THE BADGER GAME

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

FUN SIZE HORROR

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

PRAIRIE DOGS

THE SETUP

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

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

My rating for “Prairie Dogs” is 4.5/10

A GRIM BECOMING

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

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

KILL ME THREE TIMES

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

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

FAMILIAR

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

REVELATIONS

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

THE BAD

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

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

My rating for “Revelations” is 8.5/10

THE JONES

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

THE BAD

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

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

My rating for “The Jones” is 5.5/10

THE DOOMS CHAPEL HORROR

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

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

WORM

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

My rating for “Worm” is 8.5/10

90210 SHARK ATTACK

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

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

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

MUCK

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

My rating for “Muck” is 5/10

CHAPPIE

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

My rating for “Chappie” is 7/10

NAKED ZOMBIE GIRL

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

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

PREDATOR

THE SETUP

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

THE GOOD

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

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

My rating for “Predator” is 7.5/10

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to Marco Palese, producer of the Horror/Sci-Fi film “Beautiful People”. He sent me a screener of the film before it’s official Australian release date, which is March 18th. A quick shout out to Amerigo Brini, the director as well for giving it the all clear. I’ve had my eye on the film for over six months, I saw the above retro poster, and read a little bit about the synopsis which had me intrigued. The film was shot in Italy, and brings an array of different ethnicity’s together, which is something you don’t often see in this genre. “Beautiful People” is a home invasion film about John and Elena Pontecorvo (David White and Kate Marie Davies), and their two sons. They live a relatively quite life, in a secluded mansion in the woods. John appears to be a well-respected scientist, but hides his work from the family, the question is why??. One night, their home is invaded by three masked men, who have been responsible for several violent crimes in the area. The trio is led by alarming, Nibbio (Danny Cutler) who has recruited his apprehensive younger brother Brett (Alex Southern), and then there’s the enforcer of the group, Testamento (Alex Lucchesi). What happens when the masked men find out that all is not what it seems in the Pontecorvo’s seemingly normal home.

THE GOOD

If you are a bit of a nerd like me, the original poster is the first thing to get pumped about when it comes to Beautiful People. The artwork for the Australian release just isn’t the same, and I’m disappointed about that. The home invasion sub-genre gets a bad wrap, and I’m really not sure why. Critics are quick to jump to conclusions about something like this without really giving it a chance. Don’t just say you hate because that’s what you think you should do, this isn’t ninth grade. Sure, the inclusion of masked invaders is on display yet again, yes it’s been done before and no doubt it will be done again. I for one don’t take issue with that after all, our homes are where we let our guards down. It’s the place that we feel safe because the idea of it is ours. So when that safety is compromised, it generally makes for some interesting and suspenseful storytelling. The first 45 minutes of Beautiful People reminded me a lot of the Spanish film “Secuestrados” or “Kidnapped”, either or. It was released back in 2010, and shocked the independent film community with its unrelenting, brutal depiction of crime in suburbia. It’s the last 30 minutes and the really cool twist in Beautiful People, that sets it apart from the aforementioned. Audiences will experience that uneasy feeling right from the opening frame, well before any of the nasty stuff actually starts going down. I respect the decision in the writing to come immediately out of the gates with guns blazing, especially in a film that only lasts 70 minutes. If your anything like me, 70 minutes in this environment will suffice (haha).

The technical aspects are all very well executed. The audio is very clear, and all the camera work and shot choices compliment the tone appropriately. The intense Steadicam stuff feels voyeuristic in nature, and that’s exactly how it should be, given the content. The lighting was the component that actually stood out the most. The choice to use a lot of white’s and grey’s, gave it that very bleak and gritty feeling. Compiled with the fact that two out of the three intruders were English, giving it another dynamic. This segues me perfectly into the cast, and the quality of their performances. Most of the acting was very good given the limited experience from most involved. Danny delivers the most intense dialogue, and Nibbio seems to think he’s being profound in someway, I guess in the same vein as other psychopaths might think they are. He maintains the intensity for most of the running time, and bar a few passages of flat dialogue does the job nicely. The rest of the cast was solid too. David has a lot of emotional stuff to pull off, which is hard at the best of times. With only a small amount of experience, some of it comes off feeling a bit forced, especially in the second half of the film. The acting by some guys who I’m guessing were Military, was just downright poor, fortunately it was only a very short scene. The last thing I want to touch on is the quality of makeup and effects work. The blood and gore effects were all practical and looked awesome. We get some graphic stuff early on, only five minutes or so into proceedings. By the end there’s some detailed monster makeup that was applied perfectly.

THE BAD

My only real issue with Beautiful People, was with some of the inconsistent details and plot points surrounding the family. The random mix of ethnicity’s was a little off-putting, and Lucchesi went in and out of his accent a few times as well. I think David White is an English actor, but at times some of his phrasing and enunciation came across Italian (maybe intentionally). I felt like a lot of the accents were inconsistent throughout. The story contains plenty of familiar tropes (those who have seen it will know what I mean). For the most part, It works in the context of this story but it’s definitely not original. There are a couple of painfully obvious holes in the story too. One that predominately stands out, involves John and Elena’s relationship and it’s inner workings. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I found that a very difficult revelation to swallow, simply because I thought it was quite clear. Most of the decisions that the family make are smart ones, however Elena has the chance to fight back several times and she doesn’t, I would have liked to see an attempt at least. A chance went begging during one scene, where she could have used a big rock and didn’t.

The main issue here though, is that everyone is so damn unlikable! I tried so hard to get behind just one of these people and I couldn’t. They were anything but beautiful and maybe that was the point. I respect the creative process though and the intention behind the writing, but as an audience member it can frustrate you. Fortunately, I am interested in every aspect of film making and there’s so much to like here. Certain revelations in the story might make you question your thought process, when it comes to what’s taken place. The character arcs are not quite rounded out, and the sexual violence most of which is implied, still remains difficult to watch, as it should. I can’t criticize the film for that, because if you don’t feel uncomfortable watching that kind of stuff, there’s something wrong with you. I suppose in a film like “I Spit On Your Grave” you’re a little more prepared for it though. BP’s graphic nature falls more on the sexual dialogue from Nibbio than it does with on-screen violence. That ending though, wow. What can I say about that??. Kudos to Brini and co, on their writing. They stuck to their guns and delivered a blunt and ballsy ending that most people won’t see coming. I’m not sure how to feel about it, but I commend them on not conforming to the norm.

I’d been looking forward to watching Beautiful People for a while now. I was hooked right off the bat. With its quick 70 minute running time, fast paced action and rough dialogue, it all works. The performances are mostly solid, and the practical monster/ blood and gore effects are as good as any European film in the genre. Congratulations go to Enrico Galli for designing the special effects, along with David Bracci and Alessandro Catalano for bringing them to life. There are some slightly idiotic plot points and poor decisions that get made, and no one really redeems themselves by the end. But, It’s not fair to say the ending will make or break the film, though it’s certainly something that is going to divide audiences for sure, but that’s a good thing. You’d rather your film be to one extreme or the other, or you just risk it falling in never-never land. Thanks again guys, great stuff!!

My rating for “Beautiful People” is 7/10

INSANE

THE SETUP

First off, I just want to say thanks to Eros D’Antona, writer and director of the independent Crime/Comedy film “Insane”. I appreciate you allowing me access to an online screener for review purposes. This is a low-budget film that was shot between Apulia, Italy, and Los Angeles, California. It’s a quirky crime/comedy inspired by the likes of Tarantino. The story centers on Frank (played by Alex Lucchesi), who used to work for the mafia and tried to get out. Katia ( Crisula Stafida), has taken over the family business and is looking to see Frank pay for his betrayal. While he waits in a small town in Southern Italy, Katia recruits Condom, (yes that’s his name haha, played flamboyantly by Roberto D’Antona), a sadomasochist and all around psychopath, who in turn, enlists the help of his loyal right hand man Adam (Ivan King), to kill Frank. A bloodbath is imminent, when Frank decides the only way to truly move on, is to stop running and stay and fight. The film also stars Mirko D’Antona, Gianluca Busco, Steven Renso, Zac Zanghellini and Linda Hand. I came across this film while looking up information on another from Italy called “Beautiful People”. This one’s got some cool poster artwork too, and contains a couple of the same actors from the aforementioned, so I thought I’d check it out.

THE GOOD

Eros has made a handful of short films but Insane is his first full length feature, and for someone lacking experience behind the camera, he does it pretty well. It’s difficult not to make comparisons between this one, and some of Robert Rodriguez’s early work (Desperado) and Tarantino’s style of raw and dark dialogue. The action in those films is mostly subtle and the suspense, usually built through that clever dialogue. Unfortunately that takes a very creative mind and some great writing, and I’m not sure that many people have that kind of skill. Not only does it take a lot of know-how, it takes money to pull it off too, something Insane doesn’t have a lot of. Let’s start with some of the technical stuff here. The audio track is great. I have to admit when I started watching, I couldn’t help but think it was a little to perfect. I’m almost sure that a fair portion of the dialogue was re-dubbed and edited in the studio. I apologize if I’m wrong, it’s just very well executed for such a low-budget film. There isn’t anything wrong with re-recording audio, it’s just most directors try to make it work during shooting. All of the camera work and most of the framing looked impressive. Eros used a lot of smart shot choices and simple movements, a lot of nice mood lighting helped set the tone.

Smart choices were made in relation to the diverse music and score, which were really quirky and fit the light-hearted nature of some particular scenes. I can’t quite put my finger on the type of vibe I got from it, but it felt very eccentric. The editing and transitions between scenes were fluent as well. The film probably would have worked just as well if a few of the unnecessary scenes were cut. In fact, they didn’t even need to be cut, just shortened here and there. The action isn’t all that impressive though and considering the core details involve the mafia, I expected a much more brutal approach. That aside, some of the on-screen effects we do get to see looked alright, but the inconsistency in the color of the blood stood out a bit. A couple of the torture sequences might make you squirm, so there’s a bit of fun to be had there.

THE BAD

Some of the things I’m about to cover are somewhat understandable issues, considering I’d estimate the budget for to be somewhere between $20,000- $50,000 (but don’t quote me on that), and that’s not a great deal of money. Unfortunately, that repetitive forceful comedic sound effect that get’s used several times, doesn’t fit this type of film. Several gestured outbursts from Condom (pardon the pun haha), sounded like something you’d hear in a bad sitcom. Several scenes would have been much more realistic with the inclusion of a few extras, in order to make it seem like it was actually set in the real world. One near the beginning in LA, as well as the fight scene on the street towards the end of the film. I understand it can be hard to get numbers, and some people won’t do it just to help someone out. Some of the dialogue helps in advancing the story, but some of the other strange and perverse sexual stuff just feels awkward. I get that Condom is a sadomasochist, but he spends a sizable amount of screen-time talking about fantasies of his mum and getting a local whore to relieve him. I know it’s probably just an outward release to show audiences how loopy he really is (haha), but something got lost in translation, maybe it’s the language barrier I don’t know.

Most of the acting is decent, though it’s hard to tell which characters are supposed to be overly campy and which ones aren’t. The little guy in the beginning of the film (can’t remember his name), tried to play the tough guy and fell short. I’m assuming it was supposed to be for comedic purposes, but he wasn’t funny nor was he serious enough to be menacing. I was disappointed that other than mentioning Frank’s name, he had no bearing on anything else that happened throughout the film. Same goes for the two cops we get introduced to, while in their car in the very opening scene. They go in, question the little guy and then nothing is ever mentioned again until the very end, it seemed completely contrived considering they have no bearing on anything that happened. They are supposed to be investigating some guys they knew that were killed, weren’t they?? Maybe I missed something while jotting down notes. The biggest issue I had with Insane was the sequencing, and amount of information you have to try to retain in such a short time. Here’s what I did get. Frank’s Uncle (Davide Gambarini), must have been one of the head’s of the crime family. Frank fell in love with a woman, which according to the boss, was a big no-no. Uncle kills said woman, and now Frank wants to exact his revenge. Problem is that there’s never a confrontation with the Uncle, Is he already dead?, Is he in hiding?? who knows. To make things more confusing, Frank lives with a guy and his boy, who I’m guessing are his brother and possibly his nephew??, but again that’s just a guess. I may have missed something but it’s a hell of a lot to take in, when it’s not spelt out for you.

Then there’s Katia. It’s established that she is the new head of the family, not sure how or why?? And I’m also not sure what happen to the original head of the family. Anyways, she gets another family member (guy in beginning, don’t know who he was either), to recruit Condom to find Frank. I’m assuming Condom must be part of the syndicate, but living and operating out of Los Angeles. So he jumps on a plane and ends up in Italy, where he meets up with Adam. Apparently, Adam is Condom’s right hand man (pardon the pun, if that is one.. not sure haha), yet he acts like he’s never met the guy before. If they were so close and worked together, wouldn’t they both have been in LA??. There are a bunch of other secondary characters at a sort of brothel, I don’t think they had any real reasoning to be there, other than to make up the numbers. Honestly, out of all these characters I didn’t like a single one. Sadly, when there’s no one to care about, it doesn’t make for good viewing. Roberto played his part with a lot of personality, at times he was funny, an other moments creepy, I commend him on a decent job. It was just a very off the wall character that I couldn’t get invested in. Eros got a bunch of people together that were passionate about the project, and he makes the most of the small sets and a simple story. With that in mind, it seems like a very messy result for something, that in hindsight is quite simple.

I really wanted to like Insane, I tried hard. It drops you straight in the deep end and it’s pretty fast paced. The camera work, audio and performances are all pretty good, given experience and budget. Unfortunately, there’s a bunch of different locations in a very short space of time, along with way to many secondary characters that come and go without explanation as to who they are or how they fit into the story. I had trouble relating to anyone, or remembering who they were in relation to the family or the story. I don’t know if it’s something that got lost in the language barrier (half is in Italian) or just average writing. In my opinion, Insane needed to deliver the action that it hinted at early on, plus a much clearer narrative and plot structure. The core idea was there, the execution on the other hand was not. If you can stick with it, you may find something in this one that I didn’t. Thanks again Eros, I look forward to future projects and I’m sure you will continue to improve!

My rating for “Insane” is 4/10

VALLEY OF THE SASQUATCH

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thank you to writer/director John Portanova, for allowing me access to an online screener of his Independent, Horror/Thriller film “Valley Of The Sasquatch”. A quick shout out goes to Bill Oberst Jr for helping me contact John about the film, thanks my friend. Valley Of The Sasquatch, is about a fractured family consisting of a father and his son. Roger Crew (played by Jason Vail), and his son Michael (Miles-Joris Peyrafitte), have recently suffered a tragic loss, and are forced to relocate to a family cabin in the wilderness. With tensions high, a very distant relationship is further complicated by the arrival of two of Roger’s old friends, Sergio and Will (played respectively by David Saucedo and D’Angelo Midili). The group of four catch up on old times and decide to go hunting. Shortly into the hike, they encounter a group of Sasquatch who will do anything to protect their land. The film also stars Bill Oberst Jr.

THE GOOD

I only came across Valley Of The Sasquatch after having seen Jason Vail in a film I reviewed called “Dorchester’s Revenge”. I’m also a huge fan of Bill’s, and have followed most of his work to date, but this was one I didn’t know about. This is John Portanova’s debut full length feature. Given this is a low-budget indie film, the production value is wonderful. The tales of “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch” have been covered in the past on numerous occasions, in films including “Harry and The Hendersons”, an oldie but a Goldie (haha), and now to the much more recent “Bigfoot”, “Yeti” or “Exists”. I’ve seen all of them and to be perfectly honest, other than John Lithgow’s family friendly Harry, they were all pretty disappointing. I can’t think of a time I have actually seen a good film that covers this sort of thing. Valley Of The Sasquatch has a pretty solid script, it isn’t an original film by any means but the story is more than up to scratch. The film opens with some lovely establishing shots of the heavily wooded area it’s set in, along with the small town, located close to the new family cabin.

The wonderful location makes for some impressive cinematography. The shot choices are sensible and the camera work is silky smooth. I can’t stress enough, the importance of the quality of camera work, especially in a film with such a rich environment. Nearly every exterior shot looks perfect, it’s clear John has spent a lot of time on the framing and getting those fundamentals right. Artistically, the color grading is very natural and I’d be surprised if anything much was done with editing the color saturation. Everything in the daylight scenes looks bright and really jumps out at you. The audio was another of the standout technical aspects, It was all very clear. I liked the decision to use a much more drama orientated score. It was very adventure like, when typically the music would consist of a bunch of instrumental suspenseful bits. The lighting and structure of the campfire scene was well thought out too. I only want to touch on the lighting because I will need to talk a little more about that later.

The facet often hinging on whether a film like this works or not, is the quality of the action and effects, in relation to the look and feel of the Sasquatch. In this case, a practical hairy suit and an actor works in the films favor. Especially if you choose to imply scenarios more than actually showing the creature. It’s not an action or effects heavy film, but the few effects we do get towards the end were done practically and looked good. Valley Of The Sasquatch is an all male cast. Bill’s awesome, and his role of Bauman is a fun one. It’s not a typical role for him, which I thought was cool. Don’t be to disappointed after the opening sequence, because things come full circle by the end, so stick with it. Jason has a reasonable amount of acting experience in the independent circuit. I thought he was solid in this role, but some of the writing left a lot to be desired. Miles and D’Angelo had there moments as well, but didn’t really have to stretch out of their comfort zones much. I thought the weakest performance came from David Saucedo. To be fair though, I hated his character. I know that was probably John’s intention for the viewer, but Sergio’s reactions and dialogue felt really hollow and flimsy.

THE BAD

From a technical point of view, there was plenty to like about Valley Of The Sasquatch. The only attributes that needed some attention, were the volume level in relation to sound effects, and the choice to shoot everything primarily in the dark. When the Sasquatch cries/calls out, the volume was piercing and it didn’t need to be that loud. The camera work was all perfect, with the exception of one frenzied scene involving a character running away, which was really out of left field. Fortunately it only lasted for less than thirty seconds. I didn’t like Roger right from the start. He just didn’t project anything, It seemed like Jason had next to know interest being there, and I’m not sure if that’s a problem that lies in the writing and transferred to his character, or maybe he was told to play it that way. I know the family dynamic was supposed to be broken after what they had gone through, but either way, I didn’t buy the father son relationship between Roger and Michael. For one, the age gap seemed barely wide enough, and it’s almost like Roger had to keep calling his son Michael during every passage of dialogue, for no apparent reason other than to remind the audience what their relationship was.

On a similar note, I couldn’t get behind Sergio or the acting from Saucedo. I’m not sure which one it was, maybe both. His interactions with Roger were really immature, his attitude towards Michael was childish and his actions were hostile. Once again, it was all for no obvious reason other than just to signify that he was the dick in the group. At one point he mentions having seen what he thought was a Bigfoot. He goes on to explain to the group how big it was and what it looked like. Here’s the thing though, all the audience got to see was some shrubbery swaying around in the wind and a couple of grunting noises. How did he even know what it looked like, if we didn’t see it?? If it was bigger than he was surely everyone would have seen it? Unless we are supposed to believe he saw it, and the intention was that we didn’t?, I don’t know. No matter how you look at it, that was a poor plot point and some lazy writing. VOFS starts off reasonably fast paced, but then in the middle it becomes tedious, probably due to the lack of action. It misses the mark when it comes to suspense, and unfortunately it doesn’t deliver anywhere near the amount of action you would think something of this nature would.

It’s almost 60 minutes before any real action starts to go down, the whole thing is only 90. Most of the character arcs are so simplistic that you can’t fall back on that development or dialogue, in the hope of keeping audiences engaged. This needed plenty more action and it needed to get to that action much quicker. Having been shot on a modest budget, I can almost deal with the lack of action because the other things are all done so well, well almost. Regrettably, the lighting or lack of it, is the part I really got hung up on. It stuck out like a sore thumb, and probably only because everything else had such an attention to detail. I think the reason why big chunks of the film, especially the last half, were in the dark was to hide the Sasquatch as much as possible. Sometimes that approach works and helps maintain or build suspense, but in this case it didn’t. Anytime something interesting was going down, I could only hear it and not actually get to experience it. It was rather disappointing and I ended up with a similar feeling to the one I had when I watched “Frankenstein’s Army”, the opportunity to do something great went begging.

Valley Of The Sasquatch is to well put together to justify calling it a poor film. For starters it’s Portanova’s first full length film, and in that sense the only way for him is up. The location, shot choices, overall camera work and audio were all very well conceived. Knowledge of the technical aspects is half the battle, so well done. The back story for the core group is sufficient enough, and once we get to some action what you can see of it was damn cool. Unfortunately, the film suffers from some poorly written dialogue and unconvincing reactions or interactions between characters. It loses momentum half way through, and only partially gets it back with a bit of late action. Sadly most of that action and effects work can’t be fully appreciated, due to the poor lighting in almost every scene that’s set at night. I appreciate getting the opportunity to watch this film and I’m sure John’s next film will be even bigger and better. Criticisms aside, this one is a lot better than most of what Asylum or the SyFy channel dishes up, I just can’t help thinking it could have been much more than it is.

My rating for “Valley Of The Sasquatch” is 5.5/10

INSECTULA!

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to writer and director Michael Peterson, for allowing me access to a screener of his B movie, creature feature “Insectula!”. I inquired about the film today and within minutes he sent a link, and I’m very appreciative of that. The quick response and willingness to share his hard work, is what gives me the opportunity to watch these independent films. Now, all of you who know me, know I like a good creature feature as much as the next guy, however it’s not that often we get them (the good ones I mean). Most of the time we get the combination of terrible CG, wooden acting and a complete lack of action. I’ve watched everything from old B movies like “Tarantula” and “Attack Of The 50ft Woman”, through to the more modern “Dragon Wasps” and “Spiders”, and rarely do they get it right, yet I continue to watch in the hope that one day that will change, Was that day today??. Insectula is a sci-fi/ creature feature, about a giant alien-mosquito insect that’s drawn to Planet Earth because of all its CO2 pollution. Del (played by Pasquale Pilla), is a government agent seeking revenge, after having lost a loved one at the hands (or stingers, or tentacles… whatever they are haha) of the creature. On the other hand, Dr Kempler (played by Harrison Matthews), and his lovely assistant, Brittany Sax (the gorgeous Arielle Cezanne), are hoping that they can help the creature cleanse planet earth and undo what the human race has done. The film also stars, both the beautiful Sarah French and Yasmin Moon, along with Joel Thingvall and John Edel.

THE GOOD

Before I start, if you are someone looking for originality your probably looking in the wrong genre. The creature feature spawned back in the days of Roger Corman’s early films, and has since expanded to present day, where we have an entire TV channel (SyFy), dedicated to low-budget sci-fi and creature related films. I think if you’re a fan of the genre its a great thing, those of you who aren’t don’t say I didn’t warn you (haha). Anyways, onto the review. Starting with the amazingly cheesy title “Insectula!”, that should give you some idea as to what type of film you’re in for. I love the title and the homage it pays to all of the films before it. The funny disclaimer segment in the beginning, along with the intro credits sequence, make for a great way to kick-start this ride. The quality of the technical aspects in this one surprised me. Given the low-budget nature and experience Peterson brings to the table, I was impressed. I believe this is his first full length feature, and he shows a good grasp of each element. Most of the audio is very flat sounding, but the majority of it’s very clear. In the beginning, when characters were separated by a reasonable distance, the two channels varied a bit in volume. The scenes in the woods and at Kempler’s lab, started to level out and it only improved as things progressed. I love the camera work too. Michael made really smart shot choices, opting for a simple style but ultimately resulting in an effective look. The 50’s style score sounded awesome, whoever was responsible for the sequencing within that, did a great job.

I don’t think that a lot of the set design or locations were dressed with a consistent amount of detail. Considering this is set in modern times, things were a mish mash of old school technology, crossed with modern electronics like computers/phones etc. To a certain degree it works, because if you’re going to pay homage to those old films, you need that touch of nostalgia, problem is that I found it inconsistent. The one setup I did like was the creatures nest. A lot of detail went into that, it had a certain atmosphere. It wasn’t just your typical cobwebs and cocoons etc, the color scheme was awesome and the practical effects in that part looked solid too. Speaking of effects, for three-quarters of this film everything looked really good. The action didn’t quite reach the heights I was hoping for, but we get some nice practical bloody limbs and even a head. The amount of blood was passable, but you can always use more (haha). CG was used for a couple of the more elaborate kills, but they still looked alright. The very opening scene, which is set on another planet looked nice, without looking overly like computer graphics, it’s a shame that wasn’t the case during the final battle. Michael was also in charge of visual effects for the film too, so he’s proving to be quite the auteur. He saves face somewhat, with one of the best looking creatures in any film with this kind of budget. Maybe it’s that I’m so use to really bad CG from the SyFy channel, I don’t know what it is, but I know that he’s done a great job of blending this creature into scenes involving the cast.

I’ve left a small paragraph here to talk about the cast. Actually I really just want to talk about the ladies in Insectula, because the men are forgettable (haha). Wow, what a group of absolutely stunning girls, whom Michael managed to cast here. Sarah French only has a few scenes, playing a street hooker, but she thoroughly entertains in them (pardon the pun). I have several other films she’s done (most of which are currently unwatched), but I can see she brings her down to earth personality to the production. Yasmin Moon, plays herself (haha), actually I couldn’t work out if she was Del’s daughter or niece, but any-who she plays Yasmin (haha). She only has a couple of scenes as well, but makes the most of her time on-screen, and her death was also one of the best ones. Arielle is absolutely gorgeous, and my favorite of the female cast though. Her character Brittany, starts out helping the doctor, but before long she realizes what he’s agenda really is and decides to change her ways. This is the type of girl you drive across states to see, (character or real life version haha I’m not kidding), I’ve finally found the Jessica Alba of the independent film community and I can’t wait to see her in more productions.

If you don’t believe me, here is proof Arielle in the flesh

THE BAD

Anyone who’s visited adamthemoviegod, knows that I always find plenty of good stuff to say about the film’s I review (well for the most part anyways). Rarely do I find a film that couldn’t have used some editing aesthetically, or some changes in the content of the story. I don’t believe in a perfect film and I never will, this is why I talk about the stuff others don’t, in the hopes of helping filmmakers improve their future projects. This isn’t gospel just my take on things. The only technical issues here, lie with the editing and transitions between scenes, as well as the persistent score and volume of it. The editing is neither here nor there, it’s just a little rushed in a few places. Even though I love the music, it’s prevalent for 90 percent of the film, and unnecessarily incorporated in several scenes where nothing much is happening. I don’t necessarily think the acting was horrible, it was ham-fisted in a few places, but I get that it supposed to be cheesy. Certain reactions supposed to be conveying shock or surprise are just plain bad though. If you want to get behind a character and their motivations, their reactions have to be somewhat believable and nearly everyone involved in a serious scene in this, can’t convey a realistic emotion. That was the hardest part to swallow when watching all these cast members.

Moreover, I didn’t buy Del’s relationship with Hannah (Hannah Hudson), at all. I’m not sure if the two were supposed to be lovers, or friends, or what their deal was. Either way I didn’t buy the chemistry for a second. It could have just been the fact that I really didn’t like Del. Pilla probably played it how it was written, but I found him completely lacking the necessary elements it takes to get an audience’s attention. The fantasy scene while in his drunken haze, stumbling into the water, his stupid and clearly fake mustache, and his constant whimpering all annoyed me and I didn’t like him one bit. Same goes for Kempler, but to a slightly less degree. Harrison played it with a European dialect. Once again, I’m sure it was probably written that way, but it came off as unintentionally funny. The parts that were supposed to be funny fell flat, and his serious moments never felt truly threatening. The content within the story was alright, it was just missing some attention to detail. For the first 80 minutes, the film only consists of a half a dozen characters, there are no extras in sight. I know that’s partially forgivable because of the budget, but even come the final battle, other than a handful of “military” soldiers, the whole city is a ghost town, which I’m sure wouldn’t be the case.

Furthermore, the narrative strays away from several of the main characters for long periods of time and seldom revisits their storyline until close to the end. The script is guilty of familiar tropes, like the mad scientist and his guinea pig. Technically there’s nothing wrong with that its just been done to death. Lastly, I just want to touch on the visual effects again. Like I said, they start out strong, the creature looks pretty great and some of the additional backgrounds even look respectable. Unfortunately, once the film reaches its climax and the action hits home, it all turns on its head. Quality in effects varies, A plane crash looks passable, but the inside of a tank and some city buildings clearly look like they are straight out of a computer program. The gunfire from the leanest looking military you’ve ever seen, looks like miniscule flashes of light, and the tanks and armored vehicles look poor to boot. The final battle starts on a down-stroke and never recovers. If the pacing in the middle of the film wasn’t so slow and contained more action sequences, it might have elevated the entire thing. Creating an epic final battle, even with a size-able sum of money can be difficult at the best of times, so in that sense I still think Michael did a pretty decent job.

Insectula! surprised me in a way. I was lucky enough to stumble across it, and get the chance to watch it so quickly. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but what Michael has created here is a clear homage to the 50’s b film, inspired by the likes of Roger Corman. It’s technically pretty well made, consists of a cast of gorgeous women and one well conceived gigantic bug (haha). Most of the acting leaves a lot to be desired (whether it be intentionally bad or not), It also stumbles at the end in the visual effects department, and some structuring around the sub-plotting needed a bit of work. In the end it is what it is, it’s a fun film. If you like big bugs, gorgeous girls and a visually, competently made indie flick I’d recommend this one, Thanks Michael!

My rating for “Insectula!” is 5 but I’m giving it 5.5/10 because of Arielle 😛