B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review- Isabelle

Matt (Adam Brody) and Larissa (Amanda Crew) have been in their new dream home in Saratoga Springs for only a couple of weeks. Larissa is very pregnant due any day now and very careful with what comes into contact with her expectant son. Matt is a lawyer in a busy firm lets Larissa have her way as his loving Cop father Clifford (Booth Savage) is in the picture along with Larissa's out of town sister Jessica (Krista Bridges) both ready to help in any way.  One day our heroine goes out to get the mail meeting the next door neighbour Ann (Sheila McCarthy) who seems saddened dressed in a long black dress in the middle of summer.  She says hello then spots Ann's daughter Isabelle (Zoe Belkin) in an upstairs window staring down at her. Immediately she feels pain in her stomach, blood gushes and she is rushed into surgery where she's recorded as clinically dead for a minute. The other major consequence of the event is the stillborn birth of her son. at her son. Matt is also warned by hospital staff that he may see changes in his wife from the significant trauma of the ordeal. These changes manifest in Larissa hearing the baby in the nursery, seeing Isabel staring at her relentlessly from the second story window across the way and feeling guilty for what she must have done wrong to cause the miscarriage.

The narrative builds on that one minute flat line for a good part of the story. Larissa at first says she did not see anything, then admits that she saw flames and felt that she was being pulled down into them. Matt sensing that he cannot get through to his wife who has become lethargic and pouty brings in the hospital priest Father Lopez (Dayo Ade) first at the hospital then to the home but Larissa is cold and dismissive to him on both occasions. He next turns to his sister-in-law who flies in to bring her sister to a healer who sees the presence of an evil spirit fighting to take control of her soul that she must fight off by demonstrating a strong will to live. This is complicated by an event in her past and some other large family mental health issues.

The other branches of the story focus on Larissa's post-miscarriage depression and the odd history of the family next door from past reports and current goings-ons in the home. The writing-directing team of Donald Martin and Robert Heydon likely would have served the material better by narrowing the focus of the story. The strongest acting comes from the always reliable Sheila McCarthy in the small role of Ann. She is a god fearing woman who punishes herself for her shortcomings in dealing with her daughter and not doing enough to stop her husbands' actions that had a devastating effect on her child and family.

Isabelle is the story of a young woman dealing with the after effects of a miscarriage topped off with a near death experience. For an extra helping of stress, the next door neighbours have a history of satanic rituals performed by father on his daughter leaving her alone in a locked room staring into the Kane's bedroom. Director Heydon gets the isolating psychological trauma ramped up early with the final segments truly showing Larissa's level of the jeopardy. However, the sections linking the initial shock and final standoff don't cover any new ground that would put the film near the top of the list in the crowded psychological horror genre.

** 1/2 Out of 4.

Isabelle | Robert Heydon | Canada / U.S.A.  | 2018 | 80 Minutes.

Tags: Miscarriage, Clinically Dead, Post Partum Depression, Hallucinations, Punishment, Satanic Rituals, Spiritual Healer.

B.I.T.S. 2018 Film Review - Level 16

Canada, 102 Minutes, 2018.

 Sci-Fi, Thriller

A boarding school for girls, orphanage, prison and finishing school are the pieces put together to form Verstalis Academy the institutional setting of writer-director Danishka Esterhazy new film Level 16. The timeframe is not given but the girls are shown lectures from the fifties plus movies from the 40's on moving picture night as to not compromise their cleanliness (the first virtue) or foster curiosity (the first vice) The students are prompted by buzzers and lights to know when it is time to go to bed, take their medication, eat their meals or go to assembly the last tending to be a time when nothing good happens. The narrative focuses on two girls Vivien (Katie Douglas) and Sophia (Celina Martin) They are best of friends during their level 10 year when Vivien makes a sacrifice to help her friend resulting in the former's punishment. They meet again in the graduating year known as Level 16 where they will be repaid for their obedience, humility and patience alongside cleanliness by being adopted by wealthy families to a good home or so they are told. Sophia tells Vivien a secret she has been sitting on for three years about the place that will impact Vivian's thoughts about her education, the academy, plus most importantly spark her ability to think and act.  This is a feature where the audience will become deeply invested in Esterhazy's characters forming a strong rooting interest for the two leads. It's a sharp look into a totalitarian paternalistic regimented world whose tenets shockingly could be duplicated and used to manipulate today.

B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review - The Hoard

A cross between Ghost Hunters, Extreme Home Makeover and Hoarders with a touch of Dr. Phil and a dab of Storage Wars mixed in The Hoard covers all of the reality show bases. Rockford Ohio or to be more specific Rockford Ohio, March 19, 2017 is the setting for the piece. The plan was to create the ultimate reality show titled Extreme Haunted Hoarders; however the truth of the story was too extreme leading to several breakdowns amongst the team with the production teetering on the edge of a full stop. Professional Organizer Sheila Smyth (Lisa Stolberg) assembled the team together. The members include Dr. Lance Ebe (Tony Burgess) and his every present gold Smokey and the Bandit-era Trans AM, Ghosties clairvoyant Chloe Black (Elma Bergovic) and her ex paranormal gadget guy Caleb (Ry Barrett) who is at his chameleon-like comedic best in this feature. The home makeover content comes from Duke Jango (Marcus Ludlow) who is full of ingenious swear word combinations for both his renovating partner The Falcon ( Justin Darmanin) day worker Charles Ivey and any observations he may have on the job. The crew descends on Horder Murph Evans three homes with 48 hours to clean them up before the city moves in to condemn.

Directors Jesse Thomas Cook and Matt Wiele hit all of the reality show tropes with this mocumentary production. You have the confessionals, the camera following the crew even when they are not aware, the extremely dramatic narrator and quick editing all staples of the genre. The narrative unfolds smoothy in the opening stanza. Things begin to go sideways when Dr. Ebe and Lisa follow Murph as he claims to be headed to another property. Instead, he detours ending up at a previously undisclosed residence which becomes the focus of the remainder of the feature.

Lisa Solberg is the glue linking the teams as Sheila Smyth. She is cheery and positive almost to a fault but has her own weak moments due to the weight of the situation and the monumental size of the task the group has undertaken. Marcus Ludlow stands out as Duke Jango. He is a sledgehammer on a search and destroy mission. From the moment he rolls up on a set of local layabouts looking for a day worker. He is at the centre of the action anytime he is on screen. Ry Barrett continues to flourish in the Canadian indie film scene. His ghost hunting techie Caleb Black spews out the names of the devices he monitors but perhaps his most impactful discover comes via good old fashioned black light. Tony Burgess who also has a co-writer credit goes through perhaps the biggest transition as Dr. Ebe. He is the respected professional at the outset, displays sticky fingers around Murph's antiques, then descends into the behaviour patters he is accusing Murph of possessing during his first assessment of his subject.

 The Hoard is a laugh filled ride that hyper exaggerates all of the worst qualities of reality television. The writers have tucked in a fitting comment on the whole genre when Sheila tells Murph that he is the only normal one amongst the whole group. Each cast member takes their license to free roll and runs with it. It's a fun time at the movies that is not overtaxing and will have the audience leaving with a smile on their face which is much needed at this time where negativity dominates the landscape in just about any direction your turn.

*** 1/2 Out of 4

The Hoard | Jesse Thomas Cook / Matt Wiele | Canada | 2018 | 139 Minutes.

Tags: Hoarding, Rockford Ohio, Eviction Notice, Ghost Hunters, Show Runner, Auction, Antiques, Chairs, Picture Frames, Shotgun, Settee.

B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review - Shorts Showcase Part 1 Selected Reviews

He Likes it Rough

A woman (Kat Threlkeld) comes in her front door late at night. She crumples to the floor in the dark foyer crying. Something obviously did not go well that evening. She calls 911 but hangs up deciding to do something more personal.

Cut to another location with a close up of a medical degree for M.D. Steven Johnson Lifechangers (Steve Kasan) then on Steven himself and the other half of the story comes into focus. He is examining himself in the mirror as his wife who is away at a conference calls.

Next, we see how the woman has decided to handle the situation.  The camera zooms in as she starts an incantation with a busted lip.  Her choice has a devastating result that in hindsight would make her target wish that she had gone with her first instinct.

**** Out of 4.

He Likes It Rough | Kat Threlkeld | Canada | 2018 | 4:58

Tags: Date Rape, 911 Call, Business Trip, Witch, Incantation, Voodoo Doll, Fingernails, Scratch, Fire, Levitation, Torture.

Frostbite

Starting with a sweeping overhead shot pulling into and around a school and playground above the snow-covered ground. Frostbite opens with a sound piece of advice on how to spot the onset of frostbite. It's coming when the wind blows cold and the snow feels like splinters on your cheeks. If you don't dress warmly you also open yourself up to potentially catching it as well. The production uses an ingenious device to demonstrate. A group of students out in the woods without gloves decide to light a fire but frostbite still approaches claiming victims. The moral; cover up or you will get frostbite. Its an educational and entertaining feature written, directed, edited and acted by the Grade 5-9 Class at Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah North West Territories.

*** 1/2 Out of 4.

Frostbite | Grade 5-9 Class Production | Canada | 2018 |  4:43.

Tags: Frostbite, Winter, Snow, Forest, Zippo, Fire, Gloves, School, Playground, Puppet, Victims, R.C.M.P.

Quiet Room Bears

Simon (Nick Smyth) is at his summer home ahead of his wife and child to get a jump on the remodeling of the home. He's met by a noisy forward neighbour Alex (Zoe Georgaras) that wants to encroach on his space and time. As he's about to head in the house he notices a teddy bear that he brings in putting it beside the one he has for his daughter Casey. The random bear has an effect on Simon losing track of time and making him feel ill. He continues to spiral downward as the influence of the bear increases. He doses off awaking to find himself in a transformed space where the terror truly begins.

**** Out of 4

Quiet Room Bears | Lee Howard | Canada | 2018 | 10:43

Tags; Summer Home, Teddy Bear, Sanitarium, Body Horror, Mask, Exacto Knife, Self Mutilation, Doll, Quiet Room, Urban Legend.

Santa's Helper

It turns out that the elves do all of Santa's dirty work and if they fail severe consequences await. Santa takes all of the glory delivering soon to be loved toys to the kids on the nice list. He gets to sit in a comfy chair and feast on milk and cookies But when you are naughty an elf will struggle ungracefully down the chimney to put a lump of coal in your stocking. Our unfortunate elf in this story (Ken Hall) is down to the last kid on his list Zoe (Zoe Hatz). He marks off her name then spies milk and cookies on a retro 80's television. He guzzles the milk falls down then wakes up tied up with 8- year- old Zoe watching over him. She has had enough, no more coal, leading to an epic negotiation where the elf promises to put in a good word with the old man if she will let him complete his task if not he will be condemned to suffer the ultimate punishment. It's a test of wills between two devious minds headed towards MAD Mutually Assured Destruction.

***1/2 Out of 4.

Santa's Helper | Andy Hatz | Canada | 2018 | 9:56

Christmas Eve, Elf, Stockings, List, Figurine, Milk & Cookies, Sleepy Pills, Coal, Shelf Elf.

The Suburbanight

Todd Petersen (Tom Edwards) and Aria Lefler (Melissa Thingelstad) don't get along as neighbours. He takes meticulous care of his yard while there's is full of high grass, thick leaves, and weeds. Her kid Stuart (Aidan Hamilton) is always paying in his yard leaving toys about that get stuck in the blades of his lawn mower. Now his dog Regal has gone missing and Mr. Peterson has an inkling that his neigbours may know more about it than they are letting on. The lights come on at night at the Lefler home. They have a mix of small animals in cages that have to breed.  Things come to a head when the noise from the T.V. gets loud, Stuart complains to his mom about what's for dinner and the mower is left running by the chain link fence between the two properties.  Mr. Peterson has had enough, comes storming over to confront his neighbour getting more than he bargained for as a result.

*** Out of 4.

The Suburbanight |  Eva Colmers | Canada | 2018 | 11:07

Tags: Lost Dog, Suburbs, Lawn Mower, Mulch, Guinea Pigs, Homework, Movie Night, Dinner.

Hunting Season

Callie (Hannah Levien) is working the graveyard shift at a 24-hour gas station. She's a recovering alcoholic therefore not allowed to drink. A report comes over the radio about a bear or possibly cougar attacks in the area.

Into the station comes some locals to fill up on their way out for hunt hoping to collect the10K reward.  They chirp her about her alcohol problem and her not so glamorous job. There also seems to be an electrical problem at the station. As the radio reports become more ominous retired cop Hank (Howard  Siegel) is the next one though on his way out after the beast. Callie gets more frustrated with her current state and how her drinking has brought her here. The latest radio update describes sighting of the beast in the vicinity of the station just as the power completely fails. The reward has been increased again with Callie finding herself in a spot where she could potentially collect or make a more altruistic choice.

*** Out of 4.

Hunting Season | Shannon Kohli | Canada | 2018 | 11:08

Tags: Alcoholic, Gas Station, Graveyard Shift, Animal Attacks, Solitaire, Crossbow, Arrow.

B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review - Hammer Of The Gods

Eric ( Rob Raco) is the lead guitarist and writer for the rock band Sled Dog. They had a big hit Backfire a few years back but have not had a song that has found heavy rotation on the airways or top of the download list recently. Eric is feeling the pressure and after talking to one of his idols Emerson Gilmour decided to follow in his footsteps and take a canoe trip down a Sacred First Nations spiritual root where the shamans traditionally sent their children. The guitarist hopeful the journey would spark his creative juices.  His planned solo trip continues to get encroached, first by his bandmates Mitchell ( Josh Collins) the airy Jim Morrisonseq lead singer and gritty girl drummer Olivia (Samantha Carly) who is along for the ride to stop Eric from offing himself. Then April (Parmiss Sehat) a superfan camping on the river who Mithcell rolls up on a few moments after the trio set off. Eric has a map,  five checkpoints he has to hit and and 4 tabs each of LSD that has to be dropped at the same specific time each night.

Things begin to go awry the first night. Eric passes out next to the river seemingly having recorded a great new piece of music that he doesn't remember. The crew beginning to see violet, orange coulors on the river while sensing a presence lurking just out of sight at the edge of the forest. The uncertainty of their situation quickly shifts to knowledge that the group is being watched and stocked. The friends journey changes from a leisurely trip of discovery to a race through the checkpoints to get to the highway and safety.

Director Nick Szostakiwskjy's follow up to Black Side Mountain again finding the survival in the outdoor elements the main theme. There the dead of winter in the Yukon was the palate, Here its the hight of summer in B.C. There a mysterious ancient virus is released as opposed to  the appearance of shadowy creatures possibly brought on by tainted drugs.

Josh Collins leads the cast as Mitch. He is easy going, soft spoken, kind and willing to have a meaningful conversations with just about anyone.  Rob Raco is a lot more moodier as Eric. He took it hard when his guitar hero did not like his music calling it uninspired. .Vowing to follow his path along a native right of passage to get out of the rut and create more depth in his art. Samantha Carly is the glue between the two. She is level, not getting  to hight or low and may care more about the band that the other two combined. Szostakiwskjy's script does not dwell long on set up. The pace ticks up early building suspense marking the end of each act with a punch to the gut that will making the audience uncomfortable but if you're in the theatre to watch a film in this genre that is exactly how you want to feel.

*** Out of 4.

Hammer of the Gods | Nick Szostakiwskji | Canada  | 2018 | 89 Minutes.

Tags: Rock Band, One Hit Wonder, B.C., Canoe Trip, Rite of Passage, Camp, Check Points, L.S.D, Cabin, Headache,  Cigarettes




 

B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review - Altered Skin

American engineer Craig Evans (Robin Dunne) is working in Pakistan taking meetings back the U.S. on conference calls alone in a boardroom while supporting his doctor wife. His wife  Insiya (Juggan Kazim) is treating a patient in the early stages of a developing local virus named MN-2. Before the protocols of the disease are know the patient spreads the virus to Insiya leaving her fellow medical practitioners with little choice but to put her into an induced coma to slow down the disease. Meanwhile, an investigative reporter Shehzad Ameen (Aamir Qureshi) is gathering information about the outbreak and the drug company InGenec that's making a fortune by selling a Cidhar patch that calms the early symptoms of uncontrolled violence and rage. While in Orangi Town a poor section of Karachi many infected referred to as carriers can't afford the patch quickly progress to the advanced stages of the disease that turns them into frothing wild animals. As Ameen gets closer to the heart of the story he disappears prompting his wife to deliver all of his paperwork to Evans who she has seen on T.V. giving an update on his wife's condition. With a personal stake in the matter, the engineer takes an interest in Ameen's material starting an investigation of his own.

Writer-Director Ananan Ahmed film is shot on location in Karachi, Pakistan. The city and country play a major part in the story rising to the level of a central character in the piece. Early on a local comments on how Pakistan deals with a crisis: If you could ever fix a problem by denying it existed this pace would be a F*cking Utopia. Instead, those in power warn anyone that would speak up to keep their eyes closed and let the incident pass. That comment sets the tone on how the authorities handle the outbreak, treating the infected and getting answers from InGenec a local economic success story with a pending massive deal to sell to an American firm. The narrative also contrasts the different experience between rich and poor in the city. One group works in air-conditioned skyscrapers when not at their gated homes. The others do grunt work in the shadows living in small dusty spaces in neighbourhoods that the authorities have largely abandoned protecting.

Ameen's wife went to Craig because as a foreigner he could go places and ask questions that her peer group just can't. Our protagonist picks up the threads of the story and with the help of a local contact and some sympathetic locals at a key moment flesh out the details. The piece is a study on Pakistani culture, lack of corporate governance and the important role of whistleblowers who come forward to speak the truth.

*** Out of 4

Altered Skin | Adnan Ahmed  | Canada / Pakistan | 2018 | 80 Minutes.

Tags: Pakistan, Karachi, Engineer, Foreigner, Virus, Coma, Investigative Reporter, Pharmaceutical Company, Treatment, Researcher, Scientist, Test Subject, Lab.

B.I.T.S. '18 Film Review - Alive

Rob Grant director of last year's micro-budget self-examining sleeper Fake Blood returns with a full length feature Alive. A man (Thomas Cocquerel) wakes up covered in wires, bandages, stitches, and tubes. He puts his hand up to shield himself from the bright overhead lights. He realizes that he is on a hospital gurney. Tubes are pulled he falls to the ground attempts to crawl only to be scooped up by the mysterious caretaker (Angus Macfayden) who is apparently in charge of his care. One day the man wakes up to find a woman (Camille Stopps) on a bed beside him. She starts to ask him questions about who he is? Does he know how they got there? Is there a relationship between them and a hopeful does he know who she is?

Rob Grant presents a story that unspools deepening degrees of horror. The pair is not sure if their caretaker is a friend or foe. He claims that he recused them, he's the one helping them heal but he will not allow them to leave or contact anyone outside as the woman maintains that loved ones must be looking for them. The narrative is set in what appears to be an abandoned and isolated hospital. There are no central or overhead lights, most of the doors are barricaded or lead to brick walls. The garden out back is topped by thick rounds of barbed wire fence.

The pair continues their efforts to piece together their past. The woman has the feeling that she has a child out there somewhere. The man thinks that he may have been bad in the past possibly spending time in prison before the event. The duo decides to force their departure attempting to navigate the labyrinth of hallways, stairs, freezers and makeshift surgery stations rigged with obstacles set up by the caretaker who has his trusty rottweiler at his side for the pursuit.

Alive is more of a mystery than a horror film. The man and woman are is a tough predicament seemingly suffering from amnesia and both weakened from the ordeal, stress, and fog of medication from their partial recovery.  The couple finds some clues around the hospital and in flashbacks that can aid to patch together their pasts. But ultimately the physical and psychological trauma relating to their current situation keeps them trapped in fight or flight mode. Grant leads the audience to a payoff that is both rewarding and terrifying making the film one that I can definitely recommend.

***1/2 Out of 4.

Alive | Rob Grant | Canada | 2018 | 91 Minutes.

Tags: Hospital, Surgery, Stitches, Bandages, Amnesia, Flashbacks,  Tattoo, Needles, Polaroid, Subbasement.