Disc Type

I can’t be the only one who is a little relieved that Hollywood has finally decided to stop churning out found-footage films.  This is not me saying I have anything against the genre; when it is well done, the end result is something I will happily consume and enjoy re-watching.  The first Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project are the films that shine, because they gave us a familiar story but presented it to the audience in a way we haven’t seen before.  There have been several successful found-footage films, but only a few that I feel will stand the test of time (at least in film history amongst geeks), and Followers is surprisingly a film I’d rank high on that list.  This isn’t some endorsement because it was made basically in our hometown, but the film manages to utilize the familiar concept and flip it in a way that is not only unique but is relevant to today’s culture that is obsessed with social media.

The film’s opening scene is one of my only major complaints, where it gives too much away as we see a jogger Facetiming her friend and suddenly attacked.  In most horror films, getting that opening stinger to get the audience’s heart pumping is usually a good thing, but here I feel it takes away from the slow-burn effect the film has on the audience.  We now know to anticipate someone being in the woods, which I understand could be their intention to help create a sense of dread … but we are going into this knowing it’s a horror film; the dread is already in place.

Often times, biographical documentaries are release posthumously, essentially immortalizing the spirit of the subject. In the case of Shadowman, street artist Richard Hambleton remained alive to be featured in the documentary and see his work be shared at a number of festivals before his death in October of 2017. Now, thanks to Storyville Films, you can take a look at the life and work of Richard Hambleton, as he emerges from the shadows – so to speak. Quite figuratively working in the shadows of other giants such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton is quite the understated artist. This documentary explores his life and his art, and more importantly, how the two communicate with one another.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this documentary is the way in which we actually get to see footage of Hambleton working on his pieces, and just the pieces themselves. Every bit of his art is awe inspiring, so much so that it looks unbelievable. That is, until you see him do it right in front of you. One of the most breath-taking sequences shown in this documentary features Hambleton being filmed by someone at night, creating one of his famous “shadowmen” on the side of a wall in New York. The swiftness and accuracy of getting this piece to completion is astounding. Unfortunately, this was the only known clip of him creating one of these figures, so the documentary uses it more than once. While it is fun to watch, the way in which they use it the second time seems more like a lazy bit of “filler footage” rather than something that carried weight in the rhetoric of the film.

Nails. This right here is an ongoing struggle between me and my wife. As a man, I do not understand the significance of spending money on something that you can do yourself. Not to mention, I can tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for not noticing when she goes to get a manicure and pedicure. In fact, I honestly don’t really know the difference between the two. Needless to say, a television show that revolved around a nail salon was not going to resonate with me. Fortunately, Claws had other things to grab onto, such as the inner workings of a criminal enterprise for which the nail salon is a cover. So I went into the story with reservations that were immediately melted away by the intriguing storyline. Furthermore, I was caught off guard by how many people I recognized; Niecy Nash, Harold Perrineau, Dean Norris, Carrie Preston, and many more.

Claws features Desna Simms (Nash), the proprietor of Nail Artisans, a nail salon in Manatee County, Florida. Desna dreams of building a better salon in a more profitable location. To that end, she allows her business to be used as a money laundering operation for the Husser Family, a criminal syndicate involved in the drug trade, led by Clay Husser, also known as “Uncle Daddy” (Dean Norris).  Events quickly spiral out of control for her when her lover and criminal contact Roller Husser (Jack Kesy) nearly beats her to death and she is saved by Roller’s mistress, Virginia (Karrueche Tran).  I must say, that is a powerful opening and does make for some good drama. For a majority of the opening episode, the two served naturally as antagonists. I mean, of course; what else could you possibly be to the woman who is sleeping with your boyfriend behind your back and attempts to muscle in on your salon business. However, her willingness to rescue Desna sets forth a different dynamic. However, don’t think that this single act made them fast friends, as they spend a great deal of the season butting heads, especially in regards to Desna’s brother Dean, played by Harold Perrineau.

When you watch a Western film, there are a certain number of elements that you subconsciously tick off in you head as the film plays out. There's the obvious traps of horses, six-guns, cowboy hats, saloons, and lawmen and outlaws. Gone Are the Days does a thorough job of checking each of those boxes as it goes along. But it tries to do some of the other things that make a Western worth watching above the crowded genre. Gone Are The Days fills the screen with some talented actors who deliver wonderfully nuanced characters. It would almost appear that you just couldn't ask any more from a relatively low-budget Western movie. The key word there is ... almost. The movie has all of the elements and strong performances, but somewhere along the way the film spends too much time telling a story it forgot to pack in the saddlebags. The result is an easy-to-watch film that you'll likely never pull off your video shelf again.

As the film begins we are introduced to elder bank robber Taylon, played by an elder Lance Henriksen. His doctor believes he's on his deathbed and leaves to get more medicine and a priest. But Taylon climbs out of that bed with nothing but the sheer will to keep going. If he doesn't, we have a rather short Western movie on our hands. Instead we get what soon feels like an overlong Western on our patience. Taylon begins to attempt the routine activities of a late 19th century life. As a montage this would have been an effective start to the film; however, director Mark Landre Gould wants us to feel the frustration and pain that Taylon feels, and the best way to do that is force us to linger on these sad attempts to do anything from going to the little cowboy's room to getting water from a well using an old broken pail. Gould should have realized he had an awesome actor in Henriksen, who is actually delivering the goods with his own body language, and he does it more efficiently, and more importantly, he delivers it faster. Fifteen minutes screen time and patent Taylon tries our patience.