Tag: Kristian Bruun

RED ROVER – Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek

RED ROVER premieres On Demand May 12 from Indiecan Entertainment.

Red Rover is not a film about traveling to Mars. Instead, it is a film about a man named Damon (Kristian Bruun) who is living in the basement of his ex-girlfriend. Eventually, he meets Phoebe (Cara Gee), a fantasy woman, who pushes him out of his everyday routine by proposing he join the Mars project. 

Red Rover didn’t need to be about traveling to Mars.  When you’re working within the framework of the independent film, the budget simply doesn’t exist to create a larger film with a lot of VFX work. Unfortunately, Red Rover is just a horribly derivative version of a “man getting back his mojo” movie. 

The above-average aspects of the piece do show at least a little inventiveness, though. Shane Belcourt directs the film well and the actors are all in for the haphazard storyline. Brunn turns in a largely thankless performance that does its best to reconcile some of the cringy dialogue. On top of that, the concept of a major Mars mission being a transitional phase for somebody’s life isn’t a bad idea. The same goes for a pretty good set up and pay off of Damon’s metal detector search on the beach each day. At the moments when Damon chooses to change, the film actually comes alive. The problem is that often there’s not a choice to what Damon is doing. 

Red Rover often robs Damon of his own agency, while not giving Phoebe any valuable agency of her own. Phoebe exists within the narrative simply to change Damon. Any type of characterization given to her doesn’t rise above the typically adolescent fantasy of the girl who simply has only your interests in mind…and sings cute indie music, It’s a truly unfortunate trope that was long ago pushed to the point of parody. As mentioned above, the dialogue often reads as the cringey fantasy of someone hoping for Phoebe to show up, not something Phoebe would actually say. 

While not a complete loss, Red Rover is just another high concept romantic drama in a sea that can’t manage to transcend the common problem of character agency. There are some moments of interesting change, but they are not profound. They don’t ring true. They are as far away as Mars. 

READY OR NOT – Review

The things we do for family. While men and women joyfully head into a new life together after marriage, sometimes that new life isn’t so apparent because of the truth hidden at the altar. Wealth, tradition, deceit, and terrible in-laws are the players in this dark satire that doesn’t so much push the envelope as it does push a self-aggrandizing message.

READY OR NOT follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition: a lethal game of “Hide & Seek.” In this version of the game, the bride is the one being hunted, having to prove her worth and entry into the family while the others hunt her down with rifles, crossbows, and antique pistols. To the family’s surprise, as dawn draws closer, soon everyone is fighting for their survival.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett play their cards a little early and don’t have that exciting of a hand at that. Guy Busick & Ryan Murphy’s script is quick to get into the game, failing to create any preliminary sense of intrigue or suspense around the family. The script and the directing seem to be a little at odds with each other, each making a move in a different direction. The tone and style tend to lean too serious while the script often goes towards more silly and physical comedy. Many scenes fail to find the right balance – the dark humor lacks bite and wit with the horror elements that aren’t as thrilling as they should be. READY OR NOT may not be very clever, but it delivers a Grand-Guignol finale that horror fans will relish.

Thankfully, Samara Weaving as our blood-splattered bride more than makes up for the film’s shortcomings. Her ability to transform from the terrified hunted to embracing the sinister game with a sly smirk makes her physical performance equally charming as it is twisted. One scene, in‌ ‌particular, involving a bullet-wound that comes in handy will make audiences both squirm and howl at her expense. Who is just as stellar is Adam Brody and his pitch-perfect deadpan delivery. His appearance in horror-comedies like this and JENNIFER’S BODY should have every horror producer chomping at the bit to include him. 

In the end, READY OR NOT is a polished and moderately fun game that’s worth playing, despite its uneven and unclever approach to the conceit. The film not so subtly shines a critical light on the ridiculousness of the wealthy and the pointlessness of the ritual of marriage, but even its pointed messaging seems like a dull blade in a story that often feels routine despite bodies and blood painting the walls.

Overall score: 2.5 out of 4

READY OR NOT opens in theaters August 21st