Shallow Water

This new short film by Sandy Collora (Batman Dead End) is in a word; BRILLIANT. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and the tension built up in this horror/thriller is almost too much to take! I found myself doing all those things you normally shush people for in the theater! Don't do that! Don't go in there! I know Sandy and was fortunate enough to get a preview screening of this movie, which I personally think is his best work, hands down.

It looks incredible, SOUNDS even more incredible and the performance by lead actress Lisa Roumain is perfect. She made me believe she was really feeling all the emotions she went through in the film. The ending? One word; WOW. Just a wonderfully executed piece of work. Well done, Sandy. Very, very, VERY well done.

L

I am an old school monster guy and love the classics. Shallow Water took me back to a era long lost in this current new world of Green screen and CG effects. Sandy Collora is also an old school FX guy with that same vision of an era long lost. This 20 minute short takes place on real locations with practical effects and a good old fashion man in a creature suit. (Brilliantly played by Kurt Carley and Jason Liles)

While this was about a monster, the star of the show was Lisa Roumain who without any dialogue carries off and amazing performance. Working in harsh conditions, she pulls off every emotion possible in the 20 minute short. Shallow Water was originally slated to be a feature film but was shortened as a Kickstarter project. I would have loved to see what Sandy could have done with a decent budget and a crew for a Shallow Water feature length film.

As for the plot, I am not one to give spoilers so on that note, there is high energy and the sounds blew me away. There is just enough of a creature and actor ratio to fill the 20 minutes.

I am looking forward to the next project from Sandy Collora.

Stuntpk

When the hell is Hollywood going to get their act together and give Sandy Collora a blockbuster movie to make? Why isn't this guy doing this on a much more grander stage with bigger budgets? Len Wiseman, Patrick Tatopoulos, Gareth Edwards, Neil Blomkamp. All these guys have been given shots to direct studio films with far less of resume and background. This guy has been doing this since 2003 and crushing it. Batman Dead End, Worlds Finest, the grossly underrated Hunter Prey and now Shallow Water, which many consider (including myself) his best work to date. The sound on this short alone is worth the price of admission and the visual style and monsters ooze Collora all over the place. An iconic, artistic, stylistic tour de force like none other. Just simply jaw dropping. Tension, texture, color, sound, MOOD and STYLE. Style for days, this guy is the Christian Hosoi of independent filmmakers. Such a huge, huge talent. What can't this guy do? Seriously? Sadly underused. I hope he gets his shot. He deserves it.

Absolute masterpiece, Sandy Collora is prime example of what Hollywood is lacking. Been a long time since a film maker made something worth watching. And with all the CGI effects out there its nice to see a return to practical effects. Brilliant creature design Lisa Roumain's performance was off the charts. I absolutely loved this film it did the exact same thing Jaws did to me years ago. Made me afraid to go into the water again.

WOW! I saw Shallow Water today. It was absolutely amazing. Time flew and left me feeling like "What, it's over already". You felt like you were there with the main character as this incident unfolded. True horror because there was nothing hokey in it and you didn't have humor or any other distraction being used break the tension. I'm an adult. I don't need to be given time to unwind during intense sequences. The creatures weren't humanized in anyway which made them very terrifying, very threatening and sheer predators. Star Trek and the Borg and Predator movies are great examples of this. They started with those characters as unstoppable, invincible nightmares. But as soon as the humanization of the characters and their vulnerabilities were exposed, they lost that terrifying element! This film leaves you fearful! I'll be thinking twice before going into the wilds alone! It shows what an artist can do when they don't have inexperienced higher-ups shoving their demands and childish ideas down the creators throat. This needs to be a full fledged and full length movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAMN SANDY!!!!!