Geek Syndicate
FILM REVIEW - Some Guy Who Kills People
And he’s met an attractive girl, which is nice. She even seems to like him! Better yet, his estranged daughter has turned up unexpectedly, and she thinks he’s the bee’s knees. He just needs to hold it together and everything will be fine. Could be great, in fact. Now, if only the Sherriff would stop coming round with these confusing questions…
repressed grief. They feel like real and broken people, but salvation comes to them both with the arrival of Amy. Ariel Gade (Dark Water) does a terrific job as Amy, Ken’s lovable and chatty daughter. The way they interact forms the emotional centre to the piece and she is wonderful in the part. She plays it vulnerable and sweet with a nice line of precocious humour and a dazzling smile. Rounding off the cast are Lucy Davis (The Office, UK), who is completely charming as Stephanie, Ken’s tentative love interest; and Leo Fitzpatrick (The Wire, Sons of Anarchy), as Ken’s best friend, Irv. Finally, there’s Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror, Spin City), who is starting to become something of a cult figure in his older years. He’s an absolute scream as the small town Sherriff, a persistent galoot with just enough brains to be dangerous. He effortlessly steals every scene he’s in and makes a great pairing with Karen Black. I’d kill to get a film commentary starring the two of them in character! The film does such a great job of surprising the audience, that I can’t really say much more. I want you lot to be able to enjoy it as I did, carried along by the fantastic script and phenomenal cast. Theme-wise, I guess it’s the bottling up of emotions that form the core of the movie. The fear of (and desire for) making a connection between people features heavily
The Review:
In case you haven’t twigged by now, this is a comedy: sharp, dark and bloody. It does for slasher films what Gremlins and An American Werewolf In London did for monster flicks. It’s also a film with real heart; full of frustrated emotion and genuine warmth. It’s original, independent and comfortably quirky. Remarkably, they manage to nail the emotional beats, the terror and the hilarity without it ever feeling like an awkward shift in tone. Kevin Corrigan (Goodfellas, Superbad, The Departed) is simply outstanding in his portrayal of Ken. He’s downbeat and passive in posture, yet held (just) in check behind his eyes is a bubbling cauldron of love, pain and fear. It is a character crying out to be understood and he wins our hearts immediately. The relationship he has with his mother (played with caustic glee by legendary Karen Black) is wonderful. He burns with cynicism and shame, whilst she is full of sarcastic digs, bitter smiles and
Writer: Ryan A Levin Director: Jack Perez Starring: Kevin Corrigan, Barry Bostwick and Karen Black
The Blurb:
“You don’t just cut off a man’s head, unless you’re one angry fella!” Ken is just some guy. A loser, really. He’s in his thirties, lives with his mum and works a dead-end job at an ice-cream parlour. He’s had… pr