Dark Reprieve

Richard Boddington has set the bar a little higher for independent movie makers with his first feature film, Dark Reprieve. This movie is a creepy thriller with numerous plot twists and turns that kept me guessing right until the end. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm still confused!

Though this film is definitely not my genre of choice, I still found a lot to admire. The production values are much higher than I'd expect from a lower-budget film. The cinematography is impressive and the editing is flawless. Even the soundtrack has been well chosen to increase suspense. My only criticism is the weak acting by his two leads. I found them distracting, as they weren't up to the standard of the production. I look forward to seeing what Boddington can do with a decent budget.

After reading the last couple of reviews for this movie, I decided to give it a try. Much to my surprise, I should have listened to my first instinct and avoided watching it and wasting an hour and eighteen minutes of my life. The plot of this movie could have actually gone somewhere if it weren't for the two main actors. I'd be lying if I said their acting was half-decent. Their performance was nothing less than amateur and unrealistic. It did not sit well with the plot of the movie, I could not even connect their emotions to the way they spoke in every line. I've seen better actors perform on the street. Great movie title, poor performance.

Saying this movie is awful should be considered offensive to any other movie that people say is awful In the same way that referring to this flick as a bag of crap should be considered offensive to actual bags filled with crap. Shawn Storer is so bad he makes Carrot Top look like Robert DeNiro. The only time I saw his acting worse then this was when he was on trial for trying to blow up an exes car!!! The fact that any of these people are working is a testament to just how bad Canadian cinema has become. Sure we get the odd good one, but having to wade through garbage like this doesn't really make it worth the effort. The cast from this flick should go back to their day jobs working the Fry-O-Later at Burger King

UPDATE

I realize that I've already panned this piece of garbage but I think, being the optimist I am, that I have finally found a way to make this tolerable. If you are indeed forced to watch this by some moron trying to convince you its not abject donkey puke, the you might as well turn it into a drinking game. Drink once whenever A) that bonehead (the offensive words keep getting edited out) Shawn Storer opens his mouth, B)something extraordinarily predictable occurs and C) you question why you're not better spending your time banging your head against the wall and D) you ask why this chick isn't topless, cause thats all that would make her interesting. Finish your drink when A) you see the end coming a mile away and B)you hope that the sweet sweet liquor will purge this useless crap from your short term memory and blissfully allow you to pass out.

You're welcome

I guess this movie is make with a tight budget. The beginning was confusing and i hate the way they keep giving flashbacks or sudden scenes changes which is disturbing. There is not much element or storyline either to the movie. I could not understand the link of each scenes till the ending. They are like completely different. The monster in the movies look dumb instead of really frightening. I almost fell asleep watching the movie. The actors performance are average and at times not convincing. The only thing i like is the ending part. It has quite a twist to it. Other than that, as a viewer, i felt its absolutely disappointing to watch.

Matt and Kate both awaken in an abandoned prison, neither one of them recalling the chain of events that led them there. They don't seem to be alone as they have run-ins with supernatural creatures. Meanwhile Raquel is being interrogated by police detective Marks about a series of unexplained murders. Could she have any connection to the two trapped people? While I applaud the makers of this movie for trying something a bit different in a DTV market populated by interchangeable cardboard cut and paste slasher films, the outcome wasn't the sum of it's parts. The story itself was pretty interesting and, for a DTV release, most of the acting was adequate (some was embarrassingly bad though) But the frequent jump cuts became a tad grating after a while and the ending (which i won't spoil) was so far out of left field that it just about ruined the whole film for me. I'd like to see certain actresses in this movie in other films though.

My Grade: D+