Independent filmmaker Anthony Spadaccini always had a keen visual eye, leaving no stone left unturned. You can tell by watching his films that he takes great pride in every shot and every camera angle. His films are an emotional experience, but even more than that, they are a visual experience to remember. You feel as though you are entering another dimension or another universe. You are a little uncomfortable, scared, and unsure, yet you can’t look away and you can’t wait to see what unfolds next. It grabs the viewer right from the get go and doesn’t let go.
Category Archives: A+ Indie
Don’t Go to the Reunion (2013)
Steve Goltz is quickly becoming one of my favorite indie directors working today. One of the creators of Slasher Studios, he and his group know slasher movies and when they deliver their own original slashers, they have a ball with classic tropes of the sub-genre that feel new. After their pleasing revenge slasher “Teddy,” Goltz delivers one of the more unique and engrossing entries of the sub-genre I’ve seen in years. While it’s true Goltz and writer Kevin Sommerfield provide their nods and winks to classic eighties slasher films, “Don’t Go to the Reunion” works to the beat of its own drum, delivering kills aplenty, and a very interesting whodunit mystery.
Super Task Force One (2013)
If you take in to mind that director Steve Rudzinski’s indie “Super Task Force One” garners a very low budget, you can really appreciate the intent behind the film. ” Super Task Force One” is a fun and hilarious adventure in the spirit of “Power Rangers” and “Green Lantern” that satirizes many of the tropes involving the hero’s journey story mold, and “Power Rangers” tropes and clichés alike. As a fan of “Power Rangers” I could definitely understand all of the humor that Rudzinski was aiming for, and most times it’s worthy of a laugh or two.
Rewind This! (2013)
Director Josh Johnson pulls off an ingenious move with “Rewind This!” Truly, it’s about the age of VHS and recalls many of the fond memories of buying VHS and learning how to enjoy the spoils of the hunt for the perfect Friday night entertainment from your local mom and pop video store. But by the end of the documentary, director Johnson is wise to warn about how personal media and art is slowly becoming impersonal and is gradually breaking from our grasps.
Proximity (2013)
Yet another take on “The Most Dangerous Game,” my favorite short story of all time, director Ryan Connolly pulls off an excellent feat in putting a twist on the classic story that works well as a short film, and could easily become a fantastic feature length genre entry. Starring Todd Bruno, “Proximity” is set in a not too distant future where men are being wrangled and set loose to be hunted.
Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness (2013)
Marvel Entertainment thought Brian Rosenthal’s fan film was too damn excellent for anyone to see, so they wiped out this fan film from the internet faster than you can say “Necronomicon.” But for the few folks that were able to catch it, director Brian Rosenthal delivers one hell of a kick ass short fan film that previews what could be an amazing film. In an alternate reality where Marvel and Sam Raimi teamed up for a great horror action film.
Exhumed (2011)
Director Richard Griffin’s horror thriller about a demented and warped family comprised of people that simply can not leave their home is an often enigmatic, perplexing, but excellent horror film. I often found “Exhumed” to be a brilliant spin on the “Spider Baby” with a Lynchian atmosphere that worked quite often. From the black and white palette, to the intricate play with shadows, “Exhumed” is constricted to one setting, but feels as if we’re in an entirely new and horrific world.