Review: Outtake Reel

"...You go to war with the army you have - not the army you might want..."
-Donald Rumsfeld

What is a horrifying message from a former Secretary of Defense is a surprisingly real mantra for DIY and indie horror filmmakers. Sometimes we've seen the ambitions and imaginations of low-budget fare stretch the limits of its budget until it finally tears, showing us all that, yes, we are indeed watching a movie. That makes the achievements of Outtake Reel, the latest from Scott Feinblatt, writer and director of Summer People, so impressive. Sure, it's not perfect, but is it better than most cinema fare? Surprisingly, yes.

There are some prejudices to overcome in the viewing of Outtake Reel. Sure, the acting is going to range from good to serviceable, but Feinblatt has cast himself in one of the leads. Not to worry, aside from a handful of takes where things aren't quite on the nose, Feinblatt's performance as horror filmmaker Thomas Grayson carries most of the second half. I'm pleased to say Feinblatt is a pretty good actor, and manages to make the role real. Second prejudice: the use of the found footage meme. Once again, Outtake Reel takes a different road, using footage filmed during the making of a horror movie entitled My Brother's Keeper, as well as behind the scenes footage taken by the budding auteur Danny (co-director Jeffry Chaffin), given as evidence in the murder of Ashley Swan (Ava Santana) to tell the story of this starlet's death.

It's difficult to describe Outtake Reel without giving away some nice moves in the latter half, so, to give you a taste of the setup, let's talk horror films. Outtake Reel begins with the idea that there are breast-filled, gory slashers that we've become accustomed to, and the more cerebral brand that operates more from atmosphere and story. Outtake Reel is sort of about the making of the latter, while sort of being the former. You'll see. Harried writer-director Thomas Grayson is surrounded by actors who don't trust him or simply don't respect him, forced to work with an actress who uses her beauty and role to leverage her desires. When pain-in-the-ass documentarian Danny proposes that he and Grayson elicit some real emotion from the actress, things get bloody and complicated really fast.

To go further is to spoil some of Feinblatt's work here. This manages to be deconstructionist in its approach to horror, both lambasting and depicting old tropes, while inserting a sense of mystery and revelation into the last act. It's the sort of movie indie filmmaking was made for - too specific for a major studio, but a tale worthy of being told.

"Don't let your mouth write checks your ass can't cash"
-My Uncle Buddy

Grayson says in the early goings of the film, if you don't have a story, don't make a movie. If there is a complaint with story to be found in Outtake Reel, it's that there is perhaps too much of it, but it keeps things moving at a wonderful pace. Each time I found myself pigeonholing the film as torture porn, or straight satire, it zigged. I like not knowing where a movie is going, and this one had me wondering until the very end. Speaking of the end, the film promises cameos from genre staples Tiffany Shepis and Lloyd Kaufman, who do show up in the final reel. What's remarkable about the cameos is their utility. This isn't an appearance for recognition's sake, both actors have something to do, especially Kaufman.

From the early moments, Outtake Reel subtly tells us its ambitions, and it's largely successful in realizing them. If you can look past the fact that, yes, this is a digital, low-budget production, you'll find a high degree of thoughtfulness in this film. The question I always ask myself in relation to indie fare is this - "Is this movie better than a polished studio release?" Yes, yes it is. Pick it up as soon as you can. Feinblatt's second film is a BIG step in the right direction for this filmmaker and places him firmly in the "ones to watch" category. If you want to see a flawed, but clever and skillfully made, movie about horror movies, do yourself a favor and see Outtake Reel.

Review: Doghouse

Jake West, director of Doghouse, has been working in the indie horror field for some time. Beginning with 1998's Razor Blade Smile, West has done a number of shorts revolving around horror films and their creators, along with his own work in features. It's evident in watching Doghouse that this is no first time outing, and the camera stays busy without being intrusive or calling too much attention to itself. Despite the schlocky poster and the overdone premise involving zombies, there are some things here that make Doghouse a better-than-average expenditure of horror fan time.

We begin with friends Vince (Stephen Graham, Boardwalk Empire's Al Capone), Neil (Danny Dyer), Mikey (Noel Clarke, Mickey in the latest Dr. Who incarnation), Graham (Emil Marwa), Matt (Lee Ingleby), and Patrick (Keith-Lee Castle) setting off for a holiday in the countryside following Vince's divorce. The boys assemble for a weekend of debauchery in a tiny village called Moodley, where the women outnumber the men four-to-one. Along for the ride is their driver, Candy, nee Ruth (Christina Cole), a cute blond that upsets the testosterone-fueled intentions of the group by not being the male driver they'd anticipated.

Once in Moodley, the boys discover that the town appears to be deserted; that is until the women of the town show up with bad complexions and a taste for man meat. The boys are thankfully quick to realize that the ladies of the village are far less interested in naughty behavior and far more concerned with which one of the men will be their next meal. Along the way they find the only other living male, a soldier named Gavin (Terry Stone) ordered to eliminate the zombie-girl infestation.

All of this sounds fairly routine in terms of the local zombie outbreak met by misfits, which, of course, it is. The movie reminded me quite a lot of the other woman-infected-guys-have-to-sort-it-out British flick called Lesbian Vampire Killers, and it strikes a similar tone of humor mixed with the blood. What places this film above that one is the fact that the filmmakers seemed to have a statement to make here about the age-old battle between the sexes, rather than simply using the zombified women as the set-up for gags. I will make no effort to convince you that this is a highbrow film... it most certainly is not. It is, though, a movie with something to say.

Neil, the womanizer of the group, is representative of the chauvinistic nature of the primitive male, while others around him are more evolved in one form or another. Much is made of the fact that Vince was quite the party animal prior to his marriage and subsequent divorce, though that is simply told and never shown, which would have been nice. When things go from bad to worse, Vince is the one to deliver the message of the movie, which, to be frank, is a bit muddied by the actions of the characters, and I'm left to wonder what the meaning of this moment is, precisely, but I know there is one.

Despite the fact that Doghouse is not a perfect film, the gore gags can be fun, if cheap, at times, and there's enough momentum in the film to carry one through it. It's a marvel that there are still things left to do with the over-saturated zombie sub-genre, but Doghouse makes a stab at doing just that, and using the happenings as a metaphor for the male perspective in a post-feminism society. Whether it completely works or not is up to the individual viewer, but points for trying.

We horror fans are often left with real dross in the zombie department, so seeing a film that allows itself to be ambitious is a nice change of pace. Not the best of type, but a nice enough diversion on a dark night.

New Review: Red Riding Hood

From the moment the film opens I was thinking how much it reminded me of a better film called The Company of Wolves. There were so many similarities that I wondered if it was supposed to be a remake and I missed that memo. But then they are both loosely based on the same fairytale, so there ya go.

The tiny village of Daggerhorn is nestled deep in the woods, cut off from civilization. For years it has been plagued by attacks from a werewolf so that it has become ingrained in their daily lives. Girls are not to roam the woods alone, nor should anyone. Every full moon they set out their best livestock to keep The Nothing at bay. I guess Daggerhorn is where he goes when he tires of wiping out Fantasia. There hasn't been an attack on human life in more than twenty years but now there is a blood moon which only occurs every thirteen years. Usually a werewolf bite is certain death but during a blood moon, "a man bitten is a man cursed." We learn that bit of info from legendary werewolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman). He also shares with us the story of his first werewolf kill upon his arrival, a story we've sadly all heard before. In order to stop the beast, we must discover who is the beast. Is it "guy who looks like John McCain?" Is it Robert Patt...I mean Shiloh Fernandez (Deadgirl)? Is it Grandmother? Is it Oldman? Is it Lukas Haas as the local priest who often skulks around his werewolf adorned doorway? It's a mystery. And though I wasn't as charmed as those half my age by this film, I do have to admit that they got me. There were red herrings all over the place and I failed to figure it out so kudos for that bit.

As far as the film itself, it was lovely but not as I had wished. I was hoping for more of an ethereal quality. I wanted it to be straight from a storybook with vivid visuals. I guess what I wanted was something like The Company of Wolves. This film did attempt to have a similar quality but most of it ended up more closely resembling a Penthouse photo spread (sans nudity) with its pretty people and fuzzy edges. To put that another way, it looked as if Catherine Hardwicke tried really hard to make it pretty. For me, though, it comes off looking contrived, just like Twilight. As long as I'm going that route, I'll just flat out say that it's Werewolf Twilight and considering it has the same director, I'm not really sure why I hoped for anything else. The beast itself is pretty impressive until you get close up but there were far too few scenes with the werewolf to suit the taste of genre fans.

Two things I did enjoy about the film are the cast and the story. Amanda Seyfried is adorable as always. Virginia Madsen looks particularly pretty while lit from within with fuzzy edges. Gary Oldman is always a joy and the two boy-rivals (Fernandez and Max Irons) are cute but a little too pretty. Eh, think Pattinson and you've got it nailed. As for the story, this is where it shines. Not only is the werewolf itself a well kept secret, but there are subtle nods to the original fairytale that I found priceless. Sadly, they will be lost on those who have failed to keep up with the original versions of old stories. You know, the nasty ones.

Finally, I wish there was more gore. Hell, I wish there was any gore. I realize it's PG-13 but I've never seen a tamer werewolf movie. I think there was more blood in the Tex Avery version of the story and the audience often finds itself looking just above what is going on. I felt like I was trying to catch the Golden Snitch as it whizzed by, staying just out of reach. That can be frustrating to anyone wishing for more action. It's not for grownups who want more from their viewing time but it's not bad. If you are attempting to introduce a young one to semi-horror, this would be a decent transitional film and if they already love Twilight, it's a must. But if it's fairytale werewolfery you want, have I mentioned a film called The Company of Wolves?

New Movie: Outtake Reel

You may recall our discussion with independent filmmaker Scott Feinblatt regarding his feature Summer People. No? Well, you missed out, bub. Scott walked us through what it takes to get your own movie made. Taking a page from his own book, Scott is back! But why listen to me talk about a movie, when you can see the official press release?

Indie horror film producer Scott Feinblatt is proud to announce his latest foray into the field of terror! Once again, Feinblatt attempts to defy the vulgarities of uninspired Hollywood fare and take you on a disturbing psychological journey with his latest feature, Outtake Reel. Outtake Reel stars Ava Santana (Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), and features guest appearances by Scream Queen Tiffany Shepis (Night of the Demons), and legendary Troma impresario Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger).

Outtake Reel is the story, told through found footage, of actress Ashley Swan (Santana), who desired Hollywood fame but wound up as the star of a torture/snuff flick. Director Scott Feinblatt co-stars as Tom Grayson, a principled horror movie director who is forced to shoot the snuff movie by a deranged fan (co-director Jeffry Chaffin). However, once the movie is made, does Grayson find that he enjoyed an actual murder? What's next for him?

You can see more about the film, including the trailer at the movie's official website.