BEHIND THE SCREAMS // A FILM REVIEW OF "WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS"

BY MATEO MORENO

Just when the mockumentary format has grown stale, some quirky Kiwi's come along to spice it up a bit. Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs. Shark) bring a fresh spin to the genre with the Vampire comedy WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Clement plays Vladislav, an 800 year old vampire with the ability of mind control who's living in modern day New Zealand with some flatmates. All of them are also vampires. They include Viago (Waititi): a 18th century dandy who seems thrilled about everything on a daily basis, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh): a young, "hip" vampire (he's only 183), and a Nosferatu-esque Vamp named Petyr (Ben Franshman) who's 8,000 years old and barely gets out of his coffin. They've allowed a documentary crew to film them in their everyday lives (they've also made sure to let us know that the crew is "protected" and will not be eaten). They squabble about who's not picking up their slack on washing dishes, about what to wear when going to a club (just them trying to get into a hotspot by having to be "invited in" is clever enough for the ticket price), and how to deal with the local troublemakers (a pack of werewolves run by fellow Flight member Rhys Darby). And you thought Vampire movies had done it all...

Co-Writer/Directors Clement and Waititi have crafted an often genius parody of Vampire films, Mockumentary films, and simply a great comedy to laugh out loud to. The jokes all feel fresh and clever, the effects are great, and seeing Clement and Darby squabble again is truly hilarious. The latter half of the film even has some truly touching moments as the gang tries to befriend a couple of humans (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Stuart Rutherford). Equal parts odd and engaging, the film takes you on a wonderfully kooky ride. Clement is hilarious as the 800 year old with serious girlfriend issues. Brugh is also quite funny as Deacon, and every moment that Darby appears on screen is a gift, but the film belongs to Waititi. Sensitive and funny, he's crafted a unique character to both stand behind and understand. It may not be your typical "scare" horror film, but that's a good thing. Nothing about this is typical. It's new and fresh, something we've been waiting for a while to see in the land of Horror.

MATEO'S GRADE: A-

Written and Directed by Jermaine Clemant, Taikia Waittiti Starring Jermaine Clemant, Taika Waittiti, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransman, Rhys Dharby

RATED: R CONTENT ADVISORY Adult Situations, Language, Violence

FINAL THOUGHTS: Fans of both Conchords and those in search for an evening of laughs will both be winners here.

MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconcious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE LAST FIVE YEARS"

BY MATEO MORENO

Often in films, especially romantic comedies, filmmakers tend to layer in only what the studio feels will make the audience happy. Only the light, funny, everything wrapped up by the final credits moments. It's a formula that works. Just ask the career of Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan (well, don't ask their current day career's but you get the point). However, as we all know from, well life itself, happy endings aren't always easy to come by. And spectacular moments are often followed by serious bumps in the road that may not turn out well in the end. Those bumps make us stronger, wiser, and human. And though it may be hard to sometimes watch them in front of us as entertainment, it can also be a therapeutic experience, a beautiful one. Heartbreaking and breathtaking all at once. Composer Jason Robert Brown knows this well, and he showcases all of these human emotions in his gorgeous stage musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Director Richard LaGravenese seems to agree, because he's crafted one of the best musical adaptations in years.

First off, let me explain the concept behind both the stage musical and the film adaptation. The story covers five years of a relationship from the beginning to the end, from both points of view. Cathy (Anna Kendrick) begins to tell the story from the end and goes backwards throughout the film, ending at the beginning. Jamie (Jeremy Jordan) starts at the beginning and goes through towards the end. Their points of view are told at the same time, first with a song by Cathy, then Jamie. The proceedings begins with the haunting and mourning "Still Hurting," which features a still in shock Cathy coming home to read a letter from Jamie saying he's left her. We then launch to the beginning where the couple has just met and are hooking up for the first time. It may take viewers a moment to catch on to the rhythm of the time jumps (as it may have for some in the stage productions) but once you do the film flows like a sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes glittering romance, filled with all the up and down struggles of a real relationship.

Anna Kendrick is great as Cathy. Watching her start the film wounded, betrayed, and hurt and going backwards to a trusting and hopeful young woman is quite remarkable. And her singing voice (recently displayed in the film version of Into the Woods) is stunning. Most noteworthy are her renditions of "A Summer in Ohio," "See I'm Smiling," and "The Next Ten Minutes (her only true duet with Jordan)." Most of us entering here knowing that Kendrick is great, but mostly stage actor Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, Smash) is the true find here. His Jamie is soulful, funny, engaging, and powerful. "Shiksa Goddess" starts things off truly fantastic for him; his delivery is a slight variation on the version we're all used to hearing, and his interpretation of "The Schmuel Song" is downright fantastic. He also shines with a fierce anger and pain in "If I Didn't Believe in You" and with beautiful wonder in "The Next Ten Minutes." If it looks like I've almost listed the entire soundtrack here, well, I have. The only moment that had me worried was, actually, the very first one ("Still Hurting"). On a second viewing it does work, and the understated tone of it propels nicely with the busyness of the second scene, but it is VERY STILL and quiet. If, as a fan of the show, you feel a queasy moment, have no fear. It all turns out heartbreakingly brilliant.

Director Richard LaGravenese steps up to the plate in a big way here. His direction is strong, his use of New York local haunts are great, and most importantly he trusts JRB's music to tell the tale. There are moments of added dialogue here and there, and I'm happy to report that every moment helps the film (and cameos from past The Last Five Years actors like Sherie Rene Scott and Betsy Wolfe are wonderful Easter eggs). There is no padding. The film zips and through a truly wonderful and heartbreaking story. It may not be the perfect "romantic" idea of a Valentine's Day, but it is a great example of two people who did truly love each other and just couldn't ever make it work. If only, looking back onto our lives, we could make such beautiful music.

MATEO'S GRADE: A

Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown Adapted for the Screen and Directed by Richard LaGravenese, based on the stage musical by Jason Robert Brown

Starring Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan 

RATED: PG-13 CONTENT ADVISORY Adult Situations, Language

FINAL THOUGHTS: Fans of the show, you can now breathe: it's very good. All others, be prepared for an emotional journey, but it's a cathartic and beautiful one. The Last Five Years is most definitely a heartbreak you want to have.

MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconcious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

HEAVY METAL // A FILM REVIEW OF "ALIEN OUTPOST"

BY MATEO MORENO

It seems that every film nowadays is taking the "documentary feel," the "of the moment" style that takes us behind the scenes within the movie, no matter what genre of film it is. And so ALIEN OUTPOST does the same, taking us into the not so distant future after a group of aliens have invaded. We see through the eyes of the soldiers in Pakistan who have survived this onslaught, talking directly to the camera, as well as see the footage that the "documentary" crew has picked up. It's a Sci-Fi "Restrepo (the great 2010 documentary following soldiers in Afghanistan)" but only with character types and broadly drawn archetypes instead of juicy plot development.

Jabbar Raisani directs a ragtag crew of soldiers who, as we're told in the opening moments of the film, is an alien race attacked earth in the year 2021. They slaughtered an uncountable amount but were chased off the planet. In their haste, they left behind thousands of "Heavies," as they call them here, and the soldiers now are always on the lookout for them, telling stories of them and often revealing that they've never actually seen one or only saw one briefly. Following them is a camera crew to capture all of the action. The "Heavies" don't show up right away, but once they finally do (usually at a distance) the body count begins to quickly build within their own.

Raisani has an interesting concept but the follow-through feels much more like a draft concept than a feature film. The Alien invaders aren't that cool and often feel, uncomfortably, like a thinly veiled version of an Afghan soldier. Some of the acting is pretty solid but the story often is a jumbled mess (why exactly are the Pakistan locals fighting those protecting them from the Alien invasion?). A few visual nifty tricks can't make up for the fact that this shoestring budget of a film ran out of ideas before they started shooting. Raisani may have had a clever idea, but his critique of the Iraq war has all the gentleness of a bludgeoning hammer. However, if you love watching shaky camera shots of soldiers yelling, "Go! Go!" and don't care too much for plot, then you may delight in this Outpost.

MATEO'S GRADE: D+

Written by Jabbar Raisani, Blake Clifton Directed by Jabbar Raisani

Starring Adrian Paul, Reiley McClendon, Rick Ravanello, Douglas Tait. CONTENT ADVISORY Adult Language, Violence

FINAL THOUGHTS: ALIEN OUTPOST has a good idea locked away in storage and might have made a nifty short film. But there's just not enough to justify a 90 minute running time.

MATEO MORENO is an actor, playwright, and director. He owns and runs TheArtsWireWeekly.com and has had several of his plays produced in the New York area and the Midwest. He is currently working with Boomerang Theatre on a short play piece and spends his days working on Broadway hits like MATILDA and IT'S ONLY A PLAY. He resides in New York City.