Feature Film ReviewFilm Info:
Two hit men who are assigned to help take out a witness, are met with unexpected obstacles when they arrive at the scene. Written By: Chris Schramm Directed By: Chris Schramm Genre: Comedy 10 Minutes ON FACEBOOK
ON TWITTER ON iMDB HOMEPAGE WATCH TRAILER WATCH MOVIE |
Picking up on similarities from other films almost always happens, with any film. It's only every now and then a truly original piece of work comes out from anyone. That's the case here with "Brains" from writer/director Chris Schramm. With Pulp Fiction running through my mind almost from the get-go, I couldn't help but wonder how much originality could be crammed into a ten minute film, when two minutes into it I was thinking of another. Let's cut to the point and say although similarities exist with the characters in this film, enough unique elements exist to easily pass off the less original ones. Let me be equally honest when I write that I actually really enjoyed this short film. The parallels that exist are original enough to simply capture the essence of another film perhaps, yet the original nature helps create some very cool characters. As I said, just try to create a character that hasn't been done already. Very... very hard. As a short film standing on it's own merits however, "Brains" doesn't let you down. It's funny, hip and just damn entertaining; but if you're expecting zombies... not quite.
Although not a technical marvel by any stretch; there's enough good work to more than compensate for anything that may be considered sub-par. Mainly the actors themselves, with the help of some sharp writing, pull this short well past the average mark. With some technical fixes this piece would be that much better. Mainly the color. The final grade of the film seems all over the place. Shots will have a nice look to them and the very next shot will be purple. Not that purple is bad... but it is when the shot right before it was orange. "Brains" is full of this type of technical stuff that honestly brings the viewer right out of the film. Audio, although not overly bad suffers from a few volume and tone issues from time to time. Mainly, this is all standard indie staples. You pretty much come to expect them. However, the majority of "Brains" could be fixed with just the coloring itself. Everything else is pretty damn good. As I wrote above, the acting and pacing were nice, as was the edit of the film. Slick and sharp. This is one of those short films that sells itself on the character banter and odd situation. As soon as the leads open up and begin speaking... you're listening and usually smiling. Could this really be the way hit-men talk? The only piece of the puzzle this short film is missing is some good PR. Anything really. If Chris Schramm could package this all up and promote it... we could have one hell of a winner here. Market to the people with... an odd sense of humor and the sky is the limit. A few interesting and funny scenes will stick in your head long after the film is over, and as for the ending... Ha ha is all I'll reveal! Running at around ten minutes you'll have no excuse to miss this one when you can see it. You'll laugh, you'll groan... and maybe... just maybe... you'll scratch your head when you realize this isn't a film about zombies. -JT Other Reviews That May Interest You
|