#VinnyCurran

[film-book]

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SOMETHING IN THE DIRT (2022) Teaser Trailer: Two L.A. Neighbors Experience a Strange Cosmic Phenomenon https://film-book.com/something-in-the-dirt-2022-teaser-trailer-two-l-a-neighbors-experience-a-strange-cosmic-phenomenon/?feed_id=94612&_unique_id=630aaa8aae175

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Spring (2014)

It seems that many filmmakers tend to limit themselves when it comes to choosing a genre for their films.  They seem to feel that a strict adherence to the rules of said chosen genre are the only option, and any straying down another path does nothing to serve the bigger picture.  That’s what makes Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead so interesting as filmmakers... it seems that their only aversion is forcing a strict adherence to any given genre.  The duo tends to always let horror be a main ingredient in their recipe, and in the film Spring, they choose to make a film that is equal parts horror story and love story. 

Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a young man whose life is falling apart right before his eyes.  After spending time with his mother (Holly Hawkins) during her final moments before her death, he gets into a savage bar fight that sends the police on his trail.  At a crossroads, Evan decides to pack his bags and leave the country for Italy.  Not long after his arrival, he runs into Louise (Nadia Hilker), an Italian woman that piques his interest and arouses a deep attraction.  In an effort to get to know her better, Evan gets a job as a farmer in the small town that Louise resides in.  Evan immediately sets his sights on winning the affection of Louise, succeeding in having unprotected sex with her on their first night together.  As Evan gets to know Louise, however, he begins to learn secrets about her that could not only ruin their newly forming relationship, it could change the entire course of both of their lives (and not necessarily for the better).

This film finds a perfect balance between its horror and love stories by balancing both on the same premise : the person you initially fall in love with may have much, much more to them and their past than we could ever surmise.  With Evan at possibly the most vulnerable time of his life, he (knowingly or unknowingly) seems to be searching for something (or someone) real that he can hold on to, have faith in and believe in.  By contrast, Louise has literally lived many lives and taken on many forms, some truly grotesque and dangerous, and it’s her feelings for Evan that force her to try and demand a separation before Evan is hurt (emotionally and/or physically).  Evan, however, is determined to accept Louise for whatever she is, even if what she is cannot be explained in traditional terms.

As far as looks, the film is washed in beautiful golden and orange hues that give the extremely bleak story a sense of warmth and hope.  The sheer age of the Italian architecture throughout the film brings a sense of grounding to the film that gives the story an ageless feel, which fits in perfectly with the story of Louise.  The camera moves through the scenery and scenes like a tourist, seemingly strolling behind our characters and taking in any bits of information lucky enough to be picked up.  The monster effects are done subtly but strongly, with few true looks being given to Louise and her rotating rogues gallery of creature transformations.  The film gives you just enough stimulus to stay continually intrigued, but keeps the story on the verge of spiraling out of control without turning into a complicated mess.

Lou Taylor Pucci is strong in his portrayal as an emotionally beat down protagonist, using his initial situations to thrust himself into the unknown with a sense of adventure, open-mindedness and acceptance, no matter what the costs may be.  Nadia Hilker brings the intensity and reserved wisdom of someone who has lived for millennia, but manages to keep a sense of whimsy and playfulness to her character, which makes the jarring transformation scenes much more intense.  These two carry the majority of the film, with notable appearances by Francesco Carnelutti and Angelo (the farmer), Chris Palko (better known as rapper Cage), and even a quick appearance from Resolution star Vinny Curran, among other smaller roles. 

2018 has really but Benson and Moorhead on my radar as filmmakers that demand my time and attention.  With what they’ve done on limited budgets and with independent crews, I can only imagine what the final product will be if the duo is ever given the chance to do something on a major scale. 

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Resolution (2012)

Apparently, this horror renaissance of the past few years have been going on a bit longer than I realized, with seeds having been planted earlier in the decade.  Despite the prolific success of gore-based horror, intellectual horror has been making a slow but steady climb back into the mainstream.  An early forerunner in this realm (and one that will surely soon be revisited with the home release of The Endless) is the deceptively brilliant Resolution. 

Michael Danube (Peter Cilella), a husband and soon to be father, receives a strange email from his estranged friend (and drug addict/lost cause) Chris Daniels (Vinny Curran).  The email (and accompanying map) show Chris spiraling out of control, gun in one hand and drugs in the other, clearly on the edge of sanity.  Michael, determined to make one last effort to save Chris, devises a plan : pay Chris a visit, incapacitate him, and handcuff him to the wall, forcing him to detox over the course of seven days.  Unfortunately, Chris’ plan runs into a number of unforeseen obstacles.  Chris discovers that Michael’s cabin is on reservation land, and is forced to pay for his stay and be gone by a hard deadline.  Both men are constantly threatened by fellow drug addicts Billy (Kurt David) and Micah (Skyler Meacham).  And, on top of everything, Chris continually discovers different forms of media that capture moments the two men have been through (and a few they’ve not yet been through), making it clear that a force they do not understand is clearly in control.

This film is interesting in the way that it takes a relatable story (helping a friend kick a drug addiction) and wraps it in a horrifying premise (supernatural forces may be driving you towards gruesome outcomes).  The tension between the two friends not only is palatable and clearly worthy of driving the narrative, it causes the two to be unable to find common ground long enough to combine efforts in understanding and escaping the bigger threat that is making its presence known and impossible to ignore.  The true brilliance of the film (and the way it never truly shows its hand) is how the many questions posed are answered in the unofficial sequel The Endless, including one of the most memorable meta-moments of film crossover ever captured.

The multiple premise levels, as previously mentioned, brilliantly balance several levels of threats and tension, making the overall sense of unease constantly grow.  Chris and his dual surprise threats of the homeowners and the drug addicts make it that much harder for him to focus on his main goal, and mostly serves to drive a bigger wedge between them due to Michael’s singular focus on his captivity at the hands of his so-called friends.  Michael’s predicament makes it basically impossible for him to focus on anything else, including the clearly growing fear becoming more present in Chris with each odd occurrence, despite Michael either being aware of similar instances or having gone through the same odd occurrences.  It is only when their backs are truly against the wall that they learn to coexist, but by then all is clearly lost.

Peter Cielella brings a sense of self-righteousness that is sold as goodwill that fits his role perfectly, forcing acceptance of his fate when things are much too late.  By contrast, Vinny Curran plays opposite via a bleak acceptance that brings his character happiness, forcing him to react as a trapped animal when the will of another is forced upon him, but not at the expense of reality-based situational humor.  Zach McClarnon, his stoic nature, and his piece-meal doling out of information makes him an ominous protagonist, while Kurt David Anderson and Skyler Meacham opt for traditional direct threats and brute force as tools for their protagonists characteristics.  Bill Oberst Jr. works as an expositional land mine, dropping massive amounts of game-changing information in a brilliant appearance.

I do wish, in retrospect, I’d seen this film prior to seeing The Endless.  I remember sitting next to people who were clearly familiar with Resolution, and when Michael and Chris popped up on the screen their surprise was audible and easy to register, though I did not fully understand.  Now that I am familiar with the bigger picture, I can only hope at least one more film emerges from this world, and that other directors are smart enough to see opportunities to handle their properties in similar ways if the chance presents itself.

[doomonfilm]

Review : The Endless (2018)

Science fiction is the new tabula rosa for an unchecked range of free expression.  It’s almost as if a solid science fiction premise is the hook, and you can give an audience just enough of it to classify as weird or unsettling, but the true substance comes from the relationships within, and the motivations created from the circumstances presented.  The Endless, from co-directors and stars Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, is a shining example of all of these things.

Justin (Justin Benson) and Aaron Smith (Aaron Moorhead) are two brothers, former members of a UFO cult, now struggling to make it from month to month a decade after their escape.  Aaron receives a strange tape in the mail one day, containing a message from cult member Anna (Callie Hernandez) about how their time for departure has come.  Justin feels validated in making the choice for the brothers to leave, but Aaron is compelled to visit his former ‘family’, if only to say goodbye.  Justin concedes, and the two return to Camp Arcadia to see their former fellow cult members off.  After a bit of conversation with Anna, Hal (Tate Ellington), Lizzy (Kira Powell), and several passing encounters with a strange man (Glen Roberts), Justin wants to leave, but Aaron is finding comfort in a somewhat more stable lifestyle than their hand to mouth existence in the real world.  Justin is further spooked by many of the weird events that take place.  As the two find themselves deeper and deeper in the unfolding mystery, they begin to realize that they truly had no clue about what their former existence was like.

The promotional material is wonderfully vague for this film, giving you just enough information to be intrigued and set up minimal expectations.  What you are left with, however, is something much deeper and stranger than you could ever imagine.  The premise of a UFO cult certainly triggers a handful of images and situations that you figure will be played out, but for the most part, the cult aspect is a running joke.  While you do have a threat that is alien in nature, it is not the true focus of the film... what you are left with is a handful of extremely weird instances and a group of people caught up in varying degrees of a truly horrifying situation.  One of the groups in the film, apparently, is an organically flawless callback to Benson and Moorhead’s earlier work.

The science fiction output is portrayed well despite being limited to the low budget practice of ‘the threat just off screen’.  The tug of war sequence is extremely effective, especially with it’s soft approach turned vicious attack.  Subtle uses of nature-based oddness like the circling flocks of birds and the multiple moons also work effectively, taken the familiar and giving them a sinister and eerie tinge.  Once the film introduces the time element, however, that’s when things get really interesting.  When you’re introduced to the man caught in the 5 second loop, the implications are truly horrifying, especially when he begins to interact with Aaron.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, on top of directing a great movie, do a great job of setting up a dynamic that is mirrored to different degrees throughout their interactions with others, and throughout the way other characters interact with one another.  Benson’s insistence of being in charge plays well against Moorhead’s reserved approach, creating a tension that sits between them like a third character.  Callie Hernandez and her constant smile, even when giving wary or worried looks, is a bit creepy in its own right, especially when played against the over the top smiles of David Lawson, Jr..  Tate Ellington plays a leader who on the outset looks bold and fearless, but is clearly holding back information that rocks him to his soul.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to determine whom the hanged man in the woods was, but he was GREAT (I believe it was Shane Brady).  Kira Powell is informative in a subtle, sweeter way, while her character’s art gives an interesting interpretation of the unfolding events.  James Jordan and Peter Ciella have me extremely interested in seeing the Benson and Moorhead film that they are the center of, which is apparently integrated into The Endless seamlessly.

Films like these are some of my favorite film experiences out there.  Being recommended something cool by a friend that flew completely by your radar feels like finding money on the street.  In that sense, The Endless was like finding a $20.