Short Film Review: Them! (2018)

The great thing about the indie short movies is the fact that they are able to explore spaces that most feature-length films, especially those made in the studio system seemly cannot do. Them! is a short sci-fi comedy that definitely goes to weird places and does the same pretty fast. Here's how the film describes itself:

Them! is a sci-fi movie. A lady hears her dog yelp and it wakes her up. When she goes downstairs to see what is the matter, she is horrified to see the dog being eaten by a Roomba and they have multiplied.

The film, directed by DeNoise Studios and starring Susie Butler, cannot be easily described beyond the word “strange” at first viewing. The plot is condensed and so is the runtime of the film, which is short even for a short feature. However, aside from its overall strangeness, there are multiple threads to the piece. 

Once you get past the oddness of the acting delivery and the plot, you can see snippets of homages - from the horror and sci-fi films of the Hollywood Golden Age to the over reacting and almost parodic absurdity of the fear of technology (the dog scene is priceless in its campness). In many ways, the film works as a short and modern rendering of an Ed Wood picture and this is something we can’t see often.

Finally, there is a big sense of freedom in the film - this short movie came out just as its creators intended it to be and that’s commendable every time. After watching Them! and just how unburdened the film is, you can see why the modern cinematography would gain a lot by once more daring to be weird and goofy.

Watch the entire Them! short film right there:

5729 Them! v5 - HIGH RES 4K from Susie Butler on Vimeo.

Two Paragraph Review: Hold the Dark (2018)

The worlds of Jeremy Saulnier are dark and deadly, but ultimately, like any vampire’s castle, too alluring to miss out on. Even as the protagonist enters into the creaking halls of that place of horror, we know they’re as good as dead (or most of them, at least). In Blue Ruin, a lost man embarks on a doomed quest. In Green Room, a punk-rock band goes to a gig they should have turned down. In Hold the Dark, an expert on wolf behavior sets off to an isolated village in Alaska to find the remains of a boy taken by the same creatures.

There is nothing to find in the film, like in the previous ones, expect pitch black desperation, cruelty and an unmissable sense of nothingness. Yet, the ride itself is still what allows us to usher them on, into the twilight. Here too, the experience of the movie and the twist and turns its plot embarks upon so elegantly and completely unexpectedly, make it a worthwhile experience. It is reassuring to see that the creative universe of Saulnier is completely inoculated from the spellbound power of bigger and bigger budgets. Hold the Dark has a lot to offer even though what that thing exactly is remains lost to me.

Web Series Showcase: Fruit Bat (2018)

The famous though goes: an author has a writer's block and she/he ends it by writing something about - vampires. No one can deny that the world did not have its share of vampire fiction in almost any and every imaginable form. From crunchy kid snacks to video games, count Dracula and other like him have marked the pop culture landscape ever since Bram Stoker got us hooked on these creatures of the night.

However, few would deny that there has been somewhat of a saturation in the bloodsucking market. When this happens, the airwaves are ripe for one of the most important genres - parody. This is exactly the thing that Alex J. Murphy and Javahead Productions decided to do with his work. Here is the description of an upcoming web series of short films called Fruit Bat:

The horror comedy is an award-winning web series about a vampire with an unusual appetite. David J. Marzano stars as Eugene, a vegetarian vampire and outspoken advocate for “human-vampire relations”. His carnivorous brother Lenny, played by Peter Coleman, constantly tries to keep Eugene’s taboo diet under wraps, often causing some ‘bat blood’ between the two. It doesn’t take long before tempers rise, guts spill, and craziness ensues.

The premise seems simple and fresh, doing a route similar to indie films like Summer of Blood. The first episode of this series was shot back in 2014, but now, the directors decided to dig it up (pun intended) and make it into a new and prolonged work. As the trailer shows, there is plenty to be hopeful about, especially because of what looks like a great script which is well-acted by everyone shown in this short teaser.

Both factors are a pleasant (and sorely lacking) appearance in any indie cinematic work, but they are especially interesting when they appear together. Finally, in spite of the vampire topic, the work seems anything but dull or unoriginal, which is already a big success for its creators.

The web series should appear online later in October 2018, but until then, check out more about Fruit Bat web series on its official Facebook page and of course, don’t forget to check out its trailer.

Short Film Review: Happened in the Present (2018)

The internet proved that entertaining and extremely low-budget movies, featuring a medium-length runtime can be made today. Just a decade or two earlier, films of this type, lasting between 20 and 40 minutes were considered an impossible venture outside of student exercises. Movies like The Defector are a perfect example that this is no longer true. Now, a new film called Happened in the Present show that this formula can be applied to a YouTube work of art and end up as something regular viewers can easily enjoy.

This film is the work of Mark Sarko, a director and hip-hop artist based in Germany that has clearly been around the entertainment industry. The plot presents a process of unorthodox investigation that begins with a body turning up in the bathtub of an apartment. From these, a duo of oddly mixed individuals starts their search for the truth behind this event, mostly using music and weird analytical capabilities.

The film is based on a multitude of characters that continuously communicate with each other, but also a music-infused tempo that is fast and snappy. This makes the film into a one-two combo of funny and quirky dialogues, followed by musical segments and editing/VFX that are sometimes a bit over the top, yet still works for the movie’s overall tone and feel.

This makes Happened in the Present a really engaging low-budget movie. Of course, it is not perfect on a few fronts - the acting is uneven and the locations look like they had been chosen mainly because they were available to the production crew.

However, in spite of its flaws, the film feels more than genuine, clearly fueled by the passion for filmmaking. This is why I have no doubt that Mark Sarko only at the beginning of his creative journey in the domain of cinema. Watch the full Happened in the Present movie right here!

Documentary: Imagine Nation (2018)

Electronic Dance Music or EDM is one of the unsung heroes of the ongoing digital revolution. From its modest beginnings decades ago when first audio engineering pioneers started experimenting with modifying guitar processors to the birth of DJ and computer music production, the EDM has been growing constantly and consistently all over the world.

Imagine Nation is an impressive new documentary taking a look in this domain and doing it at a festival that holds a very special place for the EDM culture. Here how the film describes itself:

What started as a small city festival in Atlanta has blossomed into one of the largest EDM festivals in North America. Viewers are immersed into the event's eye-popping stage production, insane pyrotechnics, diversified line-up of headliners from around the world, a wide array of stage performers, Avant Garde art installations, stunt riders, and carnival rides.

The trailer perfectly represents the sheer explosion of color, movement, music, and emotion that grips the crowd who are clearly experiencing a unique event, especially considering its sheer scale. Over a three-day period, more than 50,000 people come together on the festival to enjoy not just the music performances, but also many other types of art, including some things that simply have to be experienced to be fully comprehended.

The Imagine Nation documentary follows the same event using the incredible Red Epic W 8k cameras that shot everything in 4k resolution at stunning 60 FPS, aiming to do justice to the incredible happenings taking place in front of the lenses. Watching only a few moments of the trailer shows how smart this decision was - the festival action simply wants to jump out from the screen.

This documentary is something that is clearly brimming with that special energy which allowed EDM to become such a powerful force in the modern show business. If this sounds cool to you, check out Imagine Nation documentary on Amazon right here!

Two Paragraph Review: Upgrade (2018)

First, let's talk about the weakest part of this film - in the beginning, the movie stumbles with its exposure and buildup. The main character Gray, an anti-technology car mechanic living in a futuristic near future, seems like a fish out of the water, but not in any intended way. Sure, the plot is clearly going to an ominous place but it appears to be taking its sweet time to get there in the first 20 minutes. The screen time for this part of the story feels somehow wasted and there is no meaningful connection neither between Gray and his wife Asha, nor between him and the life he’s living.

But, with the intro into the story ending and the actual plot beginning, the movie switches gears. The biggest improvement at that point is the introduction of STEM, a self-conscious chip that bridges Gray’s damaged spinal cord and turns him into a flesh-based robot. STEM is a combination of KITT from Knight Rider and HAL 9000 and it quickly transforms the film into a brilliant action movie. With some exceptional cinematography from the director Leigh Whannell and smart and funny script (which is miles away from the awkward and sloppy opening), Upgrade is sure among the top action films of the year so far.

Two Paragraph Review: I, Tonya (2017)

It would be a complete waste of time to watch this movie and figure out it is only a complex showreel for Margot Robbie where she demonstrates her acting talents. Fortunately, the film is not this but a dark comedy that happens to be rooted in reality. For those in the US, the story of Tonya Harding is probably well-known and the film uses this fact. It quickly rewinds her life up and down as it builds towards the key element – the entire scandal with the wounding of Nancy Kerrigan.

Here, the film for me falters. I, Tonya am neither a film about this haunted yet brilliant person nor is it about a wacky crime in the sports world of the 1990s. It is something in-between and that is why it works as something in-between bad and good. No one is to blame for this and it does not hamper the film too much, but it does end up making the movie feel like a really expensive afternoon TV release. 

Indie Showcase: Sinking Sand (2018)

The plot that is based on crime and punishment is as old as time itself, even before a particular Russian novelist used it for one of his famous books. After all, it is something we're all instantly interested in, no matter what the actual story or the setting might be.

The appeal of the concept is clear and also the reason why centuries pass and it remains as fresh as ever. Sinking Sand is a new indie thriller-drama that is utilizing the very same idea. Here is how the movie explains its plot:

After a loving wife murders a blackmailer to protect her husband’s flourishing law career, she must watch as he prosecutes another for her crime.

Through this simple premise, the trailer for Sinking Sand reveals an impacting film, one which is first and foremost a psychological drama about our decision and their wide-branching consequences. Through the plot, the film’s cinematography approach clearly puts a lot of emphasis on its characters. The slow shots of the faces of the actors reveal deep and terrible dilemmas in which most of them are placed.

Sinking Sand Official Trailer from Nandar Pictures on Vimeo.

Should the guilty step forward?

What is the price of staying quiet?

Will the transgression of the past die out or only come back as hideous monsters?

The director, Brian Yarbrough, clearly managed to explore all of these using modest means of an indie production. Yet, the result seems very polished and thought-out so I have no doubt that the movie will be a worthwhile experience, especially for those who are interested in deep-impacting cinema.

Sinking Sands is out on  DVD & VOD September 18, 2018. Until then, check out the movie’s official Amazon page right here.

Two Paragraph Review: Hostiles (2018)

There’s something about this film that I can’t quite put my finger upon. It is something elusive, barely visible and still impacting the entire experience of watching it. But, while I cannot pinpoint it, what I am certain is that it stops the film from being really impressive. Instead, it makes it linger between the average and the good categories, as something that belongs in neither one. Its story is about a late 19th century US army captain who escorts a family of native prisoners to their new home. He does this after many years of bitter US-Native fighting and crooked peace deals, now apparently nothing more than a jaded and violent officer, masterfully played by Christian Bale.

Now, why is the film lacking in such distinctive, slight and yet undeniable manner? It is not that the film features or forces some particular type of political message that would make it feel fake, even though it does tend to pile blame more towards the white settlers (no argument here from the historical perspective). The problem lies, for me, in those little cracks and fissures that appear from time to time, mostly in the script. A sappy moment here, an injection of banality there. At the same time, unlike small masterpieces of new-western like Bone Tomahawk, the film takes itself excruciatingly seriously. Thanks to this, it ends up missing the mark for me - not completely, but evidently.