Dir - Erik Bloomquist
Overall: WOOF
Leaning into the comedy while still having children and people's loved ones being brutally murdered in front of them, Erik Bloomquist and his co-writer/producer Carson's She Came from the Woods is a more problematic offering than usual from the duo. This is because on top of its tonal issues, lame-brained dialog and plot maneuvers, (all of which have plagued their previous films to varying degrees), here they have unleashed a boatload of obnoxious characters in such a hackneyed setting. Specifically, Adam Weppler's mulleted, thirty year-old counselor may be the worst person to ever exist in a movie, but everyone else gets their moment to either act like an asshole, a moron, or both. Any bloody romp at a camp grounds is bound to get the slasher comparison to when these premises were utilized left and right in the genre's heyday, but the 1987-set tale that the Bloomquist's have come up with here is particularly eye-ball rolling in its laziness. The script comes off more as something that was authored by AI as opposed to actual human beings, but considering that the brothers are of the age to champion throwback genre tropes, it makes sense that they have little interest in offering up any surprises. Why they instead have concocted something so stubbornly annoying is just unfortunate.
Dir - Jefferson Moneo
Overall: GOOD
The sophomore full-length Cosmic Dawn from writer/director Jefferson Moneo is inspired by his own personal, alleged UFO encounter, which would explain its central theme of people that have experienced the unexplainable who finding solace with others who have. Opening with a scene that introduces the inciting extraterrestrial incident in protagonist Camille Rowe's life, it then bounces between two time lines that consistently shift where the characters lie as far as their devout belief is concerned. Moneo's story presents a type of eye-brow raising New Age hooga-booga that is as difficult to buy into for the viewer as it is for some of the people on screen, yet said people seem aware of this, even when it comes to the mysterious and smirking cult leader, (played ideally by Antonia Zegers), who likes to show off her multi-langue skills, give people balls-tripping blue plants, and burst into song. The neon-colored special effects are properly psychedelic, and the musical score by Alan Howarth and MGMT gives it a midnight movie vibe that is fitting for something so inherently strange. While it dances around the understandable cynicism associated with those who are "all in" on the whole UFO abduction thing, it ultimately leads to a positive place where regardless of what if anything is really out there, it sure feels good to bask in its healing properties.
Dir - Alice Maio Mackay
Overall: MEH
A clunky mess with its heart and ambitions in the right place at least, Bad Girl Boogey is the second full-length from the writer/director team of Alice Maio Mackay and Benjamin Pahl Robinson. Slasher movies are and have always suffered from formulaic shortcomings and this is no exception, presenting us with yet another goddamn masked serial killer who picks off teenagers and gets an under-dramatic reveal in the closing moments. Made independently and on a shoestring budget, it is an understandable mixed bag as far as presentation goes. The practical gore effects are nice and squishy, the color scheme adheres to giallo flashiness, and the young cast give it their emotionally-ravished all. At the same time though, the hand-held camerawork is irksome at best, the look and mannerism of the hoodie-wearing murderer is unimaginative, and there is an icky, mean-spirited undercurrent to the tone that is intentional yet exhausting. Story wise, it suffers similar inconsistencies even as the queer agenda is admirable, pitting its boring killer against gay and lesbian victims while wearing a disguise that "frees" the wearer to indulge in anonymous bigotry. That said, much of the dialog, characterizations, and sinister details are cliche-ridden, making it unintentionally silly as it tries to be hip, stylish, and gut-wrenching all at once.
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