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goatthought
Reviews
The Campus (2018)
An Ultra-Low Budget flick that stands heads and shoulders above the rest
It's hard to rate these ultra-low budget movies. Should we take into account that they were made for mere pennies, or that every problem the filmmaker's encountered were multiplied by the fact they had little to no money.... The easy answer is no. A movie should entertain on merit. An audience should have no extra obligation to enjoy a movie just because the filmmakers didn't have the proper money to make it. That said, it's pretty impressive what some of these filmmakers turn out. The Campus is no exception.
Is this movie good? Well, kinda. The acting, like in most of these movies, is hit and miss, mostly miss. Although the main girl is very good. The script has some good ideas, but also some uneven pacing. The direction is surprisingly solid and there is one particularly inspired piece of gore.
It's worth checking out on AMazon Prime for free for sure.
Monsters in the Woods (2012)
Satire!
This movie obviously wasn't playing it straight. The acting was hit or miss, depending on the scene. The monsters were damn cool. The movie was funny and I believe intentionally so.
The cast/crew massacre at the midway point was funny as hell. It was cool role for Glen Plummer and some of the other actors are good as well. There are few that are not so great too. And the crazy-ass explanation the angel gives, with the shooting in the middle and goes right back into the speech, freaking priceless. Monsters in the Woods is a great tongue and cheek time.
Flaws? Sure, but there are more positives than negative. I say give this hard to find gem a go.
KatieBird *Certifiable Crazy Person (2005)
gruesome, unflinching movie
An intriguing premise and strong performances set Katiebird apart from the usual low budget horror fair. In fact, it is an unfair assessment to even call this a horror movie. Maybe psychological thriller or drama would be more appropriate. There is some gore, but it's harsh, non stylized, unflinching violence. I have to admit that I was squirming a bit in a few of the torture sequences. The tooth pulling scene between the title character and non affection returning would be boyfriend, who also happens to be Asian, ranks right up there with Marathon Man. Only this time we are treated to every graphic detail. The sound design here made me cringe (in a good way). The performances, especially from Katiebird herself and Lee Perkins playing her father, are very strong. No over the top campy fun here. These are very thoughtful, tightly wound performances. The one thing that keeps this movie from achieving some level of greatness is the unwise editing decision to present 99% of the film in multiple panels. There are a few moments were the technique is used to good effect. Whenever it shows multiple threads of action, even within the same scene, it works well. But when it devotes two to four frames to the exact same action and sometimes shot repeatedly. It just becomes annoying. This was a very unconventional movie and i dig that. But I wish it had been presented in a slightly more conventional manner.
Either way, this is definitely a must see.
bob out.
Rise of the Undead (2005)
Low Budget, but OK anyway
i've seen a lot of really low budget flicks in my day. Rise of the Undead is definitely a low budget flick. i'm guessing they shot this for next to nothing. but the question is, is it worth watching? The answer is... yes. It's a really cool idea for a movie. A group of people trapped in a large building, during an apocalypse, being hunted down by an unseen creature. Add a catholic school girl, buckets o'blood, a sex crazed psycho, and some zombie to boot, that's spells fun in my book. It gets a bit slow in parts, and has a fair share of technical errors. But it's overall worth the view.
Sure the acting is spotty. And they shot it on a camera of the dv variety. but it sure has an assured sense of style and sense of humor. if nothing else i can't wait to see what these kids do for their next flick.
Bob out.