Dead Awake

Holy crap this was terrible. It was not a thriller. It was barely a romantic movie because there was no real romancing, they just skipped straight to being back together.

The music? OH GOD THE MUSIC WAS THE CHEESIEST THING SINCE KRAFT BLUE BOX.

Plot twist had less twists than SOMETHING WITH NO TWISTS IN IT. Apparently I need more words to describe how bad this movie was. Apparently I need more words to describe how bad this movie was. Apparently I need more words to describe how bad this movie was. Apparently I need more words to describe how bad this movie was.

Ever wonder who would show up at your funeral? After attending a funeral for an old high school friend and running in to his ex-girlfriend (Amy Smart) Dylan (Stahl) comes up with a plan to stage his own death and hold a funeral for himself. When a strange crack addict (McGowan) shows up to see him his life takes a strange turn and nothing is what it seems. This movie is hard to explain without giving anything away, but the best way I can put it is that it is a cross between the "Sixth Sense" and "After.Life". I really enjoyed the movie and I'm not sure if it was because I had no expectations heading in or because it was actually a very good movie (if that makes sense). This is more of a drama then horror, in the same way the "Sixth Sense" could be categorized either way. I really liked the twist at the end, I honestly can predict about 95% of movies made lately and this one got me. I was very surprised at how much I liked it. I surprisingly give it a B+.

Would I watch it again? - I would, if only to catch clues I missed the first time.

This movie had been in my watch list for quite some time because it sounded interesting and I like Nick Stahl and Rose Mcgowan…So to I decided to watch it today. I think this movie had potential, at the core, if it went a different way. Overall, I finished it and wish I chose something else to watch. I didn't like the camera work. A lot of the movie doesn't make sense until the end, which I don't mind/ was expecting, but I was hoping for the revelation or whatever at the end to be worth while, which I don't think it was, It made me understand somethings but it didn't make the movie any better. People were saying this movie was strange, I like strange but ugh no, this movie was just pretty crappy and i hate the feeling i have when i finish a movie that i didn't like, but I guess that's just the way it is.

BRIEF BLU-RAY REVIEW:

I believe that this was shot on 16 mm film. So, you have a pretty gritty, primitive, high-contrasty look to the movie. This isn't your usual glossy new looking film, but I feel that it's unique, stark look really lends itself to the story.

Now, to the movie... I had seen this film quite some time ago and I vaguely remember that I did like it. But, I just now watched it again on Blu-ray and I found that I still very much enjoyed it. Actually, I was kind of surprised that I liked this movie that much. Normally I do not care for 'Drama' heavy films, no matter the Genre. BUT... I really liked the way the movie was done, so that you had a nice, tense feel of light Horror, and a definite sense of Mystery, and along with that also a very touching and moving story surrounding this young man and what has been going on the last 10 years of his life.

The story itself is VERY simple. It is not the kind of movie where you have anything really intense or shocking. It is very moody, but in a simple way. You might have to give it a chance to get going a bit before you quite get into what is going on. The acting is very good by everyone involved. I'm not necessarily a HUGE fan of Nick Stahl, but I felt that he did a fine job here, along with everyone else. The director gave the film a nice sense of Mystery and tension. And understandably, the audience may not quite be sure as to what the deal is with this guy or the meaning of the flashbacks that occur. But, this is one of those stories that becomes clear as you progress through it, and of course especially when you get to the end.

***PLEASE*** be very careful in reading about this film before you see it. I NEVER cease to be completely amazed at the brainless STUPIDITY and lack of any good sense or consideration by the NumbNut Donkey-Sucking Dickweeds here who blurt out key plot points to the films that they 'review'... Pure, PHUK'n Idiots, if you ask me... Anyway, please do read with care, or better yet, just watch the movie and see what you think. To give you some guidance WITHOUT mindlessly giving anything away, just know that this film TECHNICALLY has some metaphysical themes, but is primarily Drama and character driven. Like I mentioned, normally I really don't get very excited about films that are weighted more toward 'Drama', but in this case I feel that the story is told in such a way as to draw the audience into what is happening and involve them. This is NOT really a true Horror film, so if that is what you are looking for, then you should pass on this one. But, if you don't mind a bit of a low-key, Drama driven quasi-Supernatural / Metaphysical film about Death, etc., then you might end up enjoying it like I did.

I did sort of enjoy this movie, but I'm not sure if some meaning was lost in the editing, or it was just not well written, or if I'm just a bit dense. The acting is fairly solid throughout, but there were so many loose ends you could make another 4 movies to tidy it all up. Some subplots just don't make sense. There are others that just seem to be forgotten, and left unfinished, or unexplained. Ideally it need another 30 minutes to wrap things up, but it was a strange movie. The cinematography had a real grainy quality, as if shot on super 8, and I'm not sure if this was intentional or due to budget restrictions. But surprisingly, it did fit the tone of the movie and didn't become annoying. I can understand the 6th sense references, but I also got a bit of a Jacob's Ladder vibe, mostly due to the, at times, jarringly disjointed narrative. Having said all that, it did keep me watching and curious.

Overall I gave it a six, as it kept me watching to the end and had some really good ideas, that unfortunately were not well executed at times, but there are so many bad movies out there with good scores on IMDB, and this is not one of them Ultimately a challenging watch, but has its has it has more than enough moments to carry it through.