- www.cinemaeulogies.com
- MY SKIN!
- Review By: Fuctup
The Underground has sure had a hell of a lot to offer when it comes to talent in the last few years. With his two short films, My Skin! (2nd place winner for best short film at Shriek Fest 2003) and the other film being, Scream For Me (Winner, best short film at the N.Y.C horror film festival 2003), It is sure fire that this directors films are guaranteed to show you a good, brutal and psychological time. Presented by Black Cab Productions, written and directed by Christopher Alan Broadstoane:
When Death is cheated, he seeks his revenge! Along with his checklist of souls to collect, he finds that the one he has come to claim is that of a woman, who still had plenty of life to live.
George has killed his wife, Cathy, before her time had come. Death is not pleased with this, one bit. There is always somebody fucking up his rotation! George happens to be the un-lucky man to get on deaths nerves.
After replacing all the evidence at the scene of the crime, the reaper decides to call George at his hotel, as he is away on a business trip. In the duration of this taunting call, George finds out that he is no longer free and clear of his brutal crime and that he will indeed pay, for fucking with the soul collector.
We don’t get to see the arrival of the police, as Death has made a 911 call. Now George is really fucked! We also don’t get to see George (with the exception of a photo on the desk), just his voice and the utter fear, worry and anger spewing from his vocal chords, through the telephone.
Ratings:
For the writing and directing, I give a 10. Written and directed by Chris Broadstone, My Skin! was a 13 minute masterpiece. His depiction of death and the act of cheating it/him is a new and fresh look at the subject and something that will definitely keep the mind alive with thought and curiosity.
For the cinematography I give a 9. Being an independent short film, it is not as easy as we would think, to film with such brilliance. I found the visuals of the film to be absolutely astounding, though shot in digital (we all know I am not much of a clean film fan), it still kept my eyes focused on each detail, shown throughout the film.
For the acting I give an 8. We must remember that this is a low budget, independent short film, so you can’t exactly expect acting skills up there with the likes of Robert De Niro, yet for what we are viewing and the actor chosen to play Death, Tony Simmons, was fantastic. In other projects Mr. Simmons can really go far, his abilities shine in the films he has done for Chris Broadstone, thus far. My best to him in his future ventures. The voice of George, vocalized by Cole Adam Buissom, was quite believable. You, the viewer, can hear the nervousness and fear in his tone, which I found to be great. In a role with no physical presence, it is not easy to get the effect that was so, convincible given; he pulled it off with absolute excellence.
For FX, I give an 8. For having nearly no blood… and the violence only shown in extremely brief flashbacks, it was convincing and disturbing enough to keep me glued to the screen.
All in all, My Skin! gets my rating of a 9. Disturbing and vengeful are a few of my favorite words and My Skin! delivers, 10 fold. From disturbing imagery, to the angst and despair presented in this film, it was completely mind bending and a pleasure to view.
http://www.cinemaeulogies.com/my_skin.htm
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- SCREAM FOR ME
- Review By: Fuctup
Once again Christopher Allen Broadstone has put together a short masterpiece that is sure to fuck with your mind as well as your nervous system, a film that will drive you mad with curiosity and make you cower in pain;
Do you know pain? Do you know humiliation? Do you now what is beyond life, what death has in store? This film will hit the nerve, and make these curiosities come at you in full blaze!
With (as it seems) intentions on killing a girl, a young man sits above her… strangling her, then before she goes he lets his hands for her to breathe. The reason for this torture is the screams… all he wants are the screams.
In longing to know what is beyond death, he feels the screams of his victims… his “angels” will help him understand. Perhaps bring closure, to the death of his family. During his torture of the young woman, he fucks up, he goes a bit too far… this is not what he was trying for, at least not until he got his scream.
At this point in the film the twist gets more twisted. While sobbing over the body of the girl he just murdered a biker type psycho fuck busts into the room, a purely sick motherfucker, as if the murderer we just watched wasn’t fucked up enough here comes one to top him. This man (Tony Simmons) seems to have two intentions, although not sure if murder was intended but rape is a definite.
Much to the biker mans dismay he finds another man in the room and the girl he came for dead, this does not please him, but he intends on getting what he came for regardless. The murderer of the girl is about to become the object of sexual frustrations and vengeance.
He indeed makes “a fine bitch” of the boy. Duct taping the man parts that are unneeded, and placing a wig on him, the sick frustrated fuck fest now takes place.
What happens from this point, which are like the last 2 or 3 minutes of the film are quite rough to bare, though extremely enjoyable. Brutality and utter humility ends this film… full force!
In his own screams he finds the answers he had been searching all this time for, even after the screams he brought out of many women, it is his own that gives him his answer, but is it the answer he has been longing for all this time?
Ratings:
For writing and direction, once again Chris gets a 10. The shear terror felt in this film is the work of a brilliant director. Of course the help of great acting definitely does not hurt and damn sure had to make it easier to work this written masterpiece to celluloid.
Now having mentioned acting, in this area I give a 9. Once again Tony Simmons tears shit up (literally). Along with his 2 co-stars, he breaks the mold of a true sick fucking bastard and brings it to a whole new level of intensity. Just when you think Gabriel Sigal’s character is schizo enough, here comes Tony! Gabriel’s acting in the film was also absolutely brilliant, believable and sick! Lora Cunningham, though never speaking (nor screaming ha-ha) dies very well and plays dead with excellence. I never thought I would rate how well a person played dead, but, well, there it is.
The cinematography gets a 9. like his other films, being short and independently done, the attention to detail and the movements of the camera give this film, like his others, more dementia and mental discomfort and curiosity, than you already feel. After watching My Skin! I was absolutely blown away by his attention to detail in this film (once again) did not let me down, one bit. From a genius mind, comes brilliant art.
For FX I give an 8. Being actually none at all, just the right lighting and camera movements (angles and such), it didn’t need gore; just the feel and intensity alone give it all that is needed for a good rating.
Overall Scream for Me gets my rating of a 9. Bravo to you Chris, once again! Spine tingling and psychologically disturbing is the best way to describe this film. I absolutely can’t wait to review his latest film, also, in its own right, a masterpiece, entitled, Human No More. Be on the look out gore hounds!
Get your asses over to the site and pick up these 3 films, you will not be disappointed!