Film Review: 13/13/13 (2013)

Using the Mayan calendar it is now the 13^th day of the 13^th month in 2013 and all hell is about to break lose.  This is the dilemma of 13/13/13 (2013) that says that the world is on the brink of destruction as everyone not born on February 29^th will go insane and kill other people or themselves.  With only a handful of people left alive to fend for themselves against a populace of insanity Jack and Candace (Trae Ireland and Erin Coker, respectfully) must escape a hospital filled with people trying to kill them in order for Jack to get back home to his daughter. 

The alliance of these two characters is due to the fact that Jack watched his ex-wife jump out of a hospital window and Candace was forced to kill her nephew who tried to kill her.  They’ll have more insanity to get through before the day is over as the whole world is coming apart at the seams.

Written and directed by James Cullen Bressack the film has an interesting concept once you get past the absurdity of the concept (only people born on Leap Year are unaffected which begs the question of cultures all over the world who go by a different calendar how they would be affected).  The other thing that drags down the film is the fact that for the most part all the action takes place in two locations – the hospital and Jack’s house (where a separate story involving Jack’s three friends driven insane are supposed to be watching his daughter).  Too much time is spent at the hospital and everything at Jack’s house drags down the rest of the film.

Having an apocalypse happen on 13/13/13 was probably a great selling point for the film but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.  For the most part Ireland does a good job with what he’s given but Coker is under developed and becomes a useless sidekick through most of the film.  The production values are actually not that bad but that is one of the few good points in an otherwise highly forgettable film.

Film Review: PARANORMAL ASYLUM: THE REVENGE OF TYPHOID MARY (2013)

Found footage horror doesn’t get much worse than Paranormal Asylum: The Revenge of Typhoid Mary (2013).  Two film makers on their last effort to do something with their careers decide to do a documentary on the legendary Typhoid Mary.  As their investigation delves deeper and they come across more people that seem to be connected to Mary who spent time in an asylum and was subject to psychotropic drugs, their own sanity seems to falter as reality seems to slowly drift away. 

Written by Fred Edison there isn’t much in this film that hasn’t been done in other found footage films only this film is more overt by giving glows and halos to people and having the video footage flicker constantly.  This all actually takes you out of the “reality” of the film (the opposite affect mind you that these style films should thrive for).  The film also suffers from subpar acting that you never believe come from real people but just bad actors.  This is actually really common with found footage indie films that believe that inexperienced and young actors can carry a film.  What these films actually require are the best actors that can act like “real” people.

The biggest travesty of the film is the uninteresting characters that can’t carry the film which is what a found footage film desperately needs.  As directed by Nimrod Zalmanowitz the film suffers from relying too much on the “jump scare” rather than creating a truly creepy atmosphere, so, it plays for the lowest common denominator and will only appeal to that (small) audience. 

There are plenty of better films out there that you can spend time with rather than this dud.

Film Review: TOAD ROAD (2012)

Toad Road (2012) is one of those frustrating independent films that want to be clever and interesting when not treading the same ground as other films that came before it.  A young couple with no real aspirations decides to go through the fabled Toad Road to travel the seven gates of hell so that they will be able say that they’ve done something important with their otherwise useless lives.  That’s pretty much it.  There’s a lot of talking and establishing the bland characters and them discussing the possibility of hell and what’s on the other side of the seventh gate but that’s about it. 

The film is written and directed by Jason Banker but lacks any real creativity in the story or execution.  What the film lacks are characters that you care what happens to them.  The film offers little in the way of suspense so if you’re looking for a good thriller or scare there is nothing to be had here.  There is some ambiguity towards the end as the story picks up somewhat on its way to a lackluster ending but this all comes a little too late (especially for those who gave up on the film much earlier).

Despite these flaws the film is not a total mess as the acting is solid and I’ve seen worse atrocities on the Syfy Channel.

Web Series Episode Review: SLASH/UP – SARAH CONNOR VS JASON VOORHEES

WTFLOL Studios has created what promises to be an innovative and entertaining web series with Slash/Up which pits characters from various franchises against one another.  In this first episode it is “Sarah Connor Vs Jason Voorhees” as we see what would happen if Sarah Connor stumbled upon Camp Crystal Lake and its resident slasher Jason Voorhees. 

This would not normally seem like a film that would have much traction but the way in which writer/director/editor Brian Rosenthal has crafted the story and action it seems like a logical extension for both franchises.  The film borrows the action aesthetics from The Terminator franchise while stealing the horror and humor from the Friday the 13^th films. It’s a perfect melding of the two stories.  Sarah Connor (Nicole Marines) is on her way to Cyberdyne on a secret mission when her car breaks down just outside Camp Crystal Lake.  Meanwhile horny and party loving teenagers are having fun at the camp which disturbs Jason Voorhees (Derek Russo) who quickly arrives for his own style of fun.  Once the killing and screaming starts Sarah appears ready to blow anything and everything up.  With guns in hand and her nimble fight style Sarah makes for a formidable foe for Voorhees and what follows is an elaborate and cutting rate fight sequence between the two (choreographed by Chris Frank and Rosenthal himself).  Rosenthal does a great job honoring both franchises and fans of both will see a lot of homage that fits nicely into their respectful universes.  This is definitely a fan film for the fans.

Slash/Up is a great idea for a series of short films inspired by fans of not just horror, but action, science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between.  There is no limit to the possibilities of the series which is evident from the proposed second episode of the series “Neo Vs Freddy” pitting Neo from The Matrix films verses our favorite Dream Demon Fred Kruger from A Nightmare on Elm Street.  I look forward to seeing more from this web series and what they come up with next in the form of other productions.

To view the first episode of SLAH/UP go here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBj-BEf1eTk

To watch the making of the episode go here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhozVWXQs00

Fan Film Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES VS ARMY OF DARKNESS

I must say that I’ve watched a lot a fan films in my time (and produced several myself) but Brian Rosenthal’s short fan film Marvel Zombies VS Army of Darkness is by far one of the most interesting and well produced.  On an alternate Planet Earth a zombie plague has ravaged and killed most everyone including most of the Marvel Universe superheroes.  Peter Parker (Eli David) and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Meaghan Lehrer) have just recovered a vital artifact that may help them win this new war but Zombie Wolverine shows up and has other plans.  Just when you think things can’t get any worse Ash Williams (David Vonhippchen) appears to throw in his two cents and all hell breaks out…again.

If you’ve enjoyed the Marvel Zombies comic book series and are a fan of the Army of Darkness film (and comic series as well), writer/director Rosenthal has crafted the perfect mash up of the two universes.  His film is action packed, funny, and has the right amount of gore to appease fans of both worlds.  Special FX Makeup artist Keegan Hitchcock and visual FX supervisors Mark Cooper and Rosenthal do an excellent job with getting all the zombies and special visual FX right especially considering that in addition to Zombie Wolverine, a Zombie Iron Man and a Zombie Hulk also make appearances.

Rosenthal also is editor on the film bringing the fight scenes a unique style that is both thrilling and outrageously funny at the same time (how can you not like Ash getting whipped on by a Zombie Wolverine?) and Karl J. Anderson’s original score is the icing on the cake.  This is a great fan film that not only shows how well a fan film can be produced but what a great film making talent Rosenthal and his entire crew are. I can’t wait to see what he and his crew comes up with next.

You can view Marvel Zombies VS Army of Darkness here - http://youtu.be/b3BEZ9cLxKM