- SCREAM FOR ME
By John Oak Dalton
Apr 26, 2005, 09:18
Running Time: 22 minutes
Writer/Director: Christopher Alan Broadstone
Featuring Tony Simmons and Gabriel Sigal
Availability Information: www.blackcabproductions.com
A psychopath rapes and kills a woman in her apartment, and finishes his grisly work just as a more deranged killer stops by intent on the same job. But as the second killer prefers his victims live, he decides he has to get by on what is on hand, promptly putting his predecessor through the same paces in Christopher Alan Broadstone’s grim short Scream For Me.
Broadstone is the master of the claustrophobic, nightmare setting, as seen in My Skin (reviewed on this site) and others, and this short is enhanced further by clammy 16mm shooting and giallo-flavored colored gels. Combined with a bruising performance from Tony Simmons—all mirrored shades and 70s sideburns and backwoods drawl—Scream For Me seems to have vomited forward from a 70s grindhouse cinema somewhere.
Simmons, as usual, is a real find; his ravaged face and savage mannerisms are at the rotted core of Scream For Me and Broadstone’s other work. He is, perhaps, the most talented actor I have seen at this level, and the last person I would like to see walking towards me on a sidewalk. Gabriel Sigal carries off a difficult role as the weaker of the two killers with sweaty, boggle-eyed aplomb.
But despite its technical expertise and top-notch performances, I felt diminished for having seen Scream For Me. By not offering redemption, or frankly any real reason, for the actions displayed, I was left as a viewer with a sort of grubby prurience for having born witness to the senseless violence. Fans of “extreme cinema” will undoubtedly rate this short higher; the average viewer will leave feeling a bit worse for wear.
Three stars.- -
- http://www.microcinemascene.com/artman/publish/review_scream_for_me.php
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- MY SKIN!
By John Oak Dalton
Apr 8, 2005, 07:35
Running Time: Approximately 15 minutes
Writer/Director: Christopher Alan Broadstone
Featuring Tony Simmons
Availability Information: www.blackcabproductions.com
A young woman has been murdered in a crime of passion, and Death stops by to take the victim into the afterlife; but, upon arrival, Death finds out that the woman was taken too soon, and now his ledger is out of balance. Infuriated by the paperwork, Death methodically begins to unravel the seemingly perfect crime and plant clues—from dredging the murder weapon out of a lake to writing a confession in the murderer’s own handwriting—to set the books right once more.
Genuinely original and offbeat, Christopher Alan Broadstone’s short My Skin is anchored with a memorable performance by Tony Simmons in what amounts to be a single, corrosive monologue on one set. Simmons’ lurching, simmering Death, all gravelly-voiced and scrabbling tics, imbues the short with crackling energy.
High-end production values and a chilling score suffuse the short with dread, and Broadstone’s great shooting, editing, and post-production elements really make this short a cut above. Set design and costuming especially are at Hollywood levels, while retaining indie street cred in dialogue and plotting; an admirable balancing act. My Skin has made the rounds on the festival circuit, deservedly so, and is worth seeking out.
Four stars- -
- http://www.microcinemascene.com/artman/publish/review_my_skin.php
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- HUMAN NO MORE
By John Oak Dalton
May 9, 2005, 08:40
Running Time: 17 minutes
Writer/Director: Christopher Alan Broadstone
Featuring Tony Simmons
Availability Information: www.blackcabproductions.com
A detective faces a devastating loss, and rails against humanity, in Christopher Alan Broadstone’s interesting but ultimately cryptic short Human No More.
As in his other shorts (My Skin and Scream For Me, reviewed on this site), Broadstone is best at cramped quarters, a single set blanketed in dread. Much of the short is direct address, as the always-riveting Tony Simmons delivers his views to a video camera he is recording his thoughts on, while at the periphery some evil presence lurks and waits to strike.
Broadstone’s strength is in production design, with great shooting, lighting, and sound mixing in evidence throughout; as well as his working relationship with Tony Simmons, a remarkably versatile actor with all of the range and presence of anyone in Hollywood today. Broadstone’s acid-etched script blisters when performed by Simmons, and he is a great compliment to Broadstone’s vision.
What exactly Broadstone’s vision was in this instance remains a bit maddening; after a rage-fueled build-up, the story goes out with a bit of a shrug; in a way, Human No More almost seems like the opening minutes of a really good supernatural/noir feature. But I give credit to Broadstone for his top-shelf production work and his knockout leading man, and continue to look for more from this outstanding tandem.
Three stars.- http://www.microcinemascene.com/artman/publish/review_human_no_more.php
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