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Having the opportunity to review movies
and DVDs has a two-fold benefit on my entertainment
life. First, it’s cool to get DVDs
in all the time of all of the big studio
films that we all love and (sometimes) loathe.
But the bigger benefit is being able to
review a lot of independent films. Films
made by filmmakers who don’t have
multi-million dollar budgets and don’t
have to cow-tow to the studio suits who
throw in their two cents to make sure the
movie is profitable as opposed to entertaining.
With that in mind, I should mention that
a lot of these films are not very good.
Some are downright bad. But the aforementioned
benefit arises from those gems that I come
across. Independent films whose director
has an artistic vision that delivers great
entertainment. Most recently, I came across
little known film called, “Red Victoria.”
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I was intrigued when I first heard of it, as
it was being billed as a horror comedy. I love
horror films… wait… I should say I
love GOOD horror films, of which there are few.
“Red Victoria” interested me in part
because it purported to mix in some comedy, and
even more so because the story sounded downright
interesting. So I got myself a copy and settled
down one night to watch, and was not in the least
disappointed.
“Red Victoria” introduces us to ‘Jim’
(Anthony Brownrigg), a screenwriter looking to
make that big score, get his name on the map,
and get enough cash to pay the bills. But while
he would rather focus on movies that have meaning
and will move people, his agent is telling him
that if he wants to make real money… he
needs to write a horror film. Disgusted, Jim initially
rebuffs him… only to give in and try his
hand at the one genre he wanted to keep at arm’s
length.
The problem is… he knows nothing of horror.
So his failed attempts to write a horror film
drive him to call on his friend Carl (Edward Landers),
a self-proclaimed horror aficionado. Unfortunately,
Carl’s lessons on horror do nothing to release
Jim’s ‘inner monster.’ But an
unexpected visitor late one night… does.
Enter Victoria (Arianne Martin), a mysterious
zombie-like creature who offers to be Jim’s
muse. Well, offer may not be the right word…
more like forces herself on Jim to be his muse.
Thinking he has gone crazy, he tries to turn
down the decayed (though somehow disturbingly
lovely) Victoria. But once he realizes he cannot
get rid of her so easily, partially gives in.
That’s when the ‘fun’ begins.
Between his friends dropping like flies and every
lame attempt at ‘exorcising’ Victoria
falling flat… he experiences a spiraling
descent into madness.
This description on “Red Victoria”
might lead one to think that it is a straight-forward
horror film. But it is much more than that. Anthony
Brownrigg, our ill-fated Jim, not only stars in
the film but also wrote, directed, edited and
had a hand in just about every aspect of the filmmaking
process. And in doing so, he delivered a frightfully
funny, decidedly poignant and completely entertaining
independent film. The script is terrific, full
of great dialogue that had me laughing most of
the time, yet when there were somber moments they
really made me feel for the characters. Especially
Jim, in the moment where he faces down his demon
muse.
Of course, a good script is nothing without good
actors. And that is exactly what Brownrigg casted
in “Red Victoria.” Occasionally you
might see one of the actors slip a little and
we’d see what we normally see in low-budget
independent films. But it was rare. Landers reminded
me so much of my horror-fan friends as he appeared
to be born to play that type of role. Arianne
Martin was far from just another pretty face.
Her portrayal of Victoria was (forgive the pun)…
dead perfect. Most of the time she was a sarcasm
spouting siren, blood dripping down her zombified
face, but there were moments where she was actually
able to make you feel for Victoria despite herself.
And those few times where she was supposed to
be slyly scary? Well, she hit those notes as well.
Usually when you have a film where the director
is also the star (and everything else), there
is an area where they fall short. There may be
some ego at work and it generally shows in the
acting. Not so with Anthony Brownrigg. He carries
the film with aplomb. His delivery of dialogue
is seamlessly mixed with his body language and
posture and never fails to seem natural. He is
funny without ever going over the top and nails
his more serious moments. I’m really looking
forward to seeing him in other productions.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Red Victoria.”
Good story, good acting and very good effects
considering how little the film was made for.
There were also little things that made the film
work for me that bear mentioning. One in particular
involves Carl poking his finger into Victoria’s
eye (a nifty effect by the way), which is immediately
followed by a conversation between he and Jim
where Carl starts to bring his finger up to Jim’s
eye only to be slapped away. It’s a tiny
little moment that you might even miss, but caused
me to howl with laughter. “Red Victoria”
is full of little offhand moments like these and
I loved it all the more for them.
“Red Victoria” is available on DVD
from Well Go USA and I’m happy to report
there are some really good extra features on it.
The commentary is extremely light hearted. Nobody
gushes on anybody else like you usually get from
other commentaries. It’s well worth a listen
if you enjoy the movie. The behind the scenes
featurette offers a lot of interviews and some
good information for young filmmakers. You even
get a little bit of special effects 101 and get
to see how a couple of the effects were done.
There is also a very long blooper reel, which
I thoroughly enjoyed. I never get enough of bloopers.
“Red Victoria” is a surprisingly
good horror comedy. But I will warn hardcore horror
fans. It is not a gore fest, and it should not
be. If you’re only looking for blood and
guts, you won’t get that here. If you are
looking for a well-made, well-thought out horror
comedy then you’ve come to the right place.
Directed by: Anthony Brownrigg
Starring: Anthony Brownrigg, Arianne Martin, Miles
Brennan, Christian Taylor
Extras: Super Extended Blooper Reel, Behind the
Scenes Featurette, Visual FX, Deleted Scenes,
Director’s Commentary
Specifications: Widescreen, Stereo
Studio: Well Go USA
Release Date: 2/10/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.wellgousa.com
http://www.redvictoriathemovie.com/
We'll give Red Victoria an A.
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