Watching independently released films is probably my favorite part about running Day of the Woman. Much like finding that super underground band none of your friends have heard of, finding gems in the fields of low-budget/limited release films is one of the best feelings imaginable. Inception Media Group, LLC is (from their website) "based in Los Angeles, California and is a diversified media company specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures and other filmed entertainment across all media platforms and channels of distribution." I've reviewed three movies from Inception Media Group, LLC previously, and will admit the films can be a mixed bag. Some films are much stronger than others, but there is usually a great deal of potential residing in these filmmakers. Last night, I kicked back and had a double feature of two of their newest horror releases, COMPLICITY and SILENT BUT DEADLY.
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The evening started out with a familiar feeling film, COMPLICITY. The story follows the traditional format of popular 90s horror films. Following the story of a high school party at Shannon's place while her parents are gone for the weekend, the night takes a turn for the worse when Shannon's friend Kim accuses a boy of rape. Without knowing the full details, some of the partygoers take matters into their own hands and kill the alleged rapist in a fit of fury. The kids are now stuck with a dead body on their hands and must figure out where to go from here. If it sounds like I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER without the slasher, it's because it is. Written and Directed by C.B. Harding, the film feels like a collage of cherry picked horror staples haphazardly thrown together. The characters are all interchangeable and with the exception of T.J. Wilkins' portrayal of "Dwayne the Football Star," all of the characters are painfully unlikable. These teenagers aren't unlikable because they make poor decisions, they just feel like stereotypical high school students written by someone who hasn't been to high school since Oregon Trail was a classroom activity and is basing characters off of CW television show commercials. It was frustrating, because the film isn't poorly made. The lighting is fantastic, the cinematography is beautiful, and the actors are actually really solid. It was just the painfully unoriginal premise and stereotypical dialogue that just ruined the entire movie. I think C.B. Harding did a great job at directing, but I don't think he's meant to be a writer. I'd love to see what he does with another story, because he clearly understands how to make a beautiful film...just not necessarily how to write one. Keep on the look for the cameo performance by Sean Young, that was a lovely surprise.
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Wrapping up the double feature was the horror-comedy flick starring Jason Mewes SILENT BUT DEADLY. I had been looking forward to seeing this film since it showed up in my mailbox, and I'm still unsure if I loved or hated this film. Jason Mewes plays a relatively mute goat lover who goes on a wave of murder to anyone that poorly treats goats. It's never fully explored if he loves goats as animals the way the internet loves cats, or if he's dabbling in inter-species erotica. Regardless, it's a horror comedy where Jason Mewes has less lines than Johnny Depp in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. Mewes really does try to showcase his emotions with body language and facial expressions, but denying someone with such perfect comedic timing any dialogue was a missed opportunity. Fortunately, the supporting cast delivers some incredible zingers. My personal favorites came from Mewes' father character, a backwoods redneck who married two Russian mail order brides that would rather fondle each other than their husband. Some of his lines included calling them "Soviet Sluts" or "Carpet Munching Commies." Cherry on top of that sundae? The father is played by William Sadler. Without a doubt, the strongest performance was given by Jordan Prentice as the local racist/sexist/homophobic Sheriff in town. Prentice commands every scene he's in and having the ability to say "cock barf" without laughing was well worth a few rewinds. The comedy is definitely there, the horror, not so much. The practical FX were fabulously executed but the CGI effects were painfully bad. The more I watched it, the more it felt like they were actually going for the bad FX. If that's the case, they more than achieved their goal. Ultimately, the film is fun to watch and paired quite nicely with my pizza and pop night with my man. Of the two films, SILENT BUT DEADLY was definitely worth the watch.
