Lucky Bastard

From the perspective of a life-long die-hard movie enthusiast, I really enjoyed Lucky Bastard and find myself surprisingly haunted by some of the imagery and the darkness of the story's main antagonist. It would be easy to dismiss Lucky Bastard as something trite and low-brow and seemingly not worth the time to pop some corn. Any movie in which the backdrop is the adult film industry suffers an immediate stigma and a lot of closed minds unwilling to consider it as a legitimate movie-going experience. That is unfortunate because there is much to treasure here, from the frequently hilarious dialogue to the spot-on performance of Don McManus to the shocking moments of violence that seem totally plausible in today's world.

Lucky Bastard is a highly entertaining exercise in the found-footage genre, lending the impression that we are watching real people in a real situation. Unlike other found-footage movies that focus on the supernatural and therefore become questionable in their realism, Lucky Bastard unfolds with specific and tangible reality. Some may question the acting ability of the cast, but don't be fooled by knee jerk critical reactions. These actors know what they're doing to sell the concept of the movie, as do the artists behind the camera. The very premise, that of a young man who wins a date with his favorite adult film star and visits the set of an adult website to perform in a scene, is 200% believable in the p*rn-saturated cyber reality we live in today. And if you're paying attention, the movie addresses something far beyond the on-screen dalliances of a hopeful everyman and his dream woman. It's ultimately about the dangers of exploitation and the risk of gleefully humiliating so-called geeks, people we label without really knowing them or what they are capable of unleashing. When you consider the facts of today's world in which troubled young people walk into shopping malls and schools and IHOPs to open fire with automatic weapons, Lucky Bastard presents a disturbingly potential reality of what can and does happen when you don't know what you're really dealing with.

To give away Lucky Bastard's plot turns would do a disservice to the prospective viewer. I would simply say give the movie a shot if you want to be entertained, amused, titillated, and ultimately shocked. The movie will gently carry you along for a while, making you laugh, misleading you into a lazy state of casual observation until the first shock comes. The latter half of the film is far from humorous, and there are moments that will resonate, especially when you think about the internet-obsessed guy next door who seems harmless yet a little creepy.

Lucky Bastard puts a fresh spin on the found-footage genre and is effective in delivering laughs, surprises, and an ick factor that you'll think about after it's over. It's also worth mentioning that it's one of the few thrillers I can think of that delivers gruesome events in bright daylight, and that stylistic choice really stood out to me and helps distinguish Lucky Bastard as a unique and believable tale. I think this movie has a very strong appeal to a young, hip audience, and I'm really hoping it can get the attention it deserves and rise above those who would carelessly dismiss it. Check it out!

Usually found footage films aren't very good these days. This came on for free, And I was too tired to find anything else so I watched it. It starts out like I thought it would, but then you really get into it. It's definitely not for everybody, but I found it fascinating. This is really one of the better found footage movies in a while. The cameras are good and don't drive you crazy, and the editing is pretty good as well. Add in a story that is realistic compared to most found footage films, some quality acting, and a pretty good plot, And I think you will be surprised and enjoy this. Like I said this is not for everybody so if you have any problem with nudity or implied sex, Don't watch this. Don't watch this with your kids. But you will be surprised at how well this movie is, once you get past the graphic parts.

"Lucky B word (imdb warned me that I had used an offensive word!) is a found-footage style horror/thriller/soft adult movie about a website with the same name that has a competition in which the winner gets to have sex - on film - with an adult movie star. The lucky guy in question is Dave (Jay Paulson), a seemingly quiet and shy fella who is a touch odd. The delightful Betsy Rue plays Ashley, his prize. I remember seeing her very naked in a bit part in the "My Bloody Valentine" remake but thankfully she plays one of the leads here. She does spend a lot of time nude, which is very nice, though she does also demonstrate her acting skills which are pretty good. In fact I found most of the acting to be OK. I watched the trailer first and was not impressed, thankfully the movie itself proved to be not too bad. Found footage had been done to death but this at least makes a change to the countless ghost and zombie ones. A lot of the footage was filmed from static CCTV cameras as opposed to somebody doing shaky cam with a handheld one, thankfully. I was quite glad to see the end credits as my interest had started to wane and I certainly wouldn't watch it again but like I said it wasn't the piece of crap that I was expecting.

Hold on, don't go away! Don't let the theme of this found footage scare you away. Its actually good fun watch. Head and shoulders above most of your usually painfully boring and shaky found footage stories. This has actual story, drama, crime characters that you want to follow. Yes, its obviously nothing oscar worthy but within the FF messy genre, this movie is solid. If you don't mid little "hot action" on a side give it a shot.

'Lucky B@stard' is a decent enough concept for a 'slasher' film: a found-footage thriller set in the adult film industry. It could have at least been watchable, but it just doesn't have the script or execution to live up to the promise. The story revolves around a p0rn website's gimmick of allowing one "lucky" fan to perform on-camera with an adult star. Things naturally take a turn for the worse when their chosen participant reveals a disturbing side of his personality.

Sadly, the audience will probably see every plot beat coming a mile off and - worse still - it has a majorly slow build-up. Despite the 94-minute runtime, it takes over an hour for the narrative to truly get going and anything vaguely exciting to happen. By then, it's likely many viewers will have lost patience. Part of the problem is the pacing. Much of the first act is spent on mundane set-up, introducing the characters and the mechanics of the titular website.

When the thriller elements finally kick in, they feel rushed and lack either the impact or gore that they might have had with better development. From early on, it's easy to guess where the story is headed. This might not have been so bad if the characters were more entertaining, but most of the cast are reduced to stereotypes and the script doesn't provide much depth to elevate them beyond their roles as victims or the killer.

Ultimately, 'Lucky Bastard' is a decent enough idea that doesn't quite work, due to its length (maybe it should have been some sort of half hour short?). While the premise might draw you in, the sluggish first hour and predictable plot twists make it a tough sell. If you're a fan of the found-footage genre or curious about its unique setting, it might be worth a look. Just don't expect to be blown away and, for a film set in this industry, you won't be getting too much in the way of what the p0rn genre is most famous for - if that's what you're looking at, you can probably find more on an average internet search.