Short Review: Orlock {{2011}}

There is something about Indie movies that hold a bit more passion than the regular movies can produce.  

Orlock

~~Warning Spoilers Ahead~~
Filmed in the classic 1930's Sephia.  Our film opens a candlelit alter with a skull and as character Amy Smith {Lori Pirone} drinking from a glass.  It gives that feel of the classic film of telling the story through word cards.   It gives the air that Amy has tried this before of calling the mysterious Count Orlock.
Amy grows weary of waiting and heads for bed.  If you ask me, why the hell would any woman wait for a blood sucker, but there is women like Amy that will offer their souls just be one of the undead.  Amy grows tired and removes her little robe and heads to bed.  The cards inform us that it has been hours since she went to bed.  

You was stood up {{just kidding}}

I know I am an evil person and when reading "Why hasn't he come for me?" My response would be that evil whisper in her ear....cause he doesn't like you, but that wouldn't be very nice to Amy.
Count Graf Orlock {Michael Licatese} finally arrives giving off that creepy stalker vibe by looking through the window.  I must say Orlock was very plump, maybe do to all the people he has been eating.  In a very sexual appearance that Orlock has Amy under his vampire control.   She of course allows the vampire to feed on her.  He drains enough of her, but waits to see if she will awaken as a vampire.
There is some comedic undertones to it as she touches herself, her teeth and sees Orlock standing there in her room.  Yet she got her wish as becoming a vampire.
Of course with any natural woman who lost her undead virginity, unable to believe this is real.  Orlock let's her know that she will be living forever but having to feed off people. It does give that people to fantasize about vampires but could you feed off the living?? It could be fruitful until you get staked in the heart by Buffy.  

~Production Notes~
Written & Directed by Kevin Forte.  Forte Films has produced 3-short films and have accumulated their props between the 3-short films worth around $2 grand.  


~Ask the Director~
Hellz Writer:  What inspired you to write about Orlock?

Kevin: My friend who plays Orlock, Michael Licatese, has a Orlock mask and I wanted to make a short film out of it. Plus "Nosferatu" is my favorite silent film of all time. Which is the reason why I filmed it not just in black & white, but silent as well. Many people love the original 1922 horror classic and I knew that this will drawn them in. I wrote the script in one night with no sleep and began filming in May of 2010. It took longer to film due to a change of an actress. In the end I succeeded making this short and I hope to make the sequel soon.

Hellz Writer: Did you find it difficult to produce a short film??

Kevin: It's a big challenge, I'll tell you that. You gotta figure out when to film, having the right cast, and location scouting. I'm still on the verge of getting everything ready for "Last Laugh 2" but having issues there. Getting a budget for an indie project is not easy. I even tried a donation page earlier this year for "Last Laugh 2" and it didn't go so well. But I'm not giving up on it. This is my dream and nothing will get in my way.

Hellz Writer:  Is there any future projects in store for the audience??

Kevin: "Last Laugh 2" for one. Plus I had this idea for years that I wanna film about 4 serial killers talking about their murders while playing poker. I call it "Cards And Death." I wanna actually make that into a full length indie film. Then there's this idea for a weekly horror talk show with me and many other horror fans just discussing about the world of horror today. But the horror web series is the most that I wanna do. For now it's untitled. But It's about two demonic sin reapers name Jared Scrimm and Pandora Craine, who are called by dead souls that can't find peace until the ones that harm them pay for their sins. I have more ideas in the making. But those three ideas are my top ones.

You may find films directed by Kevin Forte:
Youtube channel
Forte Films


~Final Thoughts~
The short film has been a very cute tale told through the classic filming.  No speech, word cards, jumpy film, Sepia tones and of course the women wishing to be vampires.  In the start of the film, you see candles and a skull and are giving the illusion of the 1930 film set up till there was signs of modernization.  There is no major gore, but yet it was refreshing because too many people have nailed for over amounts of gore.  Yes, the short keeps you glued to it because of the word cards, forcing you to use your senses instead of relying on hearing.  It was well-done. 

~Rating~
Rating system is based on individual movies.

~Hellz Writer~

Film Review: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night {{2011}}

I am a sucker for dark comedies.  It's something about them that just screams funny in a demented sort of way.  I have been a fan of Brandon Routhe and there is times that he reminds me of Christopher Reeves with the way he talks and facial expressions.  Then there is Sam Hunington, I love how he portrayed a werewolf in "Being Human".  There is something about this actor that screams adorable puppy-dog.  Brandon and Sam have worked together before in Superman Returns.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

~~Warning Spoilers Ahead~~
The movie opens with a nice upbeat music.Based in New Orleans, Louisiana where you see a big white house. Inside the house is a woman, Elizabeth Ryan {{Anita Briem}}making dinner for her father and herself.  Naturally and cliche something bad happens to daddy.  Elizabeth runs upstairs and a big hairy monster crashes through the window.  My thing is who the hell has that many stuffed animals in a house?? Nice way to start a movie.  At least the werewolf didn't look like a carpet creature.
It moves on to the swooning voice of Dylan Dog {{Brandon Routhe}}giving a narration.  The once appointed Detective of the undead is now doing the dirty private investigator where cheating husbands pay handsomely.  Seriously if you get paid really well....why the hell do you have a shitty office.  The bubbly Marcus Deckler {{Sam Huntington}}comes in trying to give business advice to Dylan.
Yes, I love the charisma of the two, but the cliche of the Anti-hero dealing with something from his past where his little quirky and comedic relief side kick trying to bring him back into the world of the living or sort of speaks.  Marcus tells Dylan about a woman that calls him.  Moving along to Elizabeth where she tells Dylan about the mysterious beast that killed her father.  Dylan is reluctant to take the job resulting in a minor disagreement between him and Marcus.
A little more narration and it shows "Corpus House", the main vampire headquarters where they are peddling vampire blood as a drug.  Vargas {{Taye Diggs}} is informed about the recent murder and that they caught wind of the heart.  Oh that sounds ominous.  Back at the office Marcus is apologizing for over stepping his bounds.  Granted Marcus meets an untimely end.  Forcing Dylan to take the case.
He returns to Elizabeth's house and explains to her that the creature that killed her father was a werewolf, more than ever a female werewolf.  He explains to her about the werewolf hairs and stuff.  Somewhat tedious, but he is being thorough.  In his study he finds out that it's part of Gabriel Cysnos {{Peter Stormare}}clan.  So he goes over there to investigate.  Dylan gets in a bit of a tiff with Gabriel's son Wolfgang {{Kurt Angle}}and I will say that the CGI of the face was pretty bad.  Of course naturally Dylan uses silver to whoop Wolfgang's ass. And yet he finds a lead to Gabriel's daughter.
Dylan finds a very dead lead.  He reports back to Elizabeth, who seems to be hiding the secret that her father was a collector of sorts.   Granted the vampires ambush Elizabeth's house.
I understand that movies are needed to keep the pace.  If the vampires had ambushed Elizabeth's house before Dylan got there.  Naturally all the investigations happen more at night.  Oh come on!! Of course with any movie...either it be anit-hero or not.  They seem to rescue the girl, but of course Dylan has some one-liners and quirky ways of rescuing.
Dylan and Elizabeth have a talk about the creatures and how he was appointed to be the neutral party in protecting both the undead and the living.  Elizabeth seems to be curious and at the same time cautious about how she ended up in this world. For me as a writer, there is something funny about Elizabeth
Dylan figures that the thing that killed Gabriel's daughter and Marcus was a huge zombie.  Dylan had a hunch and finds out that Marcus turns into a zombie.  Granted I love the zombies in this movie.  They are able to talk and crack jokes.  It makes you wonder who is a talking zombie and who is a homeless loser....lol.  Dylan takes his friend, Marcus to a body shop to get some work done, since he is missing an arm.
Big Al informs Dylan about a monster hunter and warns Dylan to be careful.  The plot gets thicker as the Vampires are wanting to this heart that the werewolf managed to kill off this guy for.  Dylan explains to Marcus that he is a zombie.  Marcus is the comedic relief in this movie.  It is funny to see him deal with this whole undead thing.
The story does keep a single pace where Dylan gets closer to finding the truth.  I love the big ass zombie, granted I think they could have done a bit better with the effects.  Kind of like Mike Tyson of zombies.  Dylan goes chasing more dead-end leads....literally since they are undead....lol.  Where Marcus gives more comic relief over his zombie state.  I think throughout this entire movie.  Marcus trying to cope with being an undead was the best part.
The closer Dylan gets trying to find who killed Marcus and Elizabeth's father...the more he gets tangled into the world he tried to leave behind.  Yet, it was proven to be a great weave as far as a supernatural detective, comedy should go.  Dylan goes to an old friend, Borelli {{Marco St. John}}, who gives him a history lesson about this heart. We finally find out the big ass, Mike Tyson zombie is being controlled by some vampire blood.  There is more to the story as it unfolds.
Dylan is led to believe that it's someone else.  Sort of  making him an irrational and overly emotional detective.  Granted the obvious cliche is that the antihero gets too close and puts himself in danger.  Which we find our that Elizabeth is a monster hunter.....oh oh!!  In a way, you had to see that coming.  She changes Vargas in Belial.  This is where I became disappointed in the movie.  If you can hire several awesome actors for this movie and yet your CGI looks like crap...come on!!  The CGI crap is the biggest beef I have with this movie.  The practical effects were decent, and yet they couldn't get the monster in the suit looking right??  I think they could have done that and put the creature on a wire or something.  Hell....Jeepers Creepers 2 had better winged effects.
I did find certain parts of this movie to be funny.  Alright only the Marcus parts were funny and I did love the one liners that was given to Dylan.  Overall, I am hoping that they will do a sequel just to see what they do.


~~Production Notes~~
Based on the comic by Tiziano Sclavi and written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. Directed by Kevin Munroe. The film was produced by several independent film companies Hyde Park Entertainment, Platinum Studios and Omnilab Media.  It's budget was $20 million dollars and only grossed $4 million dollars worldwide. Not good if you ask me.  Especially with the digital effects being pretty choppy on Belial and Wolfgang.

~Overall rating~
based on the fact that they tried to market it as an Indie and yet...I smelled big budget like $20 million. 





~Hellz Writer~