Ed's Review Dot Com

Felt Films, Taggart Productions, Votiv Films,

Mercy Malick, Jordi Vilasuso, Zachary James Rukavina, Kaiwi Lyman, Allegra Masters, Kevin Sheridan, Michael Nardelli, Michael McLafferty, Matt Corboy, Julie Benz, Autumn Federici, Sara Sanderson, John Edward Lee, Cesar Garcia, Lawrence Kao, Lisa Pelikan, Carter Jenkins, Molly Jackson

Fifty random people wake up inside a huge dark room with circles on the floor, one for each person to stand on. If they step off the circle, they are struck dead instantly. But as they stand on their circle, a ticking starts every two minutes and one of them is struck dead. Pretty soon they figure out that each person can wave their hands to select the person they vote for to die next, but no one can see any markers but their own, and you cannot vote for yourself. As the figure out the secrets, they begin to get to know the other people in the circle and just like a survivor episode, they try to work out what characteristics make the best choice to kill next. There are many different kinds of people, different races, different occupations, men, women, and children, and different ages. Does age matter? Should the women and children be protected, or are the oldest ones who have lived the longest first to go? There are many views and prejudices, but in the end, is it more about playing the others to protect yourself?

This is a mind blowing very cerebral study of human nature and how our experiences and prejudices affect our thinking. The stress is huge, as it’s no laughing matter as they try to figure out any reason to why this is happening. It takes place (except for the first and last scene) in the single room, in darkness, and could easily be performed as a stage play. There are no instructions and no voices other than the players themselves, and we are not really given much of a hint as to why they are doing this. It appears from the hints in the beginning and end that it is probably an alien abduction, but be have no contact with them, and we don’t know why, as none of this makes sense. This would be a horrible experience, and it’s terrifying to imagine being in that room. The script is awesome, and I was not able to recognize any of the people in the case. As a result, they were just random people with the luck of the draw as to why there were here. And the thought will hit you before it dawns on them, what happens when there are two people left and neither can vote for themselves? How long will this go on, and is there any way to stop it or defeat the game? The pressure sits on us throughout the movie, and it is something you will think about for a long time. My son knows I am a fan of sci-fi and mystery films, but especially those that make you think. I must thank him for putting me onto this movie after he found it and streamed it on Netflix, and he could not wait to talk to me about this film. Now that I’ve complete it, I look forward to discussing it with him to see what his take on it is, and what he makes of it. If you can find a friend to watch this with, it’s a definite plus to have someone to discuss it with! I think this is a very well make film and though there’s no car crashes or shoot outs, it’s a very intriguing movie that really makes you think. I actually really liked this movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Bugeater Films, Votiv Films, Skyscraper Films,

Julia Stiles, Taye Diggs, Melissa George, David Harbour

Four friends, (two couples) meet over two different nights a few years apart. One couple from New York is newly married and are visiting the other couple in their huge home in the Midwest. The rich couple is in a bad way and are at each other’s throats. Later the other couple comes to New York to visit their friends, only to find they are having many issues in their own marriage as well and the tables have turned. The movie is a character study of these four friends and their individual problems and weaknesses.

This is one of those “artsy” films that is basically these four friends talking, fighting, cursing, and just plain acting like the petty self serving jerks they are. Some people will like this kind of movie because it is all eavesdropping on the lives of these friends who have no problem saying anything that pops in their head. There’s no real plot or purpose to the movie, other than to prove they’re all spoiled brats. It’s not my kind of movie. I like some sort of purpose to a film, and watching grown people act like children is not a major pleasure of mine. I didn’t like any of these people, and couldn’t pick either side. They deserve each other, and I am not really sure why they bothered to even make this film. It is marketed as a comedy, but I was simply not amused at any of it. I just found it quite annoying.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog