Independent filmmakers, with terrific ideas, are always
faced with money issues. That is just
the way of the world.
Hang in there, there is a new release announcement
coming. We are not deliberately burying
the lede, but we want to make a point first before getting to the nuts and
bolts of Wild Eye Releasing’s latest DVD pronouncement.
It begins like this, the “Hollywood” studios green light
multi-million budget films that can be best described as nothing more than
repetitive drivel. Ouch! Yes, they are beautiful to look at and well-produced,
but when the film in question is nothing more than a “connecting” entry in a franchise
series — when two hours-plus has to be filled with CGI nothingness — it is not
only a cheat (rip-off), but it is downright cynical.
There are plenty of examples, but it would be in poor taste
to barf them up here (it is so tempting … oh so tempting).
In the indie world, the entire film budget could be the
amount of money spent feeding the cast and crew for just one day of a
“Hollywood” production. It is really
night and day — two very different worlds.
But, what makes this fascinating is that indie filmmakers
can deliver — on micro budgets — engaging, effective and entertaining films
that can be just as “good” (we use quotes there to emphasis that it is
relative) as their well-healed brethren.
You have to harken back to the days of Johannes Gutenberg
and his invention of the printing press.
Only the elites of the day could afford it, which meant they controlled
the means of information decimation.
These days, anyone can write and print a book on their
desktop computer. It doesn’t mean that
the book is worth reading — it might not be Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” (from
the days of Gutenberg) — but that it can be done by anyone.
That’s the point, the same holds true for filmmaking. Which brings us full circle back to the
“Hollywood” mega-budget productions and the indie world.
Indie filmmakers can make engaging, effective and
entertaining films that can rival, admittedly on different levels, the films of
those with the seemingly unlimited financial resources to make their
“blockbusters.” That scares people in
Hollywood half to death — an indie filmmaker does a feature film for under
$10,000 and they do one for $100,000,000 … and they both take up just as much
time to watch (and, presumably, enjoy).
Humans only have so much time.
On July 26 you have a prime example being released on
DVD. This would be director Brandon
Scullion’s Consumption, which began its long and torturous path to the
world of home entertainment back in 2013/14 as Live-in Fear.
The film begins with your standard “victim pool,” which is a
group (varying in sizes) of young and attractive teens or college-aged kids
going off somewhere alone for a period of time (weekend, week, whatever). Most, if not all, will end up dead by film’s
end.
In the case of Consumption, the victim pool is Mallory
(Arielle Brachfeld) Seth (David Lautman), Eric (Chris Dornan) and Becca (Sarah
Greyson), two couples out for some fun in the wintery mountains of Utah.
There are a couple of early signs that things will not go
well. First, they are alone — anyone
familiar with mountain resort areas in Utah during the winter knows that one of
the hardest things up there is finding a damn place to park. No problem for our fun-lovers, the place
they are going to hang out is deserted.
Second, the “caretakers,” especially the guy named Ferry
(Myles Cranford), who is toting an axe, warn them in various ways to
leave. A creepy guy with an axe saying
“leave” is another bad sign.
In just a matter of time the entire proceedings take on a
surreal tone. Seth’s got his
dismembered mom in the trunk (maybe, maybe not) and poor Mallory takes a
fascination with slicing up her arms.
Eric goes into vomiting spasms and eventually takes an interest in one
of Mallory’s arms as well. And, the
“caretakers” are actually a cult …
Consumption is dark, cold and creepy … and delivers exactly
what genre fans demand. These would be
CHILLS! The requisite amount of
GORE! And, a feeling of unrelenting
hopelessness; doom! Enjoy it on DVD
come July 26.
