Ice House

I actually came here to find other films by the director and writer. Alas, it turns out this was their first efforts, except a short film by the director. Hope more is in store; much better than Hollywood is churning out. Low budget, interesting site (didn't know ice shacks came in luxury class), good acting, character development, sociopaths, economic strife, and twisting storyline. When you get to the end and feel upset, think old Hitchcock shows. Crime doesn't pay because the best laid plans oft go awry.

I watch a lot of movies on Tubi because of their massive catalog. A lot of them are low-budget misses, but it's a worthwhile treasure hunt for movie lovers. The production wasn't top-notch, but the storyline is awesome in my opinion. I was riveted by the dialogue between Grant and Wayne, and the events which followed. It seemed to be going in a tired, worn direction, but twists and turns gave it a much more interesting one. It isn't standard Hollywood fare. It isn't going to win any awards, but it's entertaining enough. I didn't have the urge to stop it and find another movie before it was over like with so many stinkers on Tubi. It isn't for everybody, but it was worth my time. The script could have been made into a big- budget theatrical release. Good enough to watch the way it was, but could have been better. I give it a 6/10 for entertainment value.

If there was a classification of C-grade films, this would be it. I have never seen or heard of any of the actors, as most are fairly newbs. This is amateur producer, editor and director Steven Elbert's first entry into filmmaking. Then you have the single resume-credit of Patrick Mills as writer.

Yes, this film has many issues in pretty much every filmmakers check-list, however, they have to start somewhere, right? You could tell from the start that this was an amateur production, probably an independent movie filmed on a shoe-string budget. The cast were inexperienced, yet eventually became convincing and started to seem experienced. Not perfect, but adequate - especially lacking casting direction from an inexperienced director.

The camera work was sloppy at first, but improved throughout the film. The score was actually decent and fitting when it was playing, which is much better than your typical overbearing and unfitting score you generally hear in B-grade films. The story was actually very clever and had some interesting bi-polar moments between the two leads. It had some good and surprising twists, with only a few plot and technical issues.

Although the 108 min runtime initially felt it'd be too long, the pacing was decent enough to fly by, especially with the twists and revelations throughout. You can tell thought went into the details of the screenplay. For his first ever writing credit, Mills did good, and both he and Elbert should be proud of their accomplishment.

Had this been the final cut from any somewhat-experienced filmmakers, it'd be lucky to get anything higher than a 4 from me. But considering this is a first attempt from two amateur filmmakers - and the fact you have to start somewhere, they deserve my 7/10 based on the merits of their experience and production abilities. For more clarification on how I review films, visit my IMDb user page to see more of my 1000+ reviews and read my reviewing criteria. Then support these two new and upcoming filmmakers by giving this film a chance. Bravo from me, sirs.

This film makes you think someone held a gun lto the writer's head and forced him to write a screenplay in four hours. He immediately stole from Dial M for Murder, Another Man's Poison and Diabolique. "He only steals from the best."

Still, I can't help but get the impression this guy has potential. It is as if he tried too hard to cram as much plot as he could into one movie. I think if he started out smaller, like episodic TV and practiced making simpler stuff work, he could tackle much more. This wasn't bad so much as rushed. Oh, and dialogue is pretty bad.

Keep writing! Start with what you know and add what you feel. I really think you're going to do some great stuff in the future.

The headline is all the review you need, really. The two unknowns in the leads turn in excellent performances in a film that has great dialogue, but little else. Slow, glacially paced with nothing else going for it, it's hard to recommend.