This is a remarkable short film and rewards multiple viewings - the director is obviously working on a level beyond the average film student. Or maybe I shouldn't say 'obviously' because the film works on a very subtle, dry, understated level that many might miss on first glance. On one level it's a gory comedy, but there are other levels of deep emotion and questioning, thanks in large part to the dedicated performance from the lead actor. True, some of the other performances are uneven and there are some redundant scenes, but on the whole this is a clever, sharply written and directed movie. Great cinematography and music too. You'll enjoy this if you like the films of the Coen Brothers, Polanski, or Hitchcock's darker movies.
8 Reviews
Great fun!
Sick Boy25 October 2007
I had an absolute blast watching this flick and I was surprised by how solid the production values were. The writer/director definitely shows some talent with a solid ear for naturalistic dialogue and good composition in the photography which helps ground the film in a reality that is necessary for all the goofy antics that follow. This is a hard film to find the right tone for, but this one straddles the fence quite well. The cast was good, with a terrific lead performance that hearkens back to silent movies but with a bit more subtlety.
Overall, great fun and I hope that the director gets a chance to flex his muscles with a larger budget.
Overall, great fun and I hope that the director gets a chance to flex his muscles with a larger budget.
Dark comedy shows real potential
lumberton_200028 October 2007
This sick comedy of errors and accidents takes a real-life incident and turns it on its ear. It's the sort of story (involving a grisly accident and a desperate survival attempt) that could be -- and probably has been -- turned into a treacly, uplifting TV movie; but the execution here may remind you of the Black Knight Sequence in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It would seem far-fetched if something very much like it hadn't actually occurred and been well-documented.
Production values are surprisingly decent (props include an ambulance and giant drill-thingy), makeup effects are sufficient to pull off the necessary illusions, and the acting ranges from competent to very good. Fortunately, the best performance is by the actor who's on screen for the entire runtime. This guy's a trouper, and pulls off a couple of pratfalls Bruce Campbell would be proud of.
(This is not some over-the-top, "splatstick" gorefest, by the way, contrary to another reviewer's comments. You'd see more grue on the average CSI episode, and the humor here is mostly derived from the situation rather than spurting karo syrup.) Good score and nice crisp cinematography, particularly for the outdoor scenes.
The ending threw me at first; I expected a final capper, some kind of dark joke to top the previous ones, maybe an E. C. comics sort of twist. The actual conclusion is more subtle. It struck me as ambiguously bleak, and goes for pathos and irony rather than an in-your-face "gotcha." On those terms, it works quite well.
Good, economical visual style, great use of real snowy locations and some laugh-out-loud funny moments (watch out for that fence!) make this one worth your time. I'll be keeping an eye on Mr. McMahon.
Production values are surprisingly decent (props include an ambulance and giant drill-thingy), makeup effects are sufficient to pull off the necessary illusions, and the acting ranges from competent to very good. Fortunately, the best performance is by the actor who's on screen for the entire runtime. This guy's a trouper, and pulls off a couple of pratfalls Bruce Campbell would be proud of.
(This is not some over-the-top, "splatstick" gorefest, by the way, contrary to another reviewer's comments. You'd see more grue on the average CSI episode, and the humor here is mostly derived from the situation rather than spurting karo syrup.) Good score and nice crisp cinematography, particularly for the outdoor scenes.
The ending threw me at first; I expected a final capper, some kind of dark joke to top the previous ones, maybe an E. C. comics sort of twist. The actual conclusion is more subtle. It struck me as ambiguously bleak, and goes for pathos and irony rather than an in-your-face "gotcha." On those terms, it works quite well.
Good, economical visual style, great use of real snowy locations and some laugh-out-loud funny moments (watch out for that fence!) make this one worth your time. I'll be keeping an eye on Mr. McMahon.
Excellent take on the horror genre
darimini5 October 2007
The last reviewer is an idiot who clearly knows jack-all about film.
This short is an incredibly fun and intelligent take on the horror genre. It's been a few months since I've seen it, but I remember really enjoying it, mostly due to the way in which it balances the carnage of an incredibly bizarre accident with the fact that all movies in this genre are, to some extent, a spoof of themselves. It purposefully does not hit you over the head with the fact that it is a spoof, and in that way, maintains a subtlety of which few movies in this genre are capable.
There are also several very interesting references to religious imagery, clearly lost on the last reviewer. Too bad, so sad.
This short is an incredibly fun and intelligent take on the horror genre. It's been a few months since I've seen it, but I remember really enjoying it, mostly due to the way in which it balances the carnage of an incredibly bizarre accident with the fact that all movies in this genre are, to some extent, a spoof of themselves. It purposefully does not hit you over the head with the fact that it is a spoof, and in that way, maintains a subtlety of which few movies in this genre are capable.
There are also several very interesting references to religious imagery, clearly lost on the last reviewer. Too bad, so sad.
Amateurish and overdoses on violence
randykorn1130 August 2007
Saw this as part of the True West Cinema Festival. Amateurish even for a student film. Someone has apparently knelt down and worshiped at the movie Hostel and Eli Roth because it is a rip off of that torture porn film. Violence for the sake of violence. It isn't a enjoyable to see on screen minute by minute of gore and blood. The director and writers should watch some Hitchcock and some old school horror directors before they waste their time again with this genre. The acting may have been the saving grace of the film if the director would have let the actors go. Instead it focuses on gore and blood and everything else that is included in the now boring torture porn genre. Bowd Beal does commendable work as the lead but is almost ruined by his co stars work. Anastasia Zavaro may be one of the worst actresses to grace a screen this year. All in all a terrible film. Not worth anyones trouble.
Just bland
penguinpride149211 October 2007
This movie was not much of anything. It was mainly just the worst thing a movie can be nowadays. Boring. The story went nowhere. The writing was clumsy and was something you see in a high school film. One of the worst things you can do is bore your audience and that is what the writer and director have done here. And this is a short film. It's not like it was a two hour film. The acting was a terrible as you can get but you have to overlook it since it is a short film. But they don't step up and help the director out any. The camera work was shoddy. You just wished the DP would have taken a chance and used his camera to help tell the story but it doesn't happen. All in all it was just bland. Which is the worst thing I can say about a film. When you are bored during a 15 minute short film, there is a problem with the production and direction.
Another hack filled work
codymadison2024 October 2007
Maybe it is just me but I am sick and tired of sitting thru hack inspired work. Even in short films. These directors, and yes I use that word as loosely as I can, should be about originality. The director here makes this mistake. There is nothing original about this short film. If you have seen any horror movie the past three years you have seen this. Maybe this is a good thing since the general public dooesn't have to see unoriginal directors getting feature length deals. Maybe it is a good trial for prospective directors. They blow their shot here and they are done. I just think it is a huge waste of time for anyone to work on something this totally boring and unoriginal. Why even make this film in the first place? I can't blame the actors since they are second rate to begin with. The blame begins and ends with the director.
Horrendous
smokedogg2130 November 2007
How can anyone in their right mind say this was a good film??? Unless that person is a relative or a good friend of the director. It was utter garbage. I've seen better films from 8th grade class projects. I can't blame the actors because you can't make gold from dust but come on. I've seen more believable acting at the local Starbucks. Again, it's not their fault when they are obviously not being directed by anyone with their salt. It doesn't take much to get a performance from even a non actor but this director doesn't know what to do with anything he has in front of him. I laugh at anyone who says this short film is anything other than pure D level trash.
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