FADE TO BLACK 12

This edition of FADE TO BLACK contains two stories from two very different filmmakers, Jason Santo and Frank Parker. Santo is to Parker what Spielberg is to Taratino. Santo's movies feel more planned and worked out. There's a set agenda to the Santo's plot elements that unravel like clockwork, while Parker is more free flowing and whimsical even when set in a dark underworld. It's almost like Parker makes his movies up on the fly.

Santo's JUST DESSERT, finds a low level mob hitman having dinner with his boss....at his apartment...not the big house....you know, so as not to get the house messy. Turns out the boss likes to poison his guests with fancy food and drink, or so our hero is told.

Like always, Santo's work is well thought out and pieced together. All the elements fall into place for a tidy punchline, one that was obvious from the get go. JUST DESSERT belongs in that same arena with Married With Children where you see the jokes coming, but you sit back and wait for them anyway because the familiarity makes them enjoyable.

Parker's THE MIND'S EYE feels like the pilot to a television series. FTB regular Dan Gorgone is a Kosovo vet named Duke who carries the side effects of war inside him. He was blessed/cursed with visions of people in danger. Wandering the streets, sleeping under bridges and park benches, he searches those people out in hopes of avoiding the unthinkable. The government knows of these visions and tracks Duke from city to city. When he's almost in their grasp, Duke must rely on those he's helped for his own salvation.

The ending to THE MIND'S EYE is wide open. With Duke on the lamb, there's a number of FUGITIVE-like stories Parker can tell to the syndicated television crowd that made Highlander and Renegade both hits for 7 years each. For what it's worth, Duke is a much more interesting character than either The Highlander or The Renegade.

Both Santo and Parker are at different ends of the filmmaking spectrum in terms of style, but here they are both working on a common ground of familiarity. I've seen them do better, I've seen them do worse. They both present interesting ideas that could have been played up much more than what they were, heightening the viewing experience. They played it safe this time around.

Fade to Black
Jason Santo