Film Review: CREEP 2 (2017)

Writer/Director Patrick Brice and writer/star Mark Duplass return to craft the next chapter in their found footage/serial killer saga CREEP 2 (2017) in which we find our serial killer now calling himself Aaron (Duplass) now turning forty and in the middle of a mid-life crisis as he doesn’t know what to now do with his life.  At the end of the previous film he killed the real Aaron, an inspiration to him but he now films his killing spree to be more like a regular job instead of the fun hobby it’s supposed to be.

Sara (Desiree Akhavan) is an internet personality who has lost all inspiration for her show Encounters which is on its last leg.  Both Sara and Aaron are at a cross roads when Aaron hits on the idea of doing a documentary film in which he can reveal his true nature in front of the camera and show the world his true nature.  Sara answers his ad to film his story seeing it as the wake-up call she needs to jump start her career again.  Now, two people who have lost their inspirations will find it together in this twisted and imaginative sequel.

 This is a more interesting film since it is revealed right away to Sara that Aaron is a serial killer; she just doesn’t believe him and even though she comes to learn that he is eccentric and at times a “diva” she still finds him a captivating subject that she just can’t get away from.  In turn, Aaron finds Sara interesting because she is the first person where he’s truly been able to be himself and not hide behind all the fake personae that he’s created to justify his horrific actions.

This film has a lot going for it and is a much better film than the previous film in terms of story and execution and its truly chilling to see Duplass revel in the role of the misunderstood serial killer.  I hope they continue this fascinating franchise about the inner workings of a serial killer.

Film Review: CREEP (2014)

Jason Blum and Mark Duplass produce the found footage film CREEP (2014).  Duplass does triple duty as writer and star (along with Patrick Brice) in this film in which Joseph (Duplass) is a man dying and wants someone to film his story for his surviving child.  Aaron finds Joseph’s online inquiry and immediately takes the opportunity which will help him out financially.

Immediately upon meeting Joseph, Aaron thinks that there just isn’t something right with Joseph as he’s a bit eccentric and that not everything he’s telling Joseph adds up.  When Aaron’s car keys go missing he is forced to stay the night at Joseph’s house and things get even more strange prompting Aaron to get out of there as soon as possible.  But escaping Joseph’s house is just the start of Aaron’s problem as he soon learns that Joseph knows everything about him and been stalking him thinking that they are best friends.  Now Aaron must figure out how to handle Joseph’s unwanted friendship before things get really out of hand amid mounting danger.

The whole film is shot as if it was from Aaron’s camera as part of Joseph’s video but once Aaron leave’s Joseph it becomes Aaron’s way of coping with the strange situation he finds himself in and a document of what is really going on.  Duplass does an excellent job crafting a unique and creepy character while Brice’s Aaron is the every man. 

The film may not keep you on the edge of your seat in a suspenseful way but it more than makes up for it in terms of the “creep” factor so if that is the type of film you’re looking for then this one is it.

Film Review: THE LAZARUS EFFECT (2015)

Advances in medical science is the thing at the top of every medical student’s “to-do” list and nothing is more important than discovering a way to prolong death as the students in The Lazarus Effect (2015) soon discovers.  Frank and Zoe (Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde, respectfully) are leading a group of some of the most intelligent medical students in their pursuit of prolonging or cheating death.  When they believe they are close they bring in Eva (Sarah Bolger) to help document everything.  After they bring a dog back from the dead they realize they have made a real breakthrough but the ramifications of what they have done eludes them.  When an accident in the lab causes Zoe to die they use everything they know to bring her back to life.  The only problem is that Zoe isn’t the same person that she was from before she died.  Having crossed to the Other Side has given Zoe supernatural abilities and an uncontrollable rage that threatens each person of the team.  Now Frank must decide what to do with his wife before all of their lives are in jeopardy. 

For fans of medical thrillers this starts off as a very well done suspenseful film with a great cast to support the story.  The film is written by Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater and does an excellent job setting up the film and all the characters and their relationships with one another before everything gets out of hand.  What unfortunately happens is that the last third of the film turns into a slasher thriller destroying everything that came before.  The film also relies too much on the CGI visual FX in the second half of the film as Zoe seems to exhibit superhuman abilities akin to those of Scarlet Johansson’s character in Lucy (2014).  Once this happens anything can and does happen and the film falters from there never recovering.

This being said it is still entertaining and the cast does the most with the film as it goes downhill but if they had just taken a little more care this could’ve been a great film instead a mediocre one.

Film Review: BLACK ROCK (2012)

Three best friends decide to return to their childhood getaway, an island away from the rest of the world when unexpected visitors cause a simply vacation to turn into a nightmare of survival.  This is the basic premise for director Kate Aselton’s Black Rock (2012).  Aselton also came up with the story (with the actual screenplay by Mark Duplass) and stars in this tense survival thriller.

Abby, Lou, and Sarah (Aselton, Lake Bell, and Kate Bosworth, respectfully) have been distant over the last few years but Lou has brought them altogether in order to mend their personal grudges by going back to childhood island getaway and reliving the “glory” days.  Unbeknownst to them three war buddies are also on the island doing a little hunting.  The six of them decide to camp together and party the night away but when Abby gets a little too drunk one of the men takes advantage of her and she accidentally kills him.  Now the remaining soldiers decide that they must all three women must pay for what Abby has done even if it means none of them getting off the island alive.  Now the three women must learn to put away their differences if they are to survive who are armed with guns while they have nothing but their wits and nature to help them.

As a director Aselton has crafted a tense thriller from beginning to end by starting off the film with the personal tension between the three women which then morphs into physical tension when they have to survive on the island at any cost.  Another great added addition to the film is the island itself which is both a paradise and a prison for the women.  The film could have easily become a run of the mill chase thriller but the island adds so much atmosphere and production value to the film as does the great performances by all three stars who each have their own agendas and personal journey throughout the film.

This is a better than expected thriller from an actress turned director who I hope continues to create such character driven films.