THE DESPISER

Written, Produced, Directed, Edited, and Videotaped by Phillip Cook Gordon Hauge - Mark Redfield Maggie Hauge - Gage Sheridan Carl - Doug Brown Charlie - Tara Bilkins Fumie Tomasawa - Frank Smith

The dvd for Phillip Cook's DESPISER contains a trailer for the film that lists two other works by the director during the voiceover, INVADER and BEYOND THE RAISING MOON. I haven't seen the movies in question, but if they're 1/10 as entertaining as DESPISER they'll no doubt rank as some of the best shot-on-video product out there. DESPISER is as grand and cinematic as anything I've seen from Hollywood and outclasses other micro-budget films by a mile.

So ambitious is Cook's scope that he literally creates a world for his characters to inhabit. 90% of the movie takes place in Purgatory, that limbo between heaven and hell, and there isn't a shot that's not altered by computer imaging. This sort of thing can grow old quick; just take any number of summer blockbusters that feel like a video game substituting for reality. The difference between DESPISER and say...MATRIX: RELOADED is that DESPISER is supposed to look and feel that way. Even the characters go so far as to comment on the surreal nature of Purgatory and how detached they feel from the real, tangible world they left behind.

When Gordon Hauge first enters Purgatory, shortly after his wife leaves him, he finds the video world both frightening and fascinating. Watching Gordon and the other actors interact with their cgi environment reminded of games such as 7th GUEST where live actors did just the same, only the effect is strangely captivating. The story moves along at such a brisk pace, charged all the while with real emotion, that viewers quickly forget about any distractions and accept the cartoon-like nature of Purgatory for what it is.

Since the arrival of the Despiser, the lost souls of Purgatory have been divided into two camps, the good guys and the bad guys. Simple enough. The bad guys want to rule the dimension, the good guys want to keep things balanced for the man upstairs. Those working for the Despiser aren't necessarily evil, more so directionless beings given direction. Like everyone stuck in Purgatory, all they want is a way out, something everyone seems to think Gordon Hauge can give them, especially the Despiser.

Unlike most micro-budget moviemakers who rely on the talk-is-cheap method so dominate in independent cinema, Cook keeps his action ramped up on "high." The story moves cinematically in that there's little extraneous exposition. All information outside of character development is shown, not told. Many indi-moviemakers tend to forget that the artform is visual in nature and seek the easy way out. They pad their story pointless dialogue that goes nowhere fast. With DESPISER, Cook keeps the action fast and nowhere is the dialogue pointless.

Cook also understands that characters are the core of any good story. Without fully realized three-dimensional characters to for the audience to react with, viewers will quickly loose interest. It's something I can't stress enough and something few seem to listen to. DESPISER works on two spheres of relationships, that of Gordon and his wife, and Gordon and his spiritual comrades. Even more amazing is that both sets of relationships come full circle in a manor where neither feels like a cop-out.

During the disc commentary, Cook explains how he was able to use various computer programs to bring about his creation. He also allows for Redfield and the beautiful Gage Sheridan to discuss their character's motivations, something not generally done in no-budget commentaries. The disc is rounded out by out-takes, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and story board comparisons. An excellent package for an excellent movie.

Key East Entertainment
Eagle Films

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