WILLOW CREEK (2013) movie review

Willow Creek (2013) d. Bobcat Goldthwait (USA)

I’ll admit from the outset, it might seem odd to the casual observer that, after my lambasting of the Drew Barrymore-produced Happy Camp a few months back, I should be any less brutal in my treatment of yet another Sasquatch-themed found-footage flick that borrows heavily from The Blair Witch Project’s template. The fact that one succeeds wildly while the other only succeeded in testing my patience vividly illustrates that mere story or narrative approach are far less important than how those elements are utilized. It also helps that Goldthwait has proven himself over the years to be a resourceful and savvy filmmaker, knowing how and when to push his viewers’ emotional buttons; within the single-camera confines, this is an essential skill set and the writer/director perfectly orchestrates the onscreen action to full effect.

If all hamburger buns came with toes, life would be infinitely better.

Fool's Views (3/17 – 3/30)

I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles...

Howdy, folks!

Gamely attempting to catch up to the tail that wags the proverbial dog, and having a fairly good time in so doing. The horror offerings covered during this two-week period represent independents all, ranging from the microbudget to the slightly better funded, from terrific to terrible, and from the Doc’s Midwestern backyard to the far reaches of Australia. Not too shabby.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

HAPPY CAMP (2014) movie review

 

Happy Camp (2014) d. Josh Anthony (USA)

It’s hard to believe that The Blair Witch Project, the flick that launched an infinite number of copycats, was released 15 years ago this summer.  Harder still to believe, however, is that modern filmmakers think they can follow that phenomenon’s template and recapture the same lightning in a bottle, or that cinema fans with even the most rudimentary knowledge of the genre won’t call them out for it.  Witch writer/directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick had the advantage of the then-novelty of “found footage” working to their advantage, not to mention a brilliant sense of how to build tension and execute chills.  In this age of reality TV and every living, breathing moment of any individual on earth being uploaded to YouTube a billion times a day, artists have to think outside the box.