The Civil Dead

A photographer finds the unwanted attentions of a ghost a bit much to handle.

Engaging buddy movie that has a similar feel to Sideways in its binding together of an odd couple. The principal actors are themselves the creators, so they carry this off perfectly in low-key style, and yet generate a mounting sense of jeopardy.

The cleverest element is in maintaining the ghostliness in the 'real' world, from the moment of the appartition's sly arrival and on through his lack of impact on the world - the stunt in the middle of the highway was particularly impressive.

And yet the ghost does have an impact during his moments of rage, so the ending felt premature: even as my brain was racing ahead to the final showdown, it was all over without uncovering how far each character would go to get his way. And the paedophile reference wasn't followed up - or maybe I missed it.

The performances are excellent, pace is good. LA looks its usual bleached-out self. And the music is pleasant.

Overall: Engaging slackers story slacked off in the end.

As I sat down to watch the 2023 comedy "The Civil Dead", I had never actually heard about it. I happened to stumble upon the movie by random luck, and thus, I opted to sit down and watch it.

However, writers Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas didn't exactly churn out some of the greatest material here. Sure, "The Civil Dead" was watchable, but it was a rather monotonous viewing experience. And for a movie, then the script was rather devoid of funny contents. And that made it even more of a drag to sit through, truth be told.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but usually a movie that stars the same people whom writers and directs the movie isn't a particularly good sign.

Sure, "The Civil Dead" was a fair attempt at making a movie, however, writers Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas just failed to entertain me with what they concocted here.

This is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I will recommend for comedy fans to rush out and get to watch.

My rating of "The Civil Dead" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Saw this at Florida Film Fest. If you ever get the feeling that many modern movies can be formulaic and uninspired - watch this. Your faith will be renewed.

Also the two main characters (who also wrote it) are funny as hell.

Slamdance Film Festival 2022 Greetings again from the darkness. What a terrific film to kick off this year's Slamdance festival! Writer-director Clay Tatum and co-writer Whitmer Thomas co-star in their own story that brings the "old" meaning of ghosting back to the forefront. But fear not, this is about as scary as the clip from the classic cartoon "Casper the Friendly Ghost" that's included. Rather than spooky horror, this is about comedic situations involving a particular ghost (not named Casper).

Clay (Tatum) is a frumpy slacker who fancies himself a photographer, but lacks the drive to market himself or his work. He does, however, think a different haircut might help, even if he wields the scissors himself. His wife Whitney (Whitney Weir) chuckles at the idea, but seems extremely supportive (or forgiving) of her husband's lack of effort in life. While Whitney's away on a business trip, Clay seizes the opportunity to eat and drink the hours away, somehow accomplishing less than he would on a typical day.

Displaying an unusual spark of inspiration, Clay crafts a scam to raise his share of the rent ... proving his lack of drive might actually be his finest quality. Later, while out taking pictures, Clay runs into his old friend Whit. They may be from the same hometown, but there is something a bit off in their re-connection. Clay tries to part ways, but Whit's having none of that - he's thrilled to be seen by his old buddy.

Robert Longstreet adds a jolt of energy in a poker sequence that evolves into a slow-motion booze-filled musical interlude. It's yet another example of Clay's moral compass, but most of the movie revolves around the interaction between Clay and Whit ... and that's fertile ground for some laughs and a premise that works pretty darn well. The filmmakers start us with a prologue with a bump in the night, though we aren't really allowed to understand it until near the end of the film. It's a nice start to the festival and an impressive project from the young filmmakers.

This movie was such a breath of fresh air, not just to the comedy genre but to the entire industry as well. What I liked the most about this film was that the director was generous in showing the entire experience of the characters. The production's 70's vibe and feel complemented really well with the theme. One cannot help but admire the friendship that the two characters. It seemed at the beginning that these two would be inseparable towards the end, until an unexpected twist took place. And the attitude of one of the characters served as clue to the occurrence of the said twist. It was entertaining and funny. A must-see for everyone.