Dir - Kyle Rankin
Overall: MEH
Though there are more egregious examples out there, (hello, Werewolves Within), the zombie comedy Night of the Living Deb still manages to suffer from a never-ending slew of quirky characters whose behavior remains grating throughout the film's entirety. Director Kyle Rankin and producer Michael Cassidy Kickstarted their "Zombie-Rom-Com" and shot it in the former's hometown of Portland, Maine, which proves agreeable for the small town trajectory where a shady governor inexplicably pollutes the water supply and anyone who drank the local fluids turns flesh-muncher on the morning of the Fourth of July. Problems arise right away with Maria Thayer's peppy and obnoxious title character who does arbitrarily things like quoting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, not being able to take a hint to save her life, playfully running over zombies with zero remorse mere moments after the outbreak begins, telling non-dramatic anecdotes, and exhibiting the type of sarcasm that explains why she has no friends. Cassidy plays her love interest and does not come off much better, (he is a Debbie Downer environmentalist trying to overcompensate for his lack of machismo, fueled by white privilege), and the two make the type of "opposites attract" couple that only exists in the most hackneyed of movies. Ray Wise also shows up to be a goofball, providing some much needed likeability.
Dir - Phil Guidry/Simon Herbert/David Whelan
Overall: MEH
The sole directorial effort from writer/producers Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, and David Whelan, Savageland suffers from plausibility blunders, which undermine its admirable attempt to explore a type of U.S. border paranoia that is even more topical today than when the film was released. A mockumentary, it explores the aftermath of nearly an entire town getting brutally butchered, many to the point of nonrecognition. The lone suspect is also the only survivor; a quiet and eccentric illegal immigrant who is raving and found covered with blood, only to verbally and emotionally shut down once in custody. Taking place in the fictional borderland of Sangre De Cristo, Arizona, it provides ample opportunity for right wing bigots to condemn the accused sight on scene, and through a series of interviews, we encounter many such blatantly racist citizens, as well as those who point out the many things that do not add up in the authority's story. Some of the movie's issues stem from these glaring omissions, including photographic evidence taken by the accused of people being murdered by other assailants, said photographs and a taped interview the accused never being presented in two different trials, the accused having bite marks on him that match the victims, and the logistical aspect of how a single person was able to massacre groups of people to smithereens out in the open. Elsewhere though, the dialog, (spoken by talking heads in standard documentary fashion), is dreadful and full of hyperbolic proclamations made for dramatic effect, which is not helped by a handful of over-the-top performances.
Dir - Aaron Hann/Mario Miscione
Overall: MEH
After wrapping up their similarly Twilight Zone-esque series The Vault, writer/producer/directors Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione delivered their first full-length with the 12 Angry Men sci-fi variant Circle. While Sidney Lumet's famed adaptation of Reginald Rose's teleplay serves as the deliberate inspiration, the story is not a direct rewrite, and it also bares a resemblance to Vincenzo Natali's Cube series. Here we have another crop of strangers who wake up in a dark, foreboding, and possibly alien environment where they have to figure out the deadly rules that are picking all of them off, all while fighting their own intolerance and paranoia. This leads to eighty-seven straight minutes played out in real time in a single location where everyone takes turns pointing fingers and justifying why minorities, criminals, lesbians, and every other diverse and unwilling participate deserves to either live or die. The good part is that most of the raving assholes meet a quick demise, the bad part is that the entire film is made up of nothing but these assholes all taking a turn grabbing the spotlight in their desperate and judgemental plight. Once the premise is established, there is simply nowhere else for the narrative to go other than exploring tired themes of scared people unloading their prejudices upon each other. With an exciting payoff and/or some likeable Henry Fonda types to be the level-headed voice of reason, it could have steered clear of being merely an exhausting and cynical viewing experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment