Reviews (Spoiler-free)
Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:10 pm
Yay! I get to post the very first review of the movie! It's probably being finished right about now, and the version I saw included a live shooting of one scene, plus the end credits being done in person. Naturally, there's a bias in favor of the show, since I regard the makers as good friends. But, I none-the-less genuinely think the movie is excellent, independent of my bias.
As Anthony Brownrigg explained after the showing, the premise of the movie is the same as the circumstances that lead to the movie; the lead character Jim, played by Brownrigg, is a screenplay writer needing to make a buck, being asked against his wishes to write a horror movie. Thankfully, this is where Jim's and his actor's lives diverge; Jim struggles with writer's block and his own utter hate of the genre, and consults with his geek friend Carl, played by Ed Landers, trying to get advice. Finally, exhausted and intoxicated, he stares at the clock on the wall and recites Shakespeare, unaware that he was invoking a muse of horror, the disturbingly charming Victoria, who soon taunts him with a series of murders of the people around him. Now he must either find a way to banish Victoria from his life or to appease her, by writing.
It does not look like a $5000 movie; it's much more polished. It has the look and feel of an independent movie--it breaks from Hollywood conventions and cliches, and even makes fun of some of them. But, without knowing better, I would have guessed the budget more on the order of several hundred thousand. I could believe that Carl's actor Brownrigg was also director, but I wouldn't have suspected without his actually telling me that the actors were also the lighting and sound crew, and that the stage was Brownrigg's home, generously donated by Silver's patience and willingness to step around the recording setup in their kitchen and living room for eight months, using wires and contraptions rigged from parts out of Home Depot. It really looks more expensive. That's because Brownrigg and his friends are great actors, great cinematographers, and just damned talented.
The dialogue is witty, and the sense of comedic timing makes perfect use of it. My experience at A-Kon, witnessing the re-shoot of the missing scene, included a great throw-away improv line that was quite witty. The rest of the movie has the same natural flow, suggesting that the same sense of creative liberty was enjoyed throughout the process.
Still, for all its humor, it had some very strong and serious emotional elements, exploring psychology and mythology with courage and intelligence. The elements of free will and the nature of spirits felt on the mark and well-researched or well-known. There were moments that drove me to tears; something very unusual for a horror comedy.
It's a brilliant piece, and I'm confident I'd have enjoyed it without ever knowing the director / lead actor / cinematographer personally, and without ever having known its association with a certain forthcoming werewolf movie.
As Anthony Brownrigg explained after the showing, the premise of the movie is the same as the circumstances that lead to the movie; the lead character Jim, played by Brownrigg, is a screenplay writer needing to make a buck, being asked against his wishes to write a horror movie. Thankfully, this is where Jim's and his actor's lives diverge; Jim struggles with writer's block and his own utter hate of the genre, and consults with his geek friend Carl, played by Ed Landers, trying to get advice. Finally, exhausted and intoxicated, he stares at the clock on the wall and recites Shakespeare, unaware that he was invoking a muse of horror, the disturbingly charming Victoria, who soon taunts him with a series of murders of the people around him. Now he must either find a way to banish Victoria from his life or to appease her, by writing.
It does not look like a $5000 movie; it's much more polished. It has the look and feel of an independent movie--it breaks from Hollywood conventions and cliches, and even makes fun of some of them. But, without knowing better, I would have guessed the budget more on the order of several hundred thousand. I could believe that Carl's actor Brownrigg was also director, but I wouldn't have suspected without his actually telling me that the actors were also the lighting and sound crew, and that the stage was Brownrigg's home, generously donated by Silver's patience and willingness to step around the recording setup in their kitchen and living room for eight months, using wires and contraptions rigged from parts out of Home Depot. It really looks more expensive. That's because Brownrigg and his friends are great actors, great cinematographers, and just damned talented.
The dialogue is witty, and the sense of comedic timing makes perfect use of it. My experience at A-Kon, witnessing the re-shoot of the missing scene, included a great throw-away improv line that was quite witty. The rest of the movie has the same natural flow, suggesting that the same sense of creative liberty was enjoyed throughout the process.
Still, for all its humor, it had some very strong and serious emotional elements, exploring psychology and mythology with courage and intelligence. The elements of free will and the nature of spirits felt on the mark and well-researched or well-known. There were moments that drove me to tears; something very unusual for a horror comedy.
It's a brilliant piece, and I'm confident I'd have enjoyed it without ever knowing the director / lead actor / cinematographer personally, and without ever having known its association with a certain forthcoming werewolf movie.