This mini series centers around the real life murder of Reena Virk. This show is compelling, bleak, dark, and unfortunately realistic. Lily Gladstone hot off of Killers of the Flower Moon is a force to be reckoned with onscreen. Newcomer Vritika Gupta shines through every scene she is in! The toxic complications of youth are discussed in a very real way. You see problems from all sides. It was a bit interesting adding Riley Keough's character as an author supposed to represent the author of the book. Where this series improves upon the book is it takes the time to focus more on Reena and her family's everyday life and the moments leading up to her murder. 10/10.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Under the Bridge
(2024)
A compelling thriller. Lily Gladstone is a force. Vritika Gupta shines!
18 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The Woman
(2022)
An experiment in making a film.
8 April 2022
I was drawn to The Woman because of its premise. Not the premise of the story itself, but the premise regarding how it was made. It is being reported that this film was made on a $1,000 budget in a very short amount of time by a female director (Rose Kreider). There are times while watching that you will not be able to even tell this fact. There are other times when you will clearly be able to tell this fact.
The story focuses on a college age man named Noah (Aleksey Weyman). He is haunted in his dreams and his life by the image of a woman whom he's never met that he obsesses about repeatedly in his mind. He doesn't have many friends or connections in life just his mother, Georgia (Jennifer Corbidge).
There is a beautifully executed opening sequence to the film that sets the groundwork for what will follow. The problem this movie unfortunately suffers from is the fact that it's lead actor is actually a pretty good actor and looks well enough on screen until he opens his mouth to talk. Aleksey Weyman struggles to deliver his lines. This is especially prevalent in a particular scene with his mother Georgia played by Jennifer Corbidge who acts brilliantly.
With all of those things said I definitely believe that Alexey Weyman shows promise on the screen and felt like he should have been right for the role he just needs more practice and I didn't enjoy seeing him overall. One of the few things this film suffers from is a repetitive behavior. We see a little too many drone shots where they don't necessarily fit into the story or help to sell the story it's just the filmmakers letting us know that they own a drone. These kind of shots work very effectively at the opening of the film and in its first scenes after that they grow tiresome and feel overused. The same could be said about the scenes of our character Noah waking up in bed to his alarm clock. Not only is a shot like that infamously overused in small budget indie films like this but it is revisited several times throughout the film.
I can actually appreciate the slow pacing and the build up to the characters mission and overall purpose because I am moderately interested through wonderful cinematography a great cinematic score and just a general interest of learning about what happened at the beginning of the film.
But then that brings another problem the runtime. The woman is roughly an hour long. While most of the time watching this you might feel like that's too long however by the time we reach the end we're left feeling like that's too short. The film ends prematurely. He feels like we should be continuing the journey of our character that we've slowly come to learn about. Instead we're fed another drone shot and the film abruptly ends.
For a first time filmmaker, Rose Kreider should learn and grow from this process. She should be glad to know that her film leaves her general audience wanting more. Unfortunately the once feel more like I missed step rather than a clever cliffhanger.
The story focuses on a college age man named Noah (Aleksey Weyman). He is haunted in his dreams and his life by the image of a woman whom he's never met that he obsesses about repeatedly in his mind. He doesn't have many friends or connections in life just his mother, Georgia (Jennifer Corbidge).
There is a beautifully executed opening sequence to the film that sets the groundwork for what will follow. The problem this movie unfortunately suffers from is the fact that it's lead actor is actually a pretty good actor and looks well enough on screen until he opens his mouth to talk. Aleksey Weyman struggles to deliver his lines. This is especially prevalent in a particular scene with his mother Georgia played by Jennifer Corbidge who acts brilliantly.
With all of those things said I definitely believe that Alexey Weyman shows promise on the screen and felt like he should have been right for the role he just needs more practice and I didn't enjoy seeing him overall. One of the few things this film suffers from is a repetitive behavior. We see a little too many drone shots where they don't necessarily fit into the story or help to sell the story it's just the filmmakers letting us know that they own a drone. These kind of shots work very effectively at the opening of the film and in its first scenes after that they grow tiresome and feel overused. The same could be said about the scenes of our character Noah waking up in bed to his alarm clock. Not only is a shot like that infamously overused in small budget indie films like this but it is revisited several times throughout the film.
I can actually appreciate the slow pacing and the build up to the characters mission and overall purpose because I am moderately interested through wonderful cinematography a great cinematic score and just a general interest of learning about what happened at the beginning of the film.
But then that brings another problem the runtime. The woman is roughly an hour long. While most of the time watching this you might feel like that's too long however by the time we reach the end we're left feeling like that's too short. The film ends prematurely. He feels like we should be continuing the journey of our character that we've slowly come to learn about. Instead we're fed another drone shot and the film abruptly ends.
For a first time filmmaker, Rose Kreider should learn and grow from this process. She should be glad to know that her film leaves her general audience wanting more. Unfortunately the once feel more like I missed step rather than a clever cliffhanger.
The Outrider
(2019)
The Outrider a film you should never visit.
7 April 2022
It's not often I feel like I must attack a film or its filmmakers but considering I endured this films runtime of over two hours it feels deserved. This film is awful from front to back.
It's clear these filmmakers have never seen a film noir and the director is no Fritz Lang! It's clear their lack of budget and lighting led them to claim this as a black and white film noir. The filmmakers admitted it themselves!
I understand the film was low budget made for around $1000 but that's not an excuse. Plenty of great films have been made on little to no budget and went on to mint the careers of its director and other filmmakers. This one clearly won't. Writing a compelling story is free! Yet somehow the writer managed to overdraft.
You should not watch this film, talk about this film, share this film, even think about this film. Purge it from your mind and all existence and run away. I understand that there are living breathing people behind this project. I understand that they put all this time and effort into making this film. As such I'm not serving to destroy the time they spent making this. I'm eagerly, desperately, attempting to help them to never waste their time again! Or mine!
It's clear these filmmakers have never seen a film noir and the director is no Fritz Lang! It's clear their lack of budget and lighting led them to claim this as a black and white film noir. The filmmakers admitted it themselves!
I understand the film was low budget made for around $1000 but that's not an excuse. Plenty of great films have been made on little to no budget and went on to mint the careers of its director and other filmmakers. This one clearly won't. Writing a compelling story is free! Yet somehow the writer managed to overdraft.
You should not watch this film, talk about this film, share this film, even think about this film. Purge it from your mind and all existence and run away. I understand that there are living breathing people behind this project. I understand that they put all this time and effort into making this film. As such I'm not serving to destroy the time they spent making this. I'm eagerly, desperately, attempting to help them to never waste their time again! Or mine!
Alvin
(2020)
Alvin. A lesson in film pacing.
7 April 2022
Alvin is a short film by director Christy Anna Wu starring T. J. Alvarado in the eponymous leading role. The film knows it's character and what it wants to tell and it tells it well.
Alvin is presented as an irresponsible work-from-home computer addict with an eating problem. This guy has probably never ridden a bike since childhood or gotten much exercise for that matter.
That all changes when he suffers a health emergency in front of his pizza delivery driver. The story shifts and suddenly we're in a stark white and bleak health facility where Alvin is placed through a health program to improve his health.
Through brilliant film pacing we observe his transition and the overall arc of the short film as Alvin battles his inner demons to find his health. We don't learn much about the health facility or what comes after the events of Alvin or his character but like a good short film it leaves us begging for more.
From an up and coming director, made locally, with a minimal budget this film deserves to be seen! It also deserves to be explored more in perhaps a feature length adaptation. This is one of the best short films I have seen come out of the Pacific Northwest recently.
Alvin is presented as an irresponsible work-from-home computer addict with an eating problem. This guy has probably never ridden a bike since childhood or gotten much exercise for that matter.
That all changes when he suffers a health emergency in front of his pizza delivery driver. The story shifts and suddenly we're in a stark white and bleak health facility where Alvin is placed through a health program to improve his health.
Through brilliant film pacing we observe his transition and the overall arc of the short film as Alvin battles his inner demons to find his health. We don't learn much about the health facility or what comes after the events of Alvin or his character but like a good short film it leaves us begging for more.
From an up and coming director, made locally, with a minimal budget this film deserves to be seen! It also deserves to be explored more in perhaps a feature length adaptation. This is one of the best short films I have seen come out of the Pacific Northwest recently.
A Haunting in Ravenwood
(2021)
A Problem in Ravenwood
7 April 2022
A Haunting in Ravenwood tells the story of a couple, Eric (Jon Meggison) and Mary (Chynna Rae Shults) who move into an old Victorian home in the small town of Ravenwood. This home supposedly belongs to the family of Eric's previous wife now deceased. Beyond this not much is explained of the residence.
This Victorian home is reminiscent of many a home in many a horror movie. It even comes complete with its own creepy and odd groundskeeper (Tim Coyle)! The only thing we're missing here is the creepy butler.
Aside from the many horror clichés this film falls into it does try to tell a story. We see the outline of what could have been a good concept but we miss the mark. The problems lie in the central characters.
Our two leads lack any sense of chemistry. Jon Meggison delivers a very flat performance as Eric. Meanwhile Chynna Rae Shults delivers a very intense performance as Mary. Their conversations don't feel natural. These people don't feel like they've actually been married and it's not believable Eric or Mary care for each other. Even if the lead actors themselves show promise. Both actors are decent but clearly Jon Meggison could have been served by a better director.
Eric and Mary are both grieving in their own ways and it is through this grief that they were brought together and eventually married. Mary has been seeing a therapist to help cope with her mental issues related to her grief. This is the best explored avenue in this film.
It's not until a pivotal scene dealing with this that we start to care about our lead actress. This is acheived through universal themes of human emotion. Unfortunately shortly after this the big "twist" comes that sets the film on course in a new direction. A direction that feels right for the character of Eric. The movie did nothing to make us like or care for his character up until this point so when we eventually transition to his character's purpose it hardly comes as a surprise.
Overall we have the shell of what the film could have been in its concepts with Eric which are never quite clearly explained. Contrasting that with the mental and emotional turmoil that Mary is facing we see the faint glimmer of something possibly better. Something the filmmakers should have searched a little harder to find.
As a little bonus here I would like to point out several horror clichés this film suffers from. We have the creepy Victorian house that establishes the setting. The creepy groundskeeper which is quite frankly the worst thing about this movie. The tormented ghost of the past. The girl in constant agony crying up a storm for half the movie. Lastly, a personal favorite of mine, the dark house in modern times that is lit only by candlelight and lanterns. Why do we continue to fumble around in the dark in horror movies?
Consider this my plea for the filmmakers to do better. There's a lot of promise here with everyone involved.
This Victorian home is reminiscent of many a home in many a horror movie. It even comes complete with its own creepy and odd groundskeeper (Tim Coyle)! The only thing we're missing here is the creepy butler.
Aside from the many horror clichés this film falls into it does try to tell a story. We see the outline of what could have been a good concept but we miss the mark. The problems lie in the central characters.
Our two leads lack any sense of chemistry. Jon Meggison delivers a very flat performance as Eric. Meanwhile Chynna Rae Shults delivers a very intense performance as Mary. Their conversations don't feel natural. These people don't feel like they've actually been married and it's not believable Eric or Mary care for each other. Even if the lead actors themselves show promise. Both actors are decent but clearly Jon Meggison could have been served by a better director.
Eric and Mary are both grieving in their own ways and it is through this grief that they were brought together and eventually married. Mary has been seeing a therapist to help cope with her mental issues related to her grief. This is the best explored avenue in this film.
It's not until a pivotal scene dealing with this that we start to care about our lead actress. This is acheived through universal themes of human emotion. Unfortunately shortly after this the big "twist" comes that sets the film on course in a new direction. A direction that feels right for the character of Eric. The movie did nothing to make us like or care for his character up until this point so when we eventually transition to his character's purpose it hardly comes as a surprise.
Overall we have the shell of what the film could have been in its concepts with Eric which are never quite clearly explained. Contrasting that with the mental and emotional turmoil that Mary is facing we see the faint glimmer of something possibly better. Something the filmmakers should have searched a little harder to find.
As a little bonus here I would like to point out several horror clichés this film suffers from. We have the creepy Victorian house that establishes the setting. The creepy groundskeeper which is quite frankly the worst thing about this movie. The tormented ghost of the past. The girl in constant agony crying up a storm for half the movie. Lastly, a personal favorite of mine, the dark house in modern times that is lit only by candlelight and lanterns. Why do we continue to fumble around in the dark in horror movies?
Consider this my plea for the filmmakers to do better. There's a lot of promise here with everyone involved.
Chased
(2018)
Chased right out of the theater I'm assuming...
19 March 2022
Chased is a short film, er, I mean, feature film that should have been a short film that takes place in the woods of Washington. A sheriff (Ray Hopper) in the film's best performance, comes across some moonshiners in the shadow of Mount Rainier. After they inexplicably open fire he runs into the woods. That's it. That's the premise.
For the next hour or so it's a fight for survival for our Sheriff as he escapes the likes of moonshiners led by an incompetent man (Troy Lund) and Roadrunner (Juan Aleman). Roadrunner features a very racist role of a Native American guiding these moonshiners through the forest. He talks to nature, claps his hands and fish jump into his embrace. You know that kind of racism. Shame too because Juan Aleman actually brings some level of substance in acting ability to the role.
Even more questionable is the cinematography. For 80-90% of the film it is gorgeous with lush green scenery, dreamy waterfalls, warm interiors. Yet, the opening five minutes or so of film contains some jarring out of place cinematography. The typical out of place drone shot followed by an inexplicably bad scene of Mount Rainier washed out in midday light. There are a few stumbles later on in the film but overall the cinematography is one of the films strong points.
Many of the jokes fall flat. The ending is a head scratcher that feels, above anything, plain dumb. It runs too long to be a feature. What I see here is a shell of what could have been. The films best sequence is it's opening with Ciscoe Morris. But once that ends so does our hope. I'm sure this is one film you won't be saying "Ooh-La-La!" to, sadly.
For the next hour or so it's a fight for survival for our Sheriff as he escapes the likes of moonshiners led by an incompetent man (Troy Lund) and Roadrunner (Juan Aleman). Roadrunner features a very racist role of a Native American guiding these moonshiners through the forest. He talks to nature, claps his hands and fish jump into his embrace. You know that kind of racism. Shame too because Juan Aleman actually brings some level of substance in acting ability to the role.
Even more questionable is the cinematography. For 80-90% of the film it is gorgeous with lush green scenery, dreamy waterfalls, warm interiors. Yet, the opening five minutes or so of film contains some jarring out of place cinematography. The typical out of place drone shot followed by an inexplicably bad scene of Mount Rainier washed out in midday light. There are a few stumbles later on in the film but overall the cinematography is one of the films strong points.
Many of the jokes fall flat. The ending is a head scratcher that feels, above anything, plain dumb. It runs too long to be a feature. What I see here is a shell of what could have been. The films best sequence is it's opening with Ciscoe Morris. But once that ends so does our hope. I'm sure this is one film you won't be saying "Ooh-La-La!" to, sadly.
Revenge of the Lost
(2017)
we have a problem larger than any of these dinosaurs.
15 February 2022
The problems are large enough that I would need a whole book to display my frustrations. I'll make it simple. Bad acting, poor CGI, terrible story. People always use terms like "hallmark" or "Syfy" movie to reference tv movies. While you would think this would fall into the latter it does not. Even Syfy would say no. Sharknado is so bad it's good. This is so bad it's just bad.
Maysville
(2021)
Beautifully crafted but falls slightly short.
12 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Maysville is a beautifully crafted film that is well acted and displayed. The story starts off very engaging right from the beginning and the film holds a surprisingly good pace. The music is also quite nice. Brian Sutherland who plays Buck owns the entirety of this movie and steals every scene he is in.
That said this film operates on the incompetence of many of its characters. I will detail them below. Spoilers ahead.
There is no reason for the Clara the mother to allow her son, Theodore to be kidnapped by Buck. She should have acted immediately by contacting the police. Instead she does this the next day. And that's where the major problem is with this story. The police are inept at their job. The case of a kidnapped child in the hands of a known grieving, alcoholic, violent father is dismissed immediately.
When the sheriff finally does go to the farm of Buck with Clara and the physical signs of abuse are clearly seen the alarming situation is dismissed by the sheriff simply because Theodore, a child, said he doesn't want to return home while clearly being influenced by Buck. Sorry ma'am the 12 year old boy with a bruised eye said he doesn't want to come home.
In the real world Buck would have been arrested then charged in court where a prison sentence would most likely follow. Yet to further the plot here that cannot happen. The police and a loving mother let a drunken violent man take a child away.
How will this end? The calendar flips several pages and changes itself out a few times taking us away from the movie we thought we were getting. Somehow this boy will remain "kidnapped" for 3 years. Remember everyone knows exactly where he is the whole time. Are you following me?
Now we exist in a town where everyone conveniently forgot the horrific tragedy that happened that led to a 12 year old boy being kidnapped. Does Theodore go looking for his mom and sisters? Why yes he does. Does he find his sisters? Of course! Will he talk to them? No. Why not? They tragically watched him get kidnapped. Imagine what that's like for two young girls barely 6 or 7 years of age to witness. Did he find his mother? No because she's dead. Only except she's not. She just lied? Or? Where was she again this whole time? I can't remember. Does it matter? Oh and another thing. A son never forgets the face of his mother.
We're eventually fed a love interest that fuels the story further. Then luckily for a breath of fresh air Brian Sutherland Returns as Buck to remind us who's movie this is. He can of course do all the things that Buck does. Drink alcohol during prohibition, kidnap people, chase them with guns, abuse them. Remember the police here are incapable of doing their job.
This all leads us to the film's final moment that doesn't feel like an explanation let alone a payoff. Chances are you will me entertained by this movie. How much so is up to you! I can certaintly say I was for a good portion.
For what looks to be a first time filmmaker this is a noble attempt and Leslie Goyette should be proud. A good stepping stone to build upon. It is clear the entirety of the crew gave love, care, and time to this film. You could never take that away from this film. I just wish a little more had been given to the script itself. Afterall what's a movie without its story?
My advice. Don't ever call 911 in Maysville or its surrounding environs. The police are no help. But odds are you won't need to because you'll most likely enjoy the film.
That said this film operates on the incompetence of many of its characters. I will detail them below. Spoilers ahead.
There is no reason for the Clara the mother to allow her son, Theodore to be kidnapped by Buck. She should have acted immediately by contacting the police. Instead she does this the next day. And that's where the major problem is with this story. The police are inept at their job. The case of a kidnapped child in the hands of a known grieving, alcoholic, violent father is dismissed immediately.
When the sheriff finally does go to the farm of Buck with Clara and the physical signs of abuse are clearly seen the alarming situation is dismissed by the sheriff simply because Theodore, a child, said he doesn't want to return home while clearly being influenced by Buck. Sorry ma'am the 12 year old boy with a bruised eye said he doesn't want to come home.
In the real world Buck would have been arrested then charged in court where a prison sentence would most likely follow. Yet to further the plot here that cannot happen. The police and a loving mother let a drunken violent man take a child away.
How will this end? The calendar flips several pages and changes itself out a few times taking us away from the movie we thought we were getting. Somehow this boy will remain "kidnapped" for 3 years. Remember everyone knows exactly where he is the whole time. Are you following me?
Now we exist in a town where everyone conveniently forgot the horrific tragedy that happened that led to a 12 year old boy being kidnapped. Does Theodore go looking for his mom and sisters? Why yes he does. Does he find his sisters? Of course! Will he talk to them? No. Why not? They tragically watched him get kidnapped. Imagine what that's like for two young girls barely 6 or 7 years of age to witness. Did he find his mother? No because she's dead. Only except she's not. She just lied? Or? Where was she again this whole time? I can't remember. Does it matter? Oh and another thing. A son never forgets the face of his mother.
We're eventually fed a love interest that fuels the story further. Then luckily for a breath of fresh air Brian Sutherland Returns as Buck to remind us who's movie this is. He can of course do all the things that Buck does. Drink alcohol during prohibition, kidnap people, chase them with guns, abuse them. Remember the police here are incapable of doing their job.
This all leads us to the film's final moment that doesn't feel like an explanation let alone a payoff. Chances are you will me entertained by this movie. How much so is up to you! I can certaintly say I was for a good portion.
For what looks to be a first time filmmaker this is a noble attempt and Leslie Goyette should be proud. A good stepping stone to build upon. It is clear the entirety of the crew gave love, care, and time to this film. You could never take that away from this film. I just wish a little more had been given to the script itself. Afterall what's a movie without its story?
My advice. Don't ever call 911 in Maysville or its surrounding environs. The police are no help. But odds are you won't need to because you'll most likely enjoy the film.
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