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On this page: BAD KARAOKE | MOONFISH | VALLEY VIEW MOTEL

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 15.Sep.26

Bad Karaoke
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Robert J Steinmiller Jr, Chris Lightbody
scr Chris Lightbody, Spencer Yaras
prd Chris Lightbody, Brendan Petrizzo, Robert J Steinmiller Jr, Spencer Yaras
with Lexi Underwood, Case Walker, Kat Cunning, Jonathan Jason Green, Kevin Clayette, Jenna Karan, Kate Miner, Justin Miner, Robert J Steinmiller Jr, Bianca Castronovo, Korama Danquah, Michael Chubb
release UK Aug.26 frf
26/US 1h23

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With terrific character details and raucous pitch-black humour, this nutty horror comedy gets increasingly gruesome over the course of about 24 hours in an isolated cabin in the woods. Directors Robert J Steinmiller Jr and Chris Lightbody gleefully poke fun at the perils of karaoke, as well as the tried and tested tropes of scary teen movies. And it's all mixed together with a steady stream of goofiness.

A cover band is driving from Portland to Napa for a wedding: bossy leader Hannah (Cunning) is accompanied by her girlfriend Ava (Karan), stoner Logan (Clayette) brings his baseball player friend Matt (Green), and the detail-oriented Emily (Underwood) and cute singer Noah (Walker) are not-so-subtly flirting. Stopping in a roadside bar, they find a dusty karaoke machine that locals seem to think is cursed. Then in their rental cabin, they loosen up with a few drinks before firing it up. And after Logan gives a lively performance, the machine asks him to select his death.

A prologue set in 2012 reveals the grisly origin of this killer karaoke machine, which comes complete with glowing red eyes. On this fateful night, it selects these young people one-by-one, and it won't stop when it's unplugged. So Emily smashes it into pieces. But it still doesn't let them go, and the pressure to perform perfectly becomes increasingly urgent. Even as the bloodbath grows, the script is packed with throwaway laugh-out-loud moments. And it ends with a thoroughly enjoyable kick.

Characters are nicely set up from the start, played with big personalities by the bright young cast. Each of the central six roles come with hilarious details that make these people feel strikingly real. And they can all sing too. Side roles for Kate and Justin Miner (as the original victim and a disgruntled musician) add textures that are amusing, creepy and even a little moving at the same time.

The film is very nicely shot and edited, with a superb sound mix and an enjoyably full-on array of effects work. There's even a kick of emotion in a flashback sequence that accompanies one of the songs. Another set-piece returns to 2012 to touch on the way people generally prefer mindless entertainment to real artistry. So maybe an original song can stop the carnage. And perhaps save the world too, even if there might not be as much money in it.

themes, language, violence 30.Aug.26

Moonfish
Review by Rich Cline | 5/5

MUST SEE

dir-scr Daniel Zvereff
prd Mireia Vilanova, Rebecca Ling Wyzan, James Belfer
voices Morgan Spector, Lucy Liu
release WP Sep.26 vff
26/US 1h29

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Simple but perfectly formed, this outer-space adventure resonates with feelings about grief, isolation and the need for a sense of purpose. Writer-director Daniel Zvereff animates this beautifully with hand-drawn imagery in glistening black and white. And the line art ripples with tiny details that add wit and emotion to the story, plus a remarkable sense of scale. It's beautiful to look at, and more powerfully involving than expected.

In 2660, Cassius (Spector) and Vesper (Liu) are on a year-long deep-space mission to mine rocks on an asteroid. Born on the moon, neither has ever been to Earth, and they hope this job gives them legal status to move there. But Vesper dies when their ship crash lands, and Cassius must work alone under the continual reminder: "no quota, no pickup". His only companion is a goldfish. And when he stops his anti-radiation meds to gain more strength to meet the quota, the fish begins to speak (Liu again). Together, they make a plan.

Because the meds cause blurriness, there's a dream-like tone to the earlier scenes, which are peppered with telling details about a future in which robot bosses are too valuable to be sent to do this kind of work. And because they were born within a contract on the moon, Cassius and Vesper aren't citizens of Earth. They can't imagine breathing real air, seeing blue sky or hearing actual ocean waves. Meanwhile, this fish is a sort of canary in the coal mine of space, and it can't conceive of swimming freely outside a bowl.

All of these things add wonderful textures to these characters, including real emotions and attitudes. Cassius is a cynic who believes space is just nothingness, but he is unable to shake Vesper's innate optimism and hope that there's meaning and life out there. Aside from waving at miners on other asteroids as they fly by, his explorations of this drifting asteroid include a few startlingly personal discoveries.

It's not easy to tell this kind of profound story in such an understated way, conveying as much with a heavy sigh and tiny facial flinch as pages of dialog. And the lack of colour on-screen feeds inventively into the sense that Cassius is alone in a desolate, unforgiving place, with only graffiti on the wall to show that human beings have been here before. Then after mingling emotions so delicately together, the story reaches a conclusion that quite simply takes the breath away.

themes, violence 6.Sep.26 vff

Valley View Motel
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir-scr Nick Psinakis, Kevin Ignatius
prd Kevin Ignatius, Nick Psinakis, Michael Thyer
with Laura Im, Soulo Smith, Judy Lee, Kevin Ignatius, Nick Psinakis, McKenzie Such, Tom Mesmer, Corin Clay, Logan Psinakis, Janie Sharon, Michael Thyer
release UK Aug.26 frf
26/US 1h33

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Even with a limited budget, actor-filmmakers Nick Psinakis and Kevin Ignatius inventively infuse this thriller with a superb 1970s vibe, using clever camerawork, a churning score and groovy costumes and cars. They also adeptly channel the Coen brothers, keeping things blackly comical as they throw a bunch of very messy characters together, pushing them to acts of desperation. So the final act is expertly staged horror slapstick.

Just outside Pittsburgh in 1977, Reg (Smith) and his cohort Cliff (Ignatius) flee a robbery gone violently wrong and hole up in a roadside motel that's run by Lester (Mesmer) and his sister LouAnne (Such). But ruthless mob enforcer Hal (Psinakis) is determined to recover the stolen diamonds. Meanwhile, Sunny (Im) and her mother Young-ja (Lee) turn up, and they're on the run from the same gangster. What no one knows is that Lester and LouAnne are running a grisly black market business in the basement. And things are about to get seriously nasty.

Events unfold with a witty edge, most notably as the quietly insistent Hal, who moonlights as a maths teacher, leaves a trail of bodies in his wake while, seeking answers in a way that isn't remotely subtle. A flashback reveals that the young Hal (Logan Psinakis) learned from his equally tenacious mother (Sharon). All of this is skilfully shot to capture telling details in each scene, often adding a humorous flourish that's actually rather violently awful.

All of this allows actors to add layers to their deadpan characters, each of whom is on a rather oblivious journey. Psinakis gives the film its momentum as the unassuming Hal in his new polyester suit. And Ignatius' thoughtful, frustrated Cliff becomes the person we identify with as he tries to find a way out of this chaos. Im's perceptive Sunny also notices Cliff's essentially good heart amid the voracious people around her. Smith makes Reg a hyperactive idiot incapable of controlling himself. And Mesmer and Such are hilariously smiley as deeply shady monsters.

Even if there isn't much subtext, this is such a terrific pastiche of a time and place that it keeps us thoroughly entertained, continually surprising us with unexpected murder and mayhem. Psinakis and Ignatius are gifted filmmakers who can make a lot with a little, shooting in their hometown seemingly with all of their family and friends on board. And they are also decent actors too, creating memorable roles in a movie that's full of scene-stealers.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 31.Aug.26

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