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FADE TO BLACK #14
I had forgotten that FADE TO BLACK used the ending theme music from BUCKAROO BANZAI to roll their closing credits. As the opening intro played, I kept thinking how similar it felt to the Banzai Walk, where the cast of familiar faces all fall in line with their leader and celebrate another triumph. In FADE TO BLACK, the FTB regulars all fall in around C.C. Chapman and his newborn; I'm not sure if the newborn is the leader or the triumph. Probably both.Of course, in hindsight, the similar opening must have been planned. That closing only confirms the notion. From what I've seen, the FTB gang isn't above borrowing other concepts and ideas from other movies. The guys and gals use these other works as jumping off points to spin their own kind of storytelling freshness. More often than not, it works. And works well.
The last episode of this short film anthology series that I reviewed was #15, and I had some problems with the work of director Jason Santo's contributions. They didn't feel as thought out as other projects I've seen by him. From his short films, he's always seemed like the most well-rounded and natural storyteller of the bunch.
Santo makes up for any flaws last time around with a supernatural thriller titled MARIONETTES, about the desperate efforts of a search party trying to find a young boy lost in the woods during a snowstorm. One by one, the group is picked off by an unseen force trying to regain its humanity.
MARIONETTES feels like the climax to a much larger piece of work. We come onto the scene pretty late in the search. The group is gathered. The boy's father is nearing a breakdown. And the sun is setting. Events that transpired only moments before the opening shots are referenced like yesterday's news. All this only adds to the desperateness of the situation; finding the boy is the only goal.
With Santo's storytelling ability aside, the true key to MARIONETTES success is the acting ability of its two leads. Santo casts himself as the father who realizes exactly what is happening around him, and how he helped in the their shapings. Like a broken coward at the bottom rung of hopelessness, all he can do is wait for the end.
Opposite Santo is Dan Gorgone as the leader of the expedition. Gorgone's acting up until now has always felt like he was never trying; that he was only on set to support his buddies and have a good time. Here, Gorgone plays a part meant for a man 20-30 years his senior. He's full of gruffness and sports a convincing southern drawl, never once venturing into spastic twang. His attitude is pure chin-up head-first courage, and Gorgone crafts the part beautifully!
The two men play off each other well, feeding the performance of the other. When Santo is finally close to going over the brink of sanity, Gorgone's response is one of restrained rage. It seemed like he was going to belt Santo, for real. The two men were that convincing, and reason enough to check out this particular FTB installment.
Rounding out the final half of the episode is something called STUBBLE JUDGE. This one had the feel of filmmakers bored off their asses and looking for a way to kill a Sunday after football season just ended.
In this Frank Parker directed short, Santo plays a writer working on a book that's part Stephen King, part Julia Childs. Out of the blue, his world goes all Viking heavy metal. Every song on the radio, every channel on television, every word from people's mouth are the lyrics to STUBBLE JUDGE, a musical work of aw-inspiring badness. The short reminded me of an old Twilight Zone episode where a man was trapped in a world where the meanings of words changed overnight and he was the only one who wasn't affected.
STUBBLE JUDGE is lightweight, and dare I say...cheesy, but absolutely hysterical. Maybe that says more about me and my sense of humor than it does the quality of the short.
FADE TO BLACK #14 is as good a jumping on point for those interested in the world of Random Foo and Pangea Films. It's blend of their more serious efforts as well their less substantial. But even their weaker efforts are more enjoyable than other's best.