Into the Minds (w/ Actor Interview)

THE CORRIDOR

Director: Evan Kelly
Writer: Josh MacDonald
Starring: Stephen Chambers, James Gilbert, Matthew Amyotte

2010 | Canada | Not Rated | 99 mins

★★★★

Independent cinema has always been known for taking risks and giving audiences the chance to see something that will make them think or challenge their ideals. And a lot of first time filmmakers dare to push these boundaries so they can make their mark, and they do so because this is a need to be able to survive in a big-budget world and a world dictated by mass consumption and technology. Are we really all that more connected because we now have access to everything at our finger tips? Do we really understand and know the feelings or thoughts of the people we surround ourselves with? These are the questions The Corridor dares to ask.

Five friends take a weekend excursion to a secluded cabin as a tribute and wake to the deceased mother of one of them. A year ago, an event occurred which changed all of them and left suspicions hanging and one of them seemingly insane. Now with the help of therapy and medication, Tyler (Stephen Chambers) plans to mend these wounds and ensure his friends he is better and that he was not involved in the death of his mother. But when the group discovers something impossible out in the woods, what they come to collectively call The Corridor, this spectral hallway will lead them all into each others' minds and ultimately lead to truths that will shatter bonds and destroy lives.

The Corridor is a tense, disturbing, and intrinsically crafted excursion into the fragility of the psyche. Writer Josh MacDonald masterly weaves a high-concept idea that asks questions and is open to interpretation while balancing and then manipulating the truths and friendships of the characters who inhabit the story. Each character is well played by the cast who all do a tremendous and deeply emotional job and focuses the audience into caring for these people for the first half of the film, so by the time The Corridor begins to open and corrupt each one's intentions we feel for them as they all go at each other in the most sadistic of ways. Watching the silences break is almost as disturbing as the effects of The Corridor as they cannot handle knowing everything about each other.

Evan Kelly and cinematographer Christopher Ball keep the majority of the film confined to one room in the cabin and this claustrophobic imprisonment truly represents the atmosphere and tone the film sets. Could we really grasp knowing everything without going insane and are we over-stimulating ourselves to negative effect? This is the central question The Corridor asks, and also leaves up to the viewer to comprehend. The film does falter a bit near the end, but even still, when a film has continued to leave you thinking about its ideas, its tone, its intentions, its characters, and it's terror long after the credits have rolled, that is a successful mark for the dedication of the filmmakers and actors to transport the viewer into a story, and for this The Corridor is a great independent horror thriller worth seeking out.

Matthew Amyotte Interview:

All contents copyright 2011 Tyler Baptist

Big Bug (w/ Director Interview)

THE MILLENNIUM BUG

Director: Kenneth Cran

Writer: Kenneth Cran

Starring: John Charles Meyer, Jessica Simons, Christine Haeberman

2011 | United States | Not Rated | 88 mins

★★★½

The world may not have ended after Y2K like some believed it would, however some long practiced aspects of cinematic magic did. The art of practical effects began to die out and long gone are the days of the man in a rubber suit, or really any monsters be them small or giant on screen being done in this fashion. Everything is being replaced or replicated digitally and actors are instead reacting to tennis balls on sticks. Kenneth Cran is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who grew up on the works and talents of Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, and the magic of the giant monster films that came out of Japan. With this love he decided to make his own giant monster movie in this day and age complete with a man in a suit, miniatures, and absolutely no CGI whatsoever.

December 31st, 1999. The Haskin family escapes into the mountainside to get away from the city and technology in case the world does delve into pure chaos Y2K may bring about. They set up camp and prepare to celebrate the New Year regardless of the outcome but will soon have more to fear as they are attacked and kidnapped by an incestuous hillbilly clan that has been living in a nearby ghost town. But on this very night even more danger lurks as this night marks the arrival of The Millennium Bug, a giant 300 foot tall creature that gestates for 1000 years before being birthed onto the earth to lay its offspring before the dawn. And it's hungry.

The Millennium Bug, as described by its own director, is a cross between Godzilla and The Hills Have Eyes. Pitting a family in peril against two separate foes is a wise move to make an entertaining lower-budget horror film that can appeal to more than just the straight horror crowd. Aside from a few mountainside shots, the entire film was shot in a rented industrial garage where the filmmakers had to be creative since the film takes place in a forest, a hillbilly home, a jail, and a ghost town. Not to mention there's a giant bug with Godzilla-esque spikes rampaging about. Kenneth Cran and company successfully combine the use of miniatures, the man-in-a-suit monster, and some well worked compositing to get this all blended together. Considering their work space confinement this is really an impressive accomplishment.

The cast all work well in their roles with the hillbillies all cranked up way past campy. This isn't the most serious film, so if it was this would probably deter from one's enjoyment but here it's not out of place and good for comic enjoyment. The gore effects, again all practically done, are inventive and disgusting and will satisfy those who are looking for a bit of splatter. In an age where CGI has replaced the magic in filmmaking, The Millennium Bug is a welcome homage to the good old days of movie magic and an entertaining, and often hilarious, giant monster movie.

Kenneth Cran Interview:

All contents copyright 2011 Tyler Baptist

Interview with director Karen Lam

In November I was able to get a quick interview with director Karen Lam on her first feature length film "Stained".

The film is an intense thriller about a lonely bookseller’s obsessive love affair, and her protective best friend, who alone knows the horrible truth about her obsession. 

Click on the link here to check it out.

Scott Gowen

Reel to Reel Interview with Bill Plympton (Idiots & Angels)

The twisted world view of independent animation overlord Bill Plympton has been leaving audiences in awe for decades now. Championed by animation aficionados for his distinct visual style and his surreal narratives equally, one would be hard pressed to find a more prolific and identifiable contemporary animator. Despite being a two time Academy Award nominee (for “Your face” in 1987 and “Guard Dog” in 2005) and the visionary of choice for big shots like Kanye “I'maletyoufinish” West, Plympton remains a fiercely independent entity in order to bring his audience the genuine, unhinged article.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we here at Reel to Reel are proud to report that our first interview took place this week with none other than MR.BILL PLYMPTON.

Listen to the interview here and get it all from man himself as he discusses drawing under the influence of Tom Waits, being courted by Disney, his latest collaboration with Kanye West, and most importantly, the creative process behind the stellar “Idiots and Angels” which opens at the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon on Friday October 23rd.. Enjoy!