2007-Aug-19 - Forever -indie horror done well
Ahh the low budge horror film- with a solid story, quality acting, and some well placed blood capsules a good movie can be made for very little. For the most part, Triple E Productions’ Forever is one such film.
Paul Del Vecchio (writer, director, producer, scorer, actor, special effects, editor, driver etc. etc. etc.) has crafted an intriguing film- a psychological thriller peppered with some time travel, a bit of cannibalism, and a couple appearances by a character who just might be construed as the Devil Incarnate.
Forever centers on a young man, Michael Zaffe (played by Brian Brady) who inherits a sprawling estate from his parents. Consumed by his work for which he isn’t compensated, he’s having trouble paying the bills and is in danger of losing the place. He explains: “I wanna find the next big thing that will change the way we live our lives.”
A stranger appears in Michael’s yard one day and makes him an offer. The stranger produces a leather collar, which he instructs Michael, if worn while he sleeps will ensure Michael’s legacy. More concerned with being remembered than anything else, Michael accepts. Upon wearing the collar, Michael is transported into the future where he discovers that he has died and another family possesses his family’s estate. Resolving to uncover this mystery, Michael continues to wear the collar despite disturbing images.
What stood out the most for me in Forever was the crisp cinematography. Wide shots of the estate grounds are gorgeous and help establish the mood of eerie isolation. Great variance of camera techniques, especially during the dream sequences, aid in stepping up the story’s tension as well.
As far as the story goes, the narrative about Michael works very well. But Del Vecchio employs a bookend structure involving a threesome influenced of course by the collar. For me this muddied things up a bit. There is a final scene tacked on which would do fine in providing the unclosed ending Del Vecchio wants to convey. Plus, I would have liked to see the estate upon which Micael's story takes place, be used a bit more.
The acting in Forever is better than average, with Charlene Miller (as Alyssa) performing ably (she’s easy on the eyes as well) and Steve Gagliano (as the Stranger) creating a wonderfully mysterious and menacing character. Brady, I had some difficulty with early on. He seems to want to exhibit a sort of aloof, apathetic quality, but comes across as bored. Which is not quite the attitude one wants to convey as an actor because it causes the audience to feel the same way. However, he does improve quite a bit throughout the film.
All in all, Forever is a strong effort from Del Vecchio. Hopefully, for his next movie he won’t have to do everything (writer, director, producer, scorer, actor, special effects, editor, driver etc. etc. etc.). Otherwise, his future projects may even be better.
BEER RATING: Blue Moon (7.0 out of 10). Great beer- even better with oranges.
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For all of you pencil pushers, cubicle clerks, dock workers, and govt. employees out there, HIT has combined 2 of your favorite things: beer and movies! We will review movies and grade them with beer! Now, some of you may disagree with our ranking system. For example, you might consider Miller Lite to be the best beer. And you may also feel that "Independence Day" is one of the best films ever. Not coincidentally on our scale, "Independence Day" receives a Miller Lite (or 3). So as you see films made in bad taste receive a bad tasting beer for their score. Fun, no?
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