Change Your Image
indiemod-547-182007
Reviews
3% (2016)
Mehhh
As other reviewers indicated, the concept is good, but the execution is poor. There is way too much switching sides and quadruple crossing...makes your head spin. What floors me is the readiness to accept these double agents without much vetting or giving them the benefit of the doubt despite them having a track record of deceit. The motivation for the characters is murky, and the overall feeling is that both sides are corrupt. Some of the situations were just mind blowing...having a surreptitious conversation on a two-way radio in public, for example, or "hiding" in plain sight. When given a shake-down or even when told something wrong is happening, some of the characters' facial expressions scream "I am guilty!", yet the witless seem to buy their stories so readily and not even register how shifty they looked. Raphael's character was biggest for that...his eyes would bulge and he had a stunned look on his face like he'd been slapped-every time some dire deed was being discussed. And when they have two suspects, one of which is "lying," why don't they kill them both? There is too much needing to get to the bottom of this, IMO. It distracts and detracts at the same time. All of the energy you need to suspend your common sense ultimately wears you down, and you spend more time shaking your head than enjoying the story.
The Frankenstein Theory (2013)
Better Than Most Low Budget
I didn't have high hopes for this film when I was about to watch it. Most low budget horrors, as a given, lack any semblance of suspense or drama, but this film was different. What really carries this movie is the acting. The characters come across as real people who are in a bad situation. The parts are played with subtlety and finesse. There were some funny moments that worked, too, which eased the tension before it was ratcheted up again. Finally, I thought the premise was clever. I can't give it higher than a 6 because it is "found footage" style, and, frankly I'm getting sick of that type of film. There is no real spoiler in this review, but I don't know if disclosing it as "found footage" qualifies, so I ticked the box so as not to get blacklisted.