CAMP
Directed by: Avalon Fast
Written by: Avalon Fast
Produced by: Taylor Nodrick, Jacob Glickman, Jackie De Niverville, Martin Cadieux-Rouillard
Starring: Zola Grimmer, Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Ella Reece, Austyn Van De Kamp, Izza Jarvis, Sophie Bawks-Smith
Genre: Horror, Coming of Age
Distributor: Dark Sky Films 
Run Time: 111 minutes 
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On this day in 1997 (in France), The Fifth Element enjoyed its first theatrical exhibition ever at the Cannes Film Festival.  Written and directed by Luc Besson, the SciFi/Fantasy starred Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay."

For the record:
Luc Besson's The Fifth Element certainly garnered an awful lot of praise during its original run. 

• At the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony, it enjoyed a nomination for 'Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing.' 
• At the 1998 BAFTA Awards, it actually took home top honors in the category of 'Best Special Effects.' 
• For the 1998 Saturn Awards, the film sported four nominations (but no wins) in the categories of 'Best Special Effects,' 'Best Costumes,' 'Best Supporting Actress,' and 'Best Science Fiction Film.' 
• ​And it also enjoyed a Hugo Awards nomination for 'Best Dramatic Presentation.'

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-- EZ
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On this day in 2015 (in the U.S.), the good people of Hollywood, California were treated to the first theatrical engagement ever of Mad Max: Fury Road.  Written (in part) and directed by George Miller, the SciFi/Thriller starred Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max."

For the record:
Mad Max: Fury Road went on to become one of the bigger films of the year, as well as one of the more decorated Science Fiction and Fantasy films of the past decade.

• At the 2016 Academy Awards, Fury Road took home top honors in six major categories: 'Best Achievement In Film Editing,' 'Best Achievement In Costume Design,' 'Best Achievement In Makeup And Hairstyling,' 'Best Achievement In Sound Mixing,' 'Best Achievement In Sound Editing,' and 'Best Achievement In Production Design.'
• At the 2016 Saturn Awards (sponsored by the Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films), actress Charlize Theron took home the trophy in the category of 'Best Actress.'
• At the 2016 Hugo Awards, the film had to settle for the honor of being nominated in the category of 'Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form.'

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-- EZ
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On this day in 1943 (in the U.S.), the big city of Boston, Massachusetts played host for an exclusive theatrical premiere engagement of The Black Raven.  Directed by Sam Newfield from a story by Fred Myton, the film starred George Zucco, Wanda McKay, Noel Madison, Charles Middleton, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A group of strangers are brought together in an old, dark house and must contend with two murders and $50,000 in stolen money."

-- EZ
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(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 DVD packaging:
“In a future society where nearly all humans are linked to a vast collective consciousness, one young ‘Non-Connectable’ named M20 refuses to submit to the scientists determined to integrate him into the system.  Isolated yet fiercely independent, he becomes a symbol of resistance in a world where individual thought is nearly extinct.  With the help of Marie, a brilliant but conflicted scientist torn between duty and conscience, M20 fights to protect his autonomy and ignite a spark of rebellion.  Together, their struggle becomes a powerful stand for free will in the face of overwhelming technological control.”
 
Here’s the thing, folks …
 
If you’re anything remotely like me, then you probably read that plot description and said, “Hell yeah!  This sounds like my kind of ride!”  The simple lesson here is that making decision almost entirely on prose likely written by learned advertising professionals can be the Achilles’ Heel which, herein, leads to disappointment (as opposed to the Trojan War hero’s death).  These executives are paid to bring you to the table … to get you to purchase a theater ticket … to lure you into ponying up your own hard-earned cash for a digital rental or purchase.  A bit of restraint – along with a bit of research – sometimes goes a long way toward staving off some regret, and rest assured those will likely be the wisest words I can offer as it comes to I-Art (2018).
 
Alexandre Da Silva directs here from a script attributed to Benjamin Garnier; and while I can say that the direction, pacing, and performances are very good the resulting picture is more than a bit of a conundrum.  This happens because the vast majority of the plot as described above is presented through interpretive dance and not actual spoken word storytelling.  Yes, there are a few scenes presented by actors which serve as tissue stitching the tale together.  There’s even some rather obvious acting which helps to highlight the tensions between the players as well as their collective and individual circumstances … but the fact remains that – most likely – only those of you moved to tear by dance will know what to make of the events as they transpire.
 
Again (for the haters): yes, there’s a bit of substance in I-Art that pushes the work forward.  Like it or not, legendary rapper Dr. Dre even provides a voiceover through a vignette here and there; and I suspect that Da Silva and Garnier employed this technique more as a means to book-end specific events – to underscore the importance of what you were seeing or about to see – and to a small degree that aids in lessening the downright obfuscation that likely would’ve resulted without those words.  I’m certainly not trying to disparage any individual’s contributions here: rather, I’m emphasizing that my critical assessment is that there just weren’t enough words and happenings to justify this web being spun the way it was.  Granted, I’m not the target demographic; and yet here I am offering you only my assessment of why it should be avoided.
 
The upside?
 
Well, it spools out at a lean 60+ minutes, so that minimally scored a point with me.  Given the story, this may’ve worked fine with even a bit of trimming and pairing it with other tales in some artistic anthology collection.  That alone might’ve made it a touch more interesting as it could’ve been presented alongside high art interpretations of SciFi tropes.  But … as it is?  Well, I’m glad it’s over.
 
I-Art (2018) was produced by Blackpills and Woow Your Life.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Darkside Releasing.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that this is an exceptionally well-done effort: there are a handful of filler sequences – skylines with floating adverts, etc. – which are a bit underwhelming, but they still work for the purposes in which they were designed.  Special effects – when used – are actually also quite good.  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  Disappointingly, this is about as bare bones as one gets with only a theatrical trailer to keep you busy: even though I’ll admit right here that the flick wasn’t my ‘cup o’ tea,’ I still would’ve liked to know a bit more about the whole affair.  A big miss.
 
Alas … this one is Hard To Recommend.
 
For the record, I-Art (2018) wasn’t conceived and executed as a narrative film.  As best as I’ve been able to ascertain (there’s surprisingly little information about it on the World Wide Web), it began life as a TV/Web series; and all that’s been done here is Darkside Releasing (and any other partners) have stitched it together into one whole.  (Title inserts still denote the separate chapters when you get to them.)  Consumers of – ahem – fine arts might find something to appreciate in this futuristic society wherein – ahem – one character’s struggle against ‘the system’ is represented via interpretive dance; however, those of us who like to dabble in the particulars will find little substance with which to decipher what screenwriter Garnier’s message could possibly have been … except, well, dance it off.  Production details are solid, and performances are nice … but it’s still a bit out there.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Darkside Releasing (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of I-Art (2018) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ