2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – All The Creatures Were Stirring

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Sunday, April 15^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

Well, the festival is over. I had a great time and saw a lot of films. I ended it on a pretty high note. Enjoy

ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING – Directed by David Ian & Rebekah McKendry

I'm always a little weary of anthology films. They usually amount to a collection of short films that should be critiqued separately, leaving no room to know how to feel about the film as a whole. There are plenty of exceptions to this, it's not a rule. It's just something I feel. This is especially the case in anthologies that are compiled of films by different directors and crews such as V/H/S or THE ABC's OF DEATH. Those films are wildly inconsistent in their quality from one vignette to the next and usually the framing device, if there is one, is their weakest link.

I'm happy to report that this is not one of those cases. This film exists somewhere in between SOUTHBOUND (2015) and Michael Dougherty's TRICK 'R TREAT (2007). Every vignette was made by the same crew, just with different actors. This is surprising considering how stylistically different each one of them was. And the framing device was in itself a separate story that book-ended the whole film. This really worked out well. I liked some of the pieces more than others but each one displayed a different refreshing quality.

The shorts are framed around an awkward Christmas Eve date between friends. They find a local theatre production that tells the stories in a far less cinematic way than what we the audience are treated to. It was goofy and fun and the scenes that transitioned to the next short always had me laughing.

The first segment takes us inside of an office Christmas party. I've been to a few of these and I was already horrified before anything awesome even happened. Think OFFICE SPACE ('99) meets SAW ('04). The next piece shows us the dangers of the last minute gift run. This one was probably my least favorite part. It was small and quiet and clever but it just left a bit to be desired. After that, we get the dark comedy adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol followed quickly by a tale about the quickest way to make Santa's naughty list. At this point, I began to notice that each segment was getting more stylistic as we went on. Then the last one, which turned out to be my favorite, transitioned from color 16:9 to a beautiful black-and-white 4:3 to tell a spooky "Twilight Zone-esque" cautionary tale of why you should never show up uninvited during the holidays. 

The cast list is what will likely turn into a who's-who list of genre flick talent. Horror fans will have likely recognized many of them. Brea Grant, Graham Skipper & Chase Williams (BEYOND THE GATES) all show up as well as THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL's Jocelin Donahue. These are the types of actors that we keep seeing show up in better than average horror films in festivals and on Netflix. It's fun to wonder which ones of them will be around in 20 years, touting a storied career with tons of genre credits.

I wrote earlier this week about whether or not I expected SECRET SANTA to make the normal rotation of holiday themed horror. I don't really feel like I have to wonder with this one. It's got a lot going for it. Good production design, camerawork and acting along with a funny script and descent effects should all work together to catapult this film onto some sort of platform for us all to enjoy in about 7-8 months time. 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, April 14th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, April 14^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

DARK RIVER – Directed by Clio Barnard

A beautifully shot drama about how two siblings can have very different relationships with their parents and the land they were raised on. The film begins with Alice (Ruth Wilson) returning to her North Yorkshire farm after her father's death. She is forced to face her brother, fight for her inheritance and confront the dark family secret that made her leave in the first place.

This film is gorgeous but I'm not sure if you could have shot this location any other way. The subject matter however is much uglier. Overall, I found myself very easily engrossed by this story, even though the pacing was pretty slow.

This picture will unfortunately struggle to ever find any traction in the U.S. The northern British accent is so thick that I probably only comprehended about 2/3 of what the characters were saying. I don't think most American audiences will have the patience for this. 

MARLA MAE – Directed by Lisa Van Dam-Bates

The opening shot of this film is of our titular character using her fingernails to scrape paint off of a metal bench... I had to close my eyes and ears. It didn't get any less gross from there. Marla (Lisa Van Dam-Bates) has been given a free IUD from a creepy family friend/doctor... Then some really gross stuff starts happening to people she gets close with <ahem>.

I actually like the plot of this one in spite of some pretty glaring issues with some of the character's motivations being somewhat unreasonable. That type of stuff bothers be sometimes but in the case of a film like this, I think that it doesn't really detract from the overall message of the film.

No, the issue with this film is in its performances. It stars its director and is supported by a pretty rough cast. I think this is most likely a product of a shoestring budget and that's kind of a shame. I'd like to see more stories like this, just with better execution.  

ANDOVER – Directed by Scott Perlman

I completed the Scout Taylor-Compton trifecta last night with this one. She is in 3 films from the festival. The others were FERAL and CYNTHIA.

This was a horribly uneven film. From one angle, it's a romantic comedy about a man so selfish he doesn't even shave for his own wedding but he still somehow gets two beautiful and intelligent women to fall in love with him. This is truly a male fantasy film in which the only conflict of self for our main character is his struggle to let his past go to clear up the way for new love that he so easily finds. 

From a different perspective, it's a dark comedy about a college professor with a god complex that keeps cloning different versions of his dead wife and then disposing of them when they aren't perfect enough for him. And throughout all of this disgusting behavior, his lab assistant Emma (Taylor-Compton) inexplicably continues to fawn over him. This doesn't really work because it wasn't nearly as dark in tone as your typical dark comedy.

This film got quite a few laughs in the screening and I'll admit, some of the gags were pretty good. I just really had a hard time with the overall pitch of it. It only leans from one side to the other and never commits. The rom-com that could have been made out of this story could have worked if the main character had at least one redeeming quality. The dark comedy could have work if it would have gone further off of the deep end. Unfortunately, what you get comes off as tone-deaf and underwhelming. 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, April 13th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, April 13^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

SECRET SANTA – Directed by Adam Marcus

It dawned on me last night that we may actually be entering into, or right in the middle of a 'Golden Age' of Christmas horror films. This film is one of two at the IHSFF this year. I'll be seeing the other, ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING tomorrow. I know there's nothing new about Christmas horror films. But with a few exceptions like Bob Clark's BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974), there has never been a time in which they were consistently good until maybe 2010's Finnish film RARE EXPORTS. Since then we've gotten the underrated KRAMPUS (2015) and the underseen BETTER WATCH OUT (2016). 

So the question is, will Adam Marcus' latest effort enter into the lexicon of films that horror hounds put on their regular holiday rotation with some of the others I've previously listed? The answer in short is: yeah... sure it is. At least for now, while we're still in relative short supply. I think your average horror fan would be more than happy to mix this one in with a group of not-so-easily-offended friends during the holiday season. It's the type of flick that, although far from perfect, has a pretty extreme WTF factor that a lot of people just love to share with others (present company included). 

The only issues I really had with this film were all technical. I thought that too many scenes were poorly lit and hard to see. This was compounded by the editing style chosen here. In my humble opinion, this crew likely had a few too many cameras. They shot every scene with multiple angles of coverage and then cut to a confusing mix of perspectives every couple of seconds. This is a particular (admittedly subjective) pet peeve of mine. Every time you cut to a different angle, the audience then has to re-adjust their perspective and grasp of the sense of space in the scene. By putting these cuts ever 1-2 seconds, I find myself having a hard time keeping my frame of reference grounded.

I think the majority of this film's success is due to its screenplay. It tells a story of a family get-together in which passive aggression gets a hell of a lot less passive. The dialogue is outlandish and ridiculous and it keeps a pretty good laugh-per-minute ratio. The characters were all pretty interesting and the plot reveals a solid and surprising twist.

THE RANGER – Directed by Jenn Wexler

This is not the type of polished execution that you should expect from a first time filmmaker. Every scene was composed with far more competence than what you typically find with inexperience. Wexler not only directed, she also co-wrote and co-edited the project. This makes her effort even more impressive because according to imdb, it doesn't look like the rest of her crew was all that experienced either. Inexperience shows up in a lot of first films in ways that are usually very noticable to avid film lovers. The composition of shots, the pacing of each act, the lighting and color correction all tend to be at least a little off when a filmmaker works on their first feature. Most likely, these filmmakers used a healthy dose of research and reverse engineering to get all of these subtle details to come together to look like a much more practiced end product than it likely was.

The film wasn't perfect. But I don't go to festivals to see perfect films. I think it could have used a bit more foreshadowing in the first act. And the original conflict that sets the story in motion really turned out to be unnecessary. As a result, I think the first two acts turned out to be a little bit slow and tedious. And with a running time of under 80 minutes, the 3rd act came and went just a little too fast. This could have been a function of the film's overall budget though as well.

The acting was pretty good here, even though I think the character development left a bit to be desired. It was great to see Chloe Levine. The only other film I've seen her in was one of my favorites from last year's IHSFF called THE TRANSFIGURATION. I think she's likely on her way to a good deal more notoriety. House Of Cards' Jeremy Holm is really creepy and intimidating as the titular character. Horror film stalwart, Larry Fessenden co-produced this film and shows up here in the flashbacks of Chelsea's (Levine) late uncle. (Wexler actually worked as a producer on Fassbender's segment of ABC's OF DEATH 2.)

This won't likely end up of any end of the year lists but taking this for what it is, I could see Wexler working her way into the hearts of horror fans very easily in the coming years. I'm on board. 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Far From The Tree

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Thursday, April 12^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

Far From The Tree – Directed by Rachel Dretzin

FAR FROM THE TREE is a documentary based on a book by Andrew Solomon, who also produced. It follows a variety of people with various disabilities or otherwise extraordinary stories and explores their relationships with their families, specifically their parents. Solomon, a gay man explains his own struggles becoming accepted by his family and how it was his inspiration to dig deeper into the dynamics of families in which one member, for various reasons, does not conform to the norm. We see a story of a 41 year old man with Down syndrome and his relationship with his mother. We meet a young woman affected by Dwarfism. We watch a married couple with Dwarfism attempt to conceive. Then, a heartbreaking and warming story of a 13 year old Autistic boy and his supportive family. And finally, a family who saw their 16 year old son get convicted of the murder of an 8 year old boy.

I was not previously familiar with the book but according to my research, it was quite well received. This can only lead me to believe that it does a much better job at getting conveying its central thesis than this film does. This is unfortunate. I felt like the film was grasping at something but couldn't quite get a hold of it.

Don't get me wrong, the stories this film tells are very touching and just listening to the people can be eye opening in respect to how we see disabilities. But that being said, I really couldn't tell you what Mr. Solomon's book is about just by watching this film. I have the sense that he was exploring an idea that was probably a bit on the abstract spectrum of thought and I have no doubt that Dretzin understood what he was getting at. I just don't think she ever got around to putting it together in this film. And I think that's ultimately a let down for what is actually a very watchable film.  

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Director's Cut

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Wednesday, April 11^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

I was only able to make one movie last night. I'm glad it was this one.

DIRECTOR'S CUT – Directed by Adam Rifkin

This is probably the most meta film I've seen since Spike Jonze's ADAPTATION (2002). This film actually constructs multiple artificial 4th walls, just to tear them down. I'll keep this review pretty short and sweet without too much detail. I don't think I could write a synopsis even if I wanted to and it will likely be a better viewing experience if you go in at least a little blind.

I was pretty cautious about getting excited for this film. I guess I had my own walls up. I thought it was a pretty clever idea. But about 20 minutes into it, you can start to telegraph where it's going and I began to worry that it would amount to a one-trick-pony that tries to stretch a feature out of a good short. I was very pleasantly surprised as this film continued to stack layer upon shrewd layer of satire and spoof. 

I thought the casting here was perfect for the exact type of film that was being satirized. At the center, you have Missi Pyle. She is the perfect object of lunatic obsession. Harry Hamlin, an aging TV and film star who is now best known as the husband of Lisa Rinna is exactly the type of actor that would be cast in what looks like a straight-to-video thriller. And then you have Hayes MacArthur. He's fine here. He totally looks like an average movie city cop. I was glad to see him more so because I'm a big fan of TV's most underrated sit-com, Angie Tribeca. Mix in a healthy dose of cameos by Marshall Bell (TOTAL RECALL), Lin Shaye (INSIDIOUS), Gilbert Gottfried and of course, Teller and you have all of the dynamics needed for a behind-the-scenes tangent every 15 minutes or so.

All of the other ingredients of the film are in on the joke. The acting, cinematography, score and especially the editing are all done in a way to either serve to spoof the film within the film or to authenticate the actual narrative being told. Everything done in the "Knocked Off" film was heightened for effect and contrast with the cynical and disaffected movie making half. Jillette's screenplay works to bring both of these world together in the 3rd act. Taking myself out of this film for its finale, I had to appreciate what must have been the painstakingly tedious task of making a movie, fake-bad.

This flick is not for everyone. I heard as much grumbling leaving the screening as I did astonishment. It is however for me. I've always loved meta filmmaking, especially when it takes it as far as it can. Charlie Kaufman's screenplay for the aforementioned ADAPTATION is one of the most unique things ever written in cinema. And I've always maintained that you could teach an entire college course on Michael Haneke's FUNNY GAMES (1997). I don't think this one is quite on that level but it at least approaches. I think that its humor is what really elevates it. Even if you don't find it insightful, you will likely find it funny.

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Tuesday, April 10th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Tuesday, April 10^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

REVENGE – Directed by Coralie Fargeat

This was a pretty phenomenal rape revenge film. The first 20 or so minutes is shot like an erotic music video. There is absolutely nothing subliminal about the male gaze that is being exploited. Jen, our main character is gawked at by the camera even more than her eventual assaulters.

But that all changes at the drop of a dime. The polished sheen is still there but now the subject of the gaze has been abandoned and replaced with something grotesque and cinematically unfamiliar. I'm not sure if you should say that this film subverts the male gaze exactly. It was more like the intent was to flip the perspective around to show us just how ugly the other side is. We men should take note and be concerned if this how women see us.

All of the performances are quite good and the soundtrack was a lot of fun but what really made the difference for me was this film's cinematography. Amazingly unflinching close-up captured some of this flick's most disturbing and unsettling imagery. Then in the action scenes, we are treated to some great long takes and tracking shots. The director and cinematographer had a great grasp of how to translate spacial relations cinematically and this is something that is seriously lacking in a lot of today's genre films.

CYNTHIA – Directed by Devon Downs & Kenny Cage

I probably should have caught this one on opening night. I think it would have greatly benefited my viewing experience to have been in a much more crowded screening with a rowdy audience... That's really just the kind of movie this is. This is a low budget romp of a horror comedy in the same vein as Frank Henenlotter's BASKET CASE or even Larry Cohen's IT'S ALIVE. And that's exactly how serious you are supposed to take it.

I would absolutely like to single out Scout Taylor-Compton's performance however. The plot of this movie is ridiculous and the practical effects are well... charming. And a lot of the cast seemed to put just that level of effort into it. Even Sid Haig seemed to be phoning it in. But not Taylor-Compton. She committed to her role and nailed it. I can't tell you how much I appreciate when performers give that level of effort in films like this. I takes professionalism, grace and humility and it makes film lovers like me a fan of her talent.

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Monday, April 9th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Monday, April 9^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

LOWLIFE – Directed by Ryan Prows

I will be very surprised if I see another film at this festival that I like as much as this one. This is a non-linear, Tarantino-esque underworld ultra dark comedy about a ring of sex slavery and black market organ transplants. Mayhem and hilarity ensue. This film features a great score by Kreng, a lot of great practical effects and a flawlessly cast ensemble of characters.

I'm sure this movie has its faults. But between its frenetic pacing and off kiltered humor, you won't likely notice them, at least the first time around. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this one in the years to come and it's possible that it will grow on me even more.

WILDLING – Directed by Fritz Böhm

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I would usually really be into a story that has the sympathetic monster as the protagonist. I was stoked to see Liv Tyler and Brad Dourif in a creature feature together. And their performances left nothing to be desired. Unfortunately though, the rest of the film was a bit of a mess. The special effects looked unpolished and in some cases even unfinished. And a lot of the scenes were so poorly lighted that it was really hard to keep up with what was onscreen. This is Böhm's first feature and there is every likelihood and hope that his craft will progress with his career.

I was also struck by how similar this film was to a Danish film from 2014 called WHEN ANIMALS DREAM. At one point, about 30 minutes into it, I actually scribbled down "remake?" into my notepad because I was sure that I had seen this story played out before. I didn't actually end up loving that film either but it least it felt fresh and original. This one will most likely fall into the cracks of my memory, especially because I'm only half way through the festival. 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Sunday, April 8th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Sunday, April 8^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

Last night, the festival awards were announced. I don't need to list them here but you can find them through this link.

ALL THE WILD HORSES – Directed by Ivo Marioh

Our planet has no shortage of amazing stories to tell. And this is one of them. I don't think cinematography and editing are talked about enough when discussing documentaries. These are the two elements necessary to make your story cinematic.

This film documents the Mongolian Derby, the world's longest horse race and it showcases both of these elements very well. Drone shots as well as some great innovations in steadicam rigs have revolutionized both narrative and documentary filmmaking. I was very impressed with the level quality in the coverage of an event that is so susceptible to a wide range of natural obstacles. The editing bay is where the heart of the story is drawn out of all of the hours of footage. The story was pulled together very well to include a really good ensemble of characters.

This was a very well made examination of something that I was previously completely ignorant of. It kept me fully engaged throughout.

ALL THE WILD HORSES took home the World Cinema Audience Award. Its encore screening will be Sunday, April 15th at 9:35AM.

A SUBLIME LIFE – Directed by Luis Diogo

This Portuguese film is about the depressing reality of countless people living their existence without any passions.... Or, it's about a megalomaniac doctor who plays God with a society that he snubs his nose at.

It's a well structured and composed picture with a host of solid performances and nice camerawork. I was however, a little let down that I couldn't really tell which side of the moral fence the storyteller came down on. This left me with an odd feeling because I had no feelings of ambiguity about my own morality. 

RICH KIDS – Directed by Laura Somers

"So when did you find out that your family was poor?"

This is a very touching drama about a group of impoverished teens that break into a wealthy family's house to live like the other half, if only just for one day. I was really struck with how the house itself was shot as though it was an exotic location. This gave me the feeling that the filmmakers were extremely connected with this story and it helped immensely to get the audience into the same headspace as the characters.

My only real critique of this film was for the script. I think it could have benefited from at least one additional draft. Most of it was great and dialogue throughout the entirety of the 2nd act is what grabbed me and held on. It actually feels as though the writer was getting better progressively as the story unfolded. This is why I think it needed an additional once over. Some of the 1st act stuff would later prove to be expositional, unnecessary and a little inorganic.

That being said, consider me onboard and excited to see pretty much any future projects that this group of young filmmakers works on next.

RICH KIDS took home the award for Best Ensemble. Its encore screening will be Friday, April 13th at 11:10AM

ROCK STEADY ROW – Directed by Trevor Stevens

For all of its shortcomings, this film was a hell of a lot of fun and I imagine that I will be revisiting it from time to time in the coming years. It's a very campy post apocalyptic retelling of Kurosawa's YOJIMBO (1961). This makes me the most perfect audience for it. It's goofy and nonsensical and looks like it was insanely fun to have worked on.

I could have used a little more attention to detail when it came to the fight scenes. Good choreography and stunt work would have likely elevated this to an instant cult classic. As it stands, it may end up there anyways. It will find an audience with those who love films like TURBO KID (2015) and SCOTT PILGRIM (2010). 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, April 7th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, April 7^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

STREAKERS – Directed by Peter Luisi

Naked people are hilarious. I think this may be the essence that this film really boils down to. This Swiss comedy is warm, heartfelt, goofy and delightful. But mainly because of all of the naked people running around. Its plot is one of a romantic comedy of errors that you've seen some iteration of many times before. But if you've never seen that type of story play out amidst a host of naked people running about, I suggest you do. 

THE IDEA OF MANHOOD – Directed by Serge Kushnier

This is a completely dialogue driven film in which one extreme representation of toxic masculinity is visited by the opposite, but still just as extreme representation. On one hand you have Mr. Codependent & Insecure living his shattered existence too afraid to be alone with himself. The other character, Mr. Egotistical & Entitled is coming to his rescue as he himself, is fleeing any opportunity he may have to find joy in another human being. Both men spend the weekend discussing their issues in an attempt to circumvent years of necessary therapy...

If you couldn't tell, I kind of hate stuff like this. Now I know that these two are not supposed to be taken as actual characters in a story. They are just metaphors for the worst in all of us. But when you do that in a film, I think you tend to rob the viewer of a necessary empathetic entry point. And I just don't end up caring much what happens to either of them.

TOUCHED – Directed by Karl R. Hearne

We've all seen this story told cinematically countless times. The ghost of an innocent works through a medium to solve their own murder. If this film had been shot differently and had an ominous score, it would have been so many horror movies.

That being said, this film was a little more special. It was shot beautifully with lots of shallow focus and a very deep hued color palate. The acting by both Hugh Thompson and Lola Flanery was on point. And I appreciated that the plot avoided a lot of the most dreaded tropes that we've all become so tired of.

SUMMER OF '84 – Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell

This throwback flick may turn into the origin story of a far better horror franchise.... someday. Unfortunately as it stands, this story seems uneven and underdone. The pacing is a bit off putting and the overall tone never seems to support the gravity of the plot. It feels as though it is attempting to stay lighthearted throughout the first 2 acts and I don't really understand why. It only serves to lower the stakes.

I appreciated some of the refreshing uses of misdirection but ultimately, I found myself checking the clock on this one a lot. It has a lot of the pieces there to make a good horror film. I just don't think they came together properly.

IMITATION GIRL – Directed by Natasha Kermani

This is a deliberately paced "how to be a human" sci-fi drama that draws some obvious inspirations from Jonathan Glazer's 2013 masterpiece, UNDER THE SKIN. I'm not knocking it for that at all though. I really enjoyed Kermani's kaleidoscopic slow burn. It has a beautiful stringed score that mimics the character's progression through the plot and it features a 2 minute cameo by Lewis Black who co-produced the film. The best part of the film however was Lauren Ashley Carter's dual performance as porn star Julianna as well as the titular character. 

This is the type of film that I'm always seeking out at these festivals. It's scope and budget are small and there's no real guarantee that this will ever find its audience. But every piece of it displayed the utmost integrity to the vision of the film being made. I'm glad I caught this one. 

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, April 6th 2018

2018 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, April 6^th 2018

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

FOREVER B (ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT) – Directed by Skye Borgman

Before I went into this true crime documentary, a friend told me that it would be fun to count how many times I said “WTF” during the screening. Now, I’m not all that hip to all of these new internet acronyms and I’m far too scared to Google them so I’ll just assume that WTF stands for “Wow!!! This Film!!!”

This story takes place in a small Mormon community in Idaho in the mid 1970’s where apparently, literally anything, including alien abduction is more plausible than pedophilia. It’s kind of like the mirrored image of Andrew Jarecki’s CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (’03). All extreme forms of trust issues are explored, from dumbfounding naiveté to crippling paranoia. This film may leave you questioning its authenticity but, who could possibly make something like this up, and why in the hell would they?

DOWNRANGE – Directed by Ryûhei Kitamura

VERSUS (2000) director, Ryûhei Kitamura brought his new high concept thriller of a gore-fest to the IHSFF this year. The opening scene sets up the entirety of the plot. And even before anything significant happens, this film appears to assume that its audience has seen the trailer or read the synopsis. It exploits some existing horror tropes to throw a few misdirecting shots around. Also, I’m beginning to wonder if we’re about to see a revival of the split diopter camerawork. This is the 2^nd release this year that I’ve seen it used (the other being STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT) and it gave an interesting effect.

I may be giving this film more credit for its timeliness than is warranted. But, we live in a day and age in which someone with the means will randomly kill others, just because they can. This film, in Kitamura’s over-the-top flare, does an overall good job at playing on the collective fears of living in modern day America.

FERAL – Directed by Mark Young

This year is actually the unofficial Scout Taylor-Compton film festival. She stars in 3 films including this one, CYNTHIA and ANDOVER. She’s pretty great so I’m into it…

I’m always a little curious about horror flicks like this. It sets up a sort of mystery for the characters to solve. But answer is usually fairly obvious to the audience. I’m not sure how I feel about this. And I wasn’t too thrilled with how this was shot. Lots of close ups are great for dramatic tension but when the horror action starts, it makes it too hard for the viewer to keep track of the space being used. Overall, amid its shortcomings, this film ultimately succeeds as a combo cabin-in-the-woods/creature feature.