Angels Crest

This film was recommended to me by a friend who knew I enjoyed well-acted, well-shot, and well-directed films. This, I'm pleased to say, fit the bill. Using a non-linear editing style, the story unfolds at a steady pace. The acting is superior (special kudos to Chris Bauer and Currie Graham), as is the cinematography and music score. I especially liked the fact that both characters in this movie had serious problems with their moral compasses. I kept waiting for one to be revealed as the absolute good guy and the other, therefore, deserving of his fate. But things are more complicated than that. I had feared a typical Hollywood ending, but was rewarded with a film that ends just the way it should; leaving the viewer to think it over as the credits roll. Very commendable.

I just got done watching a movie I've never heard of: Angels Crest.

This is something I picked up at the local Hollywood Video store, just on a whim. It's not a horror movie, but a very satisfying psychological thriller.

To tell you anything about it would be to ruin it for anyone who's going to see it. But I will say that it is an excellent example of what can be done on a small budget. The writing is excellent, the directing and photography are great, and the acting is first rate. Also, the film quality is very good, so it doesn't have the look of many low-budget movies. Oh, and the music is quite good, too.

This was directed by J. Michael Couto, someone I'll be looking for in the future.

***1/2/****

Angels Crest is a small budget independent film. It is remarkable insofar that it manages to be successful with so little resources.

The storyline by itself is interesting but would not have been able to have been successfully brought to film [especially on a shoestring budget] without superb acting and direction. If one listens to the director's commentary, the film was made with an excellent crew.

The two actors carried the whole film on their backs and everything worked as it had to. The gas station sequence comes very close to being a great cinematic scene. The film score was also quite good and the sampled instrumentation wasn't too annoying for me.

There are technical problems with the film such as flaws in the DVD transfer and shot to shot colour and lighting differences which money would have solved.

I would like to see Mr. Couto get a project with some real money and see what he could come up with.

This is an excellent movie for a low budget, two actor film. I am glad I found it in the bargain bin. It is quite a creepy movie, sorta has a Blair Witchish feel with the creepy shots of the tree and all. The end kinda leaves you hanging, but I didn't think it ruined the movie. Its too bad this didn't get the hype that a film like Blair Witch did, because its a better story, a better acted film, and a better shot film.

The story all revolves around two guys who car pool to work. One morning, they decide to take a shortcut because of road work, and they end up in the forest with many dark secrets about the past being revealed. There are no flashbacks or special effects or anything. Just a well made film. I plan on seeking out more from this director/writer if there are any more!

Ever walk through the local video store and you're just not in the mood for the current commercial movies. There are so many "independent" titles that you never heard of with actors and directors you've never heard of? I know, you've tried these types of movies before and 9 times out of 10 they are garbage with little or no production values, bad acting and ridiculous stories. And be careful - the better the cover of a straight to DVD movie chances are the worse the movie will be. Angel's Crest DOES NOT fall into that 9 out of 10 category. The plot on the DVD case does not give away much and neither will I. I rented this on impulse with very little expectation. The acting is very solid. The characters are interesting. There is a neat use of timeline that adds to keeping you interested. The movie has a strange calmness while also having a very nice tension to it. Many of the shots are very serene - close up of blood slowly dripping on leaves... almost has a time lapse look to it. Once the viewer finds out what the plot is really about you are compelled to see how the rest of the movie unfolds.

A wonderful little movie considering there are only 2 actors and a beautiful natural setting called Angel's Crest.