener of the 21 part, Horror Anthology “Fun Size Horror: Volume One”. Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more directors in the genre venture into short films and collaborate with others in order to get a wider release for their projects. Franchises like “VHS” and “ABC’s Of Death” are the most well-known, but there are others as well, such as “Scary Or Die” and “Trick r’ Treat”. Some are more successful than others, depending often on the budget as well as the actors and actresses being cast. Audiences seem now more than ever, open to the idea of watching horror projects in this kind of medium. The shorts in Fun Size Horror vary in budget and running time, but often even the weaker entries don’t run long enough for you to have time to complain (haha), so that’s a bonus. There are too many directors and actors to rattle off here, so feel free to check the Imdb page for more information. A few of the cast members include Michael May, who not only acts he writes and directs too. A couple of the stand outs for me are the beautiful Allie Gonino, and the always solid Lance Reddick (John Wick and The Guest), both of whom appear in the segment titled “The Collection”.

THE GOOD

Let’s start with the cool introductory Halloween themed credits. They were very creative and also reminiscent of several of Tim Burton’s animated films. I was fooled into thinking it was the first of the shorts, and not the title credits (haha). I’ll talk a bit more about the technical aspects that stood out later on in the review. As a rule the acting quality was solid and the audio was very consistent across the 85 minute running time. “When They Say You Are Alone” was the opener. It focused on a woman in her house, who seemed to be experiencing some kind of lucid dreams, where a cult like group of women stood over here while she slept. It was heavy on sound effects and the editing was really neat, an enjoyable somewhat looping short. Immediately following that was one of my favorites, fittingly named “Knock Knock”. I don’t want to spoil any of these, let’s just say if you’re a fan of something like “Insidious” this one will appeal to you. Once again, some great sound effects and an incredibly creepy vibe. The one after didn’t seem to have a name (either that or I missed it), so I’m calling it “The Birthday Party”. What seems like a normal opening of the presents at a kid’s birthday party is anything but, in this disturbing and darkly humorous short. “The Entity” was your typical paranormal experience for a group of three friends. Unfortunately we’ve seen it all before, and although this one was competently made it was rather predictable.”Peresphone” intrigued me and I really enjoyed the twist in the last couple of minutes. It’s what Rodrigo Corte’s “Buried” should have been. Rather than what we got, (which spoiler) was Ryan Reynolds slowly dying in a box for 90 minutes (haha).

Two segments in the middle of the film called “The Lover”, and another unknown that I’m calling “Reality TV”, were probably among the best. The Lover was unbelievably well shot. Smooth panning, wonderful editing and intense music coupled with some of the red stuff and a fitting finale, make this one an absolute gem. Reality TV was about a group of 5 girls in a house, at an undisclosed location, who must choose who of their group will be the next to die. Initially I wasn’t sold on the dynamic of the group, and a few of the actresses fell a bit short, but the sheer brutality of the finale makes it one of the more memorable ones. “Mother” was different. The inclusion of some unique and unorthodox effects at the end make it solid, but I felt like it should have been five minutes longer with a little more explaining. “The Creepy Kid In Apartment B” built some decent suspense early on, but failed to deliver the knock out blow it needed to separate itself from its counterparts. “Mr Hendrix” was written by Zeke himself. It hinted at something eerie but never fully capitalized on it. I was hoping that with the truly disturbing look of Hendrix, which was similar to that of “The Gentlemen” from the Buffy episode “Hush”, he would have written something with more of an impact. “Quad” was the most uniquely shot films of the bunch. We see a trio of friends watching a typical slasher film on cable, while unbeknownst to them they have an intruder in the house. It had some cool, albeit cheesy effects and was shot from four different points of view. A little hard on the eyes at times but good fun none the less. “The Collection” was the last, and aesthetically probably the best. Based on the great shot choices, smooth editing and it’s amazingly jarring sound effects, I’d wager that it had the highest budget of the lot. Reddick’s character Oscar seems controlled but under the surface something is boiling. Gonino brings a natural beauty and ease to her performance that finishes this film off on the highest of notes.

THE BAD

Even the shorts that were lacking substance or felt unneeded, didn’t last long enough to really be a problem. “The Screaming” and the other untitled black and white short, ultimately didn’t achieve whatever the desired effect may have been. Those two could have been cut, along with “Bad Eggs”, which I still give points to for originality, but it didn’t seem to fit the overall theme of this anthology. “The Voice” was quite cliché and failed to offer anything new in the hearing voices, facet of paranormal horror. “Trust” was darkly funny, but the two male leads were so dumb (I know that was the point), but in that case they needed to suffer the most brutal of deaths to warrant this being made. “A Dog And His Boy” was a clever twist on the jealous partner trope (so to speak haha). Unfortunately, it was a little too out there for me, not to mention completely nonsensical. “Paramnesia” appeared to be set in an interesting time period but by the end of its strange, non-linear timeline the purpose of it all lacks some much-needed clarity. One of the worst of the bunch was called “Bitter”. A short which sees two women and a man, arguing over food by using their magical powers against each other. It wasn’t overly witty or funny, and the CG effects were somewhat laughable. The VHS segment (unsure if it had a name), shows an unseen man watching a mad man’s ramblings as he’s interviewed in an interrogation room. It was poor to look at and went nowhere.

Fun Size Horror: Volume One in my opinion, is very much a welcomed addition to the anthology based Horrors of today. Although I found half a dozen of the shorts a little uneventful, it didn’t dampen the overall entertainment value and enjoyment I got from watching this. All the technical aspects, given it’s such a diverse group of filmmakers with vastly different ideas, was top-notch. “The Lover”, “Reality TV”, “Knock Knock”, “Quad” and “The Collection” are the best of the bunch for mine. Fans of everything and anything horror related must check this one out, it’s well worth your time. Be sure to keep your eye out for Volume two in the near future. Thanks again Zeke, there’s a bunch of great stuff in here! and I can’t wait to see future projects!

My rating for “Fun Size Horror” is 7.5/10

PRAIRIE DOGS

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to apologize to Anthony Oliverio for the delay on this review for his directorial debut “Prairie Dogs”. This is three weeks overdue mate (haha), but with such a hectic schedule this is the first chance I’ve had. Thanks very much for sending me an online screener, I really appreciate it. Prairie Dogs, is a psychological Crime/Drama about two lifelong friends seeking redemption against the depleted backdrop of Urban America. Sal (played by Alexander Bell) and Gino (Joe Sofranko), have recently come home from a tour of duty. Sal is struggling to find his place in society, while Gino no longer has the use of his legs and depends on Sal in order to survive. The duo’s path collides with Becky (Eva Swan), Gino’s ex-wife along with her violent, and obsessive boyfriend Billy (played by Bill Oberst Jnr). It seems the boys have stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire, and nothing will ever be the same again.

This is another film with Bill Oberst, that I didn’t have to inquire about in order to see. Tony contacted me right off the bat, and asked if I’d be interested in checking it out. I didn’t know much about it prior, but anything with Bill in it is worth a look. He’s fast becoming one of the best character actors in the world of independent film. Now bear with me, I apologize in advance if I don’t get this review perfect (haha). It’s been about a month since I watched it, and unfortunately I don’t have time to re-visit it right now.

THE GOOD

Let’s begin with some of the cast. At first glance, I thought Alex Bell looked a lot like Brandon Lee  R.I.P (star of the cult film “The Crow”). As I was watching the film I couldn’t help but notice the brooding comparison between the two, so much that it distracted me somewhat from his performance. Most of his acting was on point, but a few of the more intense scenes that were supposed to be motivated by anger fell short. The same can be said about Joe in some of his scenes. It could be because of some less than stellar writing, or it could just be that the character Gino didn’t project much. He wasn’t overly bitter, or drowning in his own sorrows over what had happened to him during the war, and that much was good I guess. On the other hand though, he didn’t seem to have any direction as to how he was going to get his life back on track. His scope rest solely on the wishful thinking of a happy reunion with his ex Becky. When that didn’t go according to plan, he had nothing else and essentially his arc was a dead-end. The films stronger scenes involve Eva and Bill. Sometimes together, as well as solo with some well written anecdotes here and there. Bill wasn’t highlighted enough for my liking, but he still managed to deliver some disarming lines when conversing with Gino in a motel room in the final act.

Majority of the camera work was well conceived, and the panning was nice and smooth. My issue was that a few scenes on the city streets that were well shot just didn’t amount too much. Other than perhaps showcasing working class America, so the audience knows what kind of life these guys have come home to. The duality between particular shots and slices of narration in the first act was also a nice touch. For the most part I’m not a fan of that back and forth. I prefer to see an entire scene all the way through without any contrast, however in this case it fit. The film has a sort of progressive soundtrack. Some of it hits the mark and some of it doesn’t. The one piece of music I really enjoyed was just a simple acoustic guitar song. It sounded a little Southern, but not in that twangy “Deliverance” down the bayou type of way (haha). I can’t remember it as well now because it’s been a while. Some of the dialogue is interestingly written and feels quite natural. The back and forth between Billy and Becky, along with fanatical altercation between Billy and Gino are two parts that come to mind. Unfortunately, the success of the film, at least in my mind, comes down to the in’s and out’s and the underlying dynamic of the friendship between Sal and Gino, and that to me is the part that doesn’t hold up. When the films about friends and you don’t buy that relationship there’s nowhere to go.

THE BAD

I’ll start off with a couple of the technical issues. There were some low audio levels in the dialogue along with color grading/saturation inconsistencies. Each to their own when it comes to what you can hear and what you can’t, but I’m extremely fussy when it comes to audio and I missed some sections here and there because of that. The harsh daylight shots on the street versus the overly dark, shadowed scenes in the bar totally contradict each other. Maybe that’s the point, but I think an extravagance of any one thing can ruin a particular look or feel, and in this case its difficult to concentrate on the scene. The opening of the film throws you straight in the deep end to see if you can tread the murky waters. It’s very jumpy, shot and edited very hastily with a detached narration from Sal about something or rather. If my memory serves me correct, it was a little about him and Gino mixed in with the notion of feeling lost. Immediately it’s like whoa, let me catch up, but this thing hasn’t even started yet. What’s the relevance of this coming out straight away in the first five minutes?? It’s not like what follows is a multitude of memories or flashbacks for the viewer to see, it doesn’t even have it’s place yet. The narration doesn’t clue you in on anything, at least not properly. It could have been done away with and replaced with a few flashbacks to give it more significance.

I had a hard time finding anyone to like in this film and that’s the biggest hindrance. Sal was very egotistical and selfish. I understand that’s probably why he had nothing in his life except for Gino. The fact he had nothing else was probably why he knew he could get away with acting like that. Given how much these two had been through together, their friendship was emotionally flat. Their bond was maintained through fear and mostly a demeaning attitude from Sal towards Gino. After such a tragic thing happening, in particular to Gino, that saying all you can do is laugh might be a true one but surely there’s a point you say cut it out. Sal calling Gino a cripple and saying Who are you? What have you got left?, She doesn’t love you, all seems unnecessary. I know those are probably his own misgivings and that’s why he’s lashing out, it’s just not nice to watch someone like that. In a film like this, quality Drama is key and it’s unbelievably difficult to excel in for the best most experienced directors, so I commend Tony’s attempt regardless. I had a bit of chat with him about the film and it seems to be quite personal, and maybe holds a certain weight for him so I can respect that.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into Prairie Dogs, for the simple reason that I didn’t buy, nor did I care for the friendship between Sal and Gino. Now not everyone is going to feel the same way, so please support the film anyway. It’s production value of $65,000 is pretty solid, I thought majority of the cast were decent, some of the music was quite good and I found certain scenes engaging. On the other hand, it does have some weaker writing and character reactions, as well as audio and color inconsistencies. Unless the story is personal to you, I find it lacks any real substance. I didn’t learn anything about PTSD, friendship, or adjusting to the things life throws at us. All things that I should have been learning while watching Prairie Dogs. It’s fast paced though, and has a short running time so maybe if you’ve experienced something similar you might find something here that I didn’t. Thanks again Anthony and Sorry I couldn’t praise it more.

My rating for “Prairie Dogs” is 4.5/10

A GRIM BECOMING

THE SETUP

I would like to start off by saying a big thank you to Co-writer and Director Adam R Steigert, for allowing me early access to his Horror/Comedy film “A Grim Becoming”. He was nice enough to send me a low-resolution screener, even though the film is still being finalized. A Grim Becoming is about Raphael (played by Brandyn T Williams), a young executive on the verge of losing a multimillion dollar contract with a large distribution company. Luck would have it (well kind of haha), when his nephew Lance (Mike Sarcinelli), suddenly passes away and he has to leave town for the funeral, in turn delaying the deal. Wayne (Britt Griffith), is a jealous co-worker of Raphael’s who see’s an opportunity to get one up on him, and therefore decides to follow him and make matters worse. Raphael’s life is turned upside down when he witnesses the Reaper “Magoo” (Michael Sciabarrasi), taking a soul (yes that’s right… death itself). It’s a process he was never supposed to see, and will now have to explore his own conscience as a Reaper, in order to return to the life he once had. The film was shot for an estimated $60,000, and also stars the lovely, Devanny Pinn, Jessica Cameron, Melantha Blackthorne, Aryn Fitzgerald and Bill Oberst Jr.

THE GOOD

I’ll start this off with the casting. It’s rare that I get asked to review a film where the cast consists of actors that I’ve seen in other projects. It’s usually always fresh faces, probably due to the small budgets and new directors. If I do recognize the actors/actresses it’s often because I’ve inquired about the film myself for that very reason. It was a pleasant surprise to see the movie kick off with the gorgeous Devanny Pinn, whose sporting a nurse’s outfit for a Halloween party. Pinn plays Jamie, a young girl celebrating the occasion with her friend, and boyfriend Lance. Most of her screen time is in the first ten minutes, but she plays the part well, as do the others. I was surprised to see writer, actor and director Jessica Cameron (as if one wasn’t talented enough), appear for a few scenes  half way through the film, representing “life” in corporeal form (somewhat amusing haha). The main reason I took a look at this one was for my main man Bill Oberst. Let’s just say the name Phill Looney couldn’t have been more appropriate for the character. This guy is damn creepy (haha, not Bill himself of course). He’s the father of Lance, and he has the most bizarre, reserved yet kinky relationship with his wife Meryl (Blackthorne). A couple of his scenes were a little too awkward, even for me. He does a solid job, but in my opinion he’s underused. Williams is the breath of fresh air in this one. If my memory serves me correct, he appears in every scene and he brings an honest approach to it. He seems very genuine, which for the most part made me believe his character.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opening 10 minute scene, some of which takes place in an abandoned house. I like the Addams Family style score, along with some of the opening dolly shots. Actually most of the film is shot and edited really well. Although it’s an obscure mix of genres, by the end of the first act you get a pretty detailed explanation about the inner-workings of whats happening. The structure remains clear for a while but given the odd mix of Horror/Comedy and Drama it loses its way eventually. I found the first half to be much more interesting than the second. The rules surrounding what Raphael has to do to get his life back didn’t seem clear, maybe it was just me. The scenes between Magoo and Raph were like something from “The Invention Of Lying” with Ricky Gervais but void of that clever humor. A couple of the more awkward scenes were quite amusing though. The outburst in the funeral home and so-called “resurrection” (for lack of a better word), were reminiscent of something from the classic 80’s gem “Weekend At Bernies”. A Grim Becoming doesn’t really come through with much action, and it’s very light on the horror too (but I think that’s on purpose). When something crazy does actually happen, we get to see some nice blood and gore. Most of it is on display in the last act, and it’s all done practically.

THE BAD

As I’ve already said, I think this is a specific type of humor, it’s definitely an acquired taste. For me, some of it works and some of it doesn’t. You have to admire Adam and the other writers for sticking to their guns though. You want to try to please your audience, but you also want to stay true to the story you set out to tell. Unfortunately, the emotional side of this one didn’t carry much weight. A lot of the characters aren’t entirely fleshed out. It’s mostly a lot of surface stuff, and personality traits that we get see being displayed. Considering the sub-plot is about Death, albeit told in a very out there kind of way, I expected it to have a bit more substance. I had a few problems with certain revelations within the story too. For example, around the ten minute mark, the initial plot revelation involving Lance happens. The way in which it occurred was quite confusing. One minute he’s using the bathroom in between getting it on with Jamie, and the next he’s just not there. It seemed very rushed and totally unclear. I had no idea what happened in that scene.

I also had trouble separating who was who, when it came to the characters relationships to each other. Who was a blood relative, or who was only related through marriage. Personally, I think they could have done away with two or three of the characters that weren’t imperative to the core story. The old Mother and Father characters (who I think were supposed to be comedic relief), were just a constant distraction. I apologize if it wasn’t makeup. But what appeared to be makeup applied to actor Patrick Mallette’s face, was horrible. I realize if it’s a birth defect, or from a burn of some sort, I’m going to seem insensitive but I don’t think it was (Sorry if I’m wrong about that). The makeup on Magoo and October (the young girl), wasn’t bad but given the quality of practical effects I thought it may have been done a little better. Some of the secondary actors amongst this cast delivered fairly mediocre performances. Also, a few of the sub-plots such as the one involving Wayne seemed like unnecessary filler.

I tried pretty hard to like A Grim Becoming, but I quickly came to the realization that it’s just not for me. I’m picky about blending genres and attempting to balance the entertainment value, while still telling an interesting and worthwhile story. A Grim Becoming had some cool familiar faces, a great lead and a well conceived technical approach. I liked the opening segment and several scenes in between, but I think it’s overly long and suffers in its pacing, especially towards the final act. Tonally it’s just a bit too far out there for me. However, that doesn’t mean plenty of avid movie watchers won’t enjoy it. So please check out the Facebook page, and support these low-budget indie films. I look forward to watching future projects from Adam! Cheers bud

My rating for “A Grim Becoming” is 4.5/10

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say a huge thank-you to Co-writer and Director of the first person home invasion/thriller “You Are Not Alone”, for allowing me early access to an online screener. You Are Not Alone is about a young college graduate named Natalie (played by Krista Dzialoszynski), whose visiting her hometown of Walnut, Illinois for the 4th of July festivities. After leaving a local party earlier than her friends, she is stalked by a psychotic killer. The film also stars David O’Brien, Keenan Camp, Nikki Pierce and Eric Wood. Those of you who know me pretty well, know that I’m a sucker for a good home invasion flick. This one is yet to have finalized a distribution deal, and I’ve been following it for about a year, so I’m stoked I got the chance to see it early. This is just Derek’s second venture into film-making and I believe it’s his first time directing solo, so well done. This has an estimated budget of $20,000. So how does it stack up against similar films in the genre? Read on and find out.

THE GOOD

It’s not just the premise of the film that got me immediately intrigued. Sure, I like to see masked invaders taunting people in what supposed to be the environment they feel the safest, but it’s more about experiencing a certain feeling, or a rush than it is for shock value. This poster reminds me a lot of “The Purge” (another one of my favorite films), I think it’s the fact that this film takes place in the nights leading up to Independence day. It’s such a huge event for all Americans, and it’s the time you’d least expect violent crimes to be taking place. As a rule, everyone is out to celebrate this common goal. Combine this setting and genre, with the promise of the entire thing being told from the POV (point of view) of the victim, and that’s going to sell audiences. I’m not going on record and saying this is the first fully POV shot film, because I don’t know that for a fact. However, it’s definitely the first one I’ve ever seen and it’s the perfect artistic choice for a film like this. It opens with a cool eerie intro theme, while a female voice on the end of an emergency call claims she’s being followed by someone. Before emergency services can trace the call or get any details, a long scream is heard and then nothing…. Once again, I think of a little nod to The Purge (whether that be directly or indirectly). Very creepy way to start off a film that then picks up instantaneously with Natalie, as she arrives home at the airport.

The audio in this one is nice and clear. It’s relatively consistent too, considering I don’t think any filters were used and it was just the audio channel from the POV camera being recorded. I know a lot of viewers probably think of this style of film being like “The Blair Witch Project” or “Paranormal Activity”, this one isn’t like those. There are vast, albeit small differences between films shot with handy cams, versus the element of “found footage” (where you watch events that have already taken place), versus point of view. Picture someone attaching a camera to your chest or head, or anywhere for that matter, and that’s the footage the crew ends up working with, it’s very unique but not easily done. I thought some of the shot choices were incredibly smart. Most of the camera work is just really solid, simple and effective when combined with the silky smooth editing we get here. Aside from a few times that Natalie panics, and the camera gets a little bit erratic it’s all very well done. It’s the claustrophobic house that becomes the main location and focal point in the second half of the film. The town is the pinnacle of middle America suburbia. It feels quite and safe, a good place to raise kids. So when shit hits the fan, it has much more of an impact than if it was in a big city.

The atmospheric and delayed guitar score, mixed with some disturbing sound effects helped maintain that palpable tension required for a film like this to really work. I also respected the choice to keep the color saturation, mellow and very natural along with the decision to faintly light those rooms in the house. Most of the supporting cast play old high school friends of Natalie’s and they do a solid job. Although, I got a bit confused at the beginning as to who Garrett was (played by David O’Brien). When he comes to pick Nat up from the airport, I was thinking is this her Boyfriend? But It’s revealed in the first act that Natalie has had some problems, with either the current or ex boyfriend (not too sure which it was). So I figured Garrett was just a friend. It’s without any real warning that he exits the fold, and doesn’t return for a fair portion of the film. Then enter Katie (Pierce) and Miles (Camp), who it’s safe to say were both good friends of Nat’s and or still are, but they all live in different cities now. The secondary characters have a moment or two to make an impression, but the film’s success rests heavily on the shoulders of Krista and she comes up with the goods. One thing viewers need to know is that You Are Not Alone is all about the suspense. It’s got traces of Bryan Bertino’s “The Strangers”, as well as some Hitchcockian roots in a Purge setting (haha). Those of you looking for bloodshed (which is often me), are best to look elsewhere. In the second half of the film things start getting very intense. Derek has no qualms about lingering on a shot, almost to the point of losing you, in order to get that extra second of feeling insecure. The brilliant part is that he doesn’t lose you. He knows just how far to take it, when to hold back and when to hit you with a scare. The fact that all this nervousness washes over you as Natalie looks out the blinds for up to 2 or 3 minutes at a time, without the typical 3 note piano theme playing in the background (which I usually love might I add), is genius.

THE BAD

From a technical point of view (pardon the pun), I can’t fault this one. Most of my reservations come from a few holes in the script, and reactions to certain plot points. I think I could do with a second viewing of this, so as to focus a little bit more on clarity when it comes to the development of the relationships between the main three or four characters. I think I was too busy waiting to be scared, that some of those finer points got lost in translation. When it came to some of the minor cast members such as Katie’s dad, the lines of dialogue felt a little bit forced. Fortunately they weren’t crucial to the overall believability of the story. However, there were at least three issues I could see that were in direct relation, and became a hindrance to the films credibility. The big one is that everybody in this town knows there’s a killer on the loose. It’s been on the television, in the media and all over the newspapers, yet not one of Natalie’s friends offer to give her a lift home when she wants to leave the party. It’s heading towards midnight, in a small town, where everyone is out celebrating, Surely you’d at least offer? I know the movie doesn’t work the same way if a friend goes home with her, but it’s not that difficult to write a twist that changes the direction so the friends doesn’t make it back or something, rather than not include a logical choice for said character to make.

Moreover, Natalie doesn’t scream at all. She doesn’t seem overly worried that this psycho is trying to kill her (for some unknown reason). If memory serves me correctly, she doesn’t scream until she starts to get away, almost like she knew he was going to come for her. Now that would be okay if he drugged her, or taped her mouth shut, or did basically any number of various things to stop her from screaming but he didn’t. Not to mention, when she finally does start going door to door nobody hears her. Either that or no one’s home. I understand that most of the town would probably be out celebrating, but surely someone would come to her aid (well I guess they kind of do). Plus if you write that extra scene, it leaves room to kill off another character which is always fun for the audience (just a thought). Making matters a little worse, is that at one point the mystery man rests his knife on Natalie’s knee. Uh duh! It’s like dude, don’t you watch scary movies? Haven’t you read the book being a psychopath 101? You don’t do that shit (haha). I’ll quickly touch on the mask, which is not on the above poster (but a previous one). It seemed to me like a cool little nod to the previously mentioned “Strangers”. I was hoping to see more of it than I actually did. At first I thought it was just a promotional thing, because unless you watch carefully in a couple of the scenes where it gets used, you’ll miss it. After chatting with Derek and gaining a little more information, I’ll say that small scene eluding to the killer was a nice touch.

The biggest drawback with You Are Not Alone is its slow burn nature. By that, I don’t necessarily mean the time it takes to build to the climax (each to their own). I’m talking about a lot of dissertation and fluff references to past events that hold no real bearing on anything in the film. The first 40 minutes is essentially filler. Unnecessary filler that drags on and on and feels like a chore to sit through. The dialogue is quite dull, there’s some attempt at being profound about life, all the while getting stoned and talking more about some high school memories. It just didn’t do anything for me, it didn’t help me understand anything more about the characters or their place in the film. If the first half was more about the killer, or his stalking and the build up to the finale it would have been an even better film than it already is. Maybe the inclusion of a couple of scenes of the killer doing some investigating, casing the home, just a lot more creeping about. After all, that’s where the film is strongest.

You Are Not Alone isn’t a perfect film, but I always try to look for the positives, and here I didn’t have to look far. Technically this is brilliant. Subtle and creepy sound effects in all the right places, awesome shot choices, smooth editing and great mood lighting. The suspense in the second half is unbelievable, edge of your seat stuff. I was watching this one on my own, after midnight and I had to go visit the family straight after. It’s not that it’s that scary, the notion of it is just creepy and disturbing. A true testament of a great Suspense/Horror film, Hitch would be proud. The acting is pure and the killer does a great job too. I haven’t seen a film in the genre this good since “Home Sweet Home” or “388 Arletta Avenue”. I was still left a little disappointed, but only because if not for a lot of redundant dialogue and interaction between characters that never appear again, this would be a masterpiece. Even 20 minutes of that introduction would have sufficed, but 40 is just way too long. None the less, I’m all for these types of films and this one’s as good as anything I’ve seen. I hope Derek continues making these types of films, great work.

My rating for “You Are Not Alone” is 7/10

KILL ME THREE TIMES

THE SETUP

Kriv Stenders, the man behind the 2011 hit film “Red Dog” is back behind the camera again, this time in a complete shift in tone with the Crime/Comedy “Kill Me Three Times”. I’ve been following the film for about 18 months, and was pretty excited to see that it was finally getting released. Set in a tight-knit coastal town in Western Australia, Kill Me Three Times centers on Private Investigator/Hitman, Charlie Wolfe (played by Simon Pegg) and three tales involving murder, blackmail and revenge. Alice and Jack Taylor (played respectively by Alice Braga and Callan Mulvey), own the local surf club/pub and are in the midst of a marital crisis. On the other side of town, are Lucy and Nathan Webb (played by Adelaide’s own Teresa Palmer) and (Sullivan Stapleton), who run a dental practice, but have found themselves in debt due to Nathans gambling problem. Dire circumstances will see the residents of this town cross paths in all the wrong ways. The film also stars Bryan Brown, Steve Le Marquand and Luke Hemsworth.

THE GOOD

Kill Me Three Times was one of my most highly anticipated films for 2015, and I tried hard to be objective even with the bar set very high in my mind (haha). Right from the outset, it’s clear Stender’s film is inspired by the likes of Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Robert Rodriguez (Machete), and of course the Coen Brothers (Fargo). I liked the casting choices here, there isn’t a lot of well-known talent, and therefore it gives the likes of Stapleton and Palmer the opportunity to shine. Simon Pegg’s character and performance were reminiscent of Sam Rockwell’s in the underrated “Seven Psychopaths”. I think he was an interesting choice to play Charlie. It was always going to be about balancing the comedic aspect, while still gauging a certain amount of menace. I thought the entire cast were pretty solid but Palmer seemed a little unsure at times, and Hemsworth playing Dylan Smith, the local mechanic is scarcely utilized. I was hoping for some more development involving his character, because I thought he was the only one with another layer.

As the film opens, you’ll Immediately make comparisons to countless other films. Between the combination of a Rodriguez/Tarantino style guitar score, and the film’s fast pacing and clever editing, it’s hard not too. I’m not really bothered by those nods or homages, I understand everyone is inspired by different things and I think I have a good idea of what I want to see as a viewer. It’s very original to have a film of this nature set entirely during the day, I liked that. The shots inside the club were subtly lit with shades of pink and green, and the aesthetics are nicely polished when it comes to the dental practice segment. The small amount of narration from Pegg’s character was quite humorous, but given the film’s non-linear timeline I think audiences could have benefited continuity wise, with some more voice over, if for no other reason than he was a fun character. Having watched a lot of these types of film’s I thought it was straight forward and predictable, but some of you who are not seasoned in the genre, you might get a little confused.

The beautiful blue, coastal landscape makes for some gorgeous cinematography. As a rule, rather large areas of Australia are dry and flat, hence why Kriv probably decided to shoot the film in Western Australia. All the camera work and shot choices were well conceived and give the film a really refined look. This one didn’t have a huge budget so it’s all the more impressive. A fair chunk of the running time is spent on establishing core motives for what each character is about to do, but when the action does get underway it’s a lot of fun. The effects in the film were all practical, and the blood looked great as well. I would have enjoyed seeing a few more elaborate deaths, but because this one has a comedic undertone, I don’t think they wanted people taking it too seriously.

THE BAD

One of the big issues with Kill Me Three Times, is that it lacks the menace and power of violence that you’d expect in a film like this. Even with its black comedy undertones, a film like “In Bruges” or “Seven Psychopaths” hits you harder when it gets to the business end of things. Don’t get me wrong, I often think less is more and the implied violence can be a lot more suspenseful than anything you see on-screen. Case in point, “Killing Them Softly” and “No Country For Old Men” are two films that do that superbly. The problem here, is that nothing ever really feels truly threatening or suspenseful. There’s no questioning, “Oh, which way will this altercation go?”, it goes pretty much exactly how you think it will and fails to generate a twist of any kind. Because of that reason, I think the deaths needed to be much more ruthless and graphic. The climax, which involves a showdown with Wolfe and Co (so as not to spoil anything), was the perfect time for writer James McFarland to let loose, but unfortunately he leaves things on a sour note and doesn’t ever put the foot on the jugular (literally or metaphorically haha). Another way of looking at it, is if the comedy was more consistent, or there were specific awkward situations that really felt funny you wouldn’t need the on-screen carnage as badly.

Now this is the big one folks. If I was a harsher critic, or didn’t have the soft spot I do for a fun Crime/Comedy film, I’d tear James and the writing apart. On this occasion, I’m guilty of partially reading a couple of early reviews, where most people made reference to the Tarantino style timeline, and fair enough. Like I’ve already said, my issue is not that Kill Me Three Times is inspired by the aforementioned. It’s that this movie already exists, and it’s called “Blood Simple”. Directed by the Coen brothers back in 1984, it remains one of my favorite movies of all time. Of the countless links being made to Tarantino, I can’t believe people are blind to the fact that this film is point for point, revelation for revelation and character for character, exactly the same as Blood Simple. Maybe it’s that McFarland simply hasn’t seen the aforementioned, but in a film that’s plot points and finer details mirror everything in said film, I find that hard to believe. It begs the question if James has seen it, What the hell was he thinking?

I can’t really discuss the in’s and out’s of the story without spoiling the film for those who haven’t seen it yet. However I can touch on it. Everything from private investigators who moonlight as assassins, to marriage problems or infidelity, to safes of money located in seedy surf shops, and or bars, (however you want to spin it). This exact movie was made 31 years ago, and it appears a lot of people just don’t know it yet. It even echoes the Coen’s in the sense that all these characters are so damn unlikable or one-dimensional. Some films, like Blood Simple for example, don’t need that drawn out exposition or huge back-story to work. The suspense alone, works so well that it’s relentless and engaging from minute one, Kill Me Three Times doesn’t manage to do that. The only new addition here is Bryan Brown, who plays Bruce Jones the local cop waiting for the money Nathan owes him. I don’t remember a cop in Blood Simple though, so I suppose that’s something (rolls eyes). Aside from all of that, I still liked most of what I saw. Sure, I’d seen it all before and that’s probably why I liked it (haha). My way of thinking is that if I liked it the first time around, Why wouldn’t I like it again with a bunch of fresh faces??

Kill Me Three Times is about as original as the Southern Cross Tattoo (maybe as ugly too). I feel like I should hate this but I don’t, although I have no choice but to make my readers aware of what they are ultimately in for (a remake of Blood Simple haha). That aside, I still can’t deny I had fun with this and you might too. It’s shot in a great location, with some up and coming Aussie talent, and of course Simon Pegg whose stellar. I loved the music, fast pacing and overall editing, when it finally gets to some action it’s a hell of a lot of fun. If this wasn’t Blood Simple it would be brilliant, but because it is, it’s not (little confusing but you catch my drift haha). I can’t blame Kriv he’s just the man behind the camera, but I suggest both James and Kriv, hell maybe the whole cast watch The Coen brothers masterpiece and you’ll understand why some people might not like your movie. I, however am not one of those people.

My rating for “Kill Me Three Times” is 6.5/10

FAMILIAR

THE SETUP

I’m back again with another movie review for, writer/director Richard Powell and producer Zach Green of Fatal Pictures. Thanks again to Zach, for providing me with an online screener of their latest 23 minute short film “Familiar”. I recently reviewed their 2010 short film “Worm”, I was thoroughly impressed by it and have been hoping to get my hands on anything else they’ve done. Now I’m just waiting on “Consumption” and “Heir” (haha). Familiar is about middle-aged man named John Dodd (played by Robert Nolan), who through a series of unfortunate events begins to suspect the internalized negativity plaguing his mind, is not his own. The film also stars Astrida Auza and Cat Hostick.

THE GOOD

As per usual I’ll start with some of the technical aspects. From the outset, Richard utilizes a lot of smooth camera panning and precise shot choices. I’m convinced he knows exactly how to frame a shot, and how to structure each scene in order to get the most out of everything in the frame, it’s a real treat. Both the editing and the lighting are extremely effective in this one, everything has that outward feel to accompany the tone of this psychological short. On top of it all, the audio is crystal clear and the second half contains an eerie score that I loved. I was surprised at the direction it took during the climax of the film. That last act had some unique and creative prosthetics, as well as plenty of practical effects, and not just with the blood (those of you who have seen it know what I mean). I was already enjoying the film anyway, but those last five or six minutes elevated this into a league of its own.

This is all about Nolan, much like the previous “Worm” it simply doesn’t work without him. I take it back, I don’t need to see anymore of his work to know that I really like him and rate him as an actor. These psychological deconstructs suit him down to a T. Most of this performance is conveyed through his facial expressions, and the way his eyes project what he’s feeling. I mentioned in my last review how his articulation goes hand in hand with narration. Once again he’s spot on with it, and you know you have a great film when it would work just as well without any externalized dialogue. Obviously it goes without saying, when something is written as clear-cut and intelligently as Familiar is, it makes the job of the actors that bit easier. It’s funny, while watching this I kept thinking damn Robert is basically playing the exact same character from Worm (haha). I started thinking maybe this was a follow-up, plus it parallels the core narrative of the already mentioned. Sure enough, John Dodd is Geoffrey Dodd’s (character from Worm) twin brother, I thought that was a nice little touch.

THE BAD

I’m not blowing smoke here at all, I’m genuinely struggling to find anything to write in this section. I think this is as close to a perfect short film as you’ll find. I’ll say one thing, just because I can’t leave this blank (it’s like a OCD thing haha). I would like to see Robert (or should I say a future character of his), break the fourth wall at some point. One of my favorite film’s is Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games”. I can see a slight resemblance between what Richard has done with the Dodd brothers and FG, minus the home invasion aspect of course. I hope Powell revisits this world, because you could psycho analyze these men until the cows come home, there’s that much to work with here. Talking directly to us would be a great way to help the viewer understand more about why they think what they think, and Is the world really out to get them? You make up your mind.

There’s no two ways about it, I’m simply blown away by how good Familiar was. It’s technically flawless, Nolan is a powerhouse as both Dodd’s and the writing is as good as anything in the business. I can’t praise Richard Powell and Zach Green enough. From what I can see there isn’t a hard-copy of this available yet, but if and when there is, I’m the first in line for a copy and you should be too. I’m intrigued by the idea of split personalities, and an existential crisis that’s being dissected out loud for the benefit of the audience. This is a mix up of a lot of my favorite films but still manages to maintain a freshness, I think of such films as “Naked Lunch”, “Spider” and “The Fly”. I think Powell has that type of flare when it comes to innovation and it’s going to take him a long way in the industry.

My rating for “Familiar” is 9.5/10 (for those who are interested I think this is a first)

REVELATIONS

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to writer and director Roger Sampson, from “Force Of Nature” films for allowing me access to two of the short films from his upcoming horror anthology “The Forces Of Horror”. The first is a 13 minute short called “Revelations”. It’s about Mary and Hank (played by Sheri Davis and Lance Eakright), and their young daughter Lili (Gracie Whitton). Mary appears to have the perfect family and a successful career, but beneath the surface she harbors a secret or does she?. The film is ultimately about what we are capable of in the most extreme of circumstances. For the most part I chase up these kinds of films, but this time I was lucky enough to be contacted by Roger instead.

THE GOOD

I love the way this one opened up. Accompanied by an old style folk song played on piano, the camera pans smoothly down a street, before landing outside Mary’s lovely suburban home. Once the film movies inside the house, we get some really smart shot choices and swift editing. Starting from various rooms in the house, to a family photo of Mary, Hank and their daughter, and then cutting to the kitchen table as Mary answers a phone call from work. In this scene, we gain a little insight into her seemingly high-profile job, and the chain of command that goes with it. The second half of this short uses it’s sound effects wisely and it aids in creating a certain amount of tension. The best part about Revelations though, is the combination of some sweet practical effects, albeit a very short glimpse of them as well as the direction the story ends up going. The final twist was very eerie, and at first I thought I had it figured out but it definitely comes full circle, most people aren’t going to see what’s coming.

THE BAD

The only technical aspect that irked me was the inconsistency in the audio levels. Some of the dialogue was very quiet, and that may have been due to the daughter mumbling a few of her lines. Excluding the credits, this only runs for just over ten minutes so it’s difficult to find anything negative to say. The one thing I couldn’t work out was whether Sheri Davis’s performance was a little fake on purpose or not. During the phone conversation Mary had, it seemed to imply she was a rather fake person (or at least at work), and maybe that was supposed to be purposely projected by her character, so I’m not going to call that bad acting (haha).

Revelations is yet another hidden gem for the world of independent films. I’m very thankful for Roger’s inquiry about reviewing this, because otherwise I probably would have never found out about it. I look forward to the final product once the rest of the anthology is put together. He shows a clear understanding of the technical aspects and just needs to spend a little extra time ironing those specifics out. The writing is of a high standard, it looks and sounds great, and I was entertained all the way through to the twist that gave it a nice finishing touch. Well done!

My rating for “Revelations” is 8.5/10

THE JONES

THE SETUP

“The Jones” is the second of Roger’s films that I had the chance to review. It stars the exact same cast as “Revelations” and also adds both Robert Johnson and April Hartman. The Jones is a 9 minute horror short about a zombie family that must deal with their daughter “turning” human. The film takes place in the same location as the aforementioned, and in a society where zombies are the norm, and regular law doesn’t apply when it comes to feeding.

THE GOOD

The Jones had a somewhat unique and interesting premise, but it could have benefited from taking a more comedic approach (just a thought). I enjoyed the way this one opened up with Mrs Jones cutting a plate of brains for the family’s dinner (haha). The music theme was very 80’s inspired, and reminded me of a “Leave It To Beaver” style score. Once again, the camera work and shot choices are both solid. I noticed that most of the scenes were quite dark though, but I think that may have been intentional. All the blinds in the house were closed, and the parents didn’t want their daughter opening the front door. Maybe the vampire and sunlight don’t mix approach, was being taken but I’m not sure.

THE BAD

I was disappointed that the “Jones” title wasn’t a connection between Revelations and this one. I remembered Mary in Revelations, making reference to a Mr Jones being one of the most crucial of her clients. I thought that might have led somewhere with this, but alas. For me, the key issue again here was the audio. It seemed a lot quieter than the previous short but when the screams were heard, it started to peak out. I understand if the house has a certain echo or bounce, it can be much more difficult to edit your levels correctly. The slow motion shots in the climax of the film didn’t seem to serve a purpose either. I thought the core plot was supposed to be about a young girl turning human, which would imply that in the beginning she isn’t human. If that was the case, she should have had at least some zombie makeup and had it slowly breakdown across the running time until as they said, she “turned” human. I was a little confused by that whole plot point, not to mention the zombie makeup seemed much more ghostly than anything zombie related, but that could be due to the budget I don’t know. More time probably could have been spent in that department as it’s crucial to a story like this.

Revelations hit the nail on the head and I thought it may be tough going trying to come up with something as good as that, I was right. The Jones is competently made and looks pretty good, but it’s difficult selling a story in a genre like this one, especially in such a short space of time. The cast was solid and the dialogue’s relatively engaging but this one probably won’t leave that lasting effect on audiences.

My rating for “The Jones” is 5.5/10

THE DOOMS CHAPEL HORROR

THE SETUP

Firstly I would just like to say thank you to Christopher Bower, producer of the indie film “The Dooms Chapel Horror”, for allowing me early access to the film via an online screener. Dooms Chapel Horror is the first full length feature from director John Holt, who had previously only made a handful of shorts. Kyle Cole (played by Austin Madding), along with his girlfriend Mandy (Abby Murphy), are returning to Kyle’s hometown of Kaler Mills for the first time in ten years. Years earlier, Kyle was ostracized by the town and ultimately held responsible for the death of his older brother Ryan on the families property. Tanner (Shaun Gerardo), is a friend of Kyle’s whose tagging along shooting a documentary about Kyle’s return, in the hopes that Kyle can face the demons of his past in order to move on with his life. What he ends up facing could be much, much worse. The film also stars Bill Oberst Jr, Josh Cornelius, Joshua Mark Robinson, Steve Crowley and William Ryan Watson. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much about this film before inquiring about it. I’ve been following Bill’s body of work for a while now, and that was my main reason for checking it out but it’s always good to support someone making their first film anyways.

THE GOOD

I’ll start with John’s handling of some of the technical aspects of the film. It opens with some home movie footage, that was shot by a younger Kyle, as he shows us around the Cole’s property, giving us a look at the family dynamics. He talks for a short period of time with his brother and parents before he’s asked by his father to go and help Ryan. Before he can do so tragedy strikes. I enjoyed the way in which that 10 years plus old footage was shot, and how we get to see (in a way) what has happened, before we are introduced to Kyle in present day. The rest of the film’s camera work and shot choices are a bit of a mixed bag, I’ll talk a bit more about that later. After the opening segment, there’s a cool bluesy slide guitar, piece of music to accompany the opening credits. With the film primarily taking place in Kentucky, it fit the tone nicely. For those who are interested, this one was shot for an estimated budget of $50,000. I was hoping for more action than what I got, but the stuff we do get to see looks impressive. It’s all done practically and the crew don’t skimp on the red stuff, when it’s warranted of course. Nearly all the kill sequences take place during the last act of the film, with the first three-quarters playing out more like a Crime/Drama, a little reminiscent of “Blue Ruin”.

The Dooms Chapel Horror’s best attribute lies in the casting, and the caliber of acting. Like I said, my main reason for checking the film out was Bill Oberst. Those of you readers who are not familiar with him or his body of work, feel free to check out my reviews for Valley Of The Sasquatch, Ditch Day Massacre and Circus Of The Dead. They are just a few titles that he’s appeared in of late. I originally took an interest in his work because of the variety of different projects he’s been a part of. Being known mostly of course, for his work in independent horror. I rate him, he seems like a great and humble person, he’s also one of the hardest working actors in the business and I have nothing but respect for that. In DCH, Bill plays Jordan, a key figure in the small community and an Evangelist of sorts. Along with his son Samuel, at least I think it’s his son?? (Robinson), these two are dangerous and believe Kyle owes them something that they will stop at nothing to collect. I thought the acting from everyone involved here, was a cut above most of the low-budget stuff these days. Austin and Abby’s scenes were quite dynamic, and I found her to be really likable and empathetic throughout the entire ordeal, which had nothing to do with her in the first place. Josh Cornelius as Henry, Kyle’s childhood friend was also one of the most identifiable, just your everyday guy wanting to help a friend out by doing the right thing. Once again, mad props go to Oberst for his precise performance, of yet another interesting and I’m sure multi faceted character (if explored that is). It’s unfortunate that other than a stony monologue from Jordan to the younger Kyle in a flashback sequence, I didn’t get to learn a whole lot else about him or the situation.

THE BAD

Most of the issues that I had with Dooms Chapel Horror were technical ones, in addition a few elusive hitches in the writing and ultimately I have to question where exactly this film fits. A few of the aspects are minor, such as some inconsistent audio levels when it comes to certain scenes of dialogue. I also found a lot of the music choices felt out-of-place, they were less suspenseful than I thought they’d be and fixated more around the drama. The problem was, that because of a lack of character background or motivation the drama didn’t feel centered enough. Several of the transitions in editing felt a little rushed or convenient as well. Multiple scenes should have been cut in length, and others extended somewhat etc. Before I get to some of the unanswered questions and hang ups I have with the writing, I want to talk a little bit about camera focus and the choice to switch styles half way through, when it doesn’t fit your initial setup.

My problem is not that John chose to shoot a fair chunk of this film from Tanner’s point of view, as he interviews people from the town and chronicles Kyle’s movements. It’s that artistically that gets abandoned towards the climax. I think it’s safe to assume that nobody else in this film had a camera, I didn’t see anyone pull one out at any point, but forgive me if I’m wrong. Therefore, it’s kind of illogical to have the premise of your film be about a documentary crew (well basically one guy), but if and when anything happens to that guy where it’s no longer plausible shooting like that, begin shooting like a conventional movie instead. Personally, I think a style needed to be chosen and stuck with for the duration. Instead we get to see a handful of scenes shot from surveillance cameras in the woods and someone else operating a camera when the final showdown hits, Who’s behind it? I don’t know. At one stage a group of characters are running through the woods from an unknown evil, and it’s being recorded from several different feeds. None of which are established at any other point during the film. It’s not like Tanner goes and scatters a whole bunch of go-pro’s or smaller cameras in the surrounding area to document what goes down, so I don’t know what happened there. In the final act Kyle has a camera on his gun (which is fair enough), but as he is having the confrontation with Jordan and Samuel, someone else is shooting that scene, Who?? It’s not Tanner, because I think the duo would have noticed and would have done something about it. So that camera has just appeared, as though this isn’t the style of film that’s already been established it is.

Making matters worse, are the constant focus issues when it comes to the handheld stuff throughout most of the film. It’s like John was adjusting back and forth, to gauge the appropriate framing in each shot as they were filming. If so, that’s not a good technique. There needed to be some testing and planning when it came to that. The incessant regulating drove me nuts, and once i noticed it I couldn’t regain focus (pardon the pun), on the story itself. When I finally got back around to concentrating on the inner-workings of the writing, I found myself with far too many questions. Firstly, why are they documenting his return to Kaler Mills in the first place?? After what Kyle had experienced with the town’s judgements, and his addiction to shooting videos, I’d think turning the cameras on himself would be the last thing he would want to do. If it was all simply in order to face his past and move on, than it seems overly simplified. I wanted to know more about Kyle’s dealings with Jordan, something more than just one flashback scene. What did he actually owe him? And why did he owe it? I know there was talk of a list of people who Kyle felt betrayed him during the events with his brother, but that can’t be the only thing, surely? The details surrounding the “chapel” and it’s demon was incredibly vague. I haven’t a clue what was going on there. Leaving a few questions unanswered isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on the film’s desired effect for audiences and I think in this case it needed some clarity. Dooms Chapel Horror is very much a slow-burn, and a little too slow for my liking. The performances keep you somewhat interested, and the final 15 minutes is fun but ultimately not quite the payoff I was looking for.

I wanted to like The Dooms Chapel Horror a lot more than I actually did. In places it resembled the indie/ cult film “Jug Face”, but its slow nature and overall pacing issues made it feel sluggish. With some solid casting, and commendable performances from all, especially Bill, I can’t help but think this could have been a lot better. I think John could use a little work and experience on the technical front, and make some concise decisions and see them all the way through. He can only work with the script he is given and unfortunately this one doesn’t dig anywhere near deep enough for me, but that’s just me. If you enjoyed Jug Face, and you’re partial to a slow-burner you might see something here that I didn’t, so please be sure to support these guys! For me, It needed to be grounded in a clear-cut genre, instead this tries to pile on family drama, crime, cult related horror and a monster all in the blender at once, and sadly it doesn’t excel at any one of them. Thanks again Christopher and Co, for letting me check the film out I really appreciate it and sorry I couldn’t say more, I look forward to what comes next from these guys.

My rating for “The Dooms Chapel Horror” is 4.5/10

WORM

THE SETUP

First up, I just want to say thanks to Producer Zach Green, for allowing me access to an online screener of the Drama/Thriller, short film “Worm” directed by Richard Powell, starring Robert Nolan. I can’t remember how I initially got in touch with Zach (or whether he did with me), but social media is a great outlet for filmmakers and producers to share their work, and for a film buff like me, need I say more. Worm is a 20 minute look at a day in the life of Geoffrey Dodd, a seemingly normal high school teacher whose struggling to deal with life. He has a hatred for everything and everyone, except of course for his lovely student Lillian (Samantha Nemeth). Shorts are a really great way for newcomers to get involved in the industry. Richard has made a couple of others that I’ll hopefully get the chance to watch and review. Going in, I didn’t know much about this one, and I spent the first five or six minutes trying to remember where or what I knew, lead actor Robert Nolan from. A lot of the short films I’ve reviewed fall into the horror genre, probably because they are often the cheapest to shoot, this one made for a nice change of pace.

THE GOOD

Let’s begin with some of the technical aspects. The camera work and editing between scenes were both very well executed. As we witness Dodd’s slow descent into madness, the camera techniques and shot choices become more intense. That comes about through some of the editing of Nolan’s eyes, as well as through a select few sound effects that really emphasize the level of contempt Geoffrey has for everything. There isn’t really a theme when it comes to the music, but I did like the song “Stars and Satellites” which plays during the end credits, that was a nice piece of music. It’s Richards quality of writing that makes Worm the compelling, psychological deconstruction of the human psyche that it is. It’s written with a certain amount of superiority, in the sense that Geoffrey is an incredibly self-absorbed man. However, it manages to convey a sense of realism in the way our narcissistic teacher sees the world. He says things in certain situations that we are often all thinking, but it’s that filter, that pesky thing called diplomacy that holds us back from divulging our true feelings. Who knows why Geoffrey’s that way, or what events may have led him to this point in his life. Even though questions aren’t really being asked of us as passengers, it doesn’t make it any less interesting.

I want to quickly touch on actor Robert Nolan. I eventually figured out that he was one of the two leads in a film I reviewed a while back called “Canswer”. I wasn’t a huge fan of the film, and I thought some of his acting within it was inconsistent. I’m going to have to watch a few more of his films before I can make a definitive decision about him, but I was truly surprised and impressed with his role here. Not everyone could have pulled this off. He has a great intonation for voice over or narration whichever you prefer, and that’s three-quarters of what his character projects here. I saw him in another film I reviewed called “Berkshire County”, it was only a small role but he did his bit there too. It’s his two films from 2013, “Antisocial” and “Silent Retreat” that I’m still yet to watch, once I have I’ll form an opinion on him as an actor.

THE BAD

I think the audio level was pretty good but a little inconsistent. I would have liked it if it was a little louder in the mix, because some of the sound effects drown it out on a few occasions. I think Worm would have benefited somewhat from the inclusion of a scene during Geoffrey’s home life. All we get as insight to his mindset, is throughout his working day but maybe that’s the point, maybe he doesn’t have anything else but if that’s the case some type of internal dissection of that would have sufficed. That’s me being ultra picky though (haha), given this is a short it can be difficult to include more information regarding motive or a thought process when you’re trying to keep the running time down. Just a warning for viewers that aren’t open to a look at things from a “negative” perspective (for lack of a better word), you might be left feeling a little depressed when this one is over, but it reigns true and I like that.

Much to my surprise, Worm was the definition of a hidden gem. It would be a travesty if people don’t see this brilliant short, if given the chance. The technical aspects are nearly all perfect and the writing is of the highest quality. Nolan gives a great performance, with shades of Michael Douglas’s character, William Foster (from Falling Down). Geoffrey’s theories on students of today and his struggles with normalcy, parallel the indie/black comedy from 2011 “God Bless America”. With all that said, bar a couple of very minor things, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one. For everyone that was involved with this project I say great work, and I can’t wait to see more from the team at Fatal Pictures.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1500273/

My rating for “Worm” is 8.5/10

90210 SHARK ATTACK

THE SETUP

David DeCoteau isn’t a name many avid movie watchers would have heard, but regardless he’s a filmmaker with over 100 credits to his name. He’s been working in the film industry for over 30 years, mostly as a director. After looking through his body of work, I realized I had only seen one of his films, called “Killer Bash”, a slasher flick that was made for TV back in 2005. I probably should have looked at his resume a little better before watching this latest Creature feature/drama. Written by Charlie Meadows and Directed by David, comes “90210 Shark Attack”. The film is an odd combination of genres and tells the story about a group of Oceanography students that encounter a haunted shark tooth, while studying on a weekend getaway for extra credit. The film stars Donna Wilkes, Jeffrey Decker, Braden Bacha, Stephanie Shemanski, Rachel Rosenstein, Nikki Wells and past “Survivor” winner Judson Birza. The film was shot in California for an estimated budget of $1 million. I originally stumbled across the film on the popular horror site Dreadcentral, and it looked like another cool addition to the cheesy, low-budget SyFy films they make for TV. The only person I knew from the cast was Judd, being a huge Survivor fan and all I thought why not check it out. Wise move or no??

THE GOOD

Just a heads up, there’s a very distinct possibility this section of the review could be the smallest it’s ever been (haha). I’m already struggling this early on for anything positive to say, and to try to be respectful to all involved with this film. I have to be honest though and they need to know whats what, if nothing else this can hopefully aid other filmmakers in some of the do’s and dont’s of the industry. Looking through David’s films, it’s clear he’s had a lot of experience on film sets, and in particular working behind the camera. He started in the mid 80’s with what appears to be soft, or maybe hardcore (who knows??) porn titles, such as “Making It Huge” and “Working Girls”. In the late 80’s early 90’s, he moved onto the monster films with “Creepozoids” and “Puppet Master 3: Toulon’s Revenge”. It’s only been over the last 5 to 10 years that he started a 1313 series of films, as well as a couple of 666 films. Now most of you will be like me, and have no idea what I’m talking about (haha), If you want to know more Imdb the profile. I haven’t seen any of his other films so I can’t really judge his whole body of work, but I can safely say if this title I’m reviewing is even remotely like his others, poor poor poor is the only word I could use to describe it. Anyways onto the review.

Judging by a lot of the artwork for David’s film’s, he’s no stranger to casting attractive actors and actresses in his low-budget affairs. I can respect that he doesn’t just give the male audience what they want to see, which tends to be the way. Males who’ve clearly spent way to much time and money on their gym memberships are always prevalent in these erotica style scenes within his films. Always being randomly placed in a genre that doesn’t fit it in any way, shape or form (haha). Any who, kudos on the pretty guys and girls. I will talk a little bit about the intro credits to the film later on, but one thing I did like was the super cheesy but cool 80’s orientated synth theme, which played over the first two or three minutes of the film. Nothing else about the movie felt remotely like the 80’s, so I’m not sure about the context but that aside, it was cool. The audio was noticeably smooth and clear, but given that nearly all the interactions between the characters took place inside a luxurious beach house, I’d expect nothing less from an experienced director. In addition, both the camera work and lighting were commendable. Now I’m not saying the shot choices or length of the scenes was commendable (haha), just David’s ability to hold the camera still when he needed too. Some of the scenes were lit much like an episode of the beloved (yeah right…) “Bold and Beautiful”, but most of the stuff inside and out looked alright.

THE BAD

I literally don’t know where to start, there’s so much bad, it’s everywhere!! I’m all for a little bad, but it’s usually that cheesy dialogue or that forced reaction, or “My god look at the cheesy rubber shark”, this isn’t even that kind of bad, it’s an all new low. How on earth this thing got the green light, I’ll never know. I’ve never been one to really put someone down or discourage them from doing something, but every once in a while (and it’s been a while), you have to say enough is enough. Okay here it comes. We get the previously mentioned, cheesy synth song as the intro credits play. Accompanying said song, is a truly mesmerizing combo of stock footage taken of sharks swimming in the ocean, to 37 various signs reminding us the movie takes place in Beverly Hills. It’s that bad you could make a drinking game out of it. I’m all for establishing a location, but it’s established in the first 30 seconds and still being hammered home an hour later. What follows is about 7 minutes of establishing shots from tourist attractions in California, specifically BH. Every one of which, has included, it’s very own Beverly Hills sign. Trust me when I say you have to see it to believe it (haha truly gold). What I think you should do, is put the disc in watch the first seven minutes and if your still confused as to where the movie takes place, rewind that sucker and go again!

I’ll now get into what you’d say are a few of the lesser important aspects when it comes to a movie in this genre, or one called 90210 Shark Attack, but still important to me. I thought I might have been in for a surprise treat when I heard that little synth tune in the opening few minutes, but boy was I wrong. Every single piece of music that came after was totally out-of-place and painfully tiresome. We are given suspense based music when nothing remotely suspenseful is happening. E.g, someone is walking around at a snail’s pace apparently investigating something. On several other occasions, it’s a typical dramatic soap theme that plays during the first of many, many pointless conversations. I could go on, but because I like my readers I won’t (haha). Let’s get to the camera work, actually I’ll say shot choices and editing, because like I said the camera operating was okay. The blend between the slew of stock footage from the ocean, and the actual CG shark or shark head should I say, was comically bad. Not that funny, “How cheesy was that” bad either, I mean actually what the f$*k did I just watch kind of bad. Now comes the mind-boggling, jaw dropping, unintentional hilariousness that we’ll simply just call editing.

90210 only runs 75 minutes, about 10 of which are taken up by intro or outro credits, now I’m going to lay the rest out for you. The first of many repetitious and totally pointless shots occurs when the first group of characters enter the house. We watch excruciatingly as not once, not twice (I actually lost count haha), but I think three times, as a character walks up a spiral staircase and down a hall way, as slowly as possible and in real-time might I mention. Now if these girls and or guys (if that’s what floats your boat) were half-naked, or doing something of any interest to a viewer, or importance to a story I could maybe forgive that, but no, in this case I won’t. Also somewhat forgivable, if it was the only time it happened you guessed it, it’s not (haha). A little later on we watch at least two characters walk from the kitchen, through the lounge, out the backdoor and down the stairs to the pool, in real fu@k&ng time!!! What even is that?? I will tell you what that is, it’s another 15 minutes of screen time dunsky were absolutely nothing happened. We are also given a couple of scenes for the ladies or lady, there might be one that watches this film at some point. If you do girly, you will get to see Jess (played by Rothstein), perve out of a window at Tyler (Decker) in all of his awesomeness, as he swims laps and slowly lets that water roll of those chiseled abs of his (scintillating haha). This scene cuts back and forth countless times, between Jess at the window and Tyler in the pool for I’d say about 5 minutes. This will be the longest 5 minutes of your life and I really, truly mean that. I was partially entertained, thought due mostly to the absurdity of what my eyes were witnessing.

I don’t want to question someone’s ability to do their job properly, and I get that Writer, Charlie Meadows probably enjoys writing and he has half a dozen “credits” to his name but maybe, just maybe this isn’t the career for him. Unless of course between Charlie and David, they know these films are terrible and if so then that’s totally fine. It’s their time and money, and they are welcome to use both however they see fit. I’d explain the plot for 90210 Shark Attack but honestly, I couldn’t decipher it. Alyssa (our lead girl), used to do some type of ocean work with her father. He did the wrong thing or something like that, then died and somehow her necklace became haunted by a shark tooth or something totally realistic like that (haha). There’s zero character development, to the point where I couldn’t even remember half the characters names, which is poor form in a movie consisting of seven cast members. It’s riddled with incredibly poorly written dialogue, being delivered by a mostly sub-par cast. I don’t like to blame the cast because they can only work with what’s on the paper, and in this case it’s excrement. Forget for one second that based on their intelligence, no audience could possibly believe any of them would be Oceanography students. Other than being pretty people to look at, they don’t even come close to cutting it.

I can’t talk about 90210 Shark Attack anymore, well that’s a lie I mean I could but even I have my limits. I was by no means expecting a masterpiece when it came to this one but I am partial to a bit of cheese now and then, but this cheese is blue. “Sand Sharks” and “2 Headed Shark Attack” are guilty pleasures of mine, and they look like Jaws compared to this disaster. I could have almost dealt with its issues galore if we had a modicum of anything resembling Action, Gore or On-screen carnage. Hell, I would have even settled for one or more of the ladies getting naked, or a soft core sex scene (haha). After all, David has spent some time in that world but sadly nope, nothing, nada. I’ve also come to the conclusion that this film doesn’t have a genre, possibly the first film I’ve ever seen that’s genre-less. I suppose one might call it a mix of Adventure, Comedy, Drama, and Erotica. The problem is, not a shred of it resembles having anything close to a passable piece of work. I pride myself on giving everything and anything a go, regardless of genre, budget or level of experience. However, I can’t see myself ever watching a film that has either David DeCoteau or Charlie Meadows name attached to it. The fact that a studio, a director, a group of people, or all three actually funded this thing baffles me. You could have literally spent that million dollars on anything else, like anything… shame, shame on you.

My rating for “90210 Shark Attack” is 1.5/10

MUCK

THE SETUP

If I had to guess, I’ve been waiting the better part of two years for the release of Steve Wolsh’s debut feature film “Muck”. A self-aware teen slasher/comedy, successfully marketed through an online campaign that went viral. Muck is the middle part of a series of three films planned to be released over the next two years. It also claims to have used 100 percent practical blood and gore effects, which would make it one of the first modern Horror films to do so. Muck is about a group of friends, consisting of three girls and two guys that narrowly escape an ancient burial ground. They trek through the marshes of Cape Cod to find shelter at an abandoned house. Upon arrival, the group’s alpha male Noah (Bryce Draper), opts to go for help because his good friend Billy (played by Grant Ouzts) has been wounded. Mia, Kylie and Desiree (played respectively by three gorgeous girls in Lauren Francesca, Stephanie Danielson and Laura Jacobs) stay at the house with Billy, where the group must fight off evil from the marsh known as “The Creepers”. The film also stars Jaclyn Swedberg, Gia Skova, Lachlan Buchanan, Victoria Sophia, Puja Mohindra and Kane Hodder. I may have had huge expectations for this film after such a long wait, and maybe some would say they were unrealistic. I figured with the promise of Beautiful women, nudity, some comedy and bucket loads of practical blood and gore, that I was in for a winner. Read on and find out what Muck is all about (Minor spoilers included).

THE GOOD

Before you all start saying, here we go again yet another slasher film, What makes this one so special? We’ve seen it all before etc. Writer and Director Steve Wolsh knows this. Clearly he intended to make an incredibly self-aware Horror and to a degree Comedy, inspired by the likes of “Scream” and “Friday the 13th”. Those films both came at a time when the slasher genre needed rejuvenation. Everything has now been done to death in this genre originality or lack there of, shouldn’t really be a factor that makes or breaks a movie. This isn’t original and nor does it claim to be, but there’s a heap of potential for an interesting franchise when you know the type of film you want to make and you stick to your guns. The camera work in this one is pretty good. Steve uses a lot of wide sweeping shots, and shooting actors through the muck gives it a really dirty, gritty feel. Aesthetically that’s the coolest part about it. This is considered low-budget film making but I’m not sure what the total budget was. I think I read somewhere it was estimated at $2 million. It’s quite an undertaking given that relatively small amount of money. Though I’ve seen great slashers that were made for a lot less. The audio started out a little flat but once the intensity was raised, the sound effects bought it to life. It’s a fairly stock standard score that we’ve heard countless times in similar films, but it accompanies the tone just fine.

Let’s talk about the characters for a minute, because there’s a lot to cover. Everyone in this film is clichéd, but it’s purposely written that way. Steve takes a page from something like “Cabin In The Woods”. These are the types of characters we are used to seeing and we want to see them, otherwise we wouldn’t watch these types of films. Bryce who plays Noah, is your pretty boy lead or so it would appear in the beginning. He is probably the most likeable guy of the bunch. He’s dating Kylie, and he seems to actually give a shit about the group as a whole, and their survival. Then we have Billy, whose clearly the Stu (Matthew Lilliard’s character from Scream) of Muck. Not to be confused with the Billy of Scream (haha). Grant does a nice job with his comedic timing and conviction behind the things that he says. He’s kind of your foul-mouthed immature type, but right off the bat he starts to tell us all about how this thing is going to play out, after all it is a slasher film. Some of those lines he rattles off in the opening twenty minutes, are the funniest parts of the film. Buchanan who plays Noah’s cousin Troit, is the surprise packet. I don’t want to spoil the details of his character arc, but he’s pretty much the linchpin in the second half of the movie. Lachlan played it pretty well, the problem I had with it was that I just didn’t like his character. I didn’t think he was funny or charming, yet the ladies loved him (but it seems to be like that in real life though so yeah haha).

Now a new paragraph to discuss the female talent in this one (haha). Not so sure about the talent when it comes to the acting, which is a bit of a mixed bag. Male viewers will not be disappointed with the array of stunning girls in this one though. Yes it’s all about the fake boobs, the skimpy outfits, and in some cases nothing more than underwear. Steve must be an extremely loveable guy to be able to get away with casting this caliber of women, and getting them to do exactly what he wants, kudos (haha). The lovely Lauren Francesca plays Mia, kind of the final girl of the film. She does a pretty good job, and I give her mad props for spending long hours on countless cold nights, trekking around in the marsh in just her bra and panties, not easily done. Kylie was probably the most likeable of the female characters though. Billy so elegantly explains how she fits into this one, it’s quite entertaining so I will leave it with him. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I liked that she was at least one actress that appeared to have real boobs (haha). Don’t get me wrong I’m a guy, I like the fake ones as well, but still. Both Victoria and Laura looked fantastic as well. With each of their bodies being on display at some point. Laura in the high denim shorts that too few can pull off, and Victoria looking naturally gorgeous to boot. I will touch on Jaclyn Swedberg, former playmate of the year in her brief but memorable role a little further down.

THE BAD

I’m just looking back at what I’ve written and that seems like a lot of words, considering a lot of what Muck does isn’t good, at least in my opinion. Now bear in mind, I had huge expectations for this. It’s partly on me, but to a degree the marketing team for this film as well. If the technical issues were the only thing wrong with this, I wouldn’t have much to complain about. I won’t pick the movie apart for completely missing the mark with its suspense, because most films in the genre suffer the same problem. Scream was an exception, somehow with Wes Craven at the helm he executed the perfect blend of suspense, mystery and comedy, It’s not as easy as it seems. The soundtrack for Muck was just a mess, I couldn’t work out what the intended tone was supposed to be. It’s not even that its a mash-up of ten different genres, it’s more about the placement that’s all wrong. The wrong pieces of music for the wrong scenes, one of the worst arrangements I’ve heard for a while. The bigger hitch is the lighting though. I understand the choice to shoot certain scenes with minimal light for a certain ambiance. What I don’t get, is filming your much-anticipated action sequences primarily in the dark. At times it works, it’s a little creepy and reasonably effective. In the rooms of the abandoned house for example. We get some lovely establishing shots all through the house, with just a glimmer of moon light, that quickly cuts between different rooms. Once some of the action moves out into the marsh or down into the basement, it loses all it’s desired effect because everything is so dark. Kane Hodder is barely unrecognizable, and not because of a great makeup job (which was okay), more because someone forgot to light the scene. The film is riddled with poorly lit shots, most of which occur in all those potentially decent action sequences.

Let’s forget for one second that most of the characters are only there to add to the body-count. Which disappointingly, isn’t anywhere near as high as you would think for a film like this. None of these characters appear to have any kind of arc, nor do they reveal any background information through the dialogue. I’m not going to get hung up on that because they are things that will probably be covered in the upcoming prequel. A lot of the dialogue is pretty dumb. Nonsensical lines being said by either Lachlan or one of the not so mature girls. Embarrassing stuff like “You should have told me we were going to die, I’d have jacked off first” (or something to that effect)…. Seriously are we 15??. What is the point of a line like that?? It’s not funny or witty or clever, it’s just cringe-worthy and totally out-of-place. I’m all for a bit of profanity too, but there’s a continuous use of the F bomb even when it’s not needed, that got old pretty fast. Onto the action now. Muck breaks the cardinal rule of slasher 101. It goes way beyond the 20 minute mark before killing off its first character. Sure, when that axe comes into play at around the 40 minute mark it’s a pretty cool kill, but that’s way too long given what you’ve promised here. I was so excited when I heard this was going to be all practical blood and gore and no CG. To be fair, I think everything was practical. Sadly, what I thought I’d be getting was cool inventive deaths, with a great effects team using gnarly prosthetics and making an impact. Instead, what we get is a bunch of heavy-handed blood sprays, don’t get me wrong they are practical and they look good, but their still just blood sprays. So in that sense I’m not surprised it was all practical. There’s no prosthetic limbs, no decapitation and making matters worse, the kills that are there nearly all take place off-screen. I felt so cheated through each of those scenes, I think viewers like me have been terribly misled and others will be very disappointed much the same as I was.

If the aforementioned were still the only problems with Muck, it would remain quite a good movie, but alas. For every cleverly cut and edited scene, something sloppy and repetitive follows it. Instead of incorporating the missed scene, where we should have seen Billy get dragged out to the marsh by the creepers, we get repeated cuts between the local bar, the house, the marsh and different sides of someone’s conversation. We get the same scene from a different perspective and it adds nothing. It doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, we don’t see anything important relating too, or foreshadowing what might happen it’s just a pointless exercise in extending the running time. We have convenient plot points like the group being in the middle of nowhere, but apparently not that far from a semi-well populated bar. Noah can borrow a phone to call his cousin, who’s at another bar somewhere else, in the hopes of getting his help. I thought this was supposed to be a secluded area??. On the same note, Noah is totally relaxed for most of the movie and doesn’t seem worried about the severity of the situation at all. Not even enough to tell Lachlan what’s actually happening. Don’t even get me started on the random scene where a car miraculously gets flipped over and crushes my favorite girl (haha). What the hell was up with that?? Can anyone say continuity issues?. We also get pointless scenes like Terra (played by Swedberg), changing her underwear 27 times like she’s an escort getting ready for a big private night out with a wealthy business man. Instead, after some more screen time has been swallowed up, it’s made clear she is Lachlan’s current fling and is irrelevant to the plot. Don’t get me wrong Jaclyn is unbelievably sexy, and looks great changing in front of a mirror, hell I’d watch that all day (haha), but in real life this is a movie. Predominately I’m watching a slasher for other reasons. Just a little advice to the writers, If you include someone like Jaclyn you might want to write a sex scene. I only say that because if you are paying homage to those slashers before you, you should have one.

What have you done to me Muck? This is one of the longest, if not the longest review I’ve written to date and it’s for a movie I don’t really give a crap about. Actually that’s not true I do, but only because I saw the potential for something fantastic. When the credits began rolling, I realized it was probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been by a film. This is one of the rare times a Horror/Comedy blend has been a total mess and really didn’t work. The only saving grace is that it’s not a stand alone film, and call me a sucker but I do want to see where Steve actually goes with it. While it’s a bold decision, telling the middle part of your trilogy first is extremely risky and in this case it’s a lost cause. Muck has the most beautiful cast of women, a few funny moments, practical blood and some good camera work but it doesn’t even come close to delivering what it promised. It’s a valuable lesson to learn, don’t dream big if you can’t deliver. I wanted to love this but it’s got zero context, one-dimensional characters, mediocre lighting, plot holes galore and nowhere near enough action/ blood and gore to make it remotely memorable. I can feel that wave of disappointment coming on again…

My rating for “Muck” is 5/10

CHAPPIE

THE SETUP

I’m consciousness, I’m alive, I’m Chappie. That’s the first piece of dialogue I heard when I saw the trailer for South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp’s, latest sci-fi thriller “Chappie”. Prior to its release, all I saw of this were a few snippets which got me hooked and didn’t give a lot away about the story either. Chappie is the third full length feature from Blomkamp, whose debut feature “District 9”, took the world by storm back in 2009. It told an entertaining futuristic story, while tackling a serious event in history, in Apartheid. Neill backed up his brilliant work with 2013’s underrated “Elysium”, starring Matt Damon. It was my favorite of his films. He and his team crafted one amazing world with two earths. Not only was it visually spectacular, he again covered aspects like environmental awareness and poverty, and succeeded in telling yet another original story. This year it’s Chappie, Neill’s third venture into the world of robots/droids. In a near future where crime is being policed by a mechanically controlled force, one particular droid is stolen and given new programming by designer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel). Chappie becomes the first robot with the ability to feel and think for himself. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Ninja, Yo-Landi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo and Sigourney Weaver with Sharlto Copley as the voice of Chappie.

THE GOOD

I really respect that Neil chooses to keep making films in South Africa. I can’t think of any recent films that have come out of the country, other than Clint Eastwood’s biopic “Invictus”. I think without that Hollywood polish, it gives this type of film, and the genre a much more realistic look and feel. The camera work and audio in this is every bit as well conceived as Neill’s previous work. I’ll talk about the screenplay a little bit more later, but audiences should know before going in, this is a very odd blend of genres. Like it or not, you can’t help but respect it and it’s originality. Personally, I think it’s a great blend of obscure, somewhat black comedy, along with drama and a sub-plot surrounding a fictional character. Thematically it’s very different to both District 9 and Elysium, and I think that’s a great thing. Neill keeps finding another layer of the onion to peel back. A lot of the reviews and feelings on Chappie have been mixed, I suppose that’s natural for just about any film though. Some are saying this is void of direction or lacks a clear narrative, or just that the tone is to odd for words. Then you have people disregarding it altogether, simply because it’s Neill’s third film in the genre and he continues opting to shoot these films in South Africa. Not only that, but with key characters generally being played by local talent (or not so talented, as some are saying). Either way,  I don’t think those are valid reasons to critique something poorly, so let’s actually talk about the film and it’s merits before jumping to conclusions.

First off, It’s another great concept for a sci-fi film. I think what separates Neil’s body of work from other directors in the genre, is that each of his films have a distinct feel and look about them. He co-wrote this script with Terry Tatchell (who also co-wrote on District 9), and clearly these two work well together. The trailer and setup for the introduction to Chappie makes it seem like this could miss the mark when it comes to the drama, but that’s definitely not the case. Like all of Neill’s work, it’s the human element that the viewer should be able to connect with. I disagree with the people who are saying he should keep it on the straight and narrow, generic for lack of a better word. These people are the same movie-goers supporting the never-ending superhero films that Marvel keep dishing up, just to break even in order to do it all over again. They wouldn’t know good drama if it was right in front of them, as is the case here. Chappie treads on some solid and familiar ground, covering simple but effective themes, like upbringing and parenting as well as peer pressure and identity, along with some subtle and not so subtle religious undertones. God and creationism are touched on, discussions surrounding good or bad choices, and knowing the difference between right and wrong etc. When Chappie comes to life he has the mind of a small child, but quickly grows into a “teenager” or young adult, which is of course where most of us either consciously or subconsciously choose a path for ourselves. A big part of that will be due to our circumstances and surroundings in life.

One of the shining moments occurs in a scene where Chappie realizes he doesn’t have long to live, coming to the realization he was more or less created just to die. He makes the point, Why would you create me just to kill me before I’ve even had the chance to live my life?. I think it’s safe to say that Neill is probably an atheist, and without rubbing it in the viewers face he takes a bit of a dig. All this dialogue is handled expertly by Copley (dead ringer for actor Leland Orser). Sharlto has been the vocal point of each of Neill’s films, and continues to impress and grow as an actor. Furthermore, the rest of the cast round things out nicely. Patel has a fair bit of experience and has done a few solid Drama films now, I was surprised at how well he fit into this film. Sci-fi isn’t something you would expect to see him in, so kudos to the casting heads for giving him that opportunity. Hugh Jackman plays Vincent Moore, who works at the same compound as Deon. He is creating his own robot enforcer, which is the modern version of a mech-warrior, something we saw glimpses of in the final act of District 9. It’s relatively new territory for Jackman to play such an immoral character. Even in “The Prestige”, he had an urgency about him that you could sort of relate too, a certain jealous streak. Here, he’s just an ass (haha) and giving the over the top Aussie jargon makes him a bigger ass. I think he does a solid job but he’s the good guy in everything for a reason, everyone loves Hugh. Sadly, this isn’t the DiCaprio and “Django Unchained” situation, and I think the part of Vincent could have been given to somebody else. Michelle Bradley (played by Weaver), is head of the aforementioned corporation responsible for building the droids. She’s basically the female version of William Fitchner’s character from Elysium. I think she was underused and the role probably could have been played by anyone. I will leave former husband and wife/ South African rap artists, Ninja and Yolandi for a paragraph below.

When it comes to the action, Chappie is somewhat thin but only because it prioritizes drama over gun-play, and for this story it works. Other than the general threat of day-to-day violence during criminal activity, it mostly comes to blows in the final act of the film. A big shootout takes place at Ninja and Yolandi’s living quarters. When I say living quarters, I mean a big abandoned, gutted concrete block with huge rafters and beams etc etc (haha). It’s difficult at times to relate to anyone but Chappie, but I think that’s kind of the point. On one side, you have this trio of petty criminals who are trying to make a big score, in order to pay off a head-honcho whom they owe a sizable sum of money too. The other is an alpha male showdown between Deon, the young man trying to do good with the technology, and Vincent whose trying to use it for his own control and power.

THE BAD

I already spoke a bit about Hugh Jackman and the role he plays. Like I said, I think he does a solid job but the choice to give him an overly annoying, true blue Aussie accent hurts the quality of the performance. Maybe it’s just because I’m Australian or something, but anytime I hear that accent I cringe. Unless I’m hearing it as a parody in a Horror/Comedy e.g Mick Taylor (Wolf Creek), it squashes any of that threatening behavior. I think the consensus from most people is that Ninja and Yolandi’s performances hurt the film, and I admit that’s true to a degree. Keep in mind, this duo are musicians and not actors, I guess some people are saying that’s the point maybe they should stick to what they know. After having seen the film, I read that Neill cast them because he was a fan of their music. Now that the film has been released, a lot of comments have been made about what a nightmare the two were to work with. Getting crew members to travel long distances to get them special vegetarian meals, not sitting down with the rest of the cast and crew who all ate together. As well as bigger things, like Ninja trying to get Dev Patel stoned, or being crude and hitting on all the women on set. I don’t know how much of this is actually true, but Neill has since said it was a tough lesson to learn and that he will never work with them again.

I’m not sure if those issues found a way to the surface during the filming. I didn’t have a problem with them, the accents grated on me and got irritating after some lengthy scenes, but given that they aren’t trained actors I thought they were passable. The believability during some of the more Emotional moments wasn’t there, I won’t deny that. There are other issues with certain plot points and predictability as well. Some of the moments and revelations in Neill’s past films were far more effective in that sense. Because a lot of the characters are difficult to care about, it negates the sincerity in those heavy scenes. The main plot points were surrounding the micro-chip that Chappie needed to survive, and to maintain who he really was. We are more or less told how important this chip is, yet on multiple occasions it doesn’t seem high on Deon’s priority list to retrieve it. At least twice, he questions whether Vincent might have had it, because he needs to get the all clear from Bradley to use his enforcer and shut down Deon’s drones. He never actually goes looking for it, otherwise he would have been able to find it in Vincent’s computer and just remove it. Also quite dumb of Jackman’s character to leave it in his computer in the first place, something that important would always be the first thing on your mind. Without spoiling the end of the film, things do go a little pair shaped there too. Transference of consciousness and mind, body and soul or however you choose to phrase it, seems like a far-fetched and silly notion. The way that last 15 minutes played out was a little hokey, at least too me.

Because of its apparent absurd nature, people are writing Chappie off. The masses are missing the point of this film, it’s a story about individuality and the essence of what it is to be a life-form, or more accurately a human. Sure, it’s masquerading as a sci-fi/action flick but that’s not the heart of the film, and maybe that’s what people hoped for and didn’t get and that’s where the negativity is coming from. If that’s the case go and watch Captain America, or basically anything Marvel, where the drama is laughable. Chappie is very funny in places but seriously heavy in others. It’s technically well made, well acted and for the most part maintains a steady an entertaining pace. If not for some convenient or lazy plot points, and a couple of South African secondaries, this would be as brilliant as Blomkamp’s two previous films. Neill is going to be directing the Alien reboot and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job, he is a master of the genre. If you find yourself caring about Chappie himself, at any point during these two hours the movie has done what it set out to do.

My rating for “Chappie” is 7/10

NAKED ZOMBIE GIRL

THE SETUP

I recently purchased a copy of Rickey Bird’s 28 minute short film, “Naked Zombie Girl”. Not only is this Bird’s first time behind the camera, he also wrote this gory, grindhouse inspired zombie flick. Bought to us by Hectic Films, starring the lovely Meghan Chadeayne, Ron Hanks and Rickey Bird himself, Naked Zombie Girl is about two prostitutes and their friend Tony (Joshua Matthews), who have just fled a zombie attack in a 1971 Cadillac. Shortly after getting on the road, the girls realize Tony has been bitten and is going to turn. It’s up to Barbara (Chadeayne) to escape, and fend off the horde of undead with a trusty chainsaw. I read about the film on Facebook and thought it sounded really cool. It has an estimated budget of $17,000, and basically consists of one actress Meghan, who carries  the entire film. I like supporting these low-budget indie films, you can purchase a copy of the film from the official FB page, just search under the title of the film.

THE GOOD

Firstly, if you’re a fan of the genre you have to love that poster artwork. It reminds me of something that the Soska sisters would do (“Dead Hooker In A Trunk” and “American Mary”), originally that’s what caught my eye, so kudos to the marketing team. Naked Zombie Girl is a fun concept, in what’s become a tired zombie genre. Right from word go, you know this one is heavily inspired by Grindhouse films of the 70’s and 80’s. It even opens with a familiar but cool, 80’s synth theme which was a nice touch. The film has basically no dialogue but in this case it works. Meghan does a pretty decent job of reacting to the severity of the situation, and doesn’t spend much time dwelling on the past. Opting instead, to get to the ass kicking portion of the night (haha).

The reason most people want to watch a film like this is for the blood and gore. If you hit the spot in that department, you give yourself the best chance of a good reception. The individual zombie makeup for each extra looked great. The attention to detail was distinct, and there was a consistency in how the zombies looked as well as how they moved. Practical blood was used for most of the scenes and it looked first-rate. I was disappointed that no prosthetics were used and the kills bar one, weren’t overly impressive or unique. That one kill I speak of, involves a nice body split which appeared to be done practically and if that’s the case it’s extremely well conceived.

THE BAD

Because of the limited budget but it’s promise to deliver on carnage, the film suffers from obvious and poorly executed CG, during several of the more intense kills. The color looks okay, but it pales in comparison to what we’ve already witnessed with the practical stuff. The aspects letting this one down are all technical, and I’m guessing that most of them occurred during post production. Before I get started on these, keep in mind that it’s Rickey’s first time, and I know he’s going to improve as he continues to gain more experience. I know this supposed to be a bit of a nod to the grindhouse era, but I stand by my original comment about grindhouse when I reviewed “Hitchhiker Massacre”. Grindhouse only really works if you have money, and plenty of it. I know the genre originally spawned from low budgets and DIY (do it yourself) filmmakers, but let’s face it, they were never the best films.

The color saturation in this one seems very washed out (maybe on purpose), but it doesn’t make it any better to look at. Most of the camera work is alright, but the framing is often far to close to the actors faces in a lot of shots. The editing and lighting are the big ones though. They are the components that makes this nearly unwatchable (I say nearly). Once again, most of this is down to preference of a particular look or feel. In the beginning, the editing of the sound effects and the music is all over the place. I guess it supposed to be disconcerting or uneasy but it just feels tacky and annoying. Transitioning between scenes by melting the frames of the film reel is another average technique. No matter how you try to spin it, it just doesn’t work and it looks cheap and nasty. No one wants to see those shot on video formalities, this is why we have modern technology people (haha).

The action is pretty intense in this one, but for every potentially cool thing that happens we get some terribly frenzied editing that kills (pardon the pun), anything you might have enjoyed. Not only does CG blood spray profusely while the camera shakes at a million miles an hour as Barbara massacres the zombies, it’s all so painfully dark and hard to see. The lighting for 80 percent of this movie was basically non-existent. Now, I’m not saying shoot this movie during the daytime, obviously you would lose that specific tone. However, you have to choose some form of lighting for key scenes, otherwise your audience sees exactly what was on display here, not much.

I was really keen for Naked Zombie Girl, and I had fairly high expectations for it. Unfortunately I was left feeling kind of duped. The idea was good, some of the action that I could see was fun. The blood and it’s consistency was on par with everything else in the genre, it was just that rapid CG that ruined it. My advice to the crew would be to really concentrate on those fundamental technical aspects. Most people don’t need that stuff to be perfect especially in a film like this, but you need to make it relatively easy for your audience to watch and this isn’t. With such hyperactive editing, cheap editing techniques and terrible lighting, it makes Naked Zombie Girl a chore. Naked girls, zombies and a chainsaw you’d expect a really fun ride, disappointingly the execution let’s it all down.

My rating for “Naked Zombie Girl” is 5.5/10

PREDATOR

THE SETUP

It’s not often I review films that majority of the general public know about (haha). I spend most of my time helping out the little guy, but occasionally I make an exception. The year was 1987, Arnold Swartznegger was at the peak of his career, coming off the 1984 blockbuster hit, Terminator. Directed by John McTiernan, with a script written by Jim and John Thomas, Arnie took the lead role of Major Dutch Schaefer in “Predator”, an Action/Sci-fi film set in the South American jungle. It’s about a team of special force commandos, whom are sent on a rescue mission deep in the jungle and find themselves hunted by a warrior from another planet. The film stars Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, Shane Black, Elpidia Carrillo and Kevin Peter Hall (r.i.p). Surprisingly, Predator is one of the few films I can think of to have been so well received by the general public, yet shunned by the critics. It’s arguably one of the best action movies, if not the best over the last 30 years. It came at a time when the genre was void of creativity or originality.

THE GOOD

The Thomas brothers script was such a breath of fresh, and the location the story was set in was perfect. The decision to actually shoot it on location in Mexico was a great one. This was long before the days of shooting everything with green screen, and then digitally re-creating entire backdrops. This was heading into unknown terrain and getting your hands dirty, all in the name of movie-making and I really respect that. This is a review for the newly transferred 3D version of the film. McTiernan uses a lot of lovely establishing shots and nice transitions between opening scenes. Simply put, It’s a superbly shot film. The shot choices are fantastic, and everything the camera does helps to build the suspense. The quality of the cinematography is clearly enhanced by the location, every frame is calculated and very precise. This is also one of the first times I can recall POV (point of view), camera shots being used. It’s not presented in the film, until we know that all is not what it seems in this jungle. Once the audience is hooked, we are given a look at things from this creature’s point of view, and it’s great. Technically the best thing about the film is the music and score. I can’t recall specific names, but I know a countless number of people were involved in the structure and tone of the score. It’s completely original and probably close to the best score that’s ever been written for an action film.

The characters in Predator all have their own specific personalities, and each one is thoroughly entertaining. Weathers plays Dillon, a C.I.A agent that asks Dutch and his teams for assistance in the rescue operation. He is just as hard and bare knuckle as Dutch is, and of course that leads to the inevitable alpha showdown. Dutch’s team consists of Mac (Duke), who’s the quite, nervous type that sweats profusely and incessantly glides a razor up and down his neck. Then we have Blaine (Ventura, who of course we all know went into politics), he’s the tobacco chewing redneck, and operates the heavy weapons for the team. Billy (played by Sonny Landham, another who eventually ended up in politics), is the tracker, whose sole purpose is to decipher what has just gone down and what might go down. Chaves and Black, play Poncho and Hawkins respectively. One is responsible for communications and radio operations, the other is there as an extra enforcer. Each cast member gets their moment to shine, but of course it’s Dutch that stands out with some truly memorable lines. “If it bleeds we can kill it”, and “Get to the chopper” are two that I’ve heard repeated countless times. My personal favorite is “I ain’t got time to bleed”, I’ve been prone to use that one while on a job site (haha).

The most impressive thing about Predator, is the quality of the action and how it combines with the suspense. It drops you straight in the deep end, and it only lets up just enough for you to catch your breath. The biggest action sequence in the whole film occurs before the 30 minute mark. Upon that first viewing you have no idea what you’re actually in store for in its last 70 minutes. Our group of specialists think they are dealing with simple militia, and it all goes tits up when they realize they are the ones being hunted. It’s such a massive action sequence during the raid on the campsite, that you feel like they’ve gone to big to early. Let’s give the writers even more credit here, because this was all new territory and they had to feel their way through it, and to end up with the second half they did was a true feat. The conception of the Predator in of itself was amazing. Of course, when you put that idea in the extremely capable hands of famous effects and makeup artist, Stan Winston (r.i.p), you are guaranteed to see it come to life in ways you probably never imagined. Winston was a genius, he knew everything there was to know about design and showcasing that design. Everything in this film looks amazing. From the futuristic, sophisticated weaponry, to the invisible cloaking the Predator has at his disposal, down to the blood and gore effects during each of the death sequences. Stan was the man for the job, and Predator wouldn’t be Predator without him.

THE BAD

Most of the issues with Predator are small ones. I think given it’s a pure action flick with an element of Sci-fi, you have to be willing to let some things slide. Parts of the acting weren’t perfect, but now looking back at it, given the time and amount of experience from the cast it was probably above average. There were a couple of continuity issues between scenes, that transitioned from day to-night and visa versa. If this was a real group of highly trained soldiers they wouldn’t have wasted thousands of rounds of ammunition on something they couldn’t see. For starters, you wouldn’t be able to carry that amount of ammo on you. It would weigh too much and just wouldn’t be practical given the landscape. Ultimately that scene accomplishes nothing because they don’t hit anything anyway. Real military would conserve ammo, and wouldn’t want to give away their position either. My other misgivings are mostly with the script. For example, a better introduction as to how the Predator got to earth would have been a nice inclusion. It’s easy to begin a film by showing a space craft as it descends down to earth, relatively cliché in modern film-making. Considering the amount of creativity surrounding this whole idea and story, that could have been conveyed in a much more interesting and subtle way.

Moreover, It’s also quite a long time before we actually get to see the predator. I understand they are building suspense and for the most part it works, I just think we could have had a few more glimpses here an there. After all, you want the creature on display as much as possible because of how impressive it looks. Most of the deaths were original, and allowed the predator to use different weapons etc. While, Billy was arguably the most interesting character in the group, he had the most lack-luster and defeatist death. It takes a bit of imagination to believe that this guy can recall past events and see the future anyways (well kind of), but I can deal with that I suppose. However, at least give the guy a respectable and hard-fought death like most of the others had. The fact he cuts himself and then the camera switches, and off in the distance you can hear a manly scream, I mean C’mon, I thought that was pretty lame, given what I’d seen up to that point. The lack of story is one thing I have to agree on when it comes to the critics thoughts about the film. It’s a very one-dimensional, thin script, but the question is did it need to be multi faceted??. Anytime there’s any actual drama it does tend to miss the mark. It’s not because you don’t care about the characters, it’s just that we don’t know much about them. Sure, they are a unit but the friendships don’t seem that strong and therefore becoming over dramatic when they are killed off, doesn’t really work.

I think Predator is one of the best Action/Sci-fi films of the last 30 years. I think critics expected something more from this that wasn’t really necessary. In that sense they shouldn’t have bothered watching it. Even though the script is pretty thin, the characters are thoroughly entertaining and the dialogue/one liners are awesome in that cheesy kind of way. The beautiful location, fantastic suspense based score and the brilliant design and effects from Stan Winston make this one the instant classic it turned out to be. I didn’t mention the 3D transfer, but it was great and only aided in enhancing the aesthetic appeal this has. I’m a tough critic when it comes to action, but this one has always been one of Arnie’s best and if you haven’t seen it you must do so asap.

My rating for “Predator” is 7.5/10