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THE LAST BROADCAST
Written, Directed, and Produced by Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler
Edited by Stefan Avalos
Photographed by Lance Weiler
David Leigh – David Beard
Jim Suerd – James Seward
Steven Avcast – Stefan Avalos
Locus Wheeler – Lance WeilerNote: the first part of this review was written as part of a series on films released in the shadow of THE BLAIR WITH PROJECT. The second segment was attached for the DVD review.
This is the second review in a series dealing with films released in the shadow of The Blair Witch Project. THE LAST BROADCAST was actually made before TBW, but didn’t receive a wide, nation release until after. There was a lawsuit over copyright infringement and Artisan/Haxan Films settled out of court. While I can see similarities, the films are polar opposites in regards to their approach and execution.
Steven Avcast and Locus Wheeler portray two friends who run their own live cable access show called Fact or Fiction where they discuss the supernatural. What makes their show different is that they can interact with their audience through Internet Relay Chat. It allows the two men to take requests and focus on what the audience wants to see. One evening in 1997 a message comes through inviting Fact or Fiction to the New Jersey Pine Flats. The goal is to uncover the Jersey Devil through a live, on location, shoot with psychic Jim Suerd. At the end of the night’s shoot, the only person alive was Suerd,, who was convicted of murder on the basis of the evening’s video footage.
What makes the film interesting is the perspective it takes. As opposed to subjective, the film is objective. While footage of the outing is the basis for the film, it’s not the focus. The film is really about the search for validity to the footage by filmmaker David Leigh. Leigh believes the wrong man was convicted and that a reel of damaged tape shows the face of the true killer.
Shot in a traditional documentary style, Leigh interviews friends and technicians of the show who were involved in the trial to convict Suerd. Fans of Sightings or In Search Of, which the film tries to emulate, will note that story is a little dry. What is missing is the sense of loss. You never connect with the characters. You never get to know who they are. No tangibility means no scares, and even worse, no suspense. The viewer is left cold and indifferent when footage of the murders is finally revealed.
Technically the film is sound, it masterfully grasps the programs it tries to copy. Every interview and voice over seems lifted from a Discovery Channel documentary. The score is amazing, it’s filled with mostly drawn out bass cords that ads a true backwoods feel. Broadcast is the first micro-budget production where wanted to go out and purchase the soundtrack.
What really brings the film down is the lack of characterization. In the end you the viewer feels cheated. The killer is revealed, whether it’s Suerd, or not, doesn’t matter, a better film would have let you put the clues together. A better film would have allowed the characters to reveal themselves, thus revealing the truth behind the incidents. A better film would have been truer to itself.
DVD Review
One of the problems with going back and re-reviewing DVD releases of previous VHS reviews is that I find myself enjoying the viewing experience a great deal more. Usually, this wouldn't be a bad thing, but upon further introspection I realize that I'm having a hard time differentiating between my feelings for the movie itself and my appreciation for the behind the scenes material including the director's commentary. Do the frills and fluff really make the viewing experience that much more exciting? In case of the THE LAST BROADCAST, the answer is a resounding "you bet!"
My original review for THE LAST BROADCAST came right after the initial viewing, and the ending bothered me to the point where it ruined the entire film. After re-watching the DVD, I still have a problem with the ending, but now the rest of the movie isn't tainted by those thoughts of being "cheated." While I now understand where the filmmakers are coming from and what they were trying to achieve with the medium through their manipulation of narrative structure, I don't agree with it. Not then, not now. The effect is jarring, which is what they were after, it just doesn't work.
On the other hand, the first 90 minutes is extremely effective. The feel is pure documentary, the kind you find late evening on the Discovery Channel. According to the production history-intensive commentary, the goal was more 1970's gonzo filmmaking, but the result is too clean and the production values too high. Strange how that comes across when you realize the actual production cost was less than 1000 dollars.
The entire movie was made on consumer grade equipment and manipulated during post, often achieving a professional grade look. The director's commentary provides an in-depth classroom-like view on how many of the effects were created, including many of the gore effects which were done completely digitally. To fabricate and manipulate the images to the final extremes must have taken months longer than the original production and is a testament to how creativity, talent, and dedication can produce quality work. What you have is an experimental film where post production allows for the birth of narrative structure
The only disappointments on the disc are the three behind-the-scenes documentaries. Rarely do they cover material not previously discussed in the commentary and their inclusion ends up being redundant and distancing. Nothing more than talking heads providing history, the they pale compared to the you-are-there feel achieved through the commentary. A possibly better route might have been to actually show behind-the-scenes footage.
As far as extra features go, the disc is sparse. Three 5 minute talking head documentaries don't account for much effort. Out-takes would have been nice since the filmmakers hint at filmed segments that made it into the movie. A look at LAST BROADCAST/BLAIR WITCH controversy would have been interesting as well. Yes, the two films cover similar thematic ground, but their executiona couldn't be more different. Something like this would be impossible, but damn if it wouldn't make for some interesting viewing. Instead all that we're given is a half a second at the VERY end of the disc. As it stands now, viewers will just have to settle for a good movie with a damn good commentary. Maybe upon the release of a DVD special edition will we get the full story behind THE LAST BROADCAST