- Published on
PROGRAMMING NOTE
This is just a programming note to inform SciFiHistory.Net readers that Spiritwalker (2020) will be available on April 12th for purchase on Blu-ray or DVD. Check out local retailers or go and order a copy if you're so inclined today!
Beware of plot devices, people.
Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, I took a lot of flack on some Star Trek message boards (ask your parents, kids) when I pointed out some of the fan favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were a bit pale in my eyes. Why? They relied a bit too heavily on plot devices.
Need an example?
Well, folks back then just raved over the hours involving the character of Q (played by the fabulous John De Lancie); and I scoffed at those tales. If the writers had to resort to such an obvious and magical plot device – such as an omnipotent being – then where’s the authenticity of the characters, the circumstances, and the situation? When it can all be changed back to the way it was with the snap of Q’s fingers, that cheapened any sacrifice or revelation as written. (This wasn’t always the case, and I loved Q’s role and how the writers used him in ‘Tapestry.’ And I always loved De Lancie’s work!) But magically rendered happenstance didn’t quite have a place in the Science Fiction show; and I thought this recurring device weakened the show’s drama.
Well, I’d like to think I’m a bit wiser now (I’m certainly a bit older), and I can certainly appreciate why so many people took umbrage with my position. Mind you: I still have it, but I don’t dwell on things like that all that much these days … unless I must.
With Spiritwalker (2020), I feel the need to dip back into those waters – albeit briefly. Without question, this story couldn’t be told the way it is without its central plot device. I’d argue that it could be told differently – of that I’ve no doubt – but when the fulcrum behind any motion picture requires such a huge suspension of disbelief in order to propel the narrative, there are always going to be risks. Calculated risks. Perhaps risks too big to take.
Were they worth taking?
I know what I think of it, but that’s really up to you to decide. Consider it a reasonable case of ‘buyer beware.’
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, I took a lot of flack on some Star Trek message boards (ask your parents, kids) when I pointed out some of the fan favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were a bit pale in my eyes. Why? They relied a bit too heavily on plot devices.
Need an example?
Well, folks back then just raved over the hours involving the character of Q (played by the fabulous John De Lancie); and I scoffed at those tales. If the writers had to resort to such an obvious and magical plot device – such as an omnipotent being – then where’s the authenticity of the characters, the circumstances, and the situation? When it can all be changed back to the way it was with the snap of Q’s fingers, that cheapened any sacrifice or revelation as written. (This wasn’t always the case, and I loved Q’s role and how the writers used him in ‘Tapestry.’ And I always loved De Lancie’s work!) But magically rendered happenstance didn’t quite have a place in the Science Fiction show; and I thought this recurring device weakened the show’s drama.
Well, I’d like to think I’m a bit wiser now (I’m certainly a bit older), and I can certainly appreciate why so many people took umbrage with my position. Mind you: I still have it, but I don’t dwell on things like that all that much these days … unless I must.
With Spiritwalker (2020), I feel the need to dip back into those waters – albeit briefly. Without question, this story couldn’t be told the way it is without its central plot device. I’d argue that it could be told differently – of that I’ve no doubt – but when the fulcrum behind any motion picture requires such a huge suspension of disbelief in order to propel the narrative, there are always going to be risks. Calculated risks. Perhaps risks too big to take.
Were they worth taking?
I know what I think of it, but that’s really up to you to decide. Consider it a reasonable case of ‘buyer beware.’
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com citation:
“A fantasy action film that revolves around a man who loses his memory and subsequently wakes up in a new body every twelve hours.”
Besides the aforementioned Star Trek: The Next Generation, another truly great television series to come out of the 1980’s and 1990’s Quantum Leap. Starring Scott Bakula, the show featured a scientist who spent his days traveling through time. On a weekly basis, Dr. Sam Beckett would ‘inhabit’ the body of another person for the sole purpose of putting something right that had somehow gone wrong in the timeline. (Never mind just how anything went awry to begin with, just accept that it did; otherwise, the whole premise fell apart.) While in that person’s body, the audience would see Bakula’s face, but those around him would see the original person.
Got it?
Essentially, writer/director Jae-geun Yoon lifts this fantastical idea, shortens the life span, and ratchets up the action in this curious yet thrilling adventure: Yoon Kyesang stars as Kang I-an, a man who wakes up every twelve hours in a different person’s body with no explanation for how or why he’s doing this. While the element of time travel is gone entirely, as Kang keeps ‘leaping’ it becomes increasingly clear that these different people are, in fact, connected both to him and the deepening mystery that may or may not involve elements of a shady Korean intelligence agency, a vast yet unnamed drug cartel, and the dirtiest cops on the face of the planet.
Plot devices – by themselves – are not a bad thing: what truly matters – so far as any audience should care – is how well they’re used. This doesn’t mean just establishing whether or not they’re an effective means to move a story forward; it also requires that what’s captured on film uniquely amplifies why the device is best used in the manner in which it is. To his credit, Jae-geun Yoon gets some good mileage out of the first two body swaps, but the technique becomes less and less impressive as Spiritwalker’s secrets are peeled away. There is a surprise here and there still to come right up until that last fateful leap, but by then it’s a procedure pretty easy to predict in this ninety-five-minute feature, robbing this final twist of any real impact.
Setting the contrivance aside, I’m still not entirely certain what Spiritwalker wanted to be.
Clearly, there’s an action picture in here – one that feels similar to much of what’s come before from South Korea, complete with car crashes, foot chases, and gun-fu. The film’s last reel is an impressive array of efficient, violent choreography not unlike the John Wick films, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was a little too much a little too late in the build-up toward a conclusion. However, the script also dabbles with bad cops, crooked intelligence agencies, and maybe even a state-sponsored drug cartel (sorry, but I found it all a bit vague, maybe lost in translation). Including these components didn’t feel nearly as organic as main story; and as they’re never really commented upon, dissected, nor declared good or bad, I found the end result an uneven mix of ideas and genres. Dare I say that Jae-geun may have bitten off not so much more than he could chew but more than an audience needs to chew on in so short a season?
Also – and I realize well in advance that this might trigger some of you reading this – I’ll admit that I had some problem telling these characters apart on the screen.
“A fantasy action film that revolves around a man who loses his memory and subsequently wakes up in a new body every twelve hours.”
Besides the aforementioned Star Trek: The Next Generation, another truly great television series to come out of the 1980’s and 1990’s Quantum Leap. Starring Scott Bakula, the show featured a scientist who spent his days traveling through time. On a weekly basis, Dr. Sam Beckett would ‘inhabit’ the body of another person for the sole purpose of putting something right that had somehow gone wrong in the timeline. (Never mind just how anything went awry to begin with, just accept that it did; otherwise, the whole premise fell apart.) While in that person’s body, the audience would see Bakula’s face, but those around him would see the original person.
Got it?
Essentially, writer/director Jae-geun Yoon lifts this fantastical idea, shortens the life span, and ratchets up the action in this curious yet thrilling adventure: Yoon Kyesang stars as Kang I-an, a man who wakes up every twelve hours in a different person’s body with no explanation for how or why he’s doing this. While the element of time travel is gone entirely, as Kang keeps ‘leaping’ it becomes increasingly clear that these different people are, in fact, connected both to him and the deepening mystery that may or may not involve elements of a shady Korean intelligence agency, a vast yet unnamed drug cartel, and the dirtiest cops on the face of the planet.
Plot devices – by themselves – are not a bad thing: what truly matters – so far as any audience should care – is how well they’re used. This doesn’t mean just establishing whether or not they’re an effective means to move a story forward; it also requires that what’s captured on film uniquely amplifies why the device is best used in the manner in which it is. To his credit, Jae-geun Yoon gets some good mileage out of the first two body swaps, but the technique becomes less and less impressive as Spiritwalker’s secrets are peeled away. There is a surprise here and there still to come right up until that last fateful leap, but by then it’s a procedure pretty easy to predict in this ninety-five-minute feature, robbing this final twist of any real impact.
Setting the contrivance aside, I’m still not entirely certain what Spiritwalker wanted to be.
Clearly, there’s an action picture in here – one that feels similar to much of what’s come before from South Korea, complete with car crashes, foot chases, and gun-fu. The film’s last reel is an impressive array of efficient, violent choreography not unlike the John Wick films, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was a little too much a little too late in the build-up toward a conclusion. However, the script also dabbles with bad cops, crooked intelligence agencies, and maybe even a state-sponsored drug cartel (sorry, but I found it all a bit vague, maybe lost in translation). Including these components didn’t feel nearly as organic as main story; and as they’re never really commented upon, dissected, nor declared good or bad, I found the end result an uneven mix of ideas and genres. Dare I say that Jae-geun may have bitten off not so much more than he could chew but more than an audience needs to chew on in so short a season?
Also – and I realize well in advance that this might trigger some of you reading this – I’ll admit that I had some problem telling these characters apart on the screen.
American crime dramas have traditionally avoided such confusion by casting a variety of different looking actors and actresses, so much so that Hollywood often gets labeled for typecasting certain nationalities as criminals. (Honestly, I’m not here to argue that point.) However, when your cast is entirely Korean (as this story should be, as it was written), and your four or five main male characters all look alike, those of us with untrained eyes might encounter a bit of disconnect. Dressing them mostly alike wasn’t a good choice, either (everyone wears dark to very-dark clothing); and I was left with a bit of bewilderment on occasion that required me to rewatch a scene here and there. As the U.S. entertainment industry has made strides to balance out casting inequities, I feel it may’ve helped Spiritwalker to do a bit of the same. (Please take that in the spirit in which it was intended and offered, not as some cultural slight.)
Though a bit underdone and perhaps saddled with villains needing more purpose, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the film.
In fact, there’s an early sequence wherein our hero finds himself slipping from one identity to another while awake. The supporting camera trickery – a dark and largely nondescript apartment slowly morphs into a posh, heavily populated restaurant – is downright brilliant. It’s part ‘bullet time’ and part clever dissolve but all of it visually captures the insane psychological disassociation Kang I-an is experiencing over and over and over again on this journey to uncover who he is and why he’s suddenly leaping. I imagine filmmakers around the world will be trying to tap into that aesthetic in the years ahead. It’s a groundbreaking sequence alone, and it deserves to be discovered.
Spiritwalker (2020) was produced by B.A. Entertainment and Saram Entertainment. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the very reliable Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? The movie looks and sounds fabulous from start-to-finish. As for the special features? Meh. There’s a three-minute-ish ‘making of’ that really works more like a bloated theatrical trailer than it does anything else; considering that there already were two other trailers provided, I’m not sure what good this little extra does. I guess it’s nice to have something, no?
Highly recommended.
Though Spiritwalker doesn’t quite deliver a useful explanation of its world until the midpoint, the flick manages to elevate a few key performances in order for viewers to relate to the action. The first half’s comic relief was crafted brilliantly to support the complex plot while actually retaining humor, something lesser films rarely get right. Those who are patient are rewarded … so long as they’re comfortable waiting for all to be revealed. Even after that seminal flashback memory dump (which tries really hard to deliver all goods), director Yoon keeps plugging in a few twists and turns to keep the action fresh – some good, some not – though I’ll admit those late-breaking tricks weren’t nearly as effective on screen as they perhaps were in the script.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Spiritwalker (2020) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Though a bit underdone and perhaps saddled with villains needing more purpose, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the film.
In fact, there’s an early sequence wherein our hero finds himself slipping from one identity to another while awake. The supporting camera trickery – a dark and largely nondescript apartment slowly morphs into a posh, heavily populated restaurant – is downright brilliant. It’s part ‘bullet time’ and part clever dissolve but all of it visually captures the insane psychological disassociation Kang I-an is experiencing over and over and over again on this journey to uncover who he is and why he’s suddenly leaping. I imagine filmmakers around the world will be trying to tap into that aesthetic in the years ahead. It’s a groundbreaking sequence alone, and it deserves to be discovered.
Spiritwalker (2020) was produced by B.A. Entertainment and Saram Entertainment. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the very reliable Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? The movie looks and sounds fabulous from start-to-finish. As for the special features? Meh. There’s a three-minute-ish ‘making of’ that really works more like a bloated theatrical trailer than it does anything else; considering that there already were two other trailers provided, I’m not sure what good this little extra does. I guess it’s nice to have something, no?
Highly recommended.
Though Spiritwalker doesn’t quite deliver a useful explanation of its world until the midpoint, the flick manages to elevate a few key performances in order for viewers to relate to the action. The first half’s comic relief was crafted brilliantly to support the complex plot while actually retaining humor, something lesser films rarely get right. Those who are patient are rewarded … so long as they’re comfortable waiting for all to be revealed. Even after that seminal flashback memory dump (which tries really hard to deliver all goods), director Yoon keeps plugging in a few twists and turns to keep the action fresh – some good, some not – though I’ll admit those late-breaking tricks weren’t nearly as effective on screen as they perhaps were in the script.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Spiritwalker (2020) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
Who among us doesn’t like a good Apocalypse? I know I could watch such stories all day long.
I’ve argued before (with others) about why I find stories set during mankind’s impending demise so captivating. Initially, I figured it was the ‘bare bones’ appeal to survival that compelled me to watch them; the structures that make life livable begin to collapse, and we truly learn a lot about characters as we see them struggling to put a semblance of order back into place. As I watched more and more of them, however, I brushed aside those considerations because I noticed more often that it was these ‘end times’ circumstances that truly push folks not so much out of their comfort zone as it cosmetically peeled away layers of falsehoods we use to conceal our true selves. What we’re left with are a bunch of core characters with nothing left but their respective conflicts … and there’s no truer way to define a man or a woman than examination what truly makes them tick.
Make no bones about it: Friend Of The World (2020) is about character. Yes – like so many films of this type – it uses the backdrop of the Apocalypse (mostly effectively) just to give us a time and a place with which to begin this fragile journey … but it could’ve used a few more specifics to give it some deeper substance along the way. What remains, after all, is what remains.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com citation:
“After a catastrophic war, an eccentric general guides a filmmaker through a ravaged bunker.”
Now, I may be naïve – or I may just have missed it, though that’s hard to do in a short film (this one clocks in at 50 minutes – but I can’t help but point out right out of the gate that writer/director Brian Patrick Butler broke the first rule of the road movie: the audience must know not so much where we’re going as we need to know why.
Every story ever told under the sun represents a journey. This may not be a literal journey – oft times, character dramas focus on recovery and healing. But somewhere within the narrative structure there has to be a representative Point A and Point B. Audiences – well, the smart ones, anyway – know that they’re likely not going to be treated to that whole ‘shortest distance between two points’ thing because where the Hell is the fun in that? Life is about the twisting and the turning and the inevitable looping and circling back for any number of reasons … but it still comes with a very discernible beginning and ending.
Friend’s General Gore (played by Nick Young) and – ahem – Diane Keaton (Alexandra Slade) are on a journey – we see them leaving the safety and comfort of the angry military man’s room and risking their lives through a disheveled bunker – but there’s no clear indication of why. Why were they risking their lives? Why were they heading out into the Apocalypse? There are a handful of small considerations – food is scarce, water probably more so – but if there was a clear mission specific it really needed to be hammered home. Incessantly. Ruthlessly. Never let us forget why they're going where they're going. It really matters in a road movie. Even when on foot.
I’ve argued before (with others) about why I find stories set during mankind’s impending demise so captivating. Initially, I figured it was the ‘bare bones’ appeal to survival that compelled me to watch them; the structures that make life livable begin to collapse, and we truly learn a lot about characters as we see them struggling to put a semblance of order back into place. As I watched more and more of them, however, I brushed aside those considerations because I noticed more often that it was these ‘end times’ circumstances that truly push folks not so much out of their comfort zone as it cosmetically peeled away layers of falsehoods we use to conceal our true selves. What we’re left with are a bunch of core characters with nothing left but their respective conflicts … and there’s no truer way to define a man or a woman than examination what truly makes them tick.
Make no bones about it: Friend Of The World (2020) is about character. Yes – like so many films of this type – it uses the backdrop of the Apocalypse (mostly effectively) just to give us a time and a place with which to begin this fragile journey … but it could’ve used a few more specifics to give it some deeper substance along the way. What remains, after all, is what remains.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com citation:
“After a catastrophic war, an eccentric general guides a filmmaker through a ravaged bunker.”
Now, I may be naïve – or I may just have missed it, though that’s hard to do in a short film (this one clocks in at 50 minutes – but I can’t help but point out right out of the gate that writer/director Brian Patrick Butler broke the first rule of the road movie: the audience must know not so much where we’re going as we need to know why.
Every story ever told under the sun represents a journey. This may not be a literal journey – oft times, character dramas focus on recovery and healing. But somewhere within the narrative structure there has to be a representative Point A and Point B. Audiences – well, the smart ones, anyway – know that they’re likely not going to be treated to that whole ‘shortest distance between two points’ thing because where the Hell is the fun in that? Life is about the twisting and the turning and the inevitable looping and circling back for any number of reasons … but it still comes with a very discernible beginning and ending.
Friend’s General Gore (played by Nick Young) and – ahem – Diane Keaton (Alexandra Slade) are on a journey – we see them leaving the safety and comfort of the angry military man’s room and risking their lives through a disheveled bunker – but there’s no clear indication of why. Why were they risking their lives? Why were they heading out into the Apocalypse? There are a handful of small considerations – food is scarce, water probably more so – but if there was a clear mission specific it really needed to be hammered home. Incessantly. Ruthlessly. Never let us forget why they're going where they're going. It really matters in a road movie. Even when on foot.
Don’t get me wrong: the psychological journey these two characters embark upon? That’s clear as day.
These are two people -- two broken souls -- from way different sides of the proverbial tracks, and the occasionally blistering exchanges are clearly assembled to give this somewhat experimental drama the life it needs to keep the viewers watching. While I’ll admit there were a few passages that, frankly, didn’t quite make much sense – i.e. the entire farting man sequence comes to mind – I don’t concern myself with stuff that eludes meaning to me personally: the endless bickering between a hardened military mind and one of life’s creative types gives me more than enough of a foundation to tap into the consciousness at work. Those moments? They work probably better than most low budget fare I’ve seen, and they should be commended. But for the rest? Well, maybe I’m sweating the small stuff.
Young, in particular, carries the weight of the world in the work.
As Gore, he barks orders, espouses military groupthink, and sweats authority at every opportunity. Audiences have seen the likes of him on the screen before. He’s actor Sterling Hayden as ‘Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper’ in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964). He’s Burt Lancaster’s ‘Gen. James Mattoon Scott’ in Seven Days In May (1964). He’s Richard Widmark’s ‘Capt. Eric Finlander’ in James B. Harris’ exceptional Cold War thriller The Bedford Incident (1965). He’s Gene Hackman’s ‘Captain Ramsey’ in Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide (1995). These are men hardened not so much by conflict as they are by their unflinching adherence to an ideology; they’d just as soon start a war to give themselves something to do. Preserving the peace? That ain’t in their schedule.
In fact, he probably started this whole damn Apocalypse just so he could get himself a bunker! The inglorious bastard!
Friend Of The World (2020) was produced by Charybdis Pictures and Gray Area Multimedia. The film is presently available for streaming on a variety of platforms (according to Google.com). As for the technical specifications? The film is a bit experimental, at times, blending in both black-and-white and color footage (don’t worry as it’s all meant to serve the narrative); it works for what it is as this is a low-budget SciFi/Horror/Drama meant to make you think not so much as marvel.
Recommended.
Admittedly, Friend Of The World (2020) is a bit light on the Apocalypse’s specifics (and it's a bit heavy on being experimental), but that’s okay. That's forgivable. As I said above, these films are never really about the fall of man so much as they are about men falling all over themselves in the bloody aftermath; and these ‘friends’ are clearly not so friendly, nor destined for this world for much longer in their present state. Neither are survivors, though one may live on. Now, I couldn’t tell you beans about what awaits them in particular – that part of the plot is shrouded in a bit of murkiness – but it would look like something trying to force a whole lot of souls into a single bucket. With so many personalities afloat, that’s gonna get messy.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Charybdis Pictures provided me with a complimentary streaming link of Friend Of The World (2020) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
These are two people -- two broken souls -- from way different sides of the proverbial tracks, and the occasionally blistering exchanges are clearly assembled to give this somewhat experimental drama the life it needs to keep the viewers watching. While I’ll admit there were a few passages that, frankly, didn’t quite make much sense – i.e. the entire farting man sequence comes to mind – I don’t concern myself with stuff that eludes meaning to me personally: the endless bickering between a hardened military mind and one of life’s creative types gives me more than enough of a foundation to tap into the consciousness at work. Those moments? They work probably better than most low budget fare I’ve seen, and they should be commended. But for the rest? Well, maybe I’m sweating the small stuff.
Young, in particular, carries the weight of the world in the work.
As Gore, he barks orders, espouses military groupthink, and sweats authority at every opportunity. Audiences have seen the likes of him on the screen before. He’s actor Sterling Hayden as ‘Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper’ in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964). He’s Burt Lancaster’s ‘Gen. James Mattoon Scott’ in Seven Days In May (1964). He’s Richard Widmark’s ‘Capt. Eric Finlander’ in James B. Harris’ exceptional Cold War thriller The Bedford Incident (1965). He’s Gene Hackman’s ‘Captain Ramsey’ in Tony Scott’s Crimson Tide (1995). These are men hardened not so much by conflict as they are by their unflinching adherence to an ideology; they’d just as soon start a war to give themselves something to do. Preserving the peace? That ain’t in their schedule.
In fact, he probably started this whole damn Apocalypse just so he could get himself a bunker! The inglorious bastard!
Friend Of The World (2020) was produced by Charybdis Pictures and Gray Area Multimedia. The film is presently available for streaming on a variety of platforms (according to Google.com). As for the technical specifications? The film is a bit experimental, at times, blending in both black-and-white and color footage (don’t worry as it’s all meant to serve the narrative); it works for what it is as this is a low-budget SciFi/Horror/Drama meant to make you think not so much as marvel.
Recommended.
Admittedly, Friend Of The World (2020) is a bit light on the Apocalypse’s specifics (and it's a bit heavy on being experimental), but that’s okay. That's forgivable. As I said above, these films are never really about the fall of man so much as they are about men falling all over themselves in the bloody aftermath; and these ‘friends’ are clearly not so friendly, nor destined for this world for much longer in their present state. Neither are survivors, though one may live on. Now, I couldn’t tell you beans about what awaits them in particular – that part of the plot is shrouded in a bit of murkiness – but it would look like something trying to force a whole lot of souls into a single bucket. With so many personalities afloat, that’s gonna get messy.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Charybdis Pictures provided me with a complimentary streaming link of Friend Of The World (2020) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
No, no, and no: this is not a review for the film Father Of Flies (2021). This is merely an announcement for the trailer. While this one has played to some acclaim at a few of those handy dandy film festivals, it isn't set for full internet release until April 12th (in the U.S.), so please don't be misled by this post's title. However, based on what I've read on the film, it certainly sounds like it's fully capable of delivering the creeps, just the way a good subversive psychological Horror should.
If you haven't heard of it, then don't be alarmed. I haven't heard of it myself until I received a blurb about it via a newsletter I'm subscribed to. In all honesty, that's where I receive most of my citations about upcoming films, though I am contacted directly from time-to-time via email by studio and marketing folks willing to put in the extra elbow grease to chat directly. And it isn't all that hard, peeps: all one must do is surf around SciFiHistory.Net, and the deets are there.
In any event, here's the movie's premise as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"A haunting tale of family life. A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her."
Sigh.
True: that little synopsis really doesn't reveal all that much, but this award-winning flick has put out a good trailer. I'd encourage you to watch, though it's equally light on details but heavy on some creepy visuals.
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
If you haven't heard of it, then don't be alarmed. I haven't heard of it myself until I received a blurb about it via a newsletter I'm subscribed to. In all honesty, that's where I receive most of my citations about upcoming films, though I am contacted directly from time-to-time via email by studio and marketing folks willing to put in the extra elbow grease to chat directly. And it isn't all that hard, peeps: all one must do is surf around SciFiHistory.Net, and the deets are there.
In any event, here's the movie's premise as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"A haunting tale of family life. A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her."
Sigh.
True: that little synopsis really doesn't reveal all that much, but this award-winning flick has put out a good trailer. I'd encourage you to watch, though it's equally light on details but heavy on some creepy visuals.
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
-- EZ
- Published on
I'd read somewheres that zombie films come-and-go, but from what I can tell they've been here for some time ... and it would appear they're here to say.
I would agree that they kinda/sorta go into a kind of creative regression from time-to-time. It isn't as if the endless stream of walking dead features ups the ante with each successive iteration; in fact, it's really an awful lot more of the same. Granted, storytellers do strive to tell fresh tales when they can, but all-in-all it's hard to imagine that our collective fascination with the dead being undead will merely drift away in the immediate future. Rather, someone somewhere will make another big hit featuring zombies; and we'll be back where we started all over again.
Still, I could argue that we haven't seen one of the frenetic, rushing, crazy, and rabid zombie films in a short while, so there was bound to be another leaf turned. Earlier today, I happened across a trailer for Virus-32 (or Virus:32, depending upon where you're reading), and it definitely appears that writer/director Gustavo Hernández favors the fast-running walkers over the slow, lumbering, Monday-morning perps. From what I've read, this one is available for streaming on the Shudder APP/Channel starting on April 21st. Typically, a home video release will follow, but I'm not seeing any particulars regarding that.
Here's the movie's premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"A rapid spreading virus which transforms people into intelligent, ultra-violent, extra-fast zombie hunters. After each wave of attack by the monsters, they're left incapacitated for 32 seconds while they recover their strength."
Trailer will be below. You know what to do about that.
I would agree that they kinda/sorta go into a kind of creative regression from time-to-time. It isn't as if the endless stream of walking dead features ups the ante with each successive iteration; in fact, it's really an awful lot more of the same. Granted, storytellers do strive to tell fresh tales when they can, but all-in-all it's hard to imagine that our collective fascination with the dead being undead will merely drift away in the immediate future. Rather, someone somewhere will make another big hit featuring zombies; and we'll be back where we started all over again.
Still, I could argue that we haven't seen one of the frenetic, rushing, crazy, and rabid zombie films in a short while, so there was bound to be another leaf turned. Earlier today, I happened across a trailer for Virus-32 (or Virus:32, depending upon where you're reading), and it definitely appears that writer/director Gustavo Hernández favors the fast-running walkers over the slow, lumbering, Monday-morning perps. From what I've read, this one is available for streaming on the Shudder APP/Channel starting on April 21st. Typically, a home video release will follow, but I'm not seeing any particulars regarding that.
Here's the movie's premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"A rapid spreading virus which transforms people into intelligent, ultra-violent, extra-fast zombie hunters. After each wave of attack by the monsters, they're left incapacitated for 32 seconds while they recover their strength."
Trailer will be below. You know what to do about that.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
-- EZ
- Published on
Yes, yes, and yes, folks: there is life outside Science Fiction and Fantasy, but those who know me know that I'm no fan of traditional sitcoms. There have been a few exceptions plucked from the history of television, and one of those I loved was NBC's long-running Seinfeld.
Now, I probably didn't go gaga over it the way so many did. I've always been a character person: you can take any greatly-designed character and plunk him or her down in damn near any situation, and I'm inclined to watch it. And while the four leads of this particular sitcom certainly had the strength to carry their respective weight, I just so damn loved the secondary characters ... such as George Constanza's mom and pop. Their manic, on-again-off-again intensity made for some comic delight, and I do so love characters nearly always screaming their lines at one another. It's just sheer genius when done well.
Estelle Harris certainly carried her own on the show.
As an actress, she leaves behind a legacy of over one hundred different screen roles, and quite a few of them in her later years were reserved for voiceover work in animation. She even found a bit of silver screen glory in the guise of Mrs. Potato Head aboard the Walt Disney / Pixar world of Toy Story, for which a whole new generation of fans got to know her talent, insuring that her work will definitely live on for awhile longer.
Plus, any person big or small who gets to play in the world of Star Trek deserves a bit of extra love, don't you think?
Prayers go out to her legion of fans around the world; and well wishes to her dearest family and friends. May she rest in peace.
-- EZ
Now, I probably didn't go gaga over it the way so many did. I've always been a character person: you can take any greatly-designed character and plunk him or her down in damn near any situation, and I'm inclined to watch it. And while the four leads of this particular sitcom certainly had the strength to carry their respective weight, I just so damn loved the secondary characters ... such as George Constanza's mom and pop. Their manic, on-again-off-again intensity made for some comic delight, and I do so love characters nearly always screaming their lines at one another. It's just sheer genius when done well.
Estelle Harris certainly carried her own on the show.
As an actress, she leaves behind a legacy of over one hundred different screen roles, and quite a few of them in her later years were reserved for voiceover work in animation. She even found a bit of silver screen glory in the guise of Mrs. Potato Head aboard the Walt Disney / Pixar world of Toy Story, for which a whole new generation of fans got to know her talent, insuring that her work will definitely live on for awhile longer.
Plus, any person big or small who gets to play in the world of Star Trek deserves a bit of extra love, don't you think?
Prayers go out to her legion of fans around the world; and well wishes to her dearest family and friends. May she rest in peace.
-- EZ
- Published on
Over the next few days, I’ll be happily spending some time with Drive-In Classics, a collection of three 1950’s era Science Fiction and Fantasy films released on DVD by Corinth Films. This set includes the seminal Rocketship X-M (1950), The Brain From Planet Arous (1958), and The Hideous Sun Demon (1959); and they’re all films I’ve seen before yet thrilled to partake of yet again.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage yo to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging:
“After being exposed to a near-fatal dose of radiation, atomic research scientist Gilbert McKenna is lucky to be alive. After recovering, he soon finds his body has a terrible reaction to the sun, transforming him into a reptilian creature when sunlight hits his skin, and then back into a human when out of the sun’s reach. Desperate to find a cure, his assistant enlists the help of a leading authority of radiation poisoning and its effects who claims the scientist can be cured. However, they gravely underestimate the psychological toil that the horrifying condition is taking on McKenna.”
Occasionally there are some of these older, kinda/sorta forgotten Science Fiction and Fantasy stinkers that deserve a bit of praise. That’s what I try to do when and if I stumble upon them.
It’s safe to say that The Hideous Sun Demon is an easily forgettable odyssey by any practical measure. It appears at all times to be made on-the-cheap and with very little true ‘invention;’ but I will give it a few compliments based on the latest viewing. In truth, it’s a flick I’m familiar with – I remember seeing this one more than once as a little guy growing up in the days when SciFi features of the 50’s and 60’s were heavy in rotation in the TV syndication market – so maybe some of my kind words are a product of nostalgia more than anything else.
Starring Robert Clarke (an incredible 172 credits on IMDB.com) in the role of Dr. Gilbert McKenna, this truly was an early ‘vanity’ project as Clarke is also cited as having come up with the original story as well as co-directing the production alongside Tom Boutross (who shared scriptwriting responsibilities as well). According to Wikipedia.org (and I may be plugging my interpretation of their stated facts), Clarke was inspired by the (financial) success of his previous outing – The Astounding She-Monster (1957) – to dip back into the realm of SciFi and Fantasy, and he drew inspiration for his tale from Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde,” itself a property that has inspired many, many cinema and TV adaptations.
While there’s a clear symbiosis between these works – i.e. both explore the prospect of one man wrapped up in a violent and vivid tale of two identities – Sun Demon really spends far too much time with the sane McKenna and too little time with his insane reptilian counterpart to make Clarke's comparison to Jekyll & Hyde any more relevant or relatable. Obviously, the good doctor is not quite himself when he’s responding to cold-blooded influences of the animal kingdom, but thankfully the script fleshes out a small bit of conflict for him to confront as a normal person as well (such as the ubiquitous love triange and even what appears to be a small-town mob connection).
From the product packaging:
“After being exposed to a near-fatal dose of radiation, atomic research scientist Gilbert McKenna is lucky to be alive. After recovering, he soon finds his body has a terrible reaction to the sun, transforming him into a reptilian creature when sunlight hits his skin, and then back into a human when out of the sun’s reach. Desperate to find a cure, his assistant enlists the help of a leading authority of radiation poisoning and its effects who claims the scientist can be cured. However, they gravely underestimate the psychological toil that the horrifying condition is taking on McKenna.”
Occasionally there are some of these older, kinda/sorta forgotten Science Fiction and Fantasy stinkers that deserve a bit of praise. That’s what I try to do when and if I stumble upon them.
It’s safe to say that The Hideous Sun Demon is an easily forgettable odyssey by any practical measure. It appears at all times to be made on-the-cheap and with very little true ‘invention;’ but I will give it a few compliments based on the latest viewing. In truth, it’s a flick I’m familiar with – I remember seeing this one more than once as a little guy growing up in the days when SciFi features of the 50’s and 60’s were heavy in rotation in the TV syndication market – so maybe some of my kind words are a product of nostalgia more than anything else.
Starring Robert Clarke (an incredible 172 credits on IMDB.com) in the role of Dr. Gilbert McKenna, this truly was an early ‘vanity’ project as Clarke is also cited as having come up with the original story as well as co-directing the production alongside Tom Boutross (who shared scriptwriting responsibilities as well). According to Wikipedia.org (and I may be plugging my interpretation of their stated facts), Clarke was inspired by the (financial) success of his previous outing – The Astounding She-Monster (1957) – to dip back into the realm of SciFi and Fantasy, and he drew inspiration for his tale from Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde,” itself a property that has inspired many, many cinema and TV adaptations.
While there’s a clear symbiosis between these works – i.e. both explore the prospect of one man wrapped up in a violent and vivid tale of two identities – Sun Demon really spends far too much time with the sane McKenna and too little time with his insane reptilian counterpart to make Clarke's comparison to Jekyll & Hyde any more relevant or relatable. Obviously, the good doctor is not quite himself when he’s responding to cold-blooded influences of the animal kingdom, but thankfully the script fleshes out a small bit of conflict for him to confront as a normal person as well (such as the ubiquitous love triange and even what appears to be a small-town mob connection).
Because the film has co-directors, it’s difficult to know whom to praise for the film’s visual subtleties. (There aren’t many highwater marks, but …)
For example, McKenna the man finds himself torn between two lovers – lab assistant Ann Russell (Patricia Manning) and torch singer Trudy Osborne (Nan Peterson). Just by their career choices alone, Ann and Trudy are clearly cut from different cloth; and their costuming couldn’t be more indicative – Ann appears in full-body dresses with sleeves and high collars while Trudy shows enough cleavage to alarm the casual network censor. (It’s even suggested that she’s in nothing but her birthday suit under McKenna’s trench coat for their romantic scenes on the beach! Oh, behave!) Small details like this do make these characters work on the aesthetic level, so kudos to whoever called those shots.
While much of the film feels as though it was a fairly routine construction, there’s actually one sequence deserving a bit of extra mention: late in the film, a small girl named Suzy (Xandra Conkling) goes out to play tea party with the dolls she keeps hidden away in a functional oil field shack (egads!), a place wherein McKenna is hiding out from the approaching police. Some excellent cinematography was at work as the scene is filmed from inside the shack with absolutely no supporting music or anything; it’s a stark setting punctuated by the odd metallic rhythms of an oil pump, and all of this somehow manages to ratchet up a sense of dread, almost as if the child was clearly walking into the most dangerous set of circumstances imaginable. It ends up being a fairly benign pairing between the man and the girl – I had a throwback memory to the scene in Frankenstein involving his meeting with a li'l lass – but I found this sequence to be a great piece of camera work evoking a dark, dreary, deadly mood while ending up nothing more than a kid with her toy China teacups.
Still, Sun Demon remains one of those older films that's probably best forgotten. There’s just nothing very distinctive about its story or its performances – the script is downright bland in sections dealing with exposition (the veritable screenwriter's wordy download in order to progress the plot) – and there’s just no real sense of urgency to much else in here, not even the race for a cure. The lizardman costume is better-than-average and yet the audience just spends so little time with the monster it never gets the love most classic creatures have earned.
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) was produced by Clarke-King Enterprises. (Interestingly enough, this was their only productions according to IMDB.com.) DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by Corinth Films. As for the technical specifications? The sights and sounds of this DVD are solid; there’s an understandable bit of grain in a few places given the age of the film. As for the special features? Alas, this is a bare bones release, and there isn’t a single one! Gasp! The horror! The horror!
(Mildly) Recommended.
Audiences heading into The Hideous Sun Demon should be prepared for a slim monster movie, perhaps one of the slimmest. Though it would’ve been nice to see a bit more of this particular ‘lizardman,’ the story is structured such that our protagonist strives to avoid changing into the beast, meaning that this creature feature truly features this creature only briefly. Naturally, the ending gives us the best look at the monster, but it would’ve been nice to have more. (And, at that point, he's wearing slacks!) Still, there are a few nice sequences, although the script and pacing of the film did it no favors.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Corinth Films provided me with a complimentary DVD of The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
For example, McKenna the man finds himself torn between two lovers – lab assistant Ann Russell (Patricia Manning) and torch singer Trudy Osborne (Nan Peterson). Just by their career choices alone, Ann and Trudy are clearly cut from different cloth; and their costuming couldn’t be more indicative – Ann appears in full-body dresses with sleeves and high collars while Trudy shows enough cleavage to alarm the casual network censor. (It’s even suggested that she’s in nothing but her birthday suit under McKenna’s trench coat for their romantic scenes on the beach! Oh, behave!) Small details like this do make these characters work on the aesthetic level, so kudos to whoever called those shots.
While much of the film feels as though it was a fairly routine construction, there’s actually one sequence deserving a bit of extra mention: late in the film, a small girl named Suzy (Xandra Conkling) goes out to play tea party with the dolls she keeps hidden away in a functional oil field shack (egads!), a place wherein McKenna is hiding out from the approaching police. Some excellent cinematography was at work as the scene is filmed from inside the shack with absolutely no supporting music or anything; it’s a stark setting punctuated by the odd metallic rhythms of an oil pump, and all of this somehow manages to ratchet up a sense of dread, almost as if the child was clearly walking into the most dangerous set of circumstances imaginable. It ends up being a fairly benign pairing between the man and the girl – I had a throwback memory to the scene in Frankenstein involving his meeting with a li'l lass – but I found this sequence to be a great piece of camera work evoking a dark, dreary, deadly mood while ending up nothing more than a kid with her toy China teacups.
Still, Sun Demon remains one of those older films that's probably best forgotten. There’s just nothing very distinctive about its story or its performances – the script is downright bland in sections dealing with exposition (the veritable screenwriter's wordy download in order to progress the plot) – and there’s just no real sense of urgency to much else in here, not even the race for a cure. The lizardman costume is better-than-average and yet the audience just spends so little time with the monster it never gets the love most classic creatures have earned.
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) was produced by Clarke-King Enterprises. (Interestingly enough, this was their only productions according to IMDB.com.) DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by Corinth Films. As for the technical specifications? The sights and sounds of this DVD are solid; there’s an understandable bit of grain in a few places given the age of the film. As for the special features? Alas, this is a bare bones release, and there isn’t a single one! Gasp! The horror! The horror!
(Mildly) Recommended.
Audiences heading into The Hideous Sun Demon should be prepared for a slim monster movie, perhaps one of the slimmest. Though it would’ve been nice to see a bit more of this particular ‘lizardman,’ the story is structured such that our protagonist strives to avoid changing into the beast, meaning that this creature feature truly features this creature only briefly. Naturally, the ending gives us the best look at the monster, but it would’ve been nice to have more. (And, at that point, he's wearing slacks!) Still, there are a few nice sequences, although the script and pacing of the film did it no favors.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Corinth Films provided me with a complimentary DVD of The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com citation:
“After a moment of total teenage angst, a young punk finds himself at odds with a psychedelic monster of his own creation.”
Ahem.
If I’m being perfectly honest, then I’ll admit it’s a bit difficult to talk openly about I Need You Dead without spoiling writer/director Rocko Zevenbergen’s storytelling ‘twist.’ As a reviewer, I’ve always taken just a little bit of pride out of the fact that I try to discuss all flicks respectfully and intelligently without divulging any central plot turns, but this one presents a unique challenge. So … let me put it to you this way: those expecting to stay entirely with Dead’s opening story – a yarn presented as a kinda/sorta stoner comedy with a terrific monster angle – are likely to be disappointed. Traditional Horror is really only the packaging used to explore the metaphor of making a film, and what folks really should expect here is a Psychological Horror.
Now, I don’t volunteer that information as a reflection of quality in any way. It’s only a qualifier meant to give me – the reviewer – the proper context with which to discuss what the film has to offer of substance (and, in short, I think there’s plenty).
Using the framework of a film-in-progress within a film-in-progress, Zevenbergen and his band of pranksters have actually constructed something arguably darker than the conventional Horror movie tropes used to set-up the tale of Dood, Pal, and – well – that vile, bloodthirsty talking head with razor-sharp teeth. After all, they’re little more than pawns on the filmmaker’s chessboard, leaving the true God Complex ripe for presentation on the main stage. It’s there where the audience will be introduced – albeit quickly and with little pomp and circumstance – to the true movers and shakers of Dead, and rest assured that not everyone will get through this journey with their body and soul intact.
Once these narrative connections have been established, it becomes clear that Dead is one massively ‘meta’ multiverse in the mind of the storyteller, and the tale could easily be suggested to be a life-changing metaphor for … well … it could honestly be for a whole lot of things. The struggle of making a film. The task of seeing things through from start-to-finish. The never-ending battle of staying true to one’s vision. The Sisyphean challenge of keeping your head ‘in the game’ when life itself would pull you in a thousand directions. So if there’s a downside to the road taken here it’s that it could all be a cautionary tale with number of morals. That’s not a bad thing; it just leaves the work wide open for interpretation … and I’m a dude who prefers to do less ‘supposing’ and more ‘reacting’ as a critic.
But about that Dood …
From the film’s IMDB.com citation:
“After a moment of total teenage angst, a young punk finds himself at odds with a psychedelic monster of his own creation.”
Ahem.
If I’m being perfectly honest, then I’ll admit it’s a bit difficult to talk openly about I Need You Dead without spoiling writer/director Rocko Zevenbergen’s storytelling ‘twist.’ As a reviewer, I’ve always taken just a little bit of pride out of the fact that I try to discuss all flicks respectfully and intelligently without divulging any central plot turns, but this one presents a unique challenge. So … let me put it to you this way: those expecting to stay entirely with Dead’s opening story – a yarn presented as a kinda/sorta stoner comedy with a terrific monster angle – are likely to be disappointed. Traditional Horror is really only the packaging used to explore the metaphor of making a film, and what folks really should expect here is a Psychological Horror.
Now, I don’t volunteer that information as a reflection of quality in any way. It’s only a qualifier meant to give me – the reviewer – the proper context with which to discuss what the film has to offer of substance (and, in short, I think there’s plenty).
Using the framework of a film-in-progress within a film-in-progress, Zevenbergen and his band of pranksters have actually constructed something arguably darker than the conventional Horror movie tropes used to set-up the tale of Dood, Pal, and – well – that vile, bloodthirsty talking head with razor-sharp teeth. After all, they’re little more than pawns on the filmmaker’s chessboard, leaving the true God Complex ripe for presentation on the main stage. It’s there where the audience will be introduced – albeit quickly and with little pomp and circumstance – to the true movers and shakers of Dead, and rest assured that not everyone will get through this journey with their body and soul intact.
Once these narrative connections have been established, it becomes clear that Dead is one massively ‘meta’ multiverse in the mind of the storyteller, and the tale could easily be suggested to be a life-changing metaphor for … well … it could honestly be for a whole lot of things. The struggle of making a film. The task of seeing things through from start-to-finish. The never-ending battle of staying true to one’s vision. The Sisyphean challenge of keeping your head ‘in the game’ when life itself would pull you in a thousand directions. So if there’s a downside to the road taken here it’s that it could all be a cautionary tale with number of morals. That’s not a bad thing; it just leaves the work wide open for interpretation … and I’m a dude who prefers to do less ‘supposing’ and more ‘reacting’ as a critic.
But about that Dood …
Dead features a pretty solid ensemble – both within and outside – with extra kudos being offered for Estevan Munoz’s performance as Dood. Though it’s a bit uneven in the film’s early stages, the actor shows incredible depth and range as both his fictional world and the mind of his narrator continues unspooling. Caught up in the train wreck in fictional time, Munoz manages to appeal for the audience’s sympathy whilst his creator continues to descend into madness of his own creation, and the work is punctuated with plenty of great smaller moments that deserve a second viewing.
Lastly, I’d be a fool if I failed to mention that it’s flicks like I Need You Dead that over the years have made me become more and more a champion of the independent film scene. This is the kind of story that couldn’t survive inside the studio system perhaps because it’s a bit raw for some and probably more than a bit cerebral for your average motion picture executive. Sure, I could quibble with a particular scene’s edit – some go on a bit longer than necessary and maybe a sequence here or there re-establishes a point already made better elsewhere in the story – but those qualms are trivial. What Dead lacks in money and marketing it more than makes up for in creativity and purposefulness. While the end result may not be to everyone’s tastes (hell, even I didn’t think much of its first twenty minutes), I encourage everyone to give these fringe storytellers a chance … and you might just emerge very, very impressed.
I Need You Dead! (2020) is produced by Bad Taste Video. According to a press citation I’m looking at from late 2021, the feature film is available for streaming on Vudu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime. As for the technical specifications? The flick has a fair amount of what I’d call ‘parlor trickery’ – more so in its second half – that’s meant to be an organic part of the story (it has thematic relevance), so just a bit of warning on that. You’ll know it when you see it.
Recommended.
No, no, and no: independent films are not for everyone, but anyone who likes stories that push boundaries artistically should definitely warm up to I Need You Dead! It dabbles with creativity in so many clever ways that it deserves to be embraced by an audience that loves film and the endless possibilities that go hand-in-hand with the medium. A few excellent performances and a solid ensemble might make you think about your own descent into the daily mountain of madness that is your own life, though you’ll hopeful emerge with a better conclusion than our budding auteur does here.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Bad Taste Video provided me with a complimentary streaming link to I Need You Dead! (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Lastly, I’d be a fool if I failed to mention that it’s flicks like I Need You Dead that over the years have made me become more and more a champion of the independent film scene. This is the kind of story that couldn’t survive inside the studio system perhaps because it’s a bit raw for some and probably more than a bit cerebral for your average motion picture executive. Sure, I could quibble with a particular scene’s edit – some go on a bit longer than necessary and maybe a sequence here or there re-establishes a point already made better elsewhere in the story – but those qualms are trivial. What Dead lacks in money and marketing it more than makes up for in creativity and purposefulness. While the end result may not be to everyone’s tastes (hell, even I didn’t think much of its first twenty minutes), I encourage everyone to give these fringe storytellers a chance … and you might just emerge very, very impressed.
I Need You Dead! (2020) is produced by Bad Taste Video. According to a press citation I’m looking at from late 2021, the feature film is available for streaming on Vudu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime. As for the technical specifications? The flick has a fair amount of what I’d call ‘parlor trickery’ – more so in its second half – that’s meant to be an organic part of the story (it has thematic relevance), so just a bit of warning on that. You’ll know it when you see it.
Recommended.
No, no, and no: independent films are not for everyone, but anyone who likes stories that push boundaries artistically should definitely warm up to I Need You Dead! It dabbles with creativity in so many clever ways that it deserves to be embraced by an audience that loves film and the endless possibilities that go hand-in-hand with the medium. A few excellent performances and a solid ensemble might make you think about your own descent into the daily mountain of madness that is your own life, though you’ll hopeful emerge with a better conclusion than our budding auteur does here.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Bad Taste Video provided me with a complimentary streaming link to I Need You Dead! (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
Oh, it's awful getting old, peeps. If you can avoid it, do so.
I honestly forget if I've talked about the Netflix series Into The Night in this space. It seems to me that I may've penned a little something something about it at some point, but I could be mistaken. There are so many things I've watched that I've always wanted to write something about that I do occasionally confuse an item here and there, but I never avoid mentioning something out of spite.
In any event, Into The Night is this pretty damn riveting French drama about an Extinction Level Event taking place after being triggered by our sun. While it's a bit difficult to boil the premise down to a single sentence or two, the gist of it is that -- for reasons unknown -- the sun has begun to 'burn off' human beings from the face of the planet. The main characters spend the first season trapped aboard a commercial aircraft flying 'into the night,' meaning they're desperately trying to avoid the sunlight for as long as possible. Since that premise clearly has its limitations, the second season involves them being holed up in an underground bunker -- which also protects them from this phenomenon -- and the focus changes a bit as their goal becomes having the supplies to survive until whatever has gone wrong can be sufficiently 'righted.'
To my understanding (at least, this is as of the last time I looked), the producers were unaware as to whether or not Netflix intended to pick them up for a third season. I know how folks are a bit dour about the show's future -- Netflix has been building a sad track record of dumping shows in the middle of their storylines -- but there may be a little light at the end of that tunnel as an all-new show titled Yakamoz S-245 has stepped up to the plate.
As best I understand the information thus far released, this show takes place in the same universe as Into The Night only it's focusing on an entirely different cast of characters trapped beneath the sea in a submarine (assuming that's the title). Perhaps the growing list of players aboard Into The Night presented some cost issues for producers -- this spin-off appears to be from the same team -- so maybe they comprised with Netflix to continue the adventure this way?
At this point, who knows?
In the meantime, audiences can look for the world to end once more when the streaming giant sets this one out to sea on April 20th. If it's half as good as Into The Night, then I'm signing aboard.
Trailer is below.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I honestly forget if I've talked about the Netflix series Into The Night in this space. It seems to me that I may've penned a little something something about it at some point, but I could be mistaken. There are so many things I've watched that I've always wanted to write something about that I do occasionally confuse an item here and there, but I never avoid mentioning something out of spite.
In any event, Into The Night is this pretty damn riveting French drama about an Extinction Level Event taking place after being triggered by our sun. While it's a bit difficult to boil the premise down to a single sentence or two, the gist of it is that -- for reasons unknown -- the sun has begun to 'burn off' human beings from the face of the planet. The main characters spend the first season trapped aboard a commercial aircraft flying 'into the night,' meaning they're desperately trying to avoid the sunlight for as long as possible. Since that premise clearly has its limitations, the second season involves them being holed up in an underground bunker -- which also protects them from this phenomenon -- and the focus changes a bit as their goal becomes having the supplies to survive until whatever has gone wrong can be sufficiently 'righted.'
To my understanding (at least, this is as of the last time I looked), the producers were unaware as to whether or not Netflix intended to pick them up for a third season. I know how folks are a bit dour about the show's future -- Netflix has been building a sad track record of dumping shows in the middle of their storylines -- but there may be a little light at the end of that tunnel as an all-new show titled Yakamoz S-245 has stepped up to the plate.
As best I understand the information thus far released, this show takes place in the same universe as Into The Night only it's focusing on an entirely different cast of characters trapped beneath the sea in a submarine (assuming that's the title). Perhaps the growing list of players aboard Into The Night presented some cost issues for producers -- this spin-off appears to be from the same team -- so maybe they comprised with Netflix to continue the adventure this way?
At this point, who knows?
In the meantime, audiences can look for the world to end once more when the streaming giant sets this one out to sea on April 20th. If it's half as good as Into The Night, then I'm signing aboard.
Trailer is below.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
Ach. This one hurts, kids. I'm not gonna lie. This one hurts.
An entertainment icon -- Bruce Willis -- has issued a statement that he's retiring from acting. The particulars clarify that he was recently given a clinical diagnosis of aphasia, a neurologic condition that affects one's ability to communicate with the spoken word and visual cues. (Seriously, folks, I don't want to get into an argument over aphasia here: yes, I've read some stuff on the web this morning as I wanted to know more, and apparently there are a few 'schools of thought' on it. Let's just leave it as is.)
Generally related to brain injury (of some sort), I've read an awful lot of armchair speculation about how his work in action movies has "possibly" produced this condition, but the truth of the matter -- at least, so far as I'm concerned -- is that the man is in his late 60's, and having spent a fair amount of time with seasoned folks myself conditions like this are not as rare nor unusual as one might think.
None of that matters now. What truly matters is that those of us who pray should keep the Willis family in your thoughts and prayers. Those of you who don't pray, do whatever it is you do to send the healing light of the universe Bruce's way. I'm certain he could use whatever any of us have to offer in this time of need.
Honestly, the man's a screen legend, so far as I'm concerned. The Die Hard films -- with an exception here and there -- have all been pretty entertaining; and his work in Science Fiction and Fantasy with roles in 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), and the oft-maligned Armageddon (1998) definitely proved he could stray outside Action and Drama to places where dreams and nightmares come true. And the few films I've mentioned only touch on the man's greatness. Though I've read he can be a holy terror behind-the-scenes, I've got nothing but fond memories of my time with him in shadows and light.
Here's hoping he gets the help he needs, and who knows? Maybe he'll give us something more to look at in the years ahead.
-- EZ
An entertainment icon -- Bruce Willis -- has issued a statement that he's retiring from acting. The particulars clarify that he was recently given a clinical diagnosis of aphasia, a neurologic condition that affects one's ability to communicate with the spoken word and visual cues. (Seriously, folks, I don't want to get into an argument over aphasia here: yes, I've read some stuff on the web this morning as I wanted to know more, and apparently there are a few 'schools of thought' on it. Let's just leave it as is.)
Generally related to brain injury (of some sort), I've read an awful lot of armchair speculation about how his work in action movies has "possibly" produced this condition, but the truth of the matter -- at least, so far as I'm concerned -- is that the man is in his late 60's, and having spent a fair amount of time with seasoned folks myself conditions like this are not as rare nor unusual as one might think.
None of that matters now. What truly matters is that those of us who pray should keep the Willis family in your thoughts and prayers. Those of you who don't pray, do whatever it is you do to send the healing light of the universe Bruce's way. I'm certain he could use whatever any of us have to offer in this time of need.
Honestly, the man's a screen legend, so far as I'm concerned. The Die Hard films -- with an exception here and there -- have all been pretty entertaining; and his work in Science Fiction and Fantasy with roles in 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), and the oft-maligned Armageddon (1998) definitely proved he could stray outside Action and Drama to places where dreams and nightmares come true. And the few films I've mentioned only touch on the man's greatness. Though I've read he can be a holy terror behind-the-scenes, I've got nothing but fond memories of my time with him in shadows and light.
Here's hoping he gets the help he needs, and who knows? Maybe he'll give us something more to look at in the years ahead.
-- EZ
- Published on
So after I finished with my six month dental checkup this morning, I swung by the trusty and reliable WalMart to pick up a few supplies needed around the house. Lo and behold -- as I'm checking out the candy aisle just because I've got a hankering -- what do I find?!?!
Ooshies!
Yes, like so many of you, I'm an action figure nut. I have way too many in my collection -- I really do need to think about scaling back sometime soon -- but there are some things I just can't pass up. Mostly, it's the small items -- the kind of things that can rather easily set up shop damn near anywhere around the house or on a shelf. A few years back, I discovered these DC Comics-inspired Ooshies; they're essentially meant to be pencil-toppers -- for those of you who know what those are -- but I have a whole assortment of them that I've lined up all over the house. Yes, they're for kids ... but I like to think of my old self as still being young-at-heart.
Based on where the WalMart had them, I'm suspecting that their purchasing gurus decided that these would be ideal for Easter baskets and the like, but fans of superhero figures would be well to head on out to your local retail warehouse store to see if perhaps they've got a good supply on hand. Alas, the DC ones were VERY picked over -- in fact, I only scored a single Ooshie because I wanted to leave some for the other kiddies -- but this true-blue Superman looks damn great, doesn't he?
My only complaint?
There are only 12 figures available in this collection.
Someday -- someday -- I'm hoping they go for the entire pantheon of DC Comics' characters.
That would require me a massive investment.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Ooshies!
Yes, like so many of you, I'm an action figure nut. I have way too many in my collection -- I really do need to think about scaling back sometime soon -- but there are some things I just can't pass up. Mostly, it's the small items -- the kind of things that can rather easily set up shop damn near anywhere around the house or on a shelf. A few years back, I discovered these DC Comics-inspired Ooshies; they're essentially meant to be pencil-toppers -- for those of you who know what those are -- but I have a whole assortment of them that I've lined up all over the house. Yes, they're for kids ... but I like to think of my old self as still being young-at-heart.
Based on where the WalMart had them, I'm suspecting that their purchasing gurus decided that these would be ideal for Easter baskets and the like, but fans of superhero figures would be well to head on out to your local retail warehouse store to see if perhaps they've got a good supply on hand. Alas, the DC ones were VERY picked over -- in fact, I only scored a single Ooshie because I wanted to leave some for the other kiddies -- but this true-blue Superman looks damn great, doesn't he?
My only complaint?
There are only 12 figures available in this collection.
Someday -- someday -- I'm hoping they go for the entire pantheon of DC Comics' characters.
That would require me a massive investment.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ