DVD REVIEW: Stiff (2010)

STIFF (2010)

STUDIO: Cinema Epoch

YEAR: 2010

REGION: 1

RATED: Unrated

GENRE: Drama

RUNNING TIME: 80 Min.

DIRECTOR: Mike McKown and Jim Towns

CAST: Bill Scott (Troy), Lulu Benton (Lori), Melissa Troughtzmantz (Ms. Chapman)
TAGLINE: "I Want You to Help Me Die...."

PLOT: Troy (Bill Scott), a suicidal office employee, forms a bond with Lorri (Lulu Benton), a crisis counselor with a secret necrophiliac obsession. The two make a secret pact: Lorri will help Troy kill himself, if she can have her way with him afterward. But, as they prepare to go through with the deed, Troy's feelings for Lorri begin to grow, putting a strain on their seemingly ideal arrangement, as Troy wonders if he really does want to give his life (and Lorri) up. (from cinemaepoch.com)

FILM: Well here's a quaint indie drama that's not your typical boy meets girl love story. In this instance a suicidal office worker named Troy (Bill Scott) frequents the suicide hotline so often that not only do they know him by name but he's got his favorite operator at the crisis center, Lori (Lulu Benton). Lori is your average mid-20's necrophiliac ...oh yeah, that's right ...she's a real corpse grinder, truly. What better place to meet a stiff than at the suicide crisis hot line, right? The two strike up an unlikely friendship over the phone to the point that Lori gives the depressed loner her home phone number. Not a day later Troy's ringing Lori looking for a sympathetic ear while he half-heatedly contemplates jumping off a bridge. That's his deal, he has no follow-through to fully commit to suicide. Lori reaches out to him and arranges to meet him at his home. Troy's home is a pathetic sight with a shoddily constructed noose hanging from his sparsely furnished kitchen. So, what's Lori's deal, why is she so altruistic? She's into screwing corpses and is there to convince Troy to let her help him kill himself so that she can gratify her morbid desires after his death. Sounds like a sweet deal for both of 'em, right? Well, after spending a few days together Troy starts to feel the pangs of love for the 1st time and begins to question his resolve, and this is where the film excels, when it's exploring the tricky emotional interplay between Lori and Troy.  

The film is carried by the two main performances and they are definitely up to the task. While not Oscar-caliber they are both strong and tap into the dark emotional struggles that have brought them to this point in their lives. Both are socially and emotionally awkward individuals, most obviously Troy whose life of solitude has driven him to a state of suicidal despair. Lori is more socially adept but is deeply emotionally twisted stemming from witnessing her 1st love's death under the wheels of a school bus which has lead her down the path of death fetish and necrophilia. The film could have easily slipped into darker waters with themes of suicide and necrophilia but somehow manages to maintain it's edge as drama without devolving in DEADGIRL (2008) or NEKROMANTIK (1987) type body-horror territory but it straddles the line. Reportedly this film was shot in 7 days on a $1,000 micro-budget, that is true independent spirit. If I were complelled to nit pick I might say that the camera shots were pretty static and shot on the cheap, well no shit, right?  

DVD: STIFF comes to DVD courtesy of Cinema Epoch. The film is presented in anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen with stereo audio. It's a good looking transfer with good image qaulity and crisp detail. The film is dialogue driven and the stereo audio is more than adequate. A good variety of supplemental materials including an informative behind-the-scenes featurette and an audio commentary with Directors Mike McKown and Jim Towns, first assistant camera/sound Christopher Nickelson and actors Lulu Benton and Bill Scott.

Special Features:

- Audio Commentary (80:00)

- Trailer (2:58)

- Alternate Ending (2:56)

- Featurette (40:33)

- Still Gallery

VERDICT: A decent entry into the pantheon of quirky indie-dramas. An off-kilter chronicling of the fateful meeting of two lonely souls working together towards a mutual morbid end. **1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)

CINEMA EPOCH

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@cinemaepoch

- McBASTARD

DVD Review: World's Greatest Dad (2009)

 WORLD’S GREATEST DAD (2009)

“Lance Clayton Is About To Get Everything He Deserves”


RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 99 Min.
DIRECTOR: Bobcat Goldthwait
CAST: Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore, Henry Simmons


ANECDOTAL: Robin Williams, the man is a comedic genius, his stand-up still kills me, however, it is easy to forget that he once starred in amazing films, for much like Eddie Murphy; I do not believe that he’s ever turned a role down. If you only recall Williams for eye-rolling comedies like RV (2006) and FLUBBER (1997), treat yourself to his darker, more dramatic roles, fine examples being THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (1982). THE BEST OF TIMES (1986), DEAD POET SOCIETY (1989), THE FISHER KING (1991), and the chilling ONE HOUR PHOTO (2002).

SYNOPSIS: Robins Williams portrays school teacher Lance Clayton, a single father and aspiring writer. He loves his douche-nozzle son Kyle (Daryl Sabara (SPY KIDS) despite the fact that his son is a cold, sexist loser, until one day Kyle dies while jerkin’ it. Rather than suffer the indignity of the nature of his son’s death he stages a suicide, types a note, and then must endure the fallout stemming from his actions.

“Come on now, Kyle, you must be passionate about something.” – Lance Clayton/Robin Williams

“You wanna know what I like? I like looking at vaginas.” - Kyle Clayton/Daryl Sabara

THE FILM: Robin Williams’ Lance wants a relationship with his teenage son, Kyle, a chronic masturbator slash loser of a child whom shows little regard for his father’s need for a meaningful relationship. He’s prone to misogynist/sexist statements like “that pussy’s not gonna eat itself”, his only friend, Andrew (Evan Martin), whom he treats like shit, but there’s an awkward trusting relationship there that filters through, somehow. It’s pretty obvious that Andrew is being neglected to some degree at home and Kyle is sensitive to this on some level. Kyles father is an aspiring, unpublished writer, he’s teaches poetry at Kyle’s school, were he’s in a secretive relationship with a younger, fellow educator Claire (Alexie Gilmore), whom Kyle describes as a TILF, “a teacher I’d like to fuck”. Kyle is portrayed quite well by Daryl Sabra, whom you may recall as “Juni” from the SPY KIDS franchise. Williams gives an amazing performance as his befuddled and frustrated father, probably his best work to date. After a night out Lance returns home to find that Kyle has accidentally died while performing autoerotic asphyxiation. Having loved his son despite his shortcomings he stages a suicide in an effort to provide a more dignified death. He types a suicide note to bolster the scenario. When the note is published in the school paper a post-death Cult of Kyle springs fort. In a plotline not dissimilar from the late-80’s classic HEATHERS (1989), the faculty and student body regard Kyle, a person universally reviled before his death, as a deep, and misunderstood individual. For the 1st time Lance is receiving praise for his writing under the guise of his son’s suicide note, craving more recognition, and perhaps wanting to rewrite his sons tarnished image, he pens a fictional diary in his departed son’s name, it becomes a sensation. Williams character comes across sympathetically, and the fraud perpetrated feels more a way of dealing with loss than the need to receive recognition for his own writings, but it’s borderline, and the line is crossed several times throughout as he strives to fulfill his own needs. The comedy is dark and sardonic, bitterly humorous and at times poignantly touching. Many kudos to director Bobcat Glodthwait whom has directed several other films; SHAKES THE CLOWN (1991), SLEEPING DOGS LIE (2006), and WINDY CITY HEAT (2003) – none of which I’ve seen, but are on my shortlist of films to see, now. The finale is satisfying, though not as dark as one would assume, I think.

“You guys didn't like Kyle. That's okay. I didn't either. I loved him. He was my son. But he was also a douchebag.” – Lance Clayton/Robin Williams

DVD: WORLD’S GREATEST DAD is released by Magnolia Pictures. The DVD sports a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation, 5.1 surround audio. Special features include a commentary from writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait, Behind the Scenes featurette, Outtakes & Deleted Scenes, HDNET: A Look at World’s Greatest Dad, and a Deadly Syndrome music video. Pretty well-stocked package, indeed.

VERDICT: I highly recommend WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, what an introduction to the writer/director prowess of Bobcat Goldthwait, whom you probably recall as Cadet Zed from the POLICE ACADEMY films, who woulda thunkit? You also get a terrific dramatic performance from Robin Williams. This is savage, darkly funny comedy along the lines of Alexander Payne’s ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002) or Todd Solondz’s STORYTELLING (2001), pretty amazing stuff. ****1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)