Fitful

Clever and engaging; watch every moment carefully to get the most out of the piece. The details matter. It's fun trying to make sense of the neo-Gothic journey the heroine takes. She willingly enters a world that is visually impressive, spooky, surreal. I was disappointed in the original film's ending and a few of the plot points leading up to it. I didn't predict it for the simple reason that I could not believe so predictable a conclusion for an otherwise engrossing film. Then I saw the revamped version. The retooling pays off; Deadrise tells a stronger, albeit darker, story, and so it is a better movie than in its first incarnation. The acting, which is a bit campy or stagy at times, generally serves the film well and is even quite compelling in places. The characters fit the action, the cinematography is stunning, and a better set would be hard to find. In order to preserve the suspense, I am unwilling to say much more about the plot details, which a movie-goer can find in other reviews. Having come up myself with a more satisfying conclusion to the original film, I'm happy to report that I don't even remember now what it was. Deadrise ends in just the right key.

Although Rich Brauer can be considered a Michigan filmmaker, DEADRISE will appeal to anyone who likes mysteries, or those with a warped sense of humor. Paula goes through a series of odd events while she is trying to get some rest on-board an out-of-service transport ship, that she is inspecting for the Historic trust. Is Captain Vigs who he says he is? Is Paula really dreaming or is this reality? What is really going on here? These are the questions you'll ask yourself as you watch DEADRISE. Although some may compare this to INCEPTION or another Nolan directed film MOMENTO, it is an original, unique and strangely compelling movie experience. I don't recommend this movie for people who do not like eels or big, spooky ships.

I give it 7 out of 10 not because it was that appealing to me, but because I think it set out trying to be "something", and whatever that "something" is, it did a fairly good job. For my own taste preferences, I'd rate it at maybe a 4 or a 5.

It's about a woman called to do a report on an old ship to see if it qualifies for "historical site" status. Once there, a piano falls on her car & she can't leave. She meets creepy caretaker Vigs who's clearly at least mildly retarded (in the technical sense of the term, not the derogatory one). Through a chain of events with unexpected details but easily predictable results, she's forced to stay the night on the ship. She's awakened to some strange noises and then her nightmare begins. She keeps experiencing the strangest encounters with Vigs and an occasional 2nd dude (Semperton, who appears in all of 2 scenes), suddenly finding herself waking up just as the scene reaches a climax. From this point on, you won't know if she's really waking up this time, or if it's another dream sequence beginning.

Revealing more than that would be spoiler territory. There are icky scares, startle scares, gotcha' scares and a few others, many involving repeated loops, funky-tasting "sausage" and blood-sucking parasitic eels.

It's very difficult to grasp what is -really- happening, here. When it ended, I felt no sense of completion. If you're very attentive to detail and quick of wit, you might be able to get it the first time. But I had to do a second viewing (in parts, that is - skimming through the movie to see if I could find scenes to explain the questions I have). After that, I did finally manage to work out what happened, and can tell you that everything you need to know to put all the pieces together for yourself happens within the first 10-15 minutes. Everything after that seems to flow from the various elements of those first few scenes.

I recommend it if you like puzzlers, though it is very slow-paced. It's not "non-stop thrills & chills" by any stretch, but it is non-stop "creepy and ominous". It's also quite likely that you won't quite grasp the full details of events on a first viewing either, which if that's the case, you can probably get all your questions answered by watching just the first few scenes again - everything up to her drive on the way to the ship. If you pay attention to those scenes carefully enough, I think you'll be able to put it all together.

That's not for everyone, though - that's more than just watching a movie, that's also solving it.

About the only thing I would've really changed (other than perhaps making the opening few clues a bit more noticeable) would be Paula's confusion with the repeating dream sequences. But then again, it was pretty much like a real dream tends to unfold - you wake up and think you're in the real world, only to wake up again. I do this over and over again sometimes, and sometimes, I'll believe I've awakened "for real" every single time, and not be too bothered by the repeated awakenings. So that aspect of it - it would've seemed more logical if that "bothered" her in some way, but yet it technically is more realistic that it didn't.

So like I said, not for everyone but engaging for more thoughtful, speculative movie watchers.

There are so many ways people may fritter away excess time. Watching trash television. Trimming ones toenails. Checking up on old rivals on FaceBook. Ridding their refrigerators of green, fuzzy, slimy things. Smoothing out and folding used pieces of tissue paper. Organizing ones music collection alphabetically (or by genre and then alphabetically). Please believe me when I tell you that all of these things are preferable to wasting even a moment of your life watching this movie.

The storyline is non-existent. It isn't suspenseful – it is irritating. I spent most of the film waiting for a climax that never happened. The characters have no depth and no redeeming value. The wardrobe is dated and odd (I thought it was impossible to make Renee O'Connor look frumpy but it is apparently achievable). Overall the movie is aesthetically unappealing: poor camera work, halting timing, and terrible direction are at the core of the long list of problems.

Deadrise is a case study in what a narcissist who isn't the slightest bit creative or talented may churn out given the time, space and finances to do so. If pumping out garbage like this is what the Michigan film incentive is enabling, then I say do away with it quickly.

Even though our films are small, we compete with mainstream filmmaking, without the resources, so we make films that Hollywood won't. That's the independent spirit. When we offer sneak preview of our new films, we run the risk of the audience thinking that it is the final cut. We listen to the audience react (or not) and make changes as we feel are consistent with the temperament of the film. Having said that, anyone who saw the unreleased sneak preview version of Deadrise, then titled FITFUL, really needs to see the final released product. There are no dogs anymore, and the ending has been changed from a "Oh, you got me" to a "DAM!". The dream sequences have new meaning, and our main character Paula, has a considerably bigger surprise waiting for her at the end of the film. Additional final tweaks also included enhanced music and sound. It is safe to say that the entire context of this non-traditional suspense thriller has been nicely modified prior to its final worldwide release as DEADRISE.