Why So Blu?

Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Seven New Indie Titles

The indie movie scene is as always loud and proud with this week’s crop of seven films hitting various genre notes for hungry cinema seekers.  Sensual stories, coming of age tales, cancer comedies, stressful shindig sagas, mid-life crisis movies, voyeur suspense outings and body jumping terror tales make up the flicks featured and dissected for your convenience.  Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews for Double Lover, Lucky U Ranch, Irreplaceable You, The Party, Golden Exits, Looking Glass and Black Creek below!

DOUBLE LOVER
(Cohen Media Group)

Taking a page from the De Palma sexy suspense book – not to mention his own signature style via former flick Swimming Pool – François Ozon crafts a sleek and sensual thriller that delivers on many levels.  It’s erotic (the physical chemistry between leads Marine Vacth and Jérémie Renier is off the charts), tense (the playing with possible doubles provides serious stomach knotted moments!) and surprising.  (This one has a finale that no one will see coming!)  There are a few bits of unneeded complicated story confusion to throw the more cerebral viewer off, but all in all a poignant potboiler that would make Hitchcock proud.

LUCKY U RANCH
(Random Media)

While this tale of a bullied boy who gets a little self confidence boost from a very cute girl next door is pretty standard stuff (insert single mom, some domestic violence and daddy issues!), it’s the chemistry between the two young leads that makes the film a winner.  As the ho-hum chubby Junior and wide-eyed girl Friday Melissa, Trevor Robins and Donovan Droege add just the right amount of sentimentality and sweetness to make Ranch feel real – this one is lucky to have them.

IRREPLACEABLE YOU
(Netflix)

While a tad on the schmaltzy side, but not saccharine enough to put film fans off, Irreplaceable You is a film that has its heart in the right place.  Meaning even though the story involves a young woman dying of cancer who meets some very quirky and at times stereotypical side characters in her task of finding a new girl for her fiancée, there’s just enough good humor (watch for Kate McKinnon and Steve Coogan for some satiric support group action!) and moving moments to keep Irreplaceable You from being another sappy cinematic statistic.

THE PARTY
(Roadside Attractions)

The Party is a film that has a clever script – and it shows.  In its desire to be the smartest movie in the room, the film tries too hard to be bold and biting and in doing so takes a big hunk of fun out of the festivities.  What does save it from being altogether joyless is the work of one damn talented cast – from Timothy Spall’s quiet codger to Patricia Clarkson’s caustic dame – who all have their various moments outside of obvious verbal showmanship.  A soiree that’s somewhat snobby (this one is even in black and white for no reason!), this party is too smart for its own good.

GOLDEN EXITS
(Vertical Entertainment)

The main problem with the film Golden Exits is that it doesn’t feel like a film.  A bunch of random scenes with little to sometimes no connection stung together with the feel of class demo tape, the movie is more of an exercise in Acting 101.  And it’s a shame because there are some effective bits (watching Emily Browning’s Australian waif Naomi try to repel and attract different men is interesting indeed!) and good performances (Mary-Louise Parker nails her honest-to-a-fault character!), but even with a few golden moments, nothing rises above the level of average.

LOOKING GLASS
(Momentum Pictures)

A really bad rehash from the Rear Window school of voyeuristic thrillers, Looking Glass is a suspense story without a story.  Meaning amidst all the double takes, redirects and gaggle of stereotypical side characters, there’s just not a single cohesive storyline that holds audience attention.  (Just watching two women involved in “forbidden” S&M play is not enough anymore!)  Not even Nicolas Cage’s shifty motel man can save this one from being bargain bin fare – bottom of the bargain bin fare.

BLACK CREEK
(Freestyle Digital Media)

Besides that fact that this low budget chiller steals it’s premise of a body jumping demon from many films that came before (see Shocker, The Hidden and Fallen!), there’s just nothing of note within. The acting is bad, the story recycled and the kills are uninspired.  A black mark for inventive indie horror flicks, let this one wash down the creek and disappear.