Written & Directed By: Mark Anthony Green
Cinematography: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw
Editor: Ernie Gilbert
Cast: Ayo Edibiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Tony Hale, Stephanie Suganami, Melissa Chambers, Amber Midthunder, Tatanka Means
A writer travels to the compound of a pop icon who disappeared years ago. Surrounded by his cult of sycophants, as well as a group of fellow journalists, she soon discovers his twisted plans for the gathering.
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this is a strange film that seems to fit into the darkly Comedic cult figure film, think a film such as THE MENU. It seems to be a commentary on the cult of celebrity taken to a new level.
Where something mysterious is going along and it’s usually at an exclusive location cut off from the world or a kind of celebrity is at the center and all of his disciples where it’s kind of an eat the rich revenge tale.
Now this film lives up to its story, even though it’s very predictable, and there are some points of originality when it comes to the story and the filmmaking.
As the film goes from a dark comedy to a thriller very quickly, the one based on believing John Malkovich playing one of the best selling in popular rock stars of the 1990s it starts off already with this ridiculous notion not that he can’t play the role, but you just have trouble seeing him as that character with that history but once you get past that you should be fine but for a film, that’s already going to give you that kind of ridiculous notion
It becomes shocking that the film doesn’t follow suit in that manner when it comes to tone as everything else has played a little more seriously even the so-called twist at the end isn’t that surprising
Though I can’t admit there is something captivating about the film. Maybe it just seems like a lost opportunity that it seems to go more for surface level when it could’ve been so much deeper and explored maybe the love and seduction of musicians or rock, stars pop stars and their audience and how just like a song or an instrument they can play their audience, especially when they’re willing and the things that they can make them do we’ve all her tails in gossip columns, or even in some biographies of what Rockstars can make seemingly ordinary people do or what people can do when supposedly influenced by music.
It shows how easily we can be led to believe the beliefs or philosophy of a celebrity with very little evidence or basis more than we will listen to an expert as we are trying to figure out the experts agenda, but we believe the celebrity is speaking from the heart and we trust them more as we’ve spent more time getting to know them
Luckily, the music in the film isn’t that bad that comes from John Malkovich‘s character. (Having Nile Rogers do the soundtrack is a plus) Believing that getting him in the cast was such an achievement that nobody questioned the validity of him playing the role and he does his best with the role that he can, and he is believable That the film doesn’t quite pack the punch that it seems like it desperately wants to
Not to mention that half the comedy doesn’t quite land the way it expects itself too. It’s sort of like someone who thinks they’re funnier than they are as the film seems to think that it’s smarter than it is and while at times it makes good points and also grossly is overconfident
Once the film gets to the third act and all his revealed, it also seems to want to go for a grossness factor to a certain extent. As it seems expected and also to show true pain in torture for the victims.
Ayo Edibiri is very well cast in the lead and while she is compelling, I wish that the film could follow suit with her and for her and give her the necessary material to truly ground her in a film that is more worthy of her character and her natural talents
Grade: C
