directed by:
Harold Jackson written by: Harold Jackson genre: Thriller, Suspense. |
Okay, you got me. I'll be the first to admit when I'm wrong, and man, was I wrong about Harold Jackson's film "Gaslight." I figured it would be a decent enough movie and an excellent way to kill ninety minutes, but I had no idea I would be tuning the world out entirely for that hour and a half. I would love to say that I just happened to watch this film at the right time, or that the subject matter hit close to home but in fact? None of that is true. This was just a great movie. For me, "Gaslight" wasn't just a great micro-budget flick - it was simply a great movie. Period.
Jackson's movie focuses on young architect Brooke who is unfortunate enough to have come into a large sum of money due to her father's passing. Her musician husband seems delighted at this financial windfall, and eventually, we viewers tune into the fact that her husband Mathias may be up to something a little more than a large-scale basement studio renovation. Among other things, money begins vanishing from Brooke's accounts, and Mathias claims complete ignorance. But who else is there? And it's not like Mathias has been the perfect husband, right? Ever so slowly, I was made aware that another player, who at first seemed only interested in helping Brooke cope with her stressful life, was beginning to seem a little suspicious. Eventually, "Gaslight" circles back to make sense of what happened at the very start of the film, and by this time, I knew what was up - but did Brooke? Nope. She was going to have to find out the hard way. The short and sweet of this review? "Gaslight" is a great film - as if you didn't figure that out already. All the right bells are struck, and honestly? I couldn't have asked for more. Harold Jackson and his cast and crew have done some excellent work here. Truly. I'm always happy when I can write that I really, really enjoyed a film - especially when it's a micro-budget project. There's something satisfying about the notion that talent, motivation, and heart can compete with or even overtake the big cheeses of the studios. It's inspiring not just to other filmmakers but movie lovers alike. Within fifteen minutes of this film, I concluded that the acting was splendid - and wasn't disappointed when the credits began to roll. Again, reader, indie, and micro-budget films are often associated with bad acting but not in this case. Not at all.
But also worth noting is the writing itself. At first, I was a little unsure if the way the start of the film was done - was the right way but again, by the end, it feels like that was the only way. You'll have to watch the movie to understand exactly what I mean, but you'll instantly get it. But the pacing and the setups all worked like a charm, and the dialog itself? Pretty natural sounding. You mix good dialogue with some good actors, and everything usually falls into place. Right? The truth is that I don't really have much more to say, and I'm not saying that every bit of video and audio is perfect - but damn, this is a charmingly tense film. "Gaslight" isn't one of those movies you're either going to love or hate - I'm pretty sure most will love it ... at least, I did. But, as I wrote above, it's always such a great feeling to be able to write an excellent review for a great film—the best feeling. So, reader, if it makes me feel this good to write it, I'm sure that the entire team behind this movie will feel like all-around champs. And they should feel that way - this was a great film. |
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