Little Erin Merryweather (2003)

I’VE NEVER BEEN DRAWN TO independent horror films. To me, “indie horror” covers such a broad range of quality in terms of both production value and storytelling…and in my limited exposure to indie horror flicks, usually one or both of those areas have been sorely lacking.

But when I saw the trailer for the indie release Little Erin Merryweather, something about it convinced me to take a chance…

Plot:
A series of murders shakes up a sleepy New England college. The killer, dressed in a Red Riding Hood cape and cowl, guts her victims and replaces their internal organs with rocks. Watching the local police get nowhere, three students on the school paper – Peter (David Morwick), Teddy (R. Brandon Johnson), and Sean (Marcus Bonnée) – decide to investigate the killings, armed with the learnings from their behavioral sciences professor (Elizabeth Callahan), who is also a former profiler.

Critique:

With Little Erin Merryweather, multi-hat wearer Morwick (who wrote, directed, edited, and stars) has given us an original horror film where the killer is 1) a female who preys on men, in a nice little gender-flip; and 2) revealed to the viewer early in the story, but whose identity remains a mystery to the characters.

Regarding elements of the film Morwick didn’t handle: Paul Cristo’s score perfectly matches the atmosphere and storyline as he alternates haunting strings with child-like music box arrangements. And cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah beautifully captures the wooded, snow-covered surroundings of the campus, in addition to picking the right shots to rack up the tension (the opening chase between Erin and her first victim is especially well-shot and edited).

Ironically, the occasional weak link in Little Erin Merryweather is Erin herself, actress Vigdis Anholt. She has very little dialogue, which means we rely on her actions for character development. Unfortunately, those actions (aside from slicing up students) consist of several melodramatic glares and stares at potential victims.

Little Erin Merryweather takes the standard slasher formula, throws in a helping of serial killer profiling, and offers a fresh, unique experience – yet one that also made me nostalglic for the slasher-film heyday of the late ’70 and early ‘80s. It also rises above the typical pitfalls of indie film, especially indie horror: It's a professionally shot, well-acted, compelling little gem.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

While Little Erin Merryweather spills very little blood on-screen, there are multiple stabbings accompanied by very visceral sound effects. There is also a fair share of profanities, and the topic of sexual abuse is brought up at times as part of Erin’s backstory. Merryweather is fine for teens to see, but use your own discretion for any tweeners in your audience.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Little Erin Merryweather is a neat little film that often comes off as more thriller than horror. If she likes scary movies but isn’t big on gore, this could make for an enjoyable option.

I've heard about cracking down on late fees, but this is ridiculous.

Little Erin Merryweather
* Director: David Morwick
* Screenwriter: David Morwick
* Stars: David Morwick, R. Brandon Johnson, Marcus Bonnée, Elizabeth Callahan, Vigdis Anholt
* MPAA Rating: R


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The Grind (2009)

SETTLE DOWN, settle down…it’s not a full-length feature of the Eric Nies dance show from MTV.

Nope, it’s a gritty indie that answers the question, “What’s Ponyboy up to these days?”

Plot:

Luke (C. Thomas Howell) owes a big chunk of change to the Mexican mob. If he doesn’t pay them in eight days…let’s just say he’ll be able to sing soprano quite easily.

His solution? Create a reality-show website featuring “four hot girls in a house” – Sophia (Eve Mauro), Brooke (Lauren Walsh), Naomi (Christina DeRosa), and Alex (Sarah Scott) – then sell the names and credit card numbers of the site’s subscribers to an identity-fraud criminal (Tom Sizemore in a cameo).

At first, the girls aren’t doing anything sexy or exciting, and the site bombs. As incentive, Luke starts offering a cash bonus to the craziest girl each night. But can he pull off the site, sell the customer data, and pay off his debt while keeping everyone involved safe?

Critique:

In the two decades since he foolishly picked up Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher, Howell’s wide-eyed, boyish good looks have evolved into a weathered face that still commands the screen. He displays overacting and melodramatics at times in his portrayal of The Grind’s two-bit loser Luke, but the presence that made him a star in the ‘80s is still there, albeit behind a salt-and-pepper goatee and a bloodied face (courtesy of the film’s Mexican mob enforcers).

Writer/director John Millea keeps The Grind moving at a steady clip, which almost forgives the uneven performances of Mauro, Walsh, DeRosa, and Scott as the girls in the house. However, he employs far too much shaky-cam in an ill-fated attempt at added grittiness or edginess (the first meeting between Howell and Sizemore is especially nausea-inducing).

Despite a jumbled, rushed ending with a less-than-satisfying twist, The Grind is an above-average indie that’s moderately compelling. If anything, it has one of the best lines I’ve heard in a film recently: When Luke is pitying himself over his situation, his loan shark (A Simple Plan’s Brent Briscoe) says, “It’s called life. And you’re bad at it.”

Tidbits:
* Catch the cameo by Danny Trejo (Machete) as the boss of the Mexican mob.
* Millea used to rent movies at a place on his street called Video Archives from a very enthusiastic movie buff named Quentin Tarantino.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

No, it’s not. The four girls in The Grind provide ample amounts of nudity and sexually graphic situations with men, each other, and, um, themselves. There’s also a ton of profanity, one character smokes a bong, and two men are violently stabbed. Also, in the opening scene, Mexican mobsters shove Howell’s hand in a garbage disposal. (Maybe that’s why it’s called The Grind – HEY-oh!)

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she has fond memories of Howell and wonders what happened to him, she might be curious to see The Grind…just brace her for how he looks in this film. It’s a far cry from Secret Admirer.

The Grind
* Director: John Millea
* Screenwriter: John Millea
* Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Michael Welch, Tanya Allen, Sarah Scott, Lauren Walsh, Eve Mauro, Christina DeRosa
* MPAA Rating: R



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The Chosen One (2008)

THESE DAYS, with the many affordable advancements in computer technology, it’s easier than ever for a filmmaker and/or animator to create a full-length movie. Case in point: my last review.

Case in point deux: director Chris Lackey, who – according to the film’s press kit – animated The Chosen One “almost entirely from his Santa Monica apartment” as “a truly independent film alternative to the big, multi-million dollar studio animated movies.”

And while bigger is indeed not always better, and independent filmmaking can be innovative and inspiring, would The Chosen One truly be a godsend to viewers?

Plot:
Lou (Chosen One co-writer and composer Chad Fifer) is having a bad day. He’s dumped by his girlfriend (Laura Prepon), fired from his job, his car is totaled by falling satellite, and he’s attacked by a bear. While recovering from the bear attack, Lou’s geezer roommate Zeb (Chris Sarandon) takes him to Zeb’s oddball church, where the congregation declares Lou to be “the chosen one” and sends him to Kansas on a mission to bring the world into a new age of enlightenment. But as Lou begins his journey – with Zeb and ex-coworker Donna (Danielle Fishel) in tow – a rogue group of church leaders sends a squad of mercenaries (including femme fatale Traci Lords) to kill Lou – while a dapper, Fabio-esque Lucifer (Tim Curry) joins Lou on his trek, filling his ear with religious rhetoric…and what Lucifer feels is Lou’s true calling.

Critique:

I was really hoping to enjoy The Chosen One, due to its eclectic cast and unconventional animation. But I was also expecting (and hoping) for it to be more profane and savage in its execution. Not that a film has to be dirty to be funny, but The Chosen One is strangely a very tame film for tackling hot-button topics such as religion, relationships, and the meaning of life.

The animation is more South Park than Pixar – an irony, since The Chosen One’s timidity is the complete opposite of South Park’s no-holds-barred yet often intelligent raunch. (Lackey’s Flash-based animation and vector-art illustrations remind me of Internet ads I worked on at my agency circa 2002.)

The film’s narrative is meandering and nonsensical, and while the main characters all take turns philosophizing about what true happiness is, none of it is profound or memorable. In addition, the dialogue is flat and littered with punchlines that never rise above a sitcom. I smiled four times and didn’t laugh once (yes, I kept score).

Lackey and Fifer could have taken The Chosen One in three directions: a polemic questioning religion’s role in one’s fate, an outlandish comedy skewering the many outdated aspects of religious beliefs, or a clever combination of both. Unfortunately for the viewer, they chose none of the above.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Aside some cartoon violence involving fighting and explosions, there’s nothing in The Chosen One that’s truly offensive or inappropriate. But that doesn’t mean your kids would find the film even remotely interesting.

Will your FilmMother like it?

Even if she likes films that question such higher topics as religion, mortality, or morality, she’ll be disappointed by The Chosen One. And if she’s looking for a laugh-out-comedy…um, what’s worse than “disappointed?”

Sorry, Zeb…for this film, your thumb’s in the wrong direction.

The Chosen One
* Director: Chris Lackey
* Screenwriters: Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer
* Stars: Chad Fifer, Laura Prepon, Chris Sarandon, Danielle Fishel, Debra Wilson, Tim Curry, Lance Henriksen, Traci Lords
* MPAA Rating: N/A

The Korean (2008)

I’VE STATED BEFORE THAT I have a love for films with a revenge or payback angle. So I checked out the independent film The Korean to see if it would satisfy my craving for some retribution.

Plot:
Four criminals betray a big-time mobster (Harry O’Toole) and disappear – with one of the criminals (John Yost), a dirty cop, planning to have him busted. With only hours until his arrest, the mobster calls in a deadly "cleaner" known as The Korean (Josiah D. Lee) to track down the backstabbing criminals and finish them.

Critique:

The Korean's story is told largely in flashback and out of sequence, tossing the viewer from present to past to recent past to concurrent action for nearly all of its 98 minutes. And during these jarring shifts in storytelling, it seems like almost every encounter between the characters is a double-cross or payback for one, making it difficult to keep track. Who’s who? Who knows? After an hour I asked, “Who cares?”

The film also suffers from by-the-numbers dialogue and iffy acting. Regarding the latter, the weakest link is ironically Lee in the title role. He tries to play The Korean as cold and methodical, but his soft voice and monotone delivery make it sound like he’s shyly auditioning for the part. (The only bright spot is Jack Erdie, who’s entertainingly evil and witty as Lee’s protégé Ray.)

With The Korean, writer-director Thomas Dixon seems to be striving for something Tarantino-esque or in the vein of Rashomon, but all he succeeds in doing with the jump-around narrative is frustrate the viewer.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Korean isn’t rated, but features several disrobing makeout scenes (though no nudity), some bloody gunplay and knifings, and one scene of torture. It should be okay for teens, and maybe even tweens with adult supervision.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Unless she knows someone involved in the production, I doubt it.

Y'know, it's not nice to point...

The Korean
* Director: Thomas Dixon
* Screenwriter: Thomas Dixon
* Stars: Josiah D. Lee, Jennifer Voss, John Yost, Jack Erdie, Rik Billok, Rose Smith
* MPAA Rating: N/A

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The Legend of God’s Gun (2007)

THE BACK OF THE DVD BOX for The Legend of God’s Gun declares the film to be (their caps) “A GRINDHOUSE ROCK-N-ROLL SPAGHETTI WESTERN!!!”

Well, any movie that tries to fit itself into that many hip genres automatically gets me suspicious – suspicious that the film will try too hard (or not hard enough) to meld all those film styles into one cohesive, enjoyable film.

Plot:
Something about an avenging, gun-toting preacher (Bobby Bones), a reluctant sheriff (Mike Bruce), and a goofy bandito named El Sobero (Kirkpatrick Thomas).

Critique:

The Legend of God’s Gun incorporates a lot of the elements from the grindhouse and spaghetti western genres: bad, jumpy cuts and quick zooms; grainy, washed-out footage; bad looping of dialogue; acting that feels like everything was a first take; a tinny, mono soundtrack; and abundant use of a split-screen.

But while it’s kitschy and fun to watch older grindhouse and spaghetti western movies today, everything about The Legend of God’s Gun quickly feels like less of an homage and more of a gimmick.

Even the worst flicks from those two genres have a basic premise to hook the viewer. Writer/director Mike Bruce (also starring as the aforementioned sheriff) should’ve been less concerned about paying tribute to his favorite genres and more focused on a linear, compelling story.

Despite cool poster art and a great tagline (“You are about to leave this earth with many regrets”), The Legend of God’s Gun is a chore to sit through. Even at only 79 minutes, it will frustrate the most die-hard grindhouse and spaghetti western fans. And with most of the cast being rock stars by trade (from bands such as Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spindrift, and The Morlocks), it adds fuel to the argument that musicians make bad actors.

I’m fully aware that The Legend of God’s Gun is an independent film, and with that can come sacrifices in budget and production value. But that’s no excuse for the dips in quality that plague it. At times, it feels less like an independent movie and more like an experimental student film.

The Legend of God’s Gun achieves a dubious double-whammy: It manages to both overshoot and undershoot in its attempts to honor two classic genres – and in the end delivers an unwatchable film.

Rating:

Will your kids want to watch it?

I’d say keep children away from The Legend of God’s Gun – not because of its objectionable content, but because it’s a horrible film. On the subject of the former: multiple shootings, adult language, a scene of necrophilia, Colt and some lady friends get high in an opium den, and a brief glimpse of bouncing boobs.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Do not let her watch this film, even if she thinks she wants to.

I wish a had a pencil-thin mustache…

The Legend of God’s Gun
• Director: Mike Bruce
• Screenwriter: Mike Bruce
• Stars: Bobby Bones, Kirkpatrick Thomas, Mike Bruce, Julie Patterson, Scott Dyeswell
• MPAA Rating: N/A


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Pariah (1999)

MOVIES WHOSE subject matter is white supremacy or skinheads have always made me uncomfortable. So I was a bit apprehensive when planning to review Pariah.

But when I read that the film’s larger subject matter was revenge (a favorite of mine as evidenced here and here), my interest overtook my discomfort.

Plot:
Inspired by actual events, Pariah tells the story of Steve (Damon Jones) and Sam (Elexa Williams), an interracial couple (he’s white, she’s black). After Steve is beaten and Sam is gang-raped by a group of skinheads – ending with tragic results – Steve decides, months later, to infiltrate the group as a fellow skinhead to destroy them from within.

Critique:

Pariah writer/director Randolph Kret forces viewers to sit through many of the skinheads’ antics (gang attacks, drunken parties, slam dancing) as Steve makes his way into the group. At some point, you’ll find yourself saying, “get on with it” – you want Steve’s attempts at vengeance to come much sooner. (By the third act, the skinheads’ crimes and behavior manage to become shocking and monotonous at the same time.)

Not that I can speak from experience, but a noticeable portion of the skinheads’ dialogue seems forced rather than authentic. Whether it’s the actors’ deliveries or Kret’s script, it’s hard to say. (The sole exception is David Lee Wilson, who portrays one of the more hated punks in recent history as the scrawny, obnoxious second-in-command skinhead.)

Jones delivers a powerful performance as the tormented Steve, although he does go from defenseless victim to methodical infiltrator a bit too abruptly (more “training” for his skinhead persona would have been nice).

Unfortunately, Steve’s revenge never feels fully realized. It’s a rather unsatisfying ending, thanks to another group’s vengeance on the skinheads and Steve’s spontaneous, unfinished final blow to the gang. Frankly, I expected his payback to be a lot more brutal, considering what happened to him and Sam and the lengths he went to carry out his plan.

While Kret’s efforts are admirable, he comes up short in making Pariah an impactful film that stays with the viewer once it’s over. For a more memorable and unnerving portrayal of skinhead life, watch Edward Norton in American History X. That movie stuck with me for days, and still makes me shiver just thinking about it.

Rating:

Will your kids want to watch it?

It doesn’t matter, because there is no way any child should see Pariah. It features a very graphic gang rape, several other explicit sex scenes, a severe gay-bashing, a countless number of profanities and racial/gay slurs, and frequent drug use.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I sure hope not. And if she does, steer her towards a better take on the topic: the aforementioned American History X.


Pariah
• Director: Randolph Kret
• Screenwriter: Randolph Kret
• Stars: Damon Jones, Dave Oren Ward, David Lee Wilson, Angela Jones, Elexa Williams
• MPAA Rating: R


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