BLURRED VISION

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d like to say thanks to Writer/Director, Michael Giannantonio for allowing me access to an online screener of his 7 minute Horror short, “Blurred Vision”. I was fortunate enough that Michael contacted me about watching and reviewing this one. He’s been making short films for over a decade and although I hadn’t seen any of his work, I was looking forward to Blurred Vision (that doesn’t sound right, does it?…. you know what I mean haha). “ZCD” (played by J. Lyle), a copycat killer obsessed by the infamous “KM Butcher”, is amidst slowly torturing his latest victim (Bridget Guillory) when a Detective (Boualem Hassaine) arrives to question him on the whereabouts of a missing girl. All is not as it seems for ZCD inside this room of pain.

THE GOOD

The production value and well executed technical aspects go a long way in making Blurred Vision as good as it is. Right off the bat, I noticed how loud and clear the audio was and the soundtrack was subtle but effective. There sounds like a lot of industrial clatter in the mix, pipework or the grating of similar materials, it works very well with the bleak nature of the story. The film opens with some clever focus shots of the different implements on and around ZCD’s table. There’s some frenetic fast cuts early on to help complement the film’s tone. The handful of wide shots look good and the inclusion of a POV shot (point of view), as the torture reaches its climax, was something unique from Giannantonio. He also uses practical blood and gore effects, as well as adding a couple of cringe-worthy prosthetic gags (which I won’t spoil for you).

THE BAD

The only technical issue I had was with some of the lighting. There was sufficient lighting that showcased the great practical effects work, but on the other hand, something was lost in the suspense and drama of the situation because the scene was lit in a distracting manner. White light was hastily being deflected through a fan, on the floor in the room. I understand the ceiling lights probably weren’t adequate but a different method may have worked better. My only other point is surrounding the resolution of the film. Some blood can be seen on ZCD’s shirt, yet the detective either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t think anything of it. With the way the film’s final moments play out, the only conclusion we get, other than the initial reveal, is seeing ZCD make a final decision. One might ask what actually happened to the cop?

The subject manner of Michael Giannantonio’s, Blurred Vision, reminded me of another short film I reviewed a while back called “The Harvest”. The audio, score and diverse camera work are all of a high standard and the specifics in the writing are neatly uncovered. The stand out feature here is the practical blood and gore effects, which is what we all want to see in a Horror flick. I think the lighting could have been better displayed and the ending slightly extended, so as to better itself with proper closure. I’ve had the privilege of watching and reviewing some really great Horror short’s, add Blurred Vision to that list. Be sure to keep a look out for this one in the near future.

My rating for “Blurred Vision” is 8.5/10

SHADES

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to thank Co-Writers/Directors, Nick Lawrence and Rachel Tucker, for allowing me access to an online screener of “Shades”, their entirely POV (point of view) shot thriller. Shades is a low-budget, independent film about three young tourists on vacation in LA. Gavin (played by CJ Natoli) purchases a pair of sunglasses with a built-in camera, in order to record the trio’s adventure, however, the group inadvertently get mixed up in a drug deal gone wrong. The film also stars Stephen Goodman, Leland Montgomery, Lindsey Newell, Jeff Sinclair and Rachel Tucker. The found footage avenue continues to spark debate among critics and well… movie goers in general. To be fair, Shades isn’t really a found footage film, the situation is playing out in real-time instead of being presented as previously recorded footage. Though a majority of people won’t spot the differences between a POV film and a found footage one, rest assured they’re there. What was initially stamped a gimmick, especially after “The Blair Witch Project” in 99′, has since become one of the most popular stylistic approaches. I’m not like the public, who are often overly critical of these types of films, instead, I acknowledge that self funded filmmakers are doing it tough and for the most part, they have to choose a cost-effective way of production (unless of course you’re holding out for financial backing). In the end, I think it’s clearly the lack of funding for indie films that drives this type of format.

THE GOOD

For some, the format may have already become tiresome long ago but don’t let the low-budget exterior, turn you off of what’s a pretty fresh and entertaining script from Lawrence and Tucker. In the words of Taylor Swift, “Haters gonna hate.. hate hate hate.. hate” (well.. you get the point). Despite what you’ve been led to believe this sub-genre is all about, it takes balls and in this case the female equivalent as well, to choose this approach for a Crime/Thriller. Let’s be honest, most of what you see in this trend are paranormal based films. The consensus is, if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. I don’t know that I fully agree with that, like anything, all it takes is one to stand out and make you reassess your opinion on the whole concept. Shades has its three clearly defined acts. First, the introduction to Gavin, Seth (Goodman) and Michael (Montgomery), our trio of tourists from Oklahoma, who are headed for the sunny beaches of Los Angeles. The second act consists of a random encounter with the lovely Viv (played by Rachel Tucker herself) and Chris (Jeff Sinclair), an older gentlemen who asks the guys for a favor. The final act sees Michael’s soon to be wife, Heather (Newell) arrive to surprise the guys, all the while they’re dealing with a situation that has now reached boiling point.

The audio levels are nice and crisp and most of the camera work is well conceived, given the meager budget and shooting technique of course. The film only runs 71 minutes, which helps to keep everything rolling along nicely. I knew the basic premise but a couple of specifics in the writing toward the end, kept me very intrigued. The strongest aspect in Nick and Rachel’s film is the natural chemistry and dynamic between the cast. Prior to watching the film, I made the conscious decision to not go searching for information on these filmmakers or their friends (assuming their friends). Chemistry’s a funny thing on independent projects, because often you’ll find the cast aren’t necessarily fantastic actors/actresses but if they’re friends, or people you know and trust, things tend to click better than they rightfully should. This cast all seemed to work well together and gave off the vibe that they’re all friends in real life (which I’m sure is the case). On top of that, they seemed to be playing themselves, no one was trying extra hard and everyone remained pretty likable (a hard thing to do). Some of the minor, secondary characters didn’t offer up a lot but leads in Goodman, Montgomery and Natoli were all good. Lindsey Newell was the surprise packet for me, only in the sense that I hadn’t seen her before (even though she’s done plenty of shorts). All the urgency of the situation emerges through her interactions with the boys, who in turn probably needed to meet her halfway from a realism point of view.

THE BAD

On the technical front there’s not a lot wrong here. The only thing I’d suggest was perhaps a better attempt to limit unnecessary movement. The sunglasses are firmly planted on Gavin’s nose for the biggest chunk of the movie, just so happens he’s the guy with the most amount of energy. Even when the guys are just walking around, site seeing and chatting, things do become a bit pointlessly shaky. I’m about to contradict myself when it comes to wanting a stabilized display, by saying I wish the film had a little more action and a lot more suspense. It’s set all during the day time and the only real stretch of action has little build up and is over before you can blink. The decision to limit the conflict meant less chance of turning viewers off but by the same token, you still want to keep people engaged for the entire duration. I think in the end it works both equally for and against the film.

Goodman’s attempt at being stern, wavered slightly during a scene where the boys contemplate heading back home before things escalate. Even during the final act, the trio don’t seem that shocked by what they’ve gotten themselves into. Surely if you were to get yourself in a situation like that, it would be your worst nightmare, you’d try to call someone or something. They don’t ever really convey a true sense of fear, nor an understanding of the severity of the situation or react as you might think they would. On the whole, the group makes sound decisions which is a nice change of pace. My only criticism was that they return to what looks like the same spot on the beach where they were when they first met Chris… maybe go somewhere else guys, especially if you’re trying not to be found. I might have been taking notes and just missed it but I never saw what happened to Heather either, so just a minor continuity issue there (I think).

Shades is just Lawrence’s second outing, not to mention Rachel’s first. These two have written an entertaining and rather fresh script centering on the whole “wrong place, wrong time” plight. The audio is surprisingly loud for a found footage (or POV film), the camera work is above average and the story has some fun particulars. The best aspect was this natural and likeable cast. They deliver some very solid performances, holding them in good stead for future work. I can’t help but think the film might have benefited from some more action, as well as the writers opting to continue this chase into the night, so as to better build suspense. There’s a handful of small gripes I had with the writing and a couple of things I probably missed while trying to take it all in but most of what I saw, I liked. Shades is definitely a welcome change from what is usually stock standard, paranormal POV stuff that continue to line our shelves month after month. As far as the re-watch ability factor goes, the jury’s still out on that but one thing I can say, is keep an eye out for these young filmmakers in the future. Speaking of POV films, my review of the first entirely POV action film, “Hardcore Henry” is on its way soon!

My review for “Shades” is 6.5/10

MY LITTLE SISTER

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Roberto Piccolo and Co-Director, Maurizio Piccolo, for allowing me early access to their new Horror/Slasher film, “My Little Sister”. They are an Italian film-making pair, operating independently under Moviedel Productions. I saw their debut feature “The Hounds” back in 2011, I thought it was a solid film that just required some better execution. I recently watched their second feature “Evil Souls” and much like The Hounds, it needed re-editing and better structure. This brings me to My Little Sister, probably the most genre specific film they’ve done thus far. My Little Sister centers around Igor aka “Little Sister” (played by Saverio Percudani) who as a child, lost his father because of a cruel practical joke by his sister. All grown up now, Igor is desperately trying to find a way to give a new face to his past. Young couple Sheila and Tom (Holli Dillon and Mattia Rosellini) are meeting some friends for a weekend of camping, little do they know Igor longs for a new face and theirs might just be the one. The film also stars David White (Beautiful People *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/beautiful-people-review/) Antonio Pauletta, Astrid Di Bon, Sofia Pauly, Lucia Castellano and Alberto Corba.

THE GOOD

My Little Sister is an interesting, albeit familiar tale about the breakdown of a family when tragedy strikes and what happens to those responsible. Roberto’s setup is pretty standard fare, the tropes we all know and love included. Child who made a horrible mistake grows up to be a lunatic, lives in isolation, has his fantastical rituals etc. It’s all pretty generic but that’s what most of us know and expect from the slasher film. I like that Piccolo doesn’t waste time with unnecessary discourse, opting to tell us the foundation for his characters through a cleverly shot sequence that’s made to look like home movie footage. As already stated, fans of these films usually pick most of the background information right off the bat, so a 5 minute reel of old footage is a great way to just summarize it and move on, so I’ll do that now (haha). The location they chose is wonderful, lending itself perfectly to the use of wide shots and smooth panning. The heavily wooded forest, swinging bridge and crystal clear lake are all on display in some of the aforementioned shots. The high quality camera work further heightens the production value. The Piccolo’s employed several long takes which were used quite effectively. One when Sheila is trying to find her boyfriend on Igor’s property and again when they’re in the woods for an extended period. The most memorable shot for me was of Ben (played by White), as he walks, gun in hand across his very green looking property, over to the fence line to spot Sheila and Tom.

The soundtrack is another noteworthy aspect of the film. The opening theme is made up of a distinctive, synth and bass combination with some keys (keyboard) thrown into the mix. What’s a slasher without synth hey? I mean they go together like cheese and crackers. The lighting is carefully handled and for the most part it looks nice, helping to drive the suspense, especially in the opening act. Holli Dillon is the cast member who gets the most amount of screen time and I felt she did a really solid job. It was a much improved effort in comparison to her performance in the Piccolo’s last film “Evil Souls”. Though to be fair, I think the writing this time around is superior. She had a believable chemistry with Mattia, who played Tom and her character was layered (although in a predictable manner in this reviewers mind). I liked the action her character took on creating a diversion for the killer so she could attempt to help her partner, clever stuff! While I’m on the killer, or Igor should I say, The mask he wears is pretty horrendous and the makeup and practical effects during the kills are impressive given the limited budget. I don’t want to spoil anything but I’ll mention a whipper snipper (weed wacker.. whatever you want to call it) which does get used, ingeniously so, as well as a cringe worthy, face peeling within the first ten minutes. Gore fans will not be disappointed!

THE BAD

Like in most modern slasher films, the suspense is inconsistent. Some of the cat and mouse game between Igor and Sheila worked well in building tension but the mystery behind White’s character didn’t do much. During the introduction to both Holli and Mattia’s characters, some glare from the sun can be seen on the camera in a handful of frames. It only stood out because the remainder of the film was carefully and expertly shot. The audio started quite loudly but during Sheila and Tom’s scenes in the tent it was a little difficult to hear. I respect the fact they went with the use of practical effects/ blood and gore. The color and consistency of the blood was right during the action sequences but in the aftermath it looked to change from “blood-red”, to a darker shade with a tint of purple to it. The weather at the time and the duration it was applied for can make all the difference. The film opens in Igor’s lair, so to speak. He has two victims strung up, neither of which are gagged, yet not one of them put’s up a fight, or makes a noise, or reacts in any number of ways you might if put in said situation. Each of them just kind of accepts their fate, although eventually Jessica (I think it was) screams out and let’s out some tears while watching her boyfriend suffer. I liked that the scene opened with some quick cuts and smart focus shots but I think that desperation should have been clear from the beginning.

The first “jump scare” was quite predictable, Tom goes to check on something that went bump in the night and well…. if you’ve seen a slasher film before, you can guess what happens from there. Writers will often try to build something up without the payoff and then give you that moment shortly after you actually expect it. It’s a sign of good suspenseful writing but once you know it’s coming, it doesn’t have the same effect. Due to the limited number of people in the film, the final who dunnit twist doesn’t hold the impact it needed, to make it truly memorable. As the numbers slowly dwindle, the logical choice can be seen with clarity. Fortunately, it only puts a minor damper on what is otherwise a very entertaining 80 minutes. One of the plot points surrounding Ben (who can be seen in the above photo) was one of the few flaws in the writing. We’re never quite sure who he is or why he knows what’s going on. To be fair, I make a lot of notes when reviewing a film and maybe I just missed something in the dialogue. From my recollection, he never really says who he is (other than his name) and what’s even more staggering, is the fact that Sheila and Tom never ask who he is and how he knows these things! I understand that characters in these situations often think it’s just your usual, home-grown town folk, talking fiction but after the second time he shows up, surely you’d be asking some questions.

My Little Sister is a technically polished and thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Slasher sub-genre. If you’re looking for originality, I suggest you look elsewhere and not at Horror. We all know the ingredients it takes to make a solid slasher and MLS has most of them. The location and cinematography are both fantastic. The lighting sets the tone and the synth music works well. The exposition is presented through old home video footage and clearly conveyed. The performances are all consistently good and the action sequences with blood and gore, won’t disappoint. Some of the continuity with the practical blood was off and the audio levels are a bit up and down. Some of the under played reactions and failure to ask important questions, do stretch the credibility somewhat. The way in which the story is revealed to us, makes it difficult for the Piccolo’s to hide their end game. That being said, I’ve seen all three of these guys films and it’s pleasing to see them constantly improving. My Little Sister is their best work to date and I think I’ve been lucky enough to be the first reviewer for this one. Keep an eye out for the film, it’s coming soon!

My rating for “My Little Sister” is 6.5/10

FLIPPED

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thanks to Clint Morris and Osiris Entertainment for allowing me early access to an online screener of the Drama/Thriller film, “Flipped”. Flipped was Co-written by first timer, Harris Demel (who also directed it) and Rob Greenberg. Flipped is a claustrophobic thriller, centered around Fashion model, Nicole Diamond (played by Chicago P.D’s, Stella Maeve) who finds herself trapped upside down in a car with her boyfriend Scott, after having a serious crash. Nicole’s phone call for assistance takes a dangerous turn, as the man on the other end of the line reveals his own agenda for offering help. The film also stars Michael Madsen.

THE GOOD

If the premise of Flipped aka “Blood Rush” sounds like a familiar one, it’s because it is. Adrien Brody played a man in similar dire straits in the 2010 film “Wrecked”, the only real difference between the two being that his character suffered short-term memory loss. Later that same year, Ryan Reynolds portrayed a U.S truck driver in Iraq who becomes trapped in a coffin in “Buried”. We’ve seen plenty of films that involve people trying to overcome adversity in the face of death but none the less, it continues to make for interesting drama and unique situations. By the same token, many of us (fortunately not me) have been in similar circumstances and I think that’s why it often resonates with an audience. Flipped opens by immediately introducing us to Nicole. The sound of an indicator incessantly ticks, as she comes to, realizing that she’s in a tight spot, literally…. She’s trapped in her car. The film hits you with a wonderful opening shot, where the camera gently zooms out to reveal a smokey engine and the vehicle’s hampered position. The credits roll while simultaneously showing recent flashbacks, as we start to gain a brief insight into our trapped celebrity’s current lifestyle.

All of the camera work is interesting, they utilize such a wide range of shots with different lenses, doing everything possible to put the viewer in Nicole’s shoes. It’s the opening act though that contains a lot of gorgeous cinematography and sets the entire mood, aesthetically speaking. Given the fact that ninety percent of this film is in one location, the ability to keep audiences engaged in the way this does, deserves plenty of praise. There’s a lot of gentle zooming, in and around the car, through the windows, across the hilly landscape and overall just smooth continuity. The audio levels are consistent and the big orchestral themed score in the beginning was excellent. An overuse of music would’ve detracted from the suspenseful nature of the story development, so they balanced it well. A large team of sound engineers, led by Hayden Clement (who did sound editing on the 1992 Horror film, “Candyman”) composed all that you hear in Flipped. The sound effects are abrupt and worrying and fit with Nicole’s current state of mind (and being). The story moves along nicely and I enjoyed the inclusion of some wild life, just to make the scenario that bit more intense. I’d like to know whether that organism (for lack of a better term without spoiling) was real or manufactured, kudos to Stella if it was.. eh yuck!

The film is paced quite cleverly. Demel and Greenberg give you just enough to make you think you see the direction they’re taking but you’re never completely sure. If you read body language the way I do, you’ll probably notice a few things about Nicole and be able to read between the lines (especially in the beginning). The great thing however, is that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Dare I say it, Stella does a stellar job as Nicole Diamond (see what I did there). Her character runs the gauntlet of emotions in this 87 minutes and she handles most, if not all of it superbly. Both Harris and Rob wrote a strong and back able character, who you really want to know more about and hope to see prevail. I actually remember seeing Maeve in a made for TV movie called “Accused at 17” but now that I’ve got the first season of Chicago P.D, I’m looking forward to seeing her in that. The man on the other end of the phone is played by none other than experienced actor, Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs and The Hateful Eight) *see my review here https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-hateful-eight-review/. I’m a huge fan of Michael’s and I dug him in this type of role. The layers of his mysterious nature are slowly peeled back and carefully laid bare. This is Madsen like you’ve never seen before (literally). He’s got that calm, yet controlling voice and ultimately they couldn’t have cast a better guy. I’m still undecided on how I feel about the final moments of the film, it’s interesting I’ll say that much. What I did like though was the message of empowerment. For those who’ve experienced such things (or any number of challenges for that matter) to stand up and fight for what you deserve etc makes for a great takeaway.

THE BAD

My first criticism isn’t directed toward the movie, it’s actually directed at Osiris Entertainment (gutsy I know, given they sent me a screener). I understand they have legal obligations and copyright disclaimers etc that’s fine, especially when sending out screeners, but a watermark appearing on and off would have sufficed. The Osiris emblem was planted (in wide writing might I add) across the screen, for the entire duration of the film which makes it difficult to look at everything in the frame and critique the film properly. As previously stated, aspects of the film were a little predictable. I was able to anticipate a few of the minor plot points surrounding Nicole’s personality and justifications. I thought in the beginning there was a lack of attention to detail in Nicole and Scott’s makeup. One would assume if they had totaled the car and flipped it, the results might have been a bit more extreme than just a scratch on the face or a bruise or two. Most of the minor issues lie in the stages of Nicole’s thought process. It takes her longer than it should to remember she has her phone and that she should start making calls. Not to mention the fact that she calls her mother (I think?) doesn’t get an answer the first time and then never tries again. Her choice to dial random numbers in her area code, hoping to just get a random strangers help seemed rather odd. I can’t really discuss the finer points about the likelihood of dialing this certain type of person, or getting yourself into that type of argument etc, without spoiling the movie. The other noticeably weak thing was a bunch of leaves that had caught fire (in the way of some bad CG) and blown into Nicole’s path.

Flipped is a very solid and enjoyable mix of Drama and Psychological Thriller. As a first time Writer/Director, Harris Demel has constructed an intriguing and tight film with a pertinent message about individuality and inner strength. The casting and performances are great, the production value through glorious cinematography, elevates the entire film. A nice big score and smartly introduced sound effects, top off what is a technically polished product. My only gripes were to do with the order of Nicole’s process and maybe a bit of the urgency of it (or lack there of to be more accurate). There’s some predictable early warning signs and some of Madsen’s dialogue felt a touch out of character. Other than that, you’ll find it hard to fault Flipped. If you’re looking for a great psychological survival story, I can’t recommend this one enough. Flipped supersedes both Buried and Wrecked in just about every facet of film making and I can’t wait to see this again, preferably without the giant distributor watermark.

My rating for “Flipped” is 7.5/10

HUSH

THE SETUP

“Hush” is the latest Horror/Thriller from Writer/Director, Mike Flanagan (Oculus and Absentia) and stars his wife Kate Siegel (who also Co-wrote the film). Hush is a home invasion thriller about Maddie (played by Siegel) a young, deaf-mute woman whose stalked by a psychotic killer (John Gallagher Jr.) in her secluded home in the woods. The film also stars Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan and Emma Graves. The home invasion sub-genre’s long since made for an interesting premise for a Horror film, I just think there’s something exhilarating about watching the safety and comfort one finds in their home being threatened by outsiders. Don’t get me wrong, said situation would be beyond terrifying and I’d be the first to run and hide but that doesn’t stop us watching 90 fictional minutes of it from within the safety of our own homes (a little poetic if you ask me haha). I’ve had my fair share of exposure to these types of films, so it’s natural and unavoidable to not draw comparisons between modern versions and past films.

THE GOOD

As I’ve already mentioned, being a huge fan of Home Invasion films, I try to catch as many of them as possible. I Initially discovered Flanagan’s film after reading a small article on one of the popular Horror sites, DreadCentral (of which I’m a fan). I caught a screenshot of the masked invader and a short synopsis of the film and that was enough for me to lock its April 9th release date in my phone. Mike shot Hush in Alabama and let me tell you, the location itself is wonderful. What’s better than a home invasion flick you ask? How about a home invasion film in an isolated setting, they’re the best kind, especially when coupled with a heroine whom is suffering from a hearing impairment. James Kniest, Mike’s DP (director of photography) who worked on 2014’s “Annabelle”, does a fantastic job of creating a claustrophobic environment in which Maddie tries to outwit her assailant. This is the type of film that’s crucial to draw audiences in immediately and what better way to do that then transitioning from a clever crane shot, tracking through the trees to reveal Maddie’s property, encompassed by a vast and heavily wooded area. It follows up with lots of quick cuts interchanging with and without sound as she prepares a meal. All the camera work is slick and Kniest is constantly on the move, although that movement is quite subtle and more voyeuristic. Opting for either a gentle focus or slow panning instead of trying to place you right in the action. Mike’s ability to gauge how much back lighting to use and what to keep natural etc, is key to building the tension. As the film progresses, with it, the lighting gradually gets darker, representative of the situation darkening as well as Maddie’s state of mind (not sure if that was the intention but effective all the same).

It’s really the sound design and score that drives the tension filled atmosphere Hush delivers. The music from the Newton Brothers is a nice mix of styles and the perfectly placed, sharp and distinct sounds are sure to creep you out if you’re watching this the way it’s intended. What I enjoyed most about Maddie, was that even with her back against the wall she’s determined to fight to the bitter end, she refuses to play the victim. There’s a clear juxtaposition between her problem solving process and “The Man’s” approach to psychologically try to best her. Maddie internalizes dialogue and decision-making while dealing with the intruder because she has no other choice, she can’t hear and doesn’t fully trust her vision. The Man doesn’t realize that giving her time and playing that game of cat and mouse is buying her time. He thinks it’s doing one thing when in reality it’s doing another. This was my introduction to Kate Siegel, it’s a demanding and challenging role that she tackles head on, never shying away from tackling sign language or only being able to react with facial movements and not dialogue. A very authentic performance and an easy character to get behind, well done Kate. I recently saw Gallagher Jr in the pressure cooker that was “10 Cloverfield Lane” and liked him immediately, he impresses once again in Hush. All we really know about this cross-bow wielding maniac, is that he feeds on fear, his motives are never truly revealed but there’s a telling confrontation with John (Michael Trucco) which offers more insight into his background than anything he says or does throughout the film. Hush isn’t what you’d call Action heavy but when things do escalate, there’s a nice display of practical blood.

THE BAD

The obvious point to make about Hush is that the concept, like many, has been done to death. As I said, I love a home invasion film “Enemy Within”, “Home Sweet Home” and “The Strangers” are just a few of the standouts in my collection. Mike has structured his narrative a little differently to each of the aforementioned but there’s no denying the clear comparisons. The Strangers should need no introduction and If you’ve seen Enemy Within, you’ll know it’s about a girl with an impairment whose home is also invaded. Home Sweet Home is a Canadian film, that again is about a mysterious intruder who enters a young couple’s home to put his plan of psychological terror in motion. The mask in Hush closely resembles the one in Home Sweet Home and Gallagher’s weapon of choice being a crossbow, is very specific and originally used in Adam Wingard’s, “You’re Next” (although someone else probably used it before). You have to acknowledge how difficult it is these days to make something original. Even when you think you’ve got something, chances are it’s already been done before. Now that’s no reason to pick the film apart, it’s just something some critics concede and others should.

Hush doesn’t have any issues as far as plot holes or filler goes, though the one thing that stifles its momentum somewhat is the quick reveal of “The Man’s”. That level of mystery collapses rapidly once the man is revealed to be Mr Gallagher. If we weren’t going to discover layers to his character arc, I would’ve preferred to see him as a faceless presence (or not see him to be more accurate). Leave the mask on and let us guess what he’s thinking or what he’s projecting. Even something like his neck tattoo seems to support his attitude more effectively when you can’t see his face. I think the only way to maintain that tangibility was to keep him masked, so it was a little disappointing that they didn’t. There was only one sequence in the film either edited or revealed untidily and the only reason it stood out was because every other frame was so tight. Upon yet another attempt of the man trying to get inside the house, Maddie goes to hide in the bathroom, weapon in hand, waiting for what could be the end to her life. Her vision is deteriorating, as she sits facing the only door leading into the bathroom, she’s also able to see the side window using her peripheral vision and the room is clearly empty. Yet after what feels like only a few seconds, The Man appears behind her in the bathtub. Was she dreaming the part before or falling in and out of consciousness? Did he somehow bust through the wall and she didn’t hear it? The whole sequence lacks clarity and ends up feeling rather shoddy.

Other than seeing a couple of reviews for Hush from the SXSW film festival, I tried to steer clear of all the press until after I had the chance to see the film. My expectations were high enough already without seeing what other fans of the genre had to say about it. This was my first introduction to both Mike Flanagan as a filmmaker and his wife Kate as an actress, I was more than impressed with the result. The location is perfect, the cinematography unbelievably tight and the pacing spot on. It was cleverly lit and the sound effects aid in making you feel like you’re stuck in Maddie’s shoes. The script is well written and doesn’t rely on jump scares or much action to progress the story. The performances are all great, in particular from Siegel and Gallagher who I look forward to seeing in future films. I’ll dock the film a star or so for the couple of remarkably similar specifics used from other home invasion films I’ve seen. The bathtub sequence was a bit of a mess and I think the film’s brutal nature might have been maintained if The Man stayed behind his mask. That aside, Hush is a must see for all Horror/Thriller fans. Make sure you watch it alone and late at night for its desired effect, it’s now showing on Netflix and other various media platforms.

My rating for “Hush” is 7.5/10

CRUMBS

THE SETUP

Written and Directed by Miguel Llanso, “Crumbs” is an Ethiopian made Mystery/Fantasy, Sci-Fi film (perhaps the first of its kind) presented in Amharic, a language I’d never even heard of before. The film follows the adventures of a mild-mannered man named Candy (played by Daniel Tadesse) who lives a mundane existence with his wife Birdy (Selam Tesfayie), in a post apocalyptic civilization. When an arm-shaped spacecraft that’s been hovering in the sky for years suddenly shows signs of activity, Candy sees opportunity and sets out on a journey of self discovery. Along the way he seeks guidance from a Witch and happens upon a rather dogmatic Santa Claus, all the while ultimately searching for the place he feels he belongs. The film also stars Tsegaye Abegaz, Shitaye Abraha, Girma Gebrehiwot and Mengistu Berhanu.

THE GOOD

As an avid movie watcher, every once in a while you’ll happen upon a completely random and unexpected film, in this case that film is Miguel Lllanso’s, Crumbs. It’s the first Ethiopian made film I’ve had the opportunity to see and it’s definitely something. Running just 68 minutes in length, Crumbs is an experimental and truly surreal, abstract piece of cinema that while non linear, still manages to be intriguing. Miguel builds a unique atmosphere with a number of gorgeous establishing shots of the desolate landscape. Within it, hand-made machines slowly eroding that convey the disparity of beauty and sorrow. Our lead character Candy is often welding and or breaking down solids and scraps to use in resourceful ways. Candy’s adventure sets up even more establishing shots and fresh places for him to navigate. Miguel stated in some additional notes on the Dvd Extras, that the film had no proper script. He had the cast in mind and relied on improvisation and let the story play out, as he and everyone involved discovered new places and new experiences. Now I can’t say that’s the best way to go about shooting a film that ultimately needs to entertain audiences, but I can respect the unconventional process behind it.

Although much of the film is spent following Candy walking around, discovering things or verbalizing his disconnected thoughts, it’s Tadesse himself that manages to hold your interest. I had a hunch about who or what Candy might have been (it’s still just that haha) regardless, in the end it didn’t really bother me because I found him compelling all the same. I don’t know if it’s just because he’s small in stature, or because he’s clearly suffering from a sort of disfigured bone structure but I felt drawn to his story. It was also mentioned in Miguel’s notes that Daniel comes from a theater background and this was his first full length feature, so kudos on that. The original and raw architecture is to be marveled at, especially during the second half of Candy’s trek. In fact, all the “set design”  and I use that term loosely because this was all on location (as far as I’m aware) is bold and creative, or to be more precise the attention to detail in the set dressing is. The other worldly score used was reminiscent of some of Kubrick’s early work and the overall industrial soundtrack  comparable with David Lynch’s mind-bending “Eraserhead”. I’d find it difficult really analyzing the script properly because of the unorthodox style but what I will say is that I liked the random moments of humor. The “Shop Owner” is constantly referring to “Mologan Warriors”, who at one point either owned or manufactured everything in his store, apparently making it worth much more in this new world.

THE BAD

Like I said, Crumbs is one of those rare films that can be difficult to summarize properly. Much like a piece of artwork, different people see different things. There’s no singular way to take this, it is what it is and that’s bound to be something different for each individual. Most of my criticisms are surrounding the amount of unanswered questions, anything that’s made without a screenplay or a straight narrative is going to raise plenty of them, as is the case here. The following are just some of the questions I had while watching Crumbs. What was the relevance of the Nazi soldier? Or for that matter, any of the other multiple dwellers populating the environment? Was the Nazi just a random somebody who collected items of worth from the past world? Or was he a sinister being after Candy, who knows? Although I liked most of the setting, the continuity and placement of different locations felt off. In the beginning, we’re led to believe Candy and Birdy live in an abandoned school but it seems odd there’s a bowling alley in close proximity. Near the couple’s bedroom there’s school related supplies, like lockers, desks and remnants of what looks like a music room. I’d assume across a vast landscape like the one they inhabit, there’d be more distance between geographic landmarks.

The way of life for citizens on the land is buying and selling goods and relics from the old world in exchange for money. People deal in various treasures, such as Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” record, a teenage mutant ninja turtle figure and a plastic warrior sword crafted by Mattelo (supposedly used by an ancient warrior, yet we all know it’s a toy manufacturer). Idols like Stephen Hawking and Justin Bieber are revered and I’m not sure why? On the first plot point, what are the people then buying with the money they make? On one occasion Candy can be seen eating something but other than that no one ever drinks anything, nor are they seen buying anything, just selling, which I thought was a little strange. It begs the question if they’re not using money to purchase food or water for survival what’s it all for? When Candy meets Santa (yes you heard me right), he mentions something about wanting to get on the mysterious spaceship but it’s never made clear how one goes about doing that, Who to see or What to pay etc. Speaking of our random Santa, Why is Birdy hearing his voice traveling through the bowling alley’s conveyor belt? What message is being delivered each time a bowling ball comes back that clearly wasn’t bowled? Crumbs raises so many questions and gives few answers, if you think it sounds incoherent it’s because it is.

There’s no denying Crumbs is a truly unique and peculiar film without direction. I haven’t seen something so conceptual since the aforementioned Lynch film, “Eraserhead”. So what does it all mean? Honestly, I can’t say but I have my suspicions. I could try to describe what went on during this random 68 minutes but chances are it will be a totally different experience to what you or anybody else will see. There’s beauty, bleakness and oddball humor on display in Crumbs and Daniel commands attention in this luring role. I like the randomness of it all to a certain extent, plus the secondary characters that occupy the land are interesting to say the least. On the flip-side, the experimental style is sure to completely divide audiences, something I’m sure Miguel knows but it does make for a memorable experience in one way or another. More questions go unanswered than not, most if not all the dialogue is bewildering and I couldn’t decipher any subtext from the sudden ending. Make of it what you will but I still enjoyed the film if for no other reason than the freedom associated with it.

My rating for “Crumbs” is 5.5/10

ROULETTE

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thanks to Writer/Director, Erik Kristopher Myers for sending me a link to his Drama/Thriller film, “Roulette” released in 2012. Roulette is a drama based, thriller about three people from completely different walks of life who collide in an unexpected way. A group therapy session prompts a spontaneous game of Russian Roulette, each person with their own reason for wanting to die but none too willing to share. Dean Jensen (played by Mike Baldwin) had the world at his fingertips, engaged to the love of his life and pursuing a career work with his hands. A mysterious and debilitating disorder derails his life plans and sends him spiraling into depression. Richard Kessler (Will Haza) is stuck working a 9 to 5, dead-end office job and just got passed over for promotion. He’s married to Anna but constantly neglects her, choosing drunken nights at the bar with his philandering best friend, Tokaz (played by Troy Russell) over time with her. Then there’s Sunny Howard (Ali Lukowski), a deeply religious and repressed young woman, living with an overbearing father. The film also stars Michelle Murad, Taylor Hitaffer, Jan-David Soutar and Frank B. Moorman.

THE GOOD

Myers core idea and the structure within it, correlates to something like Paul Haggis’s 2004 film, Crash (on a much lower budget of course). I enjoy stories that contain minimal characters or locations, yet still have the ability to cover interesting and universal themes. There’s some nice camera work throughout Erik’s film, most notably during the opening therapy scene. There’s some gentle zooming and nice panning around the group members, as well as some fluent movement during our trio’s time on-screen. The audio level is pretty clear and consistent, although I noticed what might have been some ADR (additional dialogue recording) on several occasions. Dan Schepleng was behind the music, which happened to be one of the best aspects on the creative front. There’s a range of smooth, relaxing piano backing several of the character driven interactions and then when the suspense and drama picks up, there’s an elevation in high pitch sounds and score, I dug it. I also enjoyed some of the mood lighting during the trio’s game of Russian Roulette, it had a rather film noir esq touch, although personally I would’ve gone with black and white footage to emphasize the undertone of that setting. I’m not sure on the budget of Roulette and given this is Erik’s debut film (documentary not included), most things in his power were quite well handled.

Each of the character introductions are quite informative and play out fairly evenly. It’s apparent from the beginning (despite what you see) that Dean is a nice guy, or was a nice guy at one point or another. The viewer can definitely sympathize with his situation and internally all the unknowns surrounding it. Ritchie on the other hand, is the wise guy, the envious smart ass. You get a sense of what this guy’s about right off the bat and I found him the least compassionate of our group. From a performance standpoint, Baldwin is serviceable as Dean but never really gets to step into the spotlight or when he does the level required isn’t reached. To be fair though, I don’t think he’s had much experience. My only knowledge of Mike was through his minor role as a Frat Boy in Chris LaMartina’s film, “Witches Brew”. Will Haza as Ritchie, ends up being the one who turns in a rather uneven performance. He’s alright with the general back and forth but examples of sub-par acting can be seen during his forced aggravation over a co-worker while at the Bar with Tokaz, as well as most of his emotionally driven scenes. The surprise packet in Myer’s film is Ali Lukowski playing “Sunshine” and doing so with plenty of conviction. It’s not necessarily that I related to her, more what it might be like being imprisoned in an existence, dominated by religious belief because you never truly had a say in your own morals and values. Some of Erik’s writing was engaging, particularly the stuff tackling themes like religion and the topic of abortion, something not many people are willing to embark on. The last act pulled the rug out from under me with a couple of cleverly introduced twists, one involving Topaz and the other…well I can’t spoil that……

THE BAD

Although some of the shot choices were smart and effective, there’s also a handful of shots where the camera shutters a fair bit and there are several frames out of focus. Some of the lighting wasn’t perfect either, namely in the scene where Sunny is called into the living room by her father. Parts of the color grading were fairly bland as well but that’s clearly a creative choice not really a flaw in the film. These are just a few small, nit picky issues that no doubt Erik (or more precisely the DP), will learn from as he continues making films). There were two scenes that were quite difficult to watch simply because of the camera technique. The first is a scene in the library where Sunny meets a tall, dark and handsome stranger named Leon (played by Jan-David Soutar). The characters are standing on opposite sides of the library stacks, each frame cuts between some rough panning along the isles, to closely framed faces being shot in between the books. They could have implemented an aerial shot to set the location up, then come down the aisle by using a dolly and then traded back and forth between the conversation from there. When the camera’s at length and each character’s sharing part of the frame, it looks its best. On the second occasion, Sunny’s running late for church and arrives at her father’s house. The shot leading in just follows her from behind (which is fine), then when he comes out to confront her about her sinning ways, the camera begins spiraling repetitively in a circle, around the conversation. This technique was used with a group of 6 people in Larry Clark’s film, “Bully” and it worked perfectly but that’s always going to be a tricky one. What we have here is unnecessary. The drama of the interaction required your eyes to be glued to the screen, instead you’re just doing your best not to heave…

The aforementioned technical stuff usually improves as people gain more experience and in the end, that’s not really the problem with Roulette. The reasons are two-fold, the casting/acting and the film’s pacing. I thought majority of the cast offered very little in terms of range, and in turn delivered disappointing performances. I don’t review a lot of Independent Drama, simply because it is such a difficult thing to get right. With good drama, you need good performances or it just doesn’t work, plain and simple. I couldn’t help noticing that this cast all seemed very young to be in a film covering themes like depression, alcoholism, disability and mental health issues. Now I’m not saying young people don’t suffer from these kinds of problems, it’s just these characters lives appear far more socially “normal” and advanced than young people of today. I know not everyone lives the life I do but I’m almost 30 years old, single, no kids, no crippling anxiety etc etc, I guess I just have trouble believing younger people’s lives are that bad and I feel like this might have been a better film with an older cast in these roles.

There’s some immature dialogue scattered here and there that never really feels like something you’d say to a friend or a spouse. The film has its fair share of predictable moments, especially involving Ritchie. To his credit though, Erik saves face somewhat, with a couple of unique turns I never saw coming, so kudos. In spite of his efforts, you may find yourself losing some interest well before the final reveal comes. Momentum stifles, as does the suspense of the Russian Roulette situation. I think the run time should’ve been cut by 15-20 minutes, to help tighten things and keep the audience engaged. Sadly the big disappointment in Roulette is the women. As I said, Ali delivers a fine performance, shame I can’t say the same for any of the other actresses. I don’t know who the lady was that played the religious character outside the clinic, but it was a painfully forced sequence of clear line reading that probably should’ve been removed before final cut. Michelle Murad plays Zoe, the squeaky and irritating girl married to Dean and Taylor Hitaffer plays Anna, Ritchie’s partner. These two women play crucial roles in the direction the male character arc’s take, not to mention most of their scenes are pivotal to the climax of the film but they just don’t deliver. Emotionally they fail to hit the required beats and hence you can’t ever really buy the relationship dynamic.

Roulette is one of those film’s that’s bogged down in middle road territory. As a debut feature length film, with a limited budget, Erik shows a good understanding of a three act, story structure and definitely knows how to incorporate some cool twists. There’s still plenty to like about Roulette, such as the solid character introduction, clear audio levels and a nicely produced score. Some of the writing works well and I think based on this performance, Lukowski has a promising future in the business. I hope to see some improvements on the technical front in Myers next film, it’s simply just a matter of tidying up those finer points. Regrettably, I think a sizeable chunk of the cast in Roulette underwhelmed and in particular the women, making this a difficult movie to fully invest in. If you combine an overly long running time, with the lapse in suspense and some flat dramatic moments, you end up with just an average film. If you have a fondness for low-budget, indie drama’s then Roulette is worth a watch, otherwise wait for Myer’s next film.

My rating for “Roulette” is 4.5/10

BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

THE SETUP

This is a review for the highly anticipated DC comic based, superhero film “Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice”, Directed by Zack Synder (300, Dawn Of The Dead and Watchmen). With a script co-written by Chris Terrio and David Goyer (Writer of The Dark Knight), Dawn of Justice is a follow-up to Synder’s, 2013 “Man Of Steel”. This time it pits two gargantuan heavy weights against each other in an ultimate showdown (or at least that’s what they’d have you believe). In Batman vs Superman the world, or more appropriately “Metropolis”, is at a crossroads in regards to what kind of hero it needs protecting the city. After Superman’s (Henry Cavill) accused by the people of the city of being flippant with human life, things come to a head with Gotham’s savior Batman (being played for the first time by Ben Affleck). Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg) of Luthorcorp uses secret technology to create an even bigger threat to humanity. With some help from Wonder Woman (the stunning Gal Gadot), Batman and Superman team up to save the world from total destruction. The film also stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Holly Hunter and Jeremy Irons. The film has a budget of $250 million and has managed to gross over $170 million in its first week.

THE GOOD

Now I’ll be the first to admit I was never really a comic book reader. I know the basic history of some DC and Marvel characters but I don’t claim to possess the knowledge most hardcore fans have of the comics. So with that, I went into Batman Vs Superman with an open mind, eagerly anticipating what Ben Affleck might have bought to this iconic character that those who played him before didn’t. With Synder at the helm I figured the project was in good hands. I’ve enjoyed most of Zack’s films, in particular Watchmen and the superb 2004 remake of George Romero’s, Dawn Of The Dead. I didn’t look at any of the spoilers or go out of my way to read any early reviews for Batman vs Superman, regardless, I’d seen that word had got around that most, if not all the negative press surrounding the film was coming from critics with a proclivity toward Marvel. Of course DC is its own body, but rightly or wrongly these comparisons were always going to be drawn so I suggest you see the film for yourself and make up your own mind. Personally, I’m selective when it comes to “superhero” films because I think generally they’re a dime a dozen and it usually takes something special for it to stand out in my mind. With that being said here’s my review, it does contain some *spoilers*.

Synder approaches the drama of the opening act with a heavy amount of Steadicam work. Zack’s long time DP (Director of Photography) Larry Fong, opts to put the viewer in the middle of the chaos and some of that is conveyed through some nice early shot choices. The action takes place on such a huge scale that it’s difficult to keep the camera work feeling fresh and it loses some context. I think the technical side is much more fluent when there’s less commotion in the frame. Saying that, some of the fight sequences between Superman and Batman are pretty cool, after all that’s what most of us want to see isn’t it? Throughout the 150 minute running time the visuals range from impressive to lazy and generic. The messy design of the falling buildings and decaying city in the beginning didn’t do much for me, yet the simple and elegant cinematography of the small details in Act 1 were probably the highlight aesthetically. Hans Zimmer has composed some of the best scores over the years, including work on “Inception” and “Black Hawk Down”. Once again he creates a masterful and bass orientated soundtrack which really elevates the film.

Even though Goyer and Terrio’s script rehashes familiar history of the “Bat’s” origin and young Bruce Wayne in the aftermath of his parents murder, if it was omitted how would you write the introduction? Drop audiences straight into present day in the current state of the city? That would seem rushed, so I don’t mind the conventional character prologue. On the other hand, Superman doesn’t get much of a lead in at all. The first time we see him he’s mid free fall (well flying for him I suppose) way up in the sky amidst a battle with a fellow Kryptonion. There’s no context at all, an explanation about why he was fighting one of his kind (so to speak) would’ve been a welcomed addition, maybe that’s something in the comics I don’t know about. With all the talk and skepticism around the casting of Ben Affleck it was nice to see him bring his A game. He was strong as millionaire philanthropist, Bruce Wayne but equally as hulking and brutish in the heavier, modern cut of the bat suit. Dialogue wise he’s given very little to work with, as far as dramatic presence, that’s mostly left to Amy Adams who plays Lois Lane. She gives the standout performance, in part because her character is the singular cog grounded in reality allowing her to do so. Cavill, Irons and the rest are all serviceable and do what they can with their limited arcs.

THE BAD

From a technical point of view the only thing that bothered me was those inconsistencies in camera work that I previously mentioned. With a budget of $250 million those problems should’ve been ironed out, although I’m sure the reasons behind them fall to creative license. It’s not just that the film runs for 2 hours and 33 minutes, nor is it just the spotty pacing and completely fabricated environment, it’s plain and simply the script… the script is the number one problem here. Before I get to the crater sized, plot holes and incoherent narrative let’s talk about the decision to cast Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Now keep in mind I never watched Smallville but I know Actor, Michael Rosenbaum originally played the character and was loved by fans. I tried my darndest to put aside my disapproval and general dislike of Eisenberg as an Actor. It’s nothing against him personally, just everything I’ve seen him in he’s missed the mark. I can say he’s nothing if not consistent because he misses it again here. His portrayal of the slightly cooky, scientist and owner of Luthorcorp is incessantly annoying. From the second he appears on-screen with his over the top, Jim Carey’s Riddler inspired energy, spouting off with his so-called intuitive and smart ass quips, your patience will start wearing thin. He doesn’t get any better as his character starts a slippery slope to insanity and total world domination. The constant giggling and high on riddlin approach to line delivery, makes it an awkward time to say the least.

The structure of the storytelling is all over the place. Not to mention the amount of important information that’s never divulged between characters, at crucial times throughout the film. In one instance, Lois Lane gains possession of a never before-seen, new technology, high-grade bullet retrieved from one of her field cases in Africa (I think it was). After some investigating she finds out it’s been manufactured by Luthorcorp of which Lex Luthor is head of. So logically the next time you see Superman what’s the first thing you tell him about? That crucial piece of information, Right? Considering he’s in the process of becoming this evil mastermind and all but alas, Lois does not. After the second or third time Superman rescues her from an impending death, she still doesn’t clue the poor guy in. My inner Jessie Pinkman inevitably found his way to the surface with a Serious, Like Seriously?? It’s a crucial piece of information that’s never told and that’s just one example of poor writing. I’ll move along to the totally pointless inclusion of Wonder Woman. Sure, Gadot is gorgeous and does her best with what’s on the page but what purpose does she actually serve? Is this DC’s way of putting a touch of that Marvel, Avengers spin on things (let’s bring everybody together yet again)? Why? it’s totally unnecessary.

Writers, Chris and David don’t even have enough respect for the audience to make Wonder Woman a smart or well-rounded inclusion. Picture an inkblot, where if they are going to include her you’d prefer seeing a portrait. Bruce initially meets Diana (as she’s going by) at a party for one of Luthor’s humanitarian causes, or something to that effect. Neither really knows what to make of each other and anyway, somewhere along the line Bruce discovers a picture of her dressed in battle attire from many years before (centuries). So he does a little digging and finds a bunch of random, CC TV footage of her in different disguises doing her superhero thing, Right? He then goes ahead and sends her the footage to let her know he knows. Upon her next encounter with Bruce, she shares information about Lex and his plans. I thought this was all going to lead to something bigger and better but then the very next time we see her she’s on a plane, ready to leave Gotham or Metropolis or wherever the hell the film is at this point in time. How on earth is that a logical plot point? Not to mention, the last time I checked, Wonder Woman could fly why would she go coach? It makes no sense and is yet another example of poor writing.

As the film chaotically stumbles into the third act, Lex’s newly dawned juggernaut “Doomsday” rises to battle Superman, Batman and apparently Wonder Woman, who decided to just calmly remove her carry on and exit the plane. Now granted I don’t know the origins of Doomsday or how he came to be but I assume he was from Krypton, the same planet Superman is from. So that begs the question what’s his motivation for destroying Superman? If they’re from the same planet you’d think he’d be working with Superman. If you need to have read the comics to understand the motive or reasoning here than that’s a flaw in the film. Not only did the battle make little sense, other than as a catalyst to bring the trio of “good” together, a moronic Batman realizes he only has one bullet left with kryptonite in it. He leaves the kryptonite covered sword he used against Superman behind earlier in the piece. This is the duo that are supposed to be saving the world, seems legit. If we rewind to when Batman squares off against Superman, they realize they’re essentially connected because their mothers share the same first name (another prime piece of writing). The bat spares Superman and instead of holding onto the sword to potentially use later, he just throws it down. When push comes to shove and the government and military get involved they decide the wisest course of action to kill Doomsday is a nuclear bomb… Ah wait, what about the radiation? That’s going to make him stronger, isn’t it? Oh yeah.

Superman then comes at his speed of light and takes Doomsday out into space so the nuke can be safely launched (well as safely as possible I suppose) without the loss of human life. Of course it does exactly what we know it’s going to do and makes Doomsday stronger and more pissed off. The Batman side of this story remains the better half but fans will be disappointed that rather than delivering justice for the city he seems more hellbent on revenge, which is not a previous force that drove him. On top of the countless issues in the writing, there’s also some odd dialogue and dead-end conversations that drag out the story. So much of the fat on this script could have been trimmed, it should have been cut by at least 30 minutes. The human drama element is tacked on and formulaic like a Hallmark channel movie. It’s made worse because the story takes place in an entirely digitally created universe, so the threat to human life never looms large like it would in a real scenario. If the cast can’t see anything then they can’t feel anything and they’ve got nothing to gauge their emotions on, How can they do their best work? and more importantly, How can it possibly resonate with the viewer? These guys repeatedly hit you over the head with an attempted social commentary on terrorism in today’s society, by including the whole “guilty by association” for not seeing the warning signs etc and it feels totally unwarranted. This is comic book based, story telling that doesn’t need to be dissecting deeper or more impactful themes. Instead, give us something other than the cliché “We will live to fight another day, we must unite” spill and aim to tell a much clearer story.

In the end it’s clear to me that the critics were onto something here. It’s not that they were hypercritical of the film just because it isn’t a Marvel release, nor is it because they were paid to drag this name through the mud for RT (Rotten Tomato the movie site), which is apparently the be all and end all for accurate reviews. Simply put, they called a spade a spade. This is an extremely disappointing and clustered film for many reasons, few of which have anything to do with the whole “It’s not Marvel” argument. Eisenberg is totally miscast, Wonder Woman has no business even being there (not because she’s a woman like some of you may be thinking) just because the story doesn’t warrant it. On top of all that, the ultimate showdown runs less than 30 minutes out of 153. With the endless plot holes and idiotic decisions made by most, if not all the characters, is it any wonder forward thinking critics have picked it apart. If not for Zimmer’s fantastic score, some impressive visuals throughout, and some engaging action this would’ve been a total waste of time. Even with Ben’s stalwart approach to his role and Amy Adams honest performance it barely warrants a single viewing. Other than Christopher Nolan’s mind-numbingly dull and long Interstellar, this is probably the most disappointed I’ve been in a film for a while and to think they spent $250 million on it.

My rating for “Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice” is 3.5/10

CABIN FEVER

THE SETUP

Back in 2002 Writer/Director, Eli Roth (Cabin Fever and Hostel) was fresh out of film school and eager to make his mark on the horror community. Enter “Cabin Fever” starring “Boy Meets World” actor, Rider Strong along with four other fresh faces Cerina Vincent, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello and Joey Kern. Clearly inspired by the likes of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” and George Romero’s “Dawn Of The Dead”, Eli crafted his own claustrophobic horror flick about a flesh-eating bacteria, that spreads among a group of friends on a college break at a cabin in the woods. Roth went on to have further success in the genre with the “Hostel” series and as they say, the rest is history. Needless to say most horror fans (like myself) were surprised when word got out that Roth’s “Cabin Fever” was being remade, after all the film is only 13 years old (whoa scary that it’s that long already). With a script written (or for the most part, re-transcribed) by original Writer, Randy Pearlstein and Directed by Travis Zariwny (Scavengers) Cabin Fever is about a group of five friends, who become exposed to a flesh-eating virus while at a cabin on college break. This remake stars Samuel Davis (Exists), Gage Golightly (Pretty Little Liars), Matthew Daddario, Dustin Ingram and Nadine Crocker.

THE GOOD

On several occasions I’ve said a specific review is going to be short and sweet and it never is (haha) but I’m really going to do my best on this one. Judging from the majority of negative press I’ve seen for this remake, it seems I’m going to have more positive things to say than most viewers, so that’s something right? I have to state upfront that I’ve spent some time conversing with Travis (the director) over the past few months. I got to asking him questions about the film, the idea behind it and even some stuff to do with his past and future projects, he seems like a good guy. Okay, so let’s get into the review shall we? I tried to go into the film with a completely open mind and did my best to put everything I’d seen in Eli’s film out of my head… and yeah, that worked for all of ten minutes. It’s very difficult to just judge any remake on its own merit but even more so when the original happens to be a film that kick started your love of horror (as is the case for me).

The ball gets rolling with some overhead shots of a luscious landscape that looks truly gorgeous. Oh wait, let’s backtrack… The very first shot of the film is a classy one looking through a tunnel, as a stranger jumps from above into a puddle of water, his game meat in one hand. A simple opening but when combined with a very base thumping score it sets the tone nicely. Unfortunately that tone I speak of isn’t appropriately built up when comparing it to the opening sequence in the 2002 film. Let’s talk about the score because I think that was one of the strongest aspects on display in Travis’s film. The original score, which I believe was done by Angelo Badalamenti and Nathan Barr was such a pulse pounding and memorable one but to my surprise so was Kevin Riepl’s in this film. The score is constantly intensifying, from the low-end synth sounds in act one, all the way through to the heavy bass and constant use of repeated notes during the climax, its great stuff!

Most of the original Cabin Fever was shot in North Carolina but the production moved to Oregon for the remake. I’ve never been there myself but the location they chose makes for some nice cinematography, it’s a very green backdrop. There’s some nice use of crane shots overlooking the cabin and the lake looks perfect, everything is nicely framed too. The cast are made up of mostly new faces (at least for this viewer) and the standard of performances aren’t too bad. When your hear all those lines you know off by heart being read by Actors and Actresses that aren’t the ones you picture, its tough. The original cast members were all of a similar age, if not slightly younger than this group during the shooting of the film but each of them made the most of their characters and the moments they had on-screen, this time around it doesn’t feel like they do. Dustin Ingram who plays Bert, the token fool and fifth wheel of the group was the stand out for me. He was given some gaming jokes and things that worked for his comedic ability. In addition, he gets to fool around with an automatic weapon which leads to an entertaining “video game” style sequence. I still don’t think he handles the role quite like James DeBello but he has his moments.

The remainder of the cast is fine and they do a decent enough job and if you never saw the 2002 version you probably won’t look to judge this group as harshly as the core fan base might. Daddario as Jeff, doesn’t give off the same arrogance as Joey Kern who originally played the character but Gage who plays Karen does handle her emotional scenes quite well. Nadine Crocker’s gorgeous and her take on “Marcy” helps give the film some attitude, much like Cerina did in the original. I remember seeing her pop up in the indie Horror/Comedy gem “Some Guy Who Kills People” (highly recommend). Lastly, Samuel Davis had the nice guy appeal that Rider had for his role of Paul but it wasn’t always present, plus some of the scenes for the character were cut in this version of the film. The blood and gore effects/makeup looks solid and I particularly enjoyed the nastier climax throughout the infamous shower scene, however that was the only impactful addition. Though it’s not a shot for shot remake it does tread over much of the same dialogue and information failing to bring anything new to the table.

THE BAD

Eli Roth’s original had a very unique approach, not to mention it was the first time I’d seen elements of Comedy and Horror within the same film (more of the latter of course). The presence of some truly memorable characters, combined with an offbeat comedic touch gave the film that cult type of status. Unfortunately some of the better dialogue was cut from the script and replaced with modern pop culture references and things more relevant to the youth of today. The problem here is the script missed the mark fleshing out those critical sequences and interesting characters that we celebrated in Roth’s film. For example, the store sequence involving Dennis and his random kung fu is just the first of many let downs. In Zariwny’s film the scene never moves inside the store nor does Dennis have that same peculiarity about him, ultimately resulting in an unnecessary bunch of scenes that are forgettable. Robert Harris (R.I.P) who played the original store owner was good-humored and supplied us with one of the best ending (and again random) interactions. In fact all the “hillbilly” characters had their own unique feel, this time around the casting feels off and the trio just seem to be going through the motions.

There’s two more iconic characters from Roth’s film that just don’t work either. When you have someone like Giuseppe Andrews doing his thing with ease and turning what could have been a dull character into the life of the party (pardon the pun), why mess with it? Deputy Winston was hilarious and probably one of the best things about Cabin Fever. Now no disrespect to the lovely Louise Linton, but the decision to cast her was a poor one. Now before you jump to conclusions it’s not because she’s a woman, or that she’s even that bad in the film it’s simply that Andrews embodies that character, nobody else was going to work. Then we have a strange but not at all funny portrayal of Grim by Tim Zajaros, You remember him right? Our pro skater, weed smoker looking for a positive bonfire with his dog Dr Mumbo at his side. It’s not just that Eli played that character and knew exactly the right notes to hit, it’s that Zajaros’s look and feel just doesn’t work and in addition the funniest lines from that original sequence were cut here as well.

Even if you can ignore different players reading the lines us fans know and love, on top of watching what were memorable characters being played far straighter and more awkward than you’d care to see, there’s a lazy structure and slow pacing to boot. For the first hour of Cabin Fever nothing much of interest really happens. I understand the start of the script is much the same as Roth’s but for whatever reason the pacing this time feels really slow. The action is slow to escalate which just gave me more time to focus on this cast that aren’t the cast I know. Both the dog in the opening sequence and the diseased hog later in the film look like latex replicas. It could just be the lens they used for the shot that made it look so fake but I’m pretty sure Eli used a real pig for that scene (already dead obviously). In the same part of the film Jeff and Bert ask the “Hog Lady” to call them a tow truck so they can get to town, that is before they realize her connection to the man they attacked. Anyways.. they tell her something like “Don’t worry about it, it’s turning into a nice day so we might walk”. Now that line was fine in the original film because of where and when it was filmed, this time around they head outside the barn and it’s raining fairly heavy so I’m not sure whether that was supposed to be a random gag or just bad continuity and lazy editing in the script.

Okay so this review wasn’t short I know.. but to be fair there’s a lot to discuss. I can’t in my right mind say that this remake of Cabin Fever is a poor film because a solid chunk of it is just Eli’s film modernized. It has its share of good and bad like any Horror film but the common question being asked my fans and reviewers (myself included) is What was the point? What purpose did it serve to “remake” essentially a shot for shot version of a film that was only made 13 years ago? Well folks.. that is something I don’t have an answer for, I honestly don’t know why it was made. It’s a film that’s neither here nor there. If you’re a huge fan of the original film you’ll find it hard to really want to watch this and if you’ve never seen the 2002 version there’s a good chance you’ll probably like it! I think Travis is a competent Director and did the best with what he was given, sadly it wasn’t a lot. I’m really looking forward to checking out his new Suspense/Thriller “Intruder” which he wrote and directed, I’m hoping for a better result.

My rating for “Cabin Fever” is 5/10

STUCK IN MUTE

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to thank first time Writer/Director, Shane Meuwissen for reaching out and allowing me access to an online screener of his 13 minute, Drama short “Stuck In Mute”. Stuck In Mute follows Robin (played by first timer Katie Kleiger), a young woman living in isolation due to a selective mutism disorder. It’s not until she meets a young boy named Jay (Gavin Nienaber) that she realizes every word matters. The film also stars Molly Ryman, Sara Marsh, Henry Constable and Parker Miller.

THE GOOD

Shane’s script is an interesting one, its quirky and definitely marches to the beat of its own drum. There are important themes on display such as anxiety, acceptance and the ability to remain comfortable in your own skin. These issues are prevalent in today’s society and quite widespread, now more so than ever due to social media and what’s expected of us in any given social interaction. I’ve never known anyone with a disorder so I haven’t seen first hand how they cripple people emotionally but from experience just being a “non drinker” is something that can isolate you in a group environment, so I can only imagine how these people deal when it gets to be too much. The film’s audio track is clear and some of the shot choices are nice. A lot of personal camera work conveying Robin’s seclusion from the world she lives in. The acting from Both Katie and Gavin is of a high standard, made even more impressive because they’re newcomers. My favorite part of Meuwissen’s film lies in the music. There’s a wonderful piano score in the beginning as well as a fantastic song from solo artist and previous “The Voice” contestant, Kat Perkins.

THE BAD

Being just 13 minutes long we don’t get much insight into Robin’s situation or what life circumstances may have contributed to it. Not necessarily a fault in the film but I would’ve enjoyed some more exposition. For example, Why does she take food and drink from the therapy/meeting session? Was there any relevance to that or was it just an idiosyncrasy of the character? Early on there’s a few frames that seem slightly out of focus as well as some shaky camera during the main altercation in the film but it doesn’t detract from the overall quality.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shane’s debut short and in all honesty it was a nice change of pace to review a Drama based short rather than Horror. The subject matter makes for some interesting insight, the performances are great and the score/soundtrack was impressive. My only advice would be to take a little more care in camera movement and focus/framing other than that this was a very well made film. I look forward to seeing what Shane does next, keep an eye out for this one in the near future!

My rating for “Stuck In Mute” is 8/10

SLOVEN

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d like to thank Writer/Director, Marc Cartwright for allowing me access to an online screener of his 6 minute, Horror short “Sloven”. Steve (played by Baker Chase Powell from “Dismembering Christmas”) *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/dismembering-christmas-review/ arrives home to his apartment to find things left in a state of ruin. The question is who left them that way? Steve’s roommate or something much more insidious? Voices by Erynn Petrulis and Scott Aschenbrenner. I was fortunate enough to receive a message here at adamthemoviegod from Marc, in regards to this creepy little short and thought it looked like something I’d get a kick out of it. The question remains, Is it worth 6 minutes of your time?

THE GOOD

As far as I’m aware Sloven is Cartwright’s third or fourth time getting behind the camera but his first venture into writing. It’s an interesting idea that takes cues from aspects of films like “Insidious” and “Amusement”. The camera work and framing is solid and the clever, subtle use of a dolly here and there raises the entire production value. The estimated budget was just $5,000 but you can tell Marc used good quality gear for this one. The editing is crisp and the apartment is cleverly lit so as to not rely on jump scares as well as not revealing the early climax . The audio levels are even and clear and I particularly like the orchestral piece of music that opens the short. I’d seen Baker in Austin Bosley’s previously mentioned Slasher flick “Dismembering Christmas” he did a great job there and does so again here. He’s only given a few lines of dialogue but they’re well delivered. The best part of Sloven is the creepy mask/totem pole (I think it was on a totem pole not sure haha), that thing was creepy.

THE BAD

6 minutes is to brief of a time to find issues in so I’ll just say the only minor plot point I can see is that seasoned Horror fans are probably going to pick the reveal within the first minute or two, saying that it still hits hard when it arrives but beware that you may already see it coming!

Sloven is a tight and creepy little short that Horror audiences are going to dig. Cartwright deserves plenty of praise for this but even more so because it’s his first screenplay. Baker does a nice job, it’s a technically polished product and the intended tone shows. Well done Marc and Co! I suggest every one of my readers and just fans of Horror in general check this one out, the link is below!

My rating for “Sloven” is 9.5/10

KNOB GOBLINS

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Christopher Moore for allowing me access to an online screener of his 8 minute, Horror/Comedy short “Knob Goblins”. Knob Goblins is about R.J (played by Michael Williams), a young mental patient who returns to his childhood home with hopes of facing the fear he carries surrounding his younger brother’s death. The film also stars Tom Gore, Jaysen Buterin, Christopher Houldsworth and Yale Giffin.

THE GOOD

The film’s tagline says it all (haha), absolute gold. The concept behind Moore’s short isn’t necessarily a unique one but it doesn’t make the thing any less enjoyable. Joe Dante’s family friendly, “Gremlins” is probably the clear “creature feature” that over the years helped shape other filmmakers ideas. Knob Goblins opens with a simple and clever hand drawn title, with complimentary stick figures to boot. The film’s production value is impressive. There’s a couple of nice wide shots in the opening few minutes and some steady close camera work for the remainder, the framing distances are consistent as well. Certain shots in the basement of R.J’s childhood home take advantage of the depth of field and result in some great focus shots. The audio levels are nice and clear and there’s a striking score that consists of violin and cello.

The short is set during the day so there’s a great mix of natural lighting plus some really effective light that eases its way through parts of the basement during the climax of the short. The performances from the all male cast were good, the line delivery flows evenly and never feels too scripted. The strongest aspect here was the choice to make a practical goblin, I really respect that. Now it’s not all that great, essentially looking like a cross between one of Dustin Mills’s puppets or something out of Dave Parker’s micro-budget film “Slimy Little Bastards” crossed with the little demon from “Dead On Appraisal”. The important thing was the effort behind it and because the lighting is well conceived it comes off looking better than it should, plus there’s some red stuff in there too.

THE BAD

8 minutes really isn’t enough time to find anything to complain about, if I had an issue it would be with the lack of reaction from the group during the final moments involving R.J. A point that also ties in with the fact that it would have been great to see a body count and some more crazy special effects but I also understand with limited time and money that’s not always possible.

Knob Goblins gave me exactly what I was hoping for, 8 minutes of pure entertainment which is more than some entire films give me. It should come as no surprise that with Christopher’s previous experience on short films, he’s got a clear grasp on the technical know how as well as the ability to conceive a fun and entertaining premise. I really hope this is just a stepping stone toward a Knob Goblins full length feature because that’s something I would definitely jump on board for! Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

My rating for “Knob Goblins” is 9/10

BUNNY THE KILLER THING

THE SETUP

This is a review for the brand new Finnish, Horror/Comedy film “Bunny The Killer Thing”, Directed by Joonas Makkonen and bought to us by Monster Pictures. Bunny The Killer Thing is about a group of young adults both Finnish and English, who get stuck at a cabin where they’re attacked by a creature that’s half rabbit and half human and sporting over sized genitalia. The film stars Hiski Hamalainen, Enni Ojutkangas, Veera Vilo, Jari Manninen, Katja Jaskari and Matti Kiviniemi as “Bunny the Killer Thing”. I’m guessing that before I go on I’ve already lost a bunch of you who are thinking “Half human, half rabbit, I’m out!”. If that was your reaction you’ve probably made a wise choice but those of you who are still with me should be in for an entertaining read. Now those who know me know I’ve seen every ridiculous film out there (okay well maybe not all of them) but my fair share. I’ve seen a vast array of killer things killing things. Backpacks turning on people in “Attack Of The Killer Backpacks” a micro-budget Argentinian film, to Sushi coming alive and hunting people in “Dead Sushi” not to mention “Atomic Brain Invasion”, “Witches Brew”, “Ticked Off Trannies With Knives” haha, the list goes on and trust me it does go on. I was hoping to see yet another crazy idea outdo all those other crazy ideas, I’m always looking for someone to up the ante with these kinds of films. Well… Bunny The Killer Thing gave me something I’m just not sure what it was.

THE GOOD

I’m a sucker for the Splatter style, Horror/Comedy flicks Europeans have become so adept at making. There really is no crossing the line or a filter when it comes to some of their crazy ideas, Makkonen’s approach in this obscure telling is no different. Let’s talk about this ridiculous villain/creature for one moment. Bunny the Killer Thing is a half rabbit/half human wielding an absurdly large and humorous member, now if that isn’t funny on its own what is would be the fact that it’s clearly a guy in a rabbit suit with a dildo or prosthetic penis attached to it… I mean who thinks of this stuff haha? Apparently Europeans do… In all seriousness though if nothing else its original, Right? Immediately you can see Joonas’s film has a great production value, especially taking into account the modest budget. The opening sequence showcases a gorgeous snow-covered, Scandinavian landscape with a charming little cabin at the centre of it. The entire film is pretty well shot. There’s a few sequences that employ some nice gentle tracking shots and others that are well conceived with a Steadicam.

The audio levels are nice and clear and the introductory score over the credits and opening seems larger than life. It feels a little reminiscent of music in the “Final Destination” franchise, it was a pleasant surprise given the difference in tone between the two films. Although some of the lighting isn’t perfect there’s a couple of scenes that make use of some effective natural lighting peaking through windows and inside of cars. The cast are made up of an eclectic group of people most of whom do a decent job in their roles. I mean it’s a silly movie so naturally some of the acting feels that way too. Enni and Veera made for some lovely eye candy and each shared a sizable amount of screen time. The special effects were the main thing that got me interested in Bunny The Killer Thing. I love the splatter approach that’s best used in Tommy Wirkola’s “Dead Snow”, one of my all time favorite Horror films, so I was looking forward to what this group would be able to do. In the first few minutes of the film there’s a practical head explosion which looks gnarly. Although following that there’s a bit of a lull in the action/ kill sequences, there’s an impressive leg rip and plenty of biting and pulling of genitalia toward the end of the film.

THE BAD

The first thing that jumped out at me (other than the heavily wooded Rabbit of course) was some of the incorrect subtitle translation. Half the movie was in Finnish/Swedish and the other half was in English but the subtitles were slightly off and on several occasions they were positioned right in the middle of the screen blocking the scene. They should always be at the bottom of the frame. Even though most of the camera work is solid some of the framing is questionable. It’s either being slightly adjusted in the middle of the shot or it’s just far too close to the actors faces. Personally I prefer wider shots than anything else, unless it’s a really intimate conversation there’s no need to be in that close. The films overall pacing is odd. Several chunks of the film are hurriedly edited, where a scene could go on a few frames longer it doesn’t but by the same token the running time is made longer by other scenes that wear out their welcome all to quickly. From the first time we catch a glimpse of the CG and green screen it’s quite obvious that it was intended to be hokey. The explosion doesn’t look that bad but the car spiraling out of control down the hill and some of the internal shots when characters are driving looked fairly mediocre.

The main issue I found with Bunny The Killer thing was getting behind the extremely thin plot and lack of motive. We don’t even get a proper transformation sequence of the bunny. We see the mysterious serum injected (which I can only imagine is Rabbit sperm) into the man who ends up becoming the bunny but no gradual process. Ordinarily I wouldn’t take issue with missing content if this had the quality of entertainment that the aforementioned “Dead Snow” did but it doesn’t. The core setting is basically just a party revolving around getting wasted and engaging in prepubescent sex, something that doesn’t really pull me into a film. I can’t really relate to those situations I think I just matured quicker than most and I need some sort of plot. The situation is just one facet of the film but even the characters had no arc. They were just the one-dimensional stereotypes. Now like I said that would have been fine if this was an all out splatter fest but it’s not, instead it plods along with an interesting scene here or there but nothing memorable. The dialogue is pretty juvenile and offers little in the way of humor and you don’t ever learn anything of any substance about this mixed bag of oddball characters. The story jumps from scene to scene quite suddenly and without ending a characters movements and doesn’t often return to them for several minutes. There’s plenty of awkward silences that feel exactly that, awkward but not funny. There’s an overly lengthy and boring sequence in the bathroom between Sarah (played by Ojutkangas) and the Tim character (I think it was him?), it wasn’t funny nor was it sexual, it was just a waste of 10 minutes of screen time.

I know I shouldn’t be surprised when I say I don’t really know what to make of Joonas Makkonen’s, Bunny The Killer Thing but I don’t. It’s a slick-looking film with a high production value and some great cinematography (probably the last thing you’d expect from a film with this subject matter) but alas. There’s a nice score, a bizarre and downright nonsensical creature at the core of it and some gnarly albeit brief, practical blood splatter throughout. I didn’t watch the original short film from 2011 which is included on the Dvd but I can’t help thinking this was probably an idea better suited to that format. It’s a film that promises a lot but doesn’t manage to deliver. It’s marketed as a pretty sick and gross film and although the premise is pretty “out there”t, it never feels that sexual or violent in graphic nature. The characters were plain, the continuity was choppy and the gore didn’t flow consistently enough to quench my thirst. On top of that, the couple of stupid cops that supplied the comedic relief didn’t get anywhere near the amount of screen time they should have, Dead Snow this is not. I didn’t have the highest expectations for this one it was definitely a gamble and unfortunately I lost. If your Comedy isn’t great and your Horror isn’t either, I’m not sure what you’re left with.

My rating for “Bunny The Killer Thing” is 4.5/10

THE VISIT

THE SETUP

Over the last decade Writer/Director, M Night Shyamalan rightly or wrongly has been on the end of some pretty harsh criticism which hasn’t necessarily been warranted. Sure, the guy’s made a few duds here and there but so have most filmmakers at one point in their careers but it’s not usually a reason to lose faith in them. I’ve always been a huge fan of Night’s films “Signs” and “The Village” which were both wonderfully suspenseful and cleverly told stories with a particular style of comedic relief in them. I’ll be honest I even have a soft spot for Marky Mark and “The Happening” I know.. I know what you’re thinking. I understand it’s not really a mainstream film (for those of us who liked it, the takeaway message was a nature warning cautionary) and although there were aspects I didn’t like about it it’s far from his worst film. It’s been a couple of years since Shyamalan’s film “After Earth” but 2015 saw him return to the Horror/Thriller genre for the first time in over 10 years with his new film “The Visit”. The Visit is about two young siblings Becca and Tyler Jameson (played by fellow Australians, Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould) who document a week-long stay in the country with their grandparents whom they’ve never met. Becca and Tyler attempt to get closure for their mother Loretta (Kathryn Hahn) regarding events from her past and they do so by getting to know their grandparents but all is not what it seems on this quaint Pennsylvania farm. The film also stars Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie and Celia Bolger.

THE GOOD

Much to my surprise I enjoyed the shooting style of The Visit. It’s a nice combination of conventional still work and Steadicam, along with “found footage” or more precisely handy cam (because FF is of events from the past not the present). I know it’s an approach viewers are sick of simply because of the sheer number of films being made like it. It’s usually to cover up sloppiness in other departments but in this case it works well because the film’s plot warrants it. At only 90 minutes The Visit is evenly paced and you won’t find yourself getting bored. Much like Night’s best work it’s a steady build up to an eventual climax/reveal. For the most part the editing is smooth but even when it’s sharp it’s usually to magnify comedic timing. There’s a couple of well-edited and humorous scenes involving Tyler unpacking clothes and making faces at the camera. I’ve always thought the one constant in Night’s body of work was the scores, so you can imagine how thrown off I was by the lack of sound in the Visit…. well there’s sound but not the usual intensified music. It’s a pleasant surprise to see the film work so superbly with just one brief piece of music in the first act (repeated at the end) and nothing for the remainder.

Let’s talk about the writing. This is clearly Shyamalan’s best writing since Signs (well The Village for me but let’s go with the masses). He’s stripped everything back, taken a simple premise like going to visit your grandparents and turned it into a fresh and suspenseful tale. Right off the bat we are introduced to the James family of 3, we come to know that the man of the house left years before. The situation and important background information is laid out for us in the first fifteen minutes, which is something that can be key in getting your audience engaged something Night has failed to do in some of his recent films. What he’s done here is taking what’s seemingly a serious situation and lacing it with a surprising amount of comedy, something I think he’s done quite well in the past and does so again here. It’s a balancing act between the characters and we get a bit of everything. From the humor of T Diamond Stylist (Tyler’s rap stage name haha) who busts out some funny and impressive freestyle jams, to the more dramatic Becca concerned more with the authenticity of her documentary, to the mixed bag of vague and iffy that is the grandparents it’s all nicely conveyed. There’s some great tension filled moments and a couple of jump scares but importantly nothing gets overused. The two most suspenseful scenes involve a game of hide and seek under the house and what I can only describe as the “Bloody Mary” scene, good stuff!

Kudos have to go to the casting department on The Visit because everyone here is on their game. Not only do Ed and Olivia both deliver credible American accents they also look like they could actually be brother and sister. I’ll go you one better than that, Kathryn Hahn even looks like she could be their mother! Casting the right people is only half the battle though you’ve got to have a group with genuine chemistry and our four leads have it in spades. Oxenbould and DeJonge work off of each other perfectly and when you add Deanna and Peter to the mix (playing the grandparents) you’ve got a real affability. Speaking of Deanna and Peter, they both give unsettling performances and each have a couple of cool highlights in the film. I don’t want to spoil anything as far as revelations are concerned but we’ve all come to expect that classic Shyamalan “Sixth Sense” twist and The Visit doesn’t let you down but it gives you something quite different. I’m interested to hear what others think of the direction the story takes. Certain aspects of the film seem far more grounded in reality in comparison to any of Nights previous work, but than other times it feels a little unsure of what it’s aiming for tonally, it’s an interesting contrast.

THE BAD

Everything is pretty well shot given the use of minimal cameras but those of you who aren’t seasoned viewers of shaky-cam might find yourself getting a little disoriented in one or two sequences. Most of my other criticisms are to do with finer points of the writing, such as expendable material that’s used to round out the siblings character arcs. There’s a handful of unnecessary interactions between Becca and Tyler, which mood wise took the film in a much more dramatic direction. Becca doesn’t like to look at herself in the mirror for whatever reason and Tyler has a heavy case of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but only when it comes to germs. Neither points are discussed at length and therefore could have just been cut. Tyler also tells a story that seemed leading about his father and events of a certain pee-wee game of football he played when he was a little kid, I guess it comes into play in a round-about and unexplained way toward the end of the film but yeah. Was he in some sort of trance? I don’t know what was happening there. There also doesn’t appear to be any kind of significance to 9:30, which is usually the time Nana and Pop Pop retreat to their room. Why? we all want to know why? There’s a couple of other dead-end conversations and freak out moments involving Nana after she’s questioned by Becca in regards to Loretta. (No Spoilers) but now having seen the film I’m not sure why she would react to the questions the way she does.

The Visit saw M. Night Shyamalan successfully return to the fold, the Horror fold that is. Box office wise this latest film has done pretty well and so it should have, it’s a blast. Night has written a very fresh and entertaining script with possibly two of the most likable siblings at the core. Technically it’s a far superior film to just about everything we’ve seen done with the handy cam/documentary approach and the absence of music really helps generate that uneasy feeling the mysterious grandparents give off. The acting from everyone is top-notch but the surprise packet came in the form of Olivia and Ed who really make you care about their characters and dire situation. The Visit is a perfect blend of Suspense/Thriller and Comedy, it feels like a mix that shouldn’t work but it does. Topping things off is a disturbing and sharp twist that I didn’t see coming at all. There’s a few things in the writing that weren’t needed and half a dozen unclear character quirks, including a state of confusion for one character during the film’s climax but overall nothing that took away from my enjoyment of the film or its entertainment value. I think this is a really solid entry from Shyamalan and I can gladly recommend this to everyone!

My rating for “The Visit” is 7/10

SWEET HOLLOW

THE SETUP

 I’d like to start off by saying thank you to first time Writer/Director, Sean Lee for allowing me early access to an online screener of his 10 minute, Horror/Thriller short titled “Sweet Hollow”. Sweet Hollow follows a young woman named Emily (Alice Kremelberg) as she’s driving down a deserted road late at night, on route to visit her sister.  Her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and she’s offered a ride from an attractive stranger whose supposedly heading to the same place. A short way into the car ride Emily realizes there’s more to her new friend than meets the eye. The film also stars Ryan Vigilant and Sean Patrick Folster.

THE GOOD

Sweet Hollow has a really clear audio level which is quite rare among first timers films. I was impressed with the audio from the moment Emily began conversing with her sister over the phone. Most of the short is without a conventional score but the last couple of minutes had some well-placed sounds and background music. Alice Kremelberg, who I recognized from “The Taking Of Pelham 123” bares a striking resemblance to the late Brittany Murphy (R.I.P) and she was very easy to watch on-screen here. Vigilant’s character is obviously mysterious but Lee cleverly keeps him in the shadows up until the main turn of events. A certain level of suspense was gauged from a simple decision to use minimal lighting (on a side note, that’s also a complaint of mine more on that later). There’s quiet a good legend behind Sweet Hollow Road and that becomes the films focal point. I was neither here nor there on the finer points of the story, that was until I realized the intelligent reveal in the narrative which totally won me over by the end.

THE BAD

Cinematographer, Henry Zaballos’s style of close framing and hand-held camera work was a miss for me. There’s a key conversation in the car between Emily and James and it was completely shot with the focus on the actors faces, no foreground and no background, not even a wider shot of the car. The problem is that in this case the lighting isn’t prominent enough (I know it was probably intended), to make those frames stand out. They could have included some wide shots, maybe a few shots from the hood anything just to break up all the uneven moving camera stuff. Although the darkly lit approach kept James shrouded in mystery it didn’t make for the easiest viewing at 6 or 7pm (I didn’t have time to watch it really late but I recommend you do, watch it in the darkest setting possible). In Emily’s shoes I’m not sure I’d be so trusting, even with the re-assurance given to her by James. I would’ve liked to have seen her at least express some uneasiness about the situation, try an attempt to call her sister, exhaust all avenues before accepting a last resort, everything is too calm. I thought most of the delivery and acting was solid but there needed to be a heightened reaction from Emily when she discovers what she’s gotten herself into. Alice is probably just going by the script but Lee needed to write his character with much more urgency.

For a first attempt Sean Lee’s, Sweet Hollow is a short and snappy little Thriller. The performances are solid, the audio is clear, there’s some suspense conveyed through careful lighting and the clever narrative leaves a good taste in your mouth. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the camera work. I think a wider approach to three-quarters of the scenes would’ve given this a higher looking production value. The key sequence saw everything looking extremely dark and perhaps Lee could have ventured down additional paths when covering his protagonists bases and not just settled for the convenient. I’m not sure when Sweet Hollow is due out but keep your eyes peeled. It’s well worth ten minutes of your time and quick side note, Sean was a production assistant on the latest Coen brothers film “Hail, Caesar!” (trivia for ya). I look forward to seeing what he brings us next!

My rating for “Sweet Hollow” is 7/10

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

THE SETUP

Well here it is guys, the highly anticipated eighth film from the extremely original and talented Quentin Tarantino. It’s been three years since the masterpiece that was “Django Unchained” and Quentin’s brand new film “The Hateful Eight” is almost at our doorsteps. This review is based upon an online screener because the film doesn’t officially hit theaters in Australia until the 21st of January. Tarantino follows a similar path to that of Django in that once again it’s a Western shot in anamorphic 70mm rather than the conventional 35. In the same vein, the unique and descriptive writer once again blends multiple genres together. The eight grounds itself in that slow burn nature most old Westerns do, all the while introducing elements of dark comedy, historical detail and a conventional who dunnit sub plot. The Hateful Eight is set in Wyoming during one of the worst blizzards in recent history. Bounty hunter, John Ruth (played by Kurt Russell) is on his way to the town of Red Rock and chained to him is his prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Along the way the two end up crossing paths with Major Marquis Warren, an infamous bounty hunter (Samuel Jackson) and the supposed soon to be Sheriff of Red Rock, Chris Mannix (played by Walton Goggins). The four end up taking refuge at a haberdashery to avoid the intense weather conditions. Upon their arrival they realize they are going to be hole up with four other colorful characters that include Bob, the current caretaker of the establishment (Demian Bichir), Oswaldo Mobray, a hangman (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (played by Michael Madsen) and General Smithers (Bruce Dern). The film also stars James Parks, Zoe Bell and a surprise inclusion who shall remain unnamed.

THE GOOD

When you combine Tarantino’s film making experience with an estimated budget of around 45 million you get a technically impressive result. The Hateful Eight opens with a fantastic beating drum and low-end bass score by composer Ennio Morricone as the camera begins to trek the snow-covered landscape of Wyoming. Speaking of which the setting for Tarantino’s latest film is gorgeous. The Civil War has not long ended and times are tough, the weather is harsh and people are looking for ways to make a quick buck, enter our main duo. There’s a nice early mixture of wide shots and close personal camera work during the tense horse carriage ride in Part 1, that’s when things start getting cozy. As usual there’s also a few of the signature aerial shots that Tarantino uses to great effect. Most of Morricone’s score sounds good and there’s a few modern folk style songs thrown in just for good measure, personally I thought the Django Unchained soundtrack was superior though and I hoped for a little more here than I got. Courtney Hoffman is behind the unique and wonderful costume designs of each of our strangers. What would a Western be without the complimentary poncho? Not only that, you can tell everyone was feeling the cold so it’s a good thing the wardrobe consisted of a lot of wool and furs and hats. Audiences expect a certain level of violence in Tarantino’s work and it often elevates the film to even greater heights, as is the case here. It doesn’t come on as strong as his previous work but it’s as effective and impressive, especially with the use of practical blood splatter and no CG.

Quentin’s writing is always the strength of his films, he has a certain rhythm with his dialogue and he’s been doing it for over 20 years. For the most part The Hateful Eight is a tight screenplay that takes some really surprising turns. The narrative reveals important information to us all in good time and in an interesting way. Once again the same formula we all know and love is the approach in this latest venture. Separately introduced acts became a trademark of Quentin’s after “Pulp Fiction” and he’s since used them in most if not all of his films. I also like the fact that in a “man’s world”, in which almost all of his movies are set, there’s a woman somewhere at the core of the story. Think about it, if you ignore “Kill Bill” (Uma Thurman is the main character) and “Reservoir Dogs”, Mia Wallace of Pulp Fiction is pretty much Vincent Vega’s whole arc, We follow Shosanna from the beginning of IB, ultimately she is a huge part of the reason the Basterds are able to complete their mission and of course Broomhilda of Django is everyone’s end goal. Daisy Domergue is no different in The Hateful Eight. She could be deemed a secondary character but without her the film wouldn’t hold the same weight. Tarantino cleverly and subtly places strong female characters at the core of his storytelling and you’ve got to love that. Most of the comedic relief in the film works although not to the same  tune as Quentin’s other films. His last two have had some of the wittiest humor but not so much this time around. The film’s strongest element is its solid back story for just about all the key characters. The first half has plenty of exposition conveyed mostly through dialogue and you’re never really quite sure who’s being truthful about their background/motives, if anyone making for a suspenseful setup.

It’s well-known that Tarantino likes to work with the same people and when you’ve got a cast with this level of talent, Why wouldn’t you? This is very much an ensemble piece presented like a theater production. There’s some very entertaining characters and fine performances by all. Kurt Russell was recently in the Western/Horror film (some would say horror) “Bone Tomahawk”. The shooting dates for these two films must have been close together because Kurt carries that seemingly winter-worn, rugged look into The Hateful Eight. I was one of those people who didn’t love Bone Tomahawk, I thought the performances were solid but it was too slow and didn’t deliver a big enough finale to warrant sitting through the earlier 120 minutes. In the eight Russell plays a confident, take no-nonsense bounty hunter named John Ruth, who manages to carry on a great chemistry with Leigh who plays the uncultured Daisy. Tim Roth surprised me in this film and was finally able to show audiences what he can do. There was an air about him comparable with that of Dr King Shultz from Django Unchained (played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz), it might have been the wardrobe I’m not sure. Any who, it seems Roth had more to work with here than say his role in “Pulp Fiction”, his gleeful, proper and well to do portrayal of Oswaldo is very amusing. It should come as no surprise that if there’s a standout in The Hateful Eight it’s the ever reliable Samuel L Jackson as Major Warren. Jackson has given us some of the most entertaining and memorable performances in recent times. He often goes unnoticed compared to those in the same age bracket in Hollywood but make no mistake he is a consummate professional. With his perfectly delivered dialogue and ability to balance calm and explosive to draw out suspense, is it any wonder he commands your attention with every moment on-screen.

THE BAD

This is the first time I thought Tarantino’s decision to shoot in Ultra Panavision 70 mm wasn’t warranted. Whether or not it was because a majority of the film is set in one location I don’t know, but the choice to do so didn’t enhance my viewing experience quite like I expected. I’ll use Django as an example simply because I think it’s his best film. It ended up such a rich looking, vibrant and colorful film that the style accompanied it perfectly. However, The Eight is all about its bleakness and gritty aesthetics much like most classic Westerns are. Other than the early external shots in Part 1 and 2, visually the film is claustrophobic because of the one setting and the extra width and color the 70mm supposed to expose doesn’t really magnify it. It’s a long film and when you’re trapped in the one location without much action, even with interesting dialogue and great characters/actors you can find yourself tuning out from time to time. I think it was Part 3 that lagged a bit (I’d have to watch again), with an unnecessary side plot involving a loose connection between Marcais and General Sandy Smithers. We get a brief flashback sequence and some graphic and redundant description surrounding Smithers son and Marcais. The plus was that those scenes aided in bringing on the first altercation, which doesn’t come until well over half way into the film but ultimately dragged out the running time. Without that extra plot point the film could have been cut by 20 or 30 minutes to help it flow quicker. Both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained had me glued one hundred percent from intro to credits and that’s the sign of a truly brilliant film, Hateful Eight doesn’t quite get there.

Most of the content and in-depth passages of dialogue are needed to help establish who these people are and how each of them relates to the given situation. I’m somewhat torn because I would’ve liked to have seen a couple more flashbacks to help progress the plot, as well as briefly getting to see outside those same four walls but on the other hand the final act wouldn’t have the same power it does so it’s a tough one. I think I can deal with staying inside the cabin but the run time either needed to be slightly cut or some gun play needed introducing earlier than the 100 minute mark to save things getting partially stale. The only flaw I found in the writing was early on when John tells Marcais about the bounty on Daisy, Why? Why would you do that? Desperate times call for desperate measures, the conditions are harsh you’re trying to get paid surely you’d lie, Why would you risk it all by telling someone you’ve just met. That plot point could have been revealed after arriving at the cabin rather than in the beginning. I’ll close by saying if you head into this one expecting the usual non-stop Tarantino flare you may be disappointed. Just be ready for a slow-burn approach is all I’m saying. There’s a few throw away lines and some extra details you don’t really need to know about but other than that it’s very good story telling. Ultimately this is “Reservoir Dogs” if it were a period piece grounded in the Western genre and the last act/huge finale gave me similar vibes I had at the end of the RD.

I’ve waited a long time for this latest film from Quentin Tarantino, so I had a lot of time to build it up in my head and when you do that it’s rare it ever lives up to your expectations. It’s got all the elements we love about Tarantino’s work, a woman at the core of a man’s world, clever and informative dialogue, impressive aesthetics and a good volume of blood splatter. The performances from all the cast are great but in particular Jackson, Russell and Roth who deliver a high standard of entertainment with their representations. MVP goes to Jennifer Jason Leigh because she does cop it from all sides in this film and takes it like a trooper, well done! All that being said I do think the running time is 20-30 minutes too long and there’s a couple of sequences/sub-plots that could have been cut. It’s difficult to maintain the audience’s attention for almost three hours when you’re stuck in one location. Because of that one location the 70mm style doesn’t feel like it adds much to the equation and so I found myself falling in and out at times. As expected though Tarantino won me over with one of the best final acts in any of his films, what a hugely enjoyable finish. Hard to outdo yourself with a resume like Quentin’s so don’t be discouraged when I say that I think The Hateful Eight is missing a few pieces to the puzzle that is his best work. Saying that I still look forward to seeing this one again in cinemas on the 21st and it’s a very good film that will surely see Jackson with an Oscar nomination for best supporting Actor.

My rating for “The Hateful Eight” is 8/10

THE WRONG FLOOR

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thank you to brothers Marc and Carl Hamill (Marc who Co-Wrote and Directed the film and Carl who was a script editor), for allowing me early access to an online screener of their Action/Crime film, “The Wrong Floor”. The Wrong Floor is a micro- budget throwback to those cheesy B movies of the 70’s and 80’s. Action films that blend Sci-fi elements were all the rage back then, you know the ones about experimental drugs and shady corporate enterprises etc etc. In the fictional town of Haven Port City, Danny Green (played by Carl himself) is a young man investigating the disappearance of his Father, who was once a groundbreaking scientist. Danny takes a security job at the research facility his father worked at, in the hopes of finding some answers. He discovers the manufacturing of a green drug called “Haze”, the problem is so does everyone else. Gangsters, Toxic hobos, Secret agents, Desperado chavs, Street thugs, Mad scientists and A news reporter are just a few factions that cross paths in this mash-up of genres. The film also stars Heather Percival, M.J Simpson, Ron Hamill, Shane Buckley, David Hardware, Tom Robinson and Chris Postlethwaite. This is the first full length feature from Marc Hamill.

THE GOOD

Alright, let’s get straight into it. The hand sketched poster art for The Wrong Floor looks fantastic. There are some truly talented people out there and it’s great to see work like this on display, so kudos to graphic artist Thomas Hodge. There’s a guy called Devon Whitehead doing this style of poster art in the US so if you like it check it out. I like that the exploitation nod here is quite concealed. The brothers approach to that device still shines through but all the while still being presented quite modernly. It feels like a throwback to films like “Savage Streets” and even the early “Class Of Nuke Em High”. The Wrong Floor’s main plot point involving a mysterious and mind bending drug is clearly inspired by the more recent Grindhouse, indie flick “Hobo With A Shotgun”. Things begin on a positive note, with the combination of retro style credits and a super 80’s/90’s video game esq song to accompany them. The credits were presented in bright pink, much the same as the early films of John Hughes. A couple of the main locations are conferred through early establishing shots as we’re introduced to Danny almost immediately.

The estimated budget for The Wrong Floor was just $4,500, keeping in mind this is an 87 minute film and not a short.. so it’s not a great sum of money by any stretch of the imagination. I’m pleased to be able to say that the production value looks surprisingly high. I estimated the film’s budget at $10,000- $20,000, so the boys really got good bang for their buck. Most of the shots are nicely framed and all the camera movements are pretty smooth. I liked the odd zoom and clever focus shots that were placed throughout, as well as all the lighting. It was a smart decision to set most, if not all of this film during the day especially because on such a small amount of money you can’t afford to pay experienced gaffers and grips. The Wrong Floor is all about its music, 80’s synth music to be precise. Ninety percent of the score is made up of retro style, 80’s synth tracks pumping through the speakers and I loved it. Nicolas Winding Refn uses it perfectly in his films “Drive” and “Only God Forgives” more recently the style can be heard in films like “The Guest” and “Turbo Kid”. This soundtrack is every bit as impressive as the aforementioned films.

With a cast of over 150 people, some of who play multiple roles it can be difficult to keep track of who you’re watching and in what role. So here’s what I will say, Carl Hamill reminded me of a slimmer and younger Nick Frost (think Hot Fuzz). That Danny Butterman, kind of likable goof and because of that his character was the most interesting. His performance wasn’t perfect but he was relatively consistent in all of his scenes, the same cannot be said for some of the other cast members. My two favorite scenes in the film involved Mr Marcais (Ron Hamill), whose a gambler/crime boss of sorts. There’s one sequence that takes place in Spain, at Marcais’s palace overlooking the sea and another that involved a cool explosion of squibs using some nice effects. Firstly I’m impressed they shot the scene on location in Costa Blanca (which for a micro-budget movie is already impressive). Secondly, the cinematography and shot choices during that part highlight the films aesthetic professionalism. Marcais was a bastard character but entertaining all the same and Ron did a decent job in the role.

THE BAD

There’s a few basic things within the technical aspects that aren’t perfect but given that it’s a micro-budget film and a first full length feature some of it can be forgiven. The audio is crystal clear but there’s a huge amount of ADR (additional dialogue recording), in fact nearly the entire film. I’m going to assume most of the locations that were used weren’t audio friendly. You get varying results with natural audio depending on what sort of equipment you use. If you’re interested in low-budget film making you learn to read between the lines and look for reasons why filmmakers choose certain options. A lot of cameras don’t have high quality audio built on board and therefore if you don’t use boom mics and good quality gear so much of it can end up unusable. I’m going to assume that’s what happened with The Wrong Floor. On a positive note, at least you can hear everything properly even if it was all re-recorded in post. Some of the sound effects are a little punchy and don’t necessarily compliment the specific actions. There’s a bunch of scenes that feel cut off early and some continuity issues in transitioning scenes but those are common errors when you have limited time and resources.

The Wrong Floor has a lot of stale dialogue and most of the interactions feel unnatural and that’s the biggest problem. The first act introduces way to many characters before you’ve even got your bearings on whose who and what’s going on in relation to the criminal activity, the corrupt corporation and your one or two key characters. While your busy figuring out how it all relates you get another handful of players come along, some who arrive for a scene or two and others who end up becoming main characters, it’s all a bit of a mess. Simply put, there’s just too many characters. After chatting a bit with Marc I got some insight into his vision for the film and what he hoped to carry out versus what he did carry out. This film is the epitome of a collaboration. A lot of people put in plenty of time and effort to see it come to life, so I understand to a degree why there’s so much going on unfortunately I think it’s going to hurt the film and leave people a little confused though. Everything is pretty scattered for the first thirty minutes, relatively plain and uneventful then there’s a sudden shift in tone but without the urgency needed. The entire film is slow to progress and when some much-needed action should be induced it’s not. Instead they opted to introduce another set of characters, over complicating what should-be a simple formula.

You don’t feel any of the concern or panic surrounding what may or may not have happened to Danny’s dad. He doesn’t seem to be in much distress or at least no time is spent trying to convey it and considering all the things he doesn’t know about the situation, you’d expect more of a reaction. A majority of the secondary characters have little to no arc and in turn the acting comes off as pretty ordinary. Keep in mind a lot of the cast have no experience and on low-budget films you don’t usually have the money to afford professionals so you work with what you’ve got. A lot of these actors/actresses don’t have much to work with but what they do present us with falls well short of the mark. Heather Percival plays Heather herself (haha), an employee of the research facility and someone Danny begins something of a relationship with. This girl had a tough time. Her performance was disappointing, she had promise as the next most relatable character in the film but couldn’t manage to sell me on her fear, concern or desperation and when those things fail and that’s all you’ve got, Where to from there? Same went for M.J Simpson playing Dr Logan, the leading scientist at the facility. I couldn’t seem him commanding anyone’s attention. His requests and orders toward others was delivered without any vigor. Most of the other minor characters suffer from similar shortcomings.

The Wrong Floor is a tricky one to critique. It’s one of those B movies bound to divide audiences. First and foremost, to get any enjoyment out of a film like this you have to understand the filmmakers intent. It’s aimed at a very specific demographic and although I enjoy a good Exploitation/throwback, I’m cautious about them. The Hamill Bros film get’s plenty of key factors right. The poster art, the films core story (if you strip it back) and most of the technical aspects are all surprisingly well executed especially taking into account the experience levels and minuscule budget. There’s a couple of cool sequences involving Marcais and you have to take your hat off to these boys for traveling to Spain to shoot what was a very brief scene when they could have avoided it and settled on a ham-fisted end edit. The highlight of the film for me though was the nostalgic 80’s/90’s synth score, I could listen to that stuff all day, totally dug it! A good number of the nitpicky, technical things I can probably let slide. Sadly the stiffly delivered dialogue, mediocre performances and inclusion of way too many characters are three of the key things that I just can’t ignore. There’s failure almost right across the board when delivering realistic and appropriate reactions to anything and everything in the film. Obviously the script has to wear some of the blame because after all, the cast can only work with what they’ve got and in this case it’s not much. Even with all the criticisms I still take my hat off to these boys and their DIY approach. Not everyone is cut out for guerrilla film making and although the result is far from perfect I’m sure they learnt a lot and can hopefully apply that in their next venture. Fans of the genre should still take a look, maybe you’ll find something I couldn’t.

My rating for “The Wrong Floor” is 4.5/10

SHARKANSAS WOMEN’S PRISON MASSACRE

THE SETUP

This is a review for the pre-release, Region 3 DVD of “Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre” Directed by Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall and Piranhaconda). Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is a made for TV esq, Sci-fi/Creature feature about a group of women offenders who escape while on routine prison detail in a remote and heavily wooded area. Carl (played by John Callahan) is the officer in charge of keeping the group of colorful characters in line. With two law enforcement agents, Detective Patterson (Traci Lords) and Levine (Corey Landis) hot on the tail of the escaped inmates both parties are unaware that nearby fracking has accidentally opened a waterway where a prehistoric shark has entered. This group of misfits must band together if they’re to put a stop to the ancient beast. The film also stars Dominique Swain, Cindy Lucas, Christine Nguyen, Amy Holt, Skye McDonald, Oscar DeRosa, Chris Christopher and Tabitha Marie.

I’ve followed Jim’s work on and off over the years, he’s been at it since the early 80’s with films like “The Lost Empire” and “Chopping Mall”. I didn’t see any of his work through the 90’s but in the early 2000’s I started noticing his name popping up on hilariously amazing, pun filled titles like “The Bare Wench Project”, “Alabama Jones and The Busty Crusade”, “The Devil Wears Nada” and “The Hills Have Thighs”…. just to name a few (I could go on). I know what you’re thinking, Surely these must be porn right? Answer, yes some are. They tend to be on the soft core side but always showcasing a variety of buxom women. I’ve got four or five of Jim’s more serious films in my collection (most of which I still haven’t seen yet) Oh yeah and when I say serious I mean about as serious as this title I’m about to start critiquing (haha). What I can say about Wynorski thus far, is that he appears to have a great rapport with those he works with and is clearly all about just having a blast and it shows in the result.

THE GOOD

These days we’ve come to know what to expect from the modern creature feature. They’re usually pretty standard fare which involve either small groups of survivors post catastrophe, or a wealthy and untouchable corporation who while up to no good unleash a water/land dwelling, mammoth hybrid of sorts (or something to that effect). Now you’re thinking I’m going to say Wynorksi takes a different approach aren’t you? Well sorry to disappoint, he doesn’t but that’s part of the charm of this style of B movie. Sharkansas has a wonderful production value that instantly elevates it from the majority of films that air on the SyFy channel. This was shot in Marianna, Florida which looks like a gorgeous place. The arboreaceous landscape and its gullies of water make for some truly sublime cinematography early in the film. There’s a real cheesy but awesome piece of synth music with guitar backing it during the opening credits. Most of the soundtrack is fairly generic but that opening song was so damn catchy!

Tony Randel should be commended on his slick editing. The film only runs about 80 minutes, so there isn’t any of that pointless exposition no one cares about dragging it out unnecessarily. The sound department did a nice job of maintaining a consistency between dialogue audio and special/sound fx. I’m not sure if it was Jim’s decision to light the film like an episode of “The Bold and Beautiful” or whether you can chalk it up to the gaffers creative input, either way I thought it was done to parody those terrible day time shows, and though I found it off-putting it was also very funny. Even all the external shots have that white glow wash over the actresses faces. It’s like you’d expect to see them on a cloud of fairy floss or in someone’s dream or something, it was very odd. Given the genre and its usually lazy, by the book method I was surprised at the quality of the cinematography. There’s a lot of steady framing and smart shot choices, as well as some nice wide shots and careful tracking in the lead up to when we first see the shark. Hell, even most of the stock footage looks decent and is matched accordingly, which is extremely rare in these types of films. David DeCoteau take note.

If there’s a constant in Wynorski’s modus operandi it’s that he has a knack for casting some of the most gorgeous women, I’m not sure how he does it (haha) but I’m bloody glad he does! You can be sure anything of his is bound to shell out exuberant amounts of T & A, let’s face it that’s a big part of the reason you’d watch a film called “Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre” or “Cleavagefield”, “The Breastford Wives” I could go on, and on and on and on (haha). Okay, so the women, Where do I start? Right off the bat we are introduced to our 5 delinquents who are on route for some slave labor. Anita Connors (played by the voluptuous Cindy Lucas), starts off as the more discreet member of the group, that is until things go pear-shaped. Shannon (played by the lovely Amy Holt from Jim’s film “Dinocroc Vs Supergator”) is a sweetie (as much as a felon can be) and happens to be a pretty strong female character. Sarah (the gorgeous Sky McDonald) has a tonne of sass and isn’t one to take any attitude from her peers. Michelle (Christine Nguyen “Bitch Slap” and “The Devil Wears Nada”) is the oriental girl, constantly referred to as “Soy sauce” or any number of other racial slurs by her fellow convicts. She remains the nicest and most relatable of the characters. Lastly there’s Samantha (the pretty Tabitha Marie in her acting debut).

The most ludicrous thing about this group of attractive felons (besides the fact that they’re all far too attractive) is that they wouldn’t all be wearing cleavage exposed, white shirts and denim short shorts (haha). If they were potentially a danger to the guards or those around them they’d probably be wearing handcuffs and sporting orange jumpsuits, not frolicking around in the autumn leaves and that’s one of several things that make this movie hilarious. Check your attitudes at the door people, if you can’t tell this is intentionally B movie schlock you probably shouldn’t be watching it. As you can see I’m dissecting it like I would any other film, but at the same time fully understanding the end goal. Before I go any further I want to mention the sweet and bubbly, Dominique Swain who plays Honey in the film. I can’t say much about her character without some heavy spoilage but just encase you saw the IMDB and thought I missed her, I thought I better mention it. Most of the acting from this group of girls is pretty even. A few reactions here and there felt a bit forced and I really didn’t feel threatened by the ringleaders behind the groups escape (they shall remain unnamed). I’m not sure it was all down to their acting, probably more to do with the writing. I thought overall Nguyen and Holt delivered the best performances but most of the cast do enough.

Wynorski’s and Co’s Screenplay is laced with little cheeky jabs and moments of comedy, or on several occasions “attempted comedy”. Most of the banter feels natural enough and there’s some great insults thrown around by Honey, Anita and Sarah usually directed at Michelle. Some of the sequences don’t pay much attention to those before them and the attitudes of the girls end up changing on a dime. One minute we get a completely self-aware, hot girl montage with our wet-shirt, bombshells firmly gripping shovels and picks and slowly penetrating the earth’s core with them (much like that dance film clip…. yeah you know the one) then next they’re holding people against their will and getting in scraps with each other over nothing and tossing in jokes about “The Fugitive”, it’s all kind of uneven. I’ll make a quick mention of the CG and shark effects which were another element of Wynorski’s film that surprised me. Okay, so we don’t get to see the shark anywhere near as much as I would’ve liked. However, I acknowledge that’s clever in its own way especially if you don’t have a sizable budget to make it look good. Instead Jim opts for a realistic looking fin and when half of the shark comes out of the water it looks practical and far better than anything we’ve seen on the aforementioned SyFy channel, so kudos!

THE BAD

You’d think with so many positive things to say about Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre there wouldn’t be much left to cover. However, with these types of films I like to be thorough and give readers a sufficient amount of information to base their decision on whether to watch it or not. From a technical point of view this is probably one of the best creature feature’s that I’ve seen in a long time. My only nit-pick is that some of the external shots show glimpses of harsh light, shining through the trees into the frame which is a little off-putting but other than that all the aesthetics are great. All of my complaints lie in the writing and some shortcuts that were taken in creative choices that could have improved the overall result. Traci Lords was the one person that missed the mark in a huge part of this film. She’s the most experienced member of the cast so naturally I was thrown off by her stumbling through scenes, unassured one moment to jittery the next, I’m not sure if it was the OCD style character or her acting but either way it missed the mark. Corey Landis playing her partner Adam Levine (not Maroon 5’s front man) was only marginally better. The detective work, minus a quick scene was essentially non-existent and they don’t ever share any scenes with the women in question. Both roles seemed to lead to dead ends and in the greater scheme of the narrative they weren’t needed.

A couple of unnecessary characters are just the first hiccup in the script, some of the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired too. I get that it’s a stupid idea and all the specifics are completely impractical so why would the interactions be any different? But lines like “More sooner than later” and the constant use of “Crap on a cracker” when things don’t go according to Honey’s plans gets a bit much to swallow after a while. On the upside, other than the light-hearted racial taunts Jim’s film doesn’t have any profanity (a rarity these days) so I’ll commend it on that maybe just try something like “H E double hockey sticks” or something equally corny as to mix it up so it’s not all about crackers and crap. Segueing me perfectly into a couple of the downright dumb sequences that desperately needed a re-write. At one stage, Carl and the group of women are supposed to be looking for something or someone (I don’t remember who, Sarah I think?). They are all out in the woods standing around, no more than 5 or 6 meters apart pretending to look for something when just over to the side lay a body part which one of the girls discovers, and then proceeds to yell out to the others who are right within earshot…. come on guys, that’s lazy writing Didn’t anyone pick up on that on set? Obviously not, but I did. Carl being the brains trust that he is, also decides the girls should make a dummy and smear some blood on it to attract the sharks who are circling around the lake house the group are hole up in. Let’s just say that the shark thought it was as stupid as I did. Of all the potential plot points to act as a catalyst that was the best option? Surely not.

The other key aspect to the success of a creature feature comes down to effects and action sequences you introduce. Overall there’s a lot of shortcuts and lack of details in that part of Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre. The makeup application to the characters wounds lacked attention to detail. They opted to only use some basic makeup patching and put a few blood stains here and there, on the actors arm or on their clothing to try to maintain the continuity. The first sight of a decomposing body should have been gruesome and stomach turning instead, the body prosthetics even from a distance look cheap and fake with complimentary sound effects of flies added to the mix. I always go into a film like this hoping to get the three core basics, Nudity, Action and Gore, if I get two out of three I’m usually satisfied. Although these women make for some lovely eye candy no one get’s naked, partially or otherwise. There’s nothing wrong with keeping it PG but one has a certain expectation especially if they know Jim’s previous work. I can forgive that side of it but unfortunately the lack of on-screen kills and missing blood and gore, minus a couple of average CG sprays puts a damper on the re-watch ability factor. If the estimated budget is anywhere near close to the IMDB figure, there was plenty of funding for the whole nine yards and I’m disappointed to not have gotten that.

Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is the first film of Jim Wynorski’s that I’ve reviewed here at Adamthemoviegod and I’m sure it won’t be the last. He’s had over 30 years in the industry and it shows on-screen and with his cast and crew. I was pretty excited for Sharkansas and from a technical point of view I wasn’t let down. The production value is impressive, the strongest characteristics being the location and standard of cinematography. As expected, the film is carried by a cast of stunning women who for the most part do a solid job of bringing their characters to life and making them entertaining. Some of the banter is humorous and the absurdities of the finer points of the writing make for a very fun 80 minutes. To top it off, what we do see of the prehistoric shark looks surprisingly good. Much to my surprise, whenever Lords was on the screen it was a hard sell and the scenes involving her and her partner never felt like they fit. The script has some embarrassing dialogue at times and a couple of dim-witted scenes to help advance the plot didn’t bolster it. The kicker is that Wynorski’s film doesn’t have the Nudity and Action one might be expecting, so just a heads up. As I’ve advised filmmakers before, if you’re going to make one of these films make it action packed, use detailed gags and plenty of the red stuff because it’s what your target audience hopes to see. Regardless, I still had fun with this and I look forward to watching Jim’s other films that are in my collection. Bring on his next venture CobraGator!

My rating for “Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre” is 6/10

SISTER HELL

THE SETUP

Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, Fredrik S. Hana for allowing me access to an online screener of his 15 minute, Psychological Horror/comedy short “Sister Hell”. Please excuse the pixelated version of the above poster art, I couldn’t get access to a high-resolution photo so it will have to do for now. Sister Hell is the story of a reclusive nun who decides to leave the monastery in order to become the curvy and voluptuous women she truly sees herself as, but it might come at a cost. The film stars Thomas Aske Berg, Espen Hana, Oliver Hohlbrugger, Anders Hommersand and Johanna K. Rostad. Fredrik has directed a handful of other short films but this is the first time I’ve seen any of his work.

THE GOOD

Hana’s script is quite an interesting one. Through careful pacing he manages to capture that innocence and naivety with which our young protagonist approaches her goal. The core theme in Fredrik’s script is discovery. Specifically where and how we fit into the world. Being able to comfortably exist in one’s skin without fear of judgement or in this case, eternal damnation. Sister Hell approaches its body modification surgery in a similar way The Soska Sisters did with “American Mary”. The procedure plays out with fast cuts as we see a mix of slapdash cutting and stapling. You can imagine the aftermath… it’s realistic and rather disgusting. On the other side of the coin, most of Hana’s aesthetics feel like they’re straight out of the 70’s. There’s a magnificent looking church, very old and distinctive making for a great primary location.

The camera work is very smooth and carefully constructed. Smart and simple shot choices on display, along with some well placed tracking shots in a few scenes. Though the running time is brief the film is still edited superbly. The acting is solid but the dialogue is scarce, most of the messaging is conveyed through visual intensification. The aspect I enjoyed the most in this one was the incredibly jolting, unnerving sound effects. The score reminded me a lot of Robert Eggers film “The Witch” (not a great film but a fantastic score). For the most part the siren effect that’s used, combined with the instrumental sounds helped build everything up (even if it was slightly overused).

THE BAD

I thought it was a little too easy and convenient in the way the back alley business was revealed to us. She’s only just arrived and then all of sudden a neon sign offering cheap surgery appears. I would’ve liked to have seen her have contact with someone else in the city or find a business card etc, maybe that’s how she finds out about the place (just something different). I didn’t like the piece of music playing in the nightclub scene. It wasn’t necessarily because I don’t like the style, I just thought it was a plain and poor piece of music. I was hoping for a clearer message from the themes that were covered. Something with some weight behind it but instead the ending I got was a bit bizarre for me. It was made worse by the decision to mute all the sound during the climax, making it even harder to decipher the deeper resolution. It’s all a matter of personal preference I suppose and I think stories with religion based sub-text tend to lose me.

Sister Hell was an exploration of a common enough topic but definitely executed in a different and memorable way (no matter how you look at it). It felt to me like part “American Mary”, part “The Witch” while still managing to maintain a certain level of originality. The acting was solid, the camera work/audio well-managed and the eerie sound effects topped off what was a technical success. I would have preferred a few different specifics within some of the writing and a clearer more impactful finale. All the same, Fredrik has made an enjoyable little film that will only take up 15 minutes of your time so be sure to check it out when it becomes available!

My rating for “Sister Hell” is 7/10

THE SMILING MAN

THE SETUP

First off I’d just like to say thank you to Writer/Director, A.J Briones for allowing me access to an online screener of his 7 minute Horror short, “The Smiling Man”. I’ve made contact with a lot of different filmmakers through my interest in these types of short films. AJ was a contact I found through Gabriel Olson, a mutual contact and filmmaker who directed “The Bridge Partner” *see review *https://adamthemoviegod.com/the-bridge-partner-review/. The Smiling Man is about a little girl (played by Abbi Chally) who while home alone, comes face to face with a malevolent stranger (Strange Dave). The film also stars Mellissa Chally and The Smiling Man whose voiced by Richard Dorton. I was surprised when I saw the long list of credits to Briones name. Turns out he works as a visual effects artist and previsualization supervisor. His list of credits include “47 Ronin” another film I reviewed, plus “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” and “Tomorrowland” just to name a few. It’s rare I get the opportunity to review a film made by someone who specializes in a completely different department.

THE GOOD

I initially caught a brief snippet of the trailer for this one and thought the premise really looked like it suited the short medium. Although it’s not necessarily original, it’s very well conceived and an entertaining seven minutes all the same. The creepy use of balloons to lure the little girl into a false sense of security made for quite a nice build up. There were a couple of nice jump scares that were generated through sound effects and score, rather than just conveniently placed where the audience might have dropped their guard. The camera movement was the most impressive facet of The Smiling Man. AJ applied some nice simplistic framing, as well as throwing in some gentle tracking shots to help convey the tension filled situation the little girl finds herself in. There’s one aerial shot used right before the main unveiling that took something away from the conclusion though. The orchestral and piano based score was reminiscent of some of Shyamalan’s work (“Signs” and “The Sixth Sense”), the sound effects were also effectively arranged. Young Abbi does a fine job in the lead role but it’s Dave as TSM that steals the show. The theatrics he displays for the characters look and movement is what helps sell the experience.

THE BAD

Even though The Smiling Man is an unsettling figure, the longer the camera stays glued to his face the more the viewer gets used to the look and feel. Though saying that, the red-faced demon from “Insidious” never became less frightening the more often you saw him, in fact it was probably the opposite (a true testament to great writing and design). The one plot point that took me out of the film, as much as one can be with such a short running time was the lack of reaction from the little girl. Are we led to believe she supposed to be the toughest, most care free child not phased by anything. I find it hard to believe she wouldn’t scream or react hysterically to such a hideous figure. I understand with AJ’s script it probably doesn’t work the same if she over reacts and runs away but regardless it’s a bit of a stretch. My only technical complaints are that I would’ve liked to have seen the film on a larger aspect ratio (but it’s a screener so you have to keep that in mind), and the entire audio channel could’ve been lifted so I didn’t have to pump the volume up so much.

The Smiling Man was a pretty eerie and enjoyable short. It’s great to be constantly watching and reviewing these really effective shorts being made by some truly talented people. AJ is new to this side of the film making process but you wouldn’t know it. Here he handles his technical aspects proficiently but knows a thing or two about writing as well. I particularly enjoyed the approach to the end reveal, as well as the chilling sound effects and suspenseful score he implemented. A more plausible reaction from our lead child was the one thing I needed to immerse myself entirely in what was otherwise a great little story. I look forward to seeing this again down the track, hopefully on a bigger scale with a slightly improved audio level. If you guys like this style of slow-burn horror, I definitely recommend checking out The Smiling Man when it becomes available. Great work AJ and I look forward to hopefully checking out your film “Carolina Parakeet” at some point!

My rating for “The Smiling Man” is 8/10