Vic's Review - "Afflicted" (2013)

What's it About?

Two best friends see their trip of a lifetime take a turn for the worst when one of them is stricken with a mysterious affliction.

“Afflicted”

Directed by Derek Lee, Clif Prowse

7 out of 10

After being bit on the left arm by a mysterious French woman, world traveler and trip blogger, Derek Lee (Himself), begins to exhibit some strange behaviors and abilities that defy explanation. Derek's lifelong best friend Clif Prowse (Himself), who is documenting the world wide trip they are on, grows very concerned and worried for Derek as he starts to rapidly change and appears to be evolving into a blood thirsty creature who starts to display vampiric tendencies. As they end up in Italy, where the middle majority of the movie takes place, Clif proceeds to record, with his complicated camera gear from different perspectives, how Derek is changing for the worst and putting not only himself but Clif and innocent people in mortal danger. What happens next in this POV found footage thriller is a pretty engaging and energetic story that is replete with cliches but still is a welcome shot in the arm for the tired and bloated subgenre.

Smartly using a video travel blog as a device to observe and scrutinize them, filmmakers Lee and Prowse start off the film with a going away party and while bypassing some accuracy (they utilize some questionable editing and documenting techniques), we get to know a bit about them both. They are true and old friends that have a long history and a shared passion for traveling and movie making. They also have always taken care of each other.

Even when Lee is diagnosed with AVM (a type of brain malady), Prowse vows to always take care of his friend and be by his side. This makes their trip ever more important. For the first half and the set up, Prowse and Lee show us their artistic natures and their compatibility. For this type of film, establishing that we care about the protagonists is important and Lee and Prowse succeed in doing just that which is greatly refreshing here.

“Afflicted” has an impressive and fascinating hook at it's core and for most of it's running time the movie has much in the way of chills and humor to satisfy jaded fans of the genre. Lee's transformation sequences and Prowse's struggle to help his friend is quite compelling and visceral. Prowse continues to document and even upload videos to the blog where we see shocked reactions from the followers get screen time. Where the movie loses it way a bit for me is when Prowse feels the need to have Lee perform for the camera to show off his new “powers” like leaping from building to building, climbing up walls, breaking huge rocks in half and running 60 miles an hour.

It felt too tacked on and more like a wink at “Chronicle.” Also, these are the more effects driven scenes and the mood and horror from the set up is pushed aside, somewhat. But some well placed testimonials by Lee and Derek balance these scenes and righten the ship. I do wish that the arguments and indecisions by the guys regarding the situation were more brief since it becomes a bit redundant, overall.

Lee and Prowse keep the movie moving, though, and never really allow it to lag and it is much to it's benefit. Once they figure out that Lee needs human blood (because animal blood won't do and he vomits up everything he ingests) the movie rockets off and they get back on track. Eventually, the authorities become aware of Lee's bloody nocturnal activities and the movie becomes a chase film that winds up with Lee making his way back to France to find Audrey, who turned him into the creature he is now.

But not before there is some fun bloody mayhem on and off the POV screen. There are dizzying chases through alleys, between buildings, shoot outs, scuffles with policemen and so on. Lee and Prowse pack in all the goodies here and sometimes we even forget (and do not care about the logic) that all of this is being recorded by a cam strapped to Lee. The movie has fun with itself during these scenes and I chose to enjoy it for what it was.

Be be warned, though, the movie trips up again where it counts most and that is in the finale. It once again becomes the victim of familiar found footage tropes. Excessive shaking, uninteresting images, dark scenes and things and people flashing in and out of frame with cliched and uninteresting angles. When Lee reaches France and Audrey arrives it becomes a different animal and quite not as interesting as everything that came before it. The movie has style to be sure but it feels unfinished or incomplete, somehow.

Lee and Prowse definitely know how to shoot a film, for sure, using the beautiful French and Mediteranean locales to full benefit. Even the night time sequences have a moody and colorful bend. The movie is indeed ambitious and much to the credit of Lee and Prowse, they have some skill and have single-handedly reminded us how a film in this genre should work but not without falling into the trap that has made much lesser and uninspired efforts so forgettable.

“Afflicted” saves itself in places and is nifty and full of cool authenticity. The filmmakers are brave and sure of their abilities and the film does most assurdedly makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. But as a found footage movie, in itself, it isn't as original or captivating as it could have been. Perhaps as a straight horror flick, it could have worked better. But since these are new movie makers then this is the go to subgenre to make a quick and easy impression, with limited resources, for sure. And that is not a bad thing.

The movie has an escalating air of unease and terror and while Lee and Prowse learn to hone their narrative skills in future projects, “Afflicted” will remain an impressive piece of work that will stand out among more recent home runs like Barry Levinson's “The Bay.” If you are a fan of FF movies then this movie is a no brainer. If don't appreciate movies that up chaotic and shaky, you may want to look elsewhere. As for “Afflicted,” there is life in the old genre, yet! Oh, and expect a sequel, gang...

5 Movie Books I am Currently Reading

5 Movie Books I am Currently Reading

By Vic

5 - "The Making of : The Empire Strikes Back”

By J.W. Rinzler with a Foreward by Ridley Scott

4 – "Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Special Effects"

By Thomas G. Smith

3 - "Steven Spielberg: A Retrospective"

By Richard Schickel

2 – "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock"

By Donald Spoto

1 – "Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy"

By Michael Mallory

Here are some pics from the Universal Studios, Star Wars, ILM and Steven Spielberg books. Enjoy.

Hope you guys enjoyed the list. What are some of the Movie Books you are reading, currently? Or have read? Do you have some suggestions for me? Let me know below! Thanks for checking in, everyone.

- Vic

Vic's Review - "Almost Human" (2014)

What's it About?

Mark Fisher disappeared from his home in a brilliant flash of blue light almost two years ago. His friend Seth Hampton was the last to see him alive.

Directed by  Joe Begos

“Almost Human”

By Vic

Young Director Joe Begos apparently knows influential sci fi/horror movies inside and out. Especially the older, cooler stuff that was made during the 1980's. He definitely knows the good, the bad and the ugly. His short retro throwback indie, called “Almost Human,” is, in it's essence, a very endearing love letter to the films that made up that bygone age of 80's schlocky B movies. Shit, Begos even made sure the movie even looked like one during post with earthy tones and hues. (I have yet to hear the director's commentary but I have heard it's a cool listen). Begos' film is neither contrived or pretentious. It is a neat and simple affair that is deeply rooted in the mythos and lore of more respectable and more approachable genre entries. The movie is a type of heirloom and it relishes in knowing what it is. Begos makes sure that if he is to steal, then he should steal from the best, no?

Begos has the directing chops for this kind of low budget ambition. Where a film with a ton of more money and of a higher brow conceit, would mostly overshadow a little flick this one. For one to really enjoy “Almost Human,” one definitely needs to know where Begos and his cast and crew are coming from. The material is completely derived from various cinematic places in what is a virtual who's who of modern (and some classic) sci fi movie canon. You name the film, it's in here. You can just check off every wink, nod and reference to all of the neat sci fi thrillers that came before Begos' film. In this context, knowing all of this, the movie is kind of fun. This way, instead of rolling your eyes and exclaiming that you recognize what you're watching from some other movie, the film retains some charm and you may feel less inclined to dismiss it.

Starting with a young man named Seth (Graham Skipper), pounding on the door of his friend Mark's (Josh Ethier) house, Begos builds up some required tension. Seth frantically tells Mark that something has taken one of their mutual friends in a “bright blue light.” Here we start the ball rolling with counting off where we have seen this all before. Hmm...”Fire in the Sky?” Anyway, after freaking out Mark and his girlfriend, Mark pulls out his shotgun and before he gets to confront what appears to be a disturbance outside his home, a high pitched tone entrances him. Something alien seems to be in control and just when Mark walks outdoors just outside of his front door, he gets zapped by, you guessed it, a bright bluish light.

Using very familiar white title cards on black for a long opening credit sequence that competently rivals John Carpenter's “Prince of Darkness,” the movie takes on a “talking head” journey using Romero-esque journalists describing various odd events that took place that very night (in a town called “Derry” no less, where one character actually says “that wicked sucks!”). Also, showing us the aftermath of what happened and how it affects Seth, who insists he is innocent, and that there was no foul play involved with Mark's disappearance. Cut to 2 years later and Seth is troubled by nightmares and Derry is once again plagued by strange lights in the sky and power outages. Meanwhile, 2 hunters come across Travis Walton, I mean, Mark, naked in the woods. He is covered in goo and belts out a shriek that puts the pod people to shame.

So, Mark is back and he ain't quite right, folks. Where has he been for 2 years? Mars? Jupiter? Lanulos? Iceland? Be glad that Begos keeps the action and pace moving because under scrutiny, any credibility “Almost Human” retains just evaporates. What follows is a “Mark-thing” killing spree of funky, splattery, alien impregnation mayhem utilizing a slasher film's random aesthetic. AH has it's fair share of gun-play and chainsaw havoc, too. Yep, it's gross, but like I said, Begos is going for the gut here with that throwback vibe using great practical FX. He also has a very spare visual flow (Begos served as DP using a RED cam effectively. There is a lot of hand held work here) ) and it is suitable for this type of nightmarish outing. In it's quieter moments, the movie has a couple of nice flourishes. Mark-thing having a flashback to his abduction night as he approaches the home he used to live in is one.

But, as with so many films of this type, you have to take the bad with the good. The acting is laughable (there is a diner scene with Seth and Mark's girlfriend that is cringe worthy), the dialog is horrendous and the characters are flat and boring (Seth's boss, Clancy, fares better while being the only real and earnest person in the movie). Begos' strength is reflected more in the technical aspects of the production rather than the story and characterizations. Begos capably keeps the action in flow and he can stage confrontations well but some of the unintentionally funny and banal interaction between all of the players feels very stiff and prosaic.

“Almost Human” will not please many folks looking for something that is fresh and unique in this genre. It copies way too many other movies like Alien, Halloween, Evil Dead, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the movie almost feels like a remake of this one), Species, I can go on and on. Begos' movie is just way too reverential to achieve that goal (there is even a score that sounds eerily like Morricone's The Thing).

The film never gets a chance to establish it's own identity or exclusivity. The story is extremely mired down in what appears to be homage and I find it quite distracting sometimes. I respect the back to basics approach of late with some of these genre entries and I feel that tried and true dynamics can be very helpful. Begos knows how to get the most he can with what he has to work with, and he is ambitious, but I'm confused. I don't understand his motivations sometimes. What type of movie is he actually trying to make, here? I get the tribute and loyalty thing but something in the story and style just does not have the charm and individuality it could have. Does Begos even realize that his movie is this imprinted? He must know that the movie heavily clones other works, no?

The film started really decently but I must say that it feels like the cast and crew over-extended the capacity to make the movie more than just an adoration piece. Like I said earlier, if you know where Begos is coming from, then you may have a nice time with “Almost Human” but that wasn't enough for me to really like and enjoy the film as a complete whole.

You could do worse on a Saturday night if you want a quick and gory sci fi thriller with a frenzied last act (cut from the same cloth as The Omen, no less) to dissect it's adulation to other movies it is obviously influenced by. Check it out if you're curious only, but if a movie of this pedigree appeals to you as a fan of the movies it mimics then it isn't a total loss.

Vic's Note: “Almost Human” is currently available on Netflix Instant Streaming in HD. Enjoy!

Vic's Review - "Willow Creek" (2014)

What's it About?

From celebrated Director Bobcat Goldthwait comes this edge of your seat horror that will make you think twice before going into the woods.

"Willow Creek"

Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait

By Vic

7 out of 10

“Do YOU Believe?”

Roughly 20 miles north west of a place named Orleans, California, there is a narrow tributary of the Klamath river named Bluff Creek. In 1967, October 27^th to be exact, two men started on an expedition to catch a sighting of the famed “Sasquatch” of the northwestern part of the state, otherwise (and more popularly) named “Bigfoot.” They were Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin. For all intents and purposes, while approaching Bluff Creek and rolling film at variable speeds on a Kodak Cine K-100, the men found what they sought out to encounter. For better and for worse. The rest, obviously, folks, is Bigfoot history.

These days, with the plethora of Found Footage movies out there, many of which are trite and hackneyed, I was surprised to see that director/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait (“God Bless America”) decided to take on the subgenre. With Bigfoot, of all things, being the subject. Now, on any given day, if one browses horror films on, say, Netflix, you are very apt to find a gazillion FF movies, some of which, are about the big furry guy. Goldthwait, who is a very unique and competant director, using his unique perceptions is indeed a very curious choice for this kind of endeavor. I was quite interested to see where he would go with it. Especially since he wrote the story as well.

Bryce Johnson plays Jim, a young adventurer and film-maker who along with his hesitant fiance, Kelly (Alexie Gilmore), set out to document the location of the re-nowned Patterson-Gimlin footage. If they indeed encounter something while out there then even the better. Goldthwait capably sets up (like with just about every other FF movie) his characters with casual and natural dialog showing us that the couple is indeed like-able, in love, like to joke around (there is a pretty funny sequence where they mock murals of Bigfoots calling them “Day Laborers”) and have a keen sense of humor reflecting their love (and sometimes their dislike) for nature, and respect for the myth.

But Kim is not too sold on Bigfoot just yet much to Jim's loathing. Kim serves to help Jim with the camera-work, setting up shots, panning, recording and capturing the picturesque Californian northwest. Jim, in turn, does several intros on camera explaining his goal for the Doc and the appeal the legend has had on him since his youth.

“Willow Creek” is a back to basics FF movie that uses simplicity for it's springboard. The movie follows the tried and trued original template that “The Blair Witch Project,” from Myrick and Sanchez, did. Kim and Jim visit several Bigfoot destinations and even indulge in a Bigfoot Burger (with a bun that is shaped like a, well, big foot). They take in the local scenic color and a few tourist traps as well.

In "Blair Witch" fashion, Goldthwait has his actors interview a motley crew of strange and eccentric locals that provide a unique look into the way that Goldthwait plans to have the movie unfold. Also, the couple run into those who warn the couple about trekking into the notorious wilderness and the dangers involved. The warnings, (of course) go unheeded and it makes all of it appear rather superflous.

As the film progresses and after Jim and Kim take in more of what the town has to offer (like a bar with a dude singing a folk ballad about the P-G footage and even a huge wooden totem of BF and a guy with an unusual story to tell in his establishment) they head out to find Bluff Creek but not before running afoul of some asshole who threatens them to go back, in a bizarre turn of fore-shadowing.

Goldthwait turns up the apprehension and doubt that the couple may be feeling. But, Jim, ever determined to have his way and get to the location finds another way in. Kim, on the other hand grows ever more uncertain and anxious. When they trek, all the while, Kim documenting, more banter ensues and the natural dialog never feels forced or stagey. Goldthwait ratches up the build up and suspense during the couple's first night in the woods near Bluff Creek.

Goldthwait, here, manages to brilliantly use sound instead of visual bombasity to retain a size-able amount of tension, fear and creepiness. In a very astute sequence that is absolutely chilling and impressive, Goldthwait keeps his actors in a medium close up-two shot inside of the small tent. For a long while. As they sit there, after being awakened by “knocking” (a form of communication said to be used by Bigfoot using branches and pieces of wood), they listen to all sorts of noises and sounds during the entrire sequence.

What is so cool about this part is how Johnson and Gilmore go through a variety of recactions. At one point they whisper to each other trying to rationalize the sounds and then in another instant they are wide eyed with fear and fright as they have rocks thrown at them and hear howls that sound far away at first then get closer and closer.

The movie makes no qualms about being a simple and effective piece of work that follows the tropes and conventions that made “The Blair Witch Project” a huge success. Afterwards, when Jim and Kim continue nervously through the woods the next day, Goldthwait adroitly piles on the isolation, uncertainty and futilty of the trek even involving the couple getting turned around in another “Blair Witch” ode and wink.

One can immediatley tell that Goldthwait respects the sub-genre and even more respects the legend of Bigfoot and the history and pull of the entire Patterson-Gimlin mystique. There is no CGI, no loud blaring music, no slashers but there are very creepy things happening and the finale, while nothing extraordinary, harks back to the conclusion of “The Blair Witch Project” in it's vague and amorphus reveal. It is a true “What the Hell?” moment that raises just as many more questions and theories than it answers. But that is ok because I would rather take that over some dumb FF movies about ghosts or demons that go absolutely nowhere in story and resolution.

“Willow Creek” is a small but ambitious affair. It is a remote outing that is not going to please all of those who like the sub-genre to re-invent itself everytime (something that will probably never happen) a movie comes out. In recent memory, “The Bay” and even “Afflicted” come close to being real solid stand outs. Goldthwait's film shows amazing command and restriction and in it's very brief running time, succeeds in telling a tight folk horror story that really isn't horror but it is pretty damn creepy and kind of allegorical.

It has an almost fable like essence that is centralized by good photography, dialog, performances from Johnson and Gilmore and grounded by good direction from Goldthwait. It won't be for everyone but most would be hard pressed to not get creeped out especially by the tent sequence and that ending. Good job, Bob. Happy Squatching!