Hanky Panky

This film was alright, it was definitely made for a specific type of audience that I'm not apart of. It is different and new, but I can tell it was a low budget film, and the special effects were too bad, maybe that was on purpose to give more uniqueness to the film? There were funny parts that made me chuckle and was enjoyable and the actors were funny at times, but kind of unlikeable at the same time. I feel like this falls under the "it's so bad it's good" group of films, and could see how this film could get its name out there if it came out in the early 2000s instead of 2023. The start of the film was the better part, and then later on in the middle of it my attention got lost. Since I had a hard time focusing in the middle of the film, the ending was hard to fully understand and get back into.

Hanky Panky is co-directed by Lindsey Haun and Nick Roth, a very off-kilter, absurd, and easily cult-followed film. The film, with its unique storyline, odd humor, and surprising speckles of depth, easily makes it memorable material, but then again, what thrusts "Hanky Panky" into an entirely distinctive realm is the eccentric core of the movie: a man and his talking napkin on a mission to save the world from an obscure threat hiding out in a remote Utah cabin. Haun and Roth make the film playful enough to really appeal to the audience. It's the kind of gem that you won't come across too often, where humor is placed on top of a genuinely rich emotional subtext to create a picture, something that is definitely sure to resonate for years.

You can definitely tell this as a low budget movie. The idea of a sentient handkerchief is an awesome idea. This movie reminds me of some of the other b horror movies I've seen like Jack Frost or the stuff. The introduction scene goes on a little too long, some of the interactions are redundant. The scenes are carried by the dialogue most of the time. Normally in movies it's show don't tell but this movie seems to be more tell and less show. The dialogue carrying the film is a huge negative because some of the dialogue is so dry and awkward. The ADR sometimes takes me out of the scenes because it sounds so different from the dialogue In the room. In conclusion, interesting concept but I think this movie suffers from the lack of budget.

Sam (Jacob DeMonte-Finn) is mistakenly invited to a remote mountain cabin getaway. It's a gathering of friends and non-friends. Well, this got real weird out of nowhere. It is definitely an indie. At least, the filmmaking is very indie. It does have Seth Green and his real-life wife. Initially, I was going to give this a negative review, but the craziness won me over. Apparently, somebody wanted to put in some of the weirdest ideas into a movie and I'm all for it. When the napkin started to talk, I wasn't sure what was happening. I don't mind one bit that the wire is fully visible. There are moments where I laughed at the absurdity, but I wouldn't call this movie funny. Everybody is putting it out there, but nobody is actually all that funny. This is stupid, but I enjoyed some of the stupidity.

I honestly think this film was very bold. I actually enjoyed the low-budget aesthetic and think it suits this movie. The blend of genres, horror and comedy, and a creative direction make it stand out. Its tone might not appeal to everyone, but I do not think this movie was made with that purpose, and the people who get it will continue to get it. The isolated scenery gives it a claustrophobic vibe that I cannot really describe; it feels safe, and at the same time it does not. That is my take on it. Overall, I think this movie was very ingenious, in a way that, for not having a super high budget, it actually has its own personality and shows that creativity.