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bruce_nawrocki
Reviews
Making Monsters (2019)
Suspenseful horror
Saw this at 2020 Nevermore Horror Film Festival. Although a low budget film, its great orchestral score helped accentuate the suspense. I preferred to know as little as possible about the plot going in, and it certainly kept me guessing about what was going to happen next, and who set this into motion until the finale, which is difficult to do well. So, I won't spoil any of it here either.
Majic (2019)
Is there life out there? And whose story do we trust?
One of the best films at 2020 Nevermore Film Festival. Low budget, but intriguing and thoughtful fictional account of Bernwood, a 2008 video blogger who specializes in debunking conspiracy theories, who gets caught up in a story about extra-terresrials. Has a similar vibe to the X-Files. Doesn't answer all the questions it poses, but the best films leave something to your imagination.
Scrawl (2015)
A confusing mess
I saw this at the Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC last weekend. Although I've seen plenty of low-budget movies, and like them if they have a point or consistent plot, this was a horrible disappointment. I did arrive about 5-10 minutes after it started, so perhaps I missed some important establishing shots, but I'm not sure it would have helped. It was a confusing mess, with random, pointless flash-forwards and -backwards.
First, there were WAY too many characters (maybe 30?), with subsequently very little character development. Most of them suffered from "stupid people" syndrome, and were frustratingly inactive and inept. What's worse, none of them were good actors, with the exception of Daisy Ridley. She seemed to have dropped in from another film.
The cast is roughly split between a bunch of teenagers and their parents. Occasionally the action stops, and we're treated with a scene of an adult and teenager sitting in a café, or a grocery, and having some pointless time-wasting conversation about life. None of the actors make much of an impact, especially the ostensible star of the film - the writer of the comic book. He is incapable of showing any real emotions other than a confused aloofness.
The film lost me when he sees a friend murdered on the beach, and does almost nothing about it. He runs to tell his Mom, but she interrupts him, saying she's too busy to listen right now. Why doesn't he tell anyone else? Or perhaps go to the police? And does no one else on the beach see the body? This plot-line is forgotten within 2 minutes.
Even the comic book angle of the film was wasted. The comic itself is glanced in short shaky takes, but is quickly glossed over. The ending is nothing special, and doesn't provide decent closure, either. Save your time and skip this one.
Clinger (2015)
Great comic horror film
Saw this at Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC last weekend. I thought it was one of the highlights of the festival.
It's difficult to set the right tone for a comic horror film, but this one hits the mark. Of course, it helped to see it on the big screen in a sold-out theater.
I have to applaud the writer - clever dialog and jokes along with the scares. And the actors were all great - with close to a star-making performance from Jennifer Laporte as Fern. Vincent Martella as her first boyfriend Robert was also good - somehow walking the fine line between youthful earnestness and creepy obsession. There was appropriate time spent to make their relationship awkward and touching, like real teenagers.
The writer was generous enough to provide even the supporting cast with great lines and character arcs. For instance, Fern's sister could have been a thankless role - providing easy jokes as a stereotypical airhead. But she has her own interesting subplot. And the track coach was an inspired creation - flawed, but strong and wonderful.
I also liked the flashbacks, animated to resemble a child's crayon drawings. And the plot continued to build to a satisfying conclusion -- another trick that's not so easy to pull off. Very impressive.