Drones

Drones is a small film well worth watching if you enjoy quirky, well-written, well-acted comedies. Going in, I didn't understand that the sci-fi angle would be so central, but it was nice to see a low budget production that features (more or less convincingly) "aliens" without the need for tons of makeup. And Drones almost as funny as 'What Planet Are You From?' (which also needed little in the way of FX). Angela Bettis, not the typical cute/perky "young thing" one might expect in a role like this, is quite arresting, with a lovely smile and expressive face. I found all the performances to be solid, with a cast of actors who are unfamiliar to me. Good comic performances all around. I also enjoyed the songs playing over the closing credits, including one that listed many aspects of earth life that might befuddle extraterrestrials. The quirky birthday song was also a hoot.

I had the pleasure of seeing this at the Florida Film Festival this past weekend. Clever and witty, with a fantastic cast. There are touches of Office Space, but it's unfair to compare it too closely. This is an office all it's own, and the humor is in a whole other universe.

Jonathon M Woodward, who plays Brian, is Bill Murray reincarnated. His voice, his mannerisms, his comic timing, all of them are positively brilliant. Sam Levine, as Brian's sidekick, has brilliant timing, and completely steals the scenes he is in.

The scenes between Angela Bettis and Jonathon M Woodward are some of the greatest emotional scenes, whether they be funny or sweet. Angela has a very real stage presence, and a perfectly wicked grin. Just entirely too much fun to watch on screen.

Great humor, great cast, great soundtrack. You'll love it. Get thee to a film festival and watch it!

Full disclosure: I watched Drones pretty much knowing what to expect. As a long time fan of The Thrilling Adventure Hour I'm well acquainted with Acker & Blacker's style of writing. So it's no wonder that I found the movie highly enjoyable.

The writing is just brilliant, creating a dialogue-driven story about aliens AND office romance at the same time. The absurd sci-fi elements are interwoven with the mundane problems of office workers dealing with their daily tasks and messy personal lives. There's no big action scenes and yet the movie keeps the viewer engaged the whole time.

The cast is also quite perfect. Jonathan M. Woodward is great in the main role, and as already mentioned in many other reviews, he channels Bill Murray wonderfuly. Samm Levine and Angela Bettis as the aliens - each from a different race - are both brilliant and a pleasure to watch. It's also great that the movie features a number of actors I loved in the Thrilling Adventure Hour, including James Urbaniak, Marc Evan Jackson, and a voice appearance by the one and only Paul F. Tompkins.

All in all, Drones is a tiny little gem that is easy to overlook due to its comparatively low budget and action which is much slower than in blockbuster sci-fi movies. But anyone who enjoys witty comedy with a touch of slice-of-life truth about the human condition will surely find it a really enjoyable watch.

I tuned into this reluctantly, expecting Cone-Head type nonsense, but was pleasantly surprised to find a dialog driven comedy both smart and funny.

If only my selection of movie channels would schedule more like this. I almost missed it, I've become so cynical about the constant barrage of action, crime, bad horror, and cheap sex farces, that dominate the selection.

If you like being treated as if you have a grain of brainpower, then watch this little gem.

Maybe the aliens will evolve us.