June 17, 2018 - Horror Movie Freaks

Hello, FREAKS! Josh here for another film review. I just had the chance to check out the film Who’s Watching Oliver. This film is directed by Richie Moore and stars Russell Geoffrey Banks & Sara Malakul Lane.

Synopsis

Who’s watching Oliver tells the story of a mentally unstable loner lost in a life forced upon him. By night Oliver aimlessly wanders the streets and bars on what can only be described as a truly shocking and humiliating killing spree. His only savior and possible way out of a life he is desperate to escape comes in the form of the beautiful Sophia with her sweet eccentricity and naivety to the danger she has put herself in

Alright lets dig into this film, shall we?

I had heard about this film while browsing our facebook group(shameless plug) when it started growing legs in the film fest circuit, and couldn’t wait to see it after all the buzz about it. Well, that chance finally came this weekend. The film starts out introducing Oliver, a shy young man, as he is going through his daily rituals of heading out for the day. We soon find out that looks can be deceiving, as we learn of Oliver’s past and the things he still has to endure. I don’t want to give too much away, as the film is set to release in July, but lets just say poor Oliver has been dealt a shit hand in life and is being forced down the wrong path.

The first thing that stands out to me in this film is the acting by the two leads. Russell Geoffrey Banks really pulls off a hell of a job in this film expressing all the emotions and acts poor Oliver has to go through. I mean you literally watch him brutally murder women, and then in the next moment you feel sorry for him and want him to break free from this life he is living. Mr. Banks acting is quite simply, brilliant. Likewise for his costar, Sara Malakul Lane. Her character is the light that may be the only hope of bringing Oliver away from the dark road he is traveling. She nails this role perfectly.

The directing, as well as the cinematography, is top notch. Some of the angles, and ways that certain scenes are shot are breathtakingly beautiful, while others are so raw and gritty that it brings about memories of films such as Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave. If you have seen these classics, you know how those brutal scenes can evoke such raw emotions from the viewer. When a film can do this, its like magic. In that moment, everything has came together in a way that it has completely removed the viewer from their reality and has them totally attached to the emotion of the characters on screen.

From the soft moments with Oliver and Sophia, to the brutal blood filled moments with his victims, Who’s Watching Oliver is a slow-burn horror that is truly a must watch!

Who’s Watching Oliver will release July 3, 2018 in the US and Canada. Check out the trailer below as well as some stills from the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InYkcjM4-00

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Family Game Night (2018)

by: Stephen Ingves

Genre: horror, comedy, short (11:54)

Director: Nick Ferwerda

Producer: Mark Brombacher

Written by: Ali Chappell (creator) & Jon Kohan

“Family Game Night” begins with what appears to be the “all American family” complete with the familiar family and parental struggles. Trying to get the entire family together at the dinner table and having their teen daughter Kelly’s (Jenny Fischer) personal schedule cause her to be late as the rest of the family waits. Attempting to get their son Ethan (Connor Hume) to refrain from using his phone and social media at the dinner table. The parents do a great job portraying the conservative husband/wife team with the mother Tammy being played by Meredith Heinrich. The father, played by Mark Brombacher (who is also the films Producer), is incredibly amusing as the “nerdy” husband and shines in this film in all his glorious quirkiness.

As most families these days, they too struggle to share a meal together due to their busy schedules. But, they always do make it a point to get together for family game night. Their older daughter Kelly, while late, does make it in time for dinner. However, you begin to sense nefarious activity looming when she arrives home with a homeless man..Doug (Brad Linton) in tow. She apparently saw him on the way home and invited him to dinner and to partake in family game night. The fathers excitement over having this unexpected guest and the family’s eagerness to make Doug comfortable had me wondering and looking forward to seeing what this family is all about.

With this being a spoiler free look at “Family Game Night” and it being a 12 min short, there is only so much I can share. But what I can say is the family’s intentions come to light without you having to wait long and I truly enjoyed the dark humor within the film. The fathers rather “dorky” attempts at being the authority figure, for example reprimanding the kids for bickering while at the same time engaging in obvious illegal activity, was pretty amusing. I believe fans of dark comedies will enjoy the one-liners that fit the dialogue perfectly without them ever feeling forced for the sake of injecting levity into a scene. In fact some of the best and funniest lines weren’t even in the script and were adlibbed by Mark and Meredith which speaks volumes about their talent. I can honestly say that I was surprised at the sheer number of times I found myself laughing out loud.

To be honest there really isn’t much in the way of actual issues that I can point to with the film. Much of the acting was good and the production value was there. I would certainly recommend it. It was entertaining and at around 12 minutes it’s an easy view that doesn’t require you to have to set aside 2-2.5 hours of your time. The film is currently making the rounds at various film festivals with it set to screen at the Toronto Indie Horror Festival in Aug with more screening dates to come. So keep an eye out for your opportunity to view “Family Game Night” and at the same you will be helping to #SupportIndieFilm. Check out below the films IMDb page as well as a few stills from the movie. This is a bit of an inside joke from the movie but I would comfortably give this film a strong