Review: ’15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot’ brings big laughs and great filmmaking.

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot

In 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot, Brian and his producer/cameraman Zach want to get into the serious news business. Brian loathes his job and he’s jaded as hell. When he gets assigned a story about Bigfoot, things get weirder than anyone expected. Vice meets Netflix’s American Vandal, 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot is a larger-than-life, tongue-in-cheek satire about clickbait journalism. Listen, like millions of others, I love me some BuzzFeed, but I know why I’m ultimately there. It’s for the pop culture lists, cheap dupe clothing links, and videos of dudes trying “lady-centric” stuff. I am in no way there for actual news. In 15 Things, Brian feels trapped in covering the fluff pieces we love/hate click on daily. Begrudgingly, he and Zach follow a local Bigfoot expert, a lead that will put them in the path of a much larger and deadlier story.

The mockumentary style is unbelievably hilarious. Every single cast member is a damn laugh riot. I don’t know how much of this film is improvised and how much is scripted, either way, you will be entertained from start to finish. Handheld camera work and snarky voiceovers push 15 Things to some next-level hilarity, but also a legit gorgeous looking movie. The editing and cinematography are ridiculously stunning. If you put it on mute, you’d never know the difference between this and Vice. It’s scary good. Is this the first of a franchise for these guys? I would not be mad at that. 15 You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot is now available In Theaters + on VOD. 

Directed by Zach Lamplugh

Written by Brian Emond & Zach Lamplugh

Produced by Tim Reis, Zach Lamplugh, Brian Emond

Starring Brian Emond, Jeffrey Stephenson, Zach Lamplugh, Derick Marchel, Dexter Fugerson, Jenna Kannell, Tevin Williams, Chris Mayers, Virginia Kirby, Nick Gibbons

2021 · Paranormal Comedy · 84 MIN

Review: ‘I BLAME SOCIETY’ is weird, smart, and dark as hell. I’m obsessed.

I BLAME SOCIETY

Synopsis
Gillian (Gillian Wallace Horvat) is one of those many struggling filmmakers in L.A. who just can’tseem to get the money for their first feature. Feeling like her friends and her partner (Keith Poulson) are losing faith in her abilities, she decides to resurrect her abandoned documentary based on a pseudo-compliment she once received that she would make a good murderer. But while she documents what makes “the perfect murder” a hitherto unseen dark side of Gillian emerges and grows. Furthermore the problem with being a successful serial killer, she discovers, is keeping the whole thing stealth, denying her the recognition that she craves… and that unhinges her even more. After accidentally-ish killing her best friend (Chase Williamson), Gillian goes on a killing spree culminating with a final bloody act that nobody would dare deny her credit for.

There is no female equivalent for the phrase “Ballsy”. What would that even look like? Lippy? I BLAME SOCIETY is extra lippy. Starring as a version of herself, filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat says all the quiet parts out loud. Then she acts on them just to make a point. And goddamnit, virtual high five from me. This script is unapologetic, bold, and genuinely hilarious. It’s the “die for your art” meets “tell me I can’t and see what happens” mashup I didn’t know I wanted. Highlighting the ridiculously misogynistic side of the industry in the smartest ways. When the phrases, “This is a really big opportunity for you!” “You’re like the female him!” “We need an ally on your side!” I died laughing and I died inside. But the film also tackles social media, communication, and ambition all inside a twisted presentation of Dexter-esque mayhem.

The pace leading to murderous activities works so well to build up a tense WTF feeling. It’s just so imaginative and absolutely terrifying. You get to a point where you stop thinking it’s funny and start genuinely worrying about everyone she encounters. Wallace Horvat is awesome. I wanna hang out with her in real-life and make fun of everything that she makes fun of in this film. She knows exactly what she’s doing even as she leads you to believe otherwise. She has an overtly narcissistic sociopath nuance to “Gillian” and nothing short of that would have worked as well. When she references makeover sequences, I laughed out loud and then immediately gasped exclaiming, “Holy Shit! That’s her actual hair!” When you see it you’ll fully understand.

The DIY look of the camerawork makes it even more relatable, especially after last week’s Twitter battle claiming “you can’t make a film with just an iPhone.” I BLAME SOCIETY is a giant middle finger to still male-dominated and faux #MeToo accountability in Hollywood. And not just the film industry. I’ve been on the other end of these conversations, yes in writing rooms and screening rooms, but also retail jobs, teaching jobs, do I need to go on? Even outside that theme, I BLAME SOCIETY is for every single person obsessed with true crime yelling at the TV, “The Husband did it,” or “You know what I would have done…” We get to sit back, relax, and watch someone else live out our darkest fantasies and that’s satisfying and entertaining.

I BLAME SOCIETY Debuts February 12th on VOD
For More Info Visit HERE

Review: ‘Reality Queen’ is funnier than actual reality.

In the tradition of Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, and inspired by today’s obsession with reality TV and social media stars, writer-director Steven Jay Bernheim’s clever mockumentary fixes on a Paris Hilton-esque heiress named “London” (newcomer Julia Faye West) who is struggling to regain fame after being pushed out of the limelight by three Kardashian-type sisters named “The Kims.” London’s life is a self-indulgent maelstrom of product endorsements, talent managers, pet psychics, private jets, fashion shows, yachts, and a celebrity posse. Despite her wackiness, she ultimately makes it back to the top of the heap. This parody of America’s infatuation with fame raises the question: are these celebs-for-no-reason marketing geniuses, or are they just the accidental beneficiaries of the American public’s stupidity?

This tongue in cheek look at reality celebrity is hilarious. I mean, laugh out loud funny. The cast is incredible. A mockumentary in full effect, it’s like one long Comedy Central episode. They take aim at everyone: The Kardashians, boy bands, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, their eccentric entourages, and all the people who exploit them. But in truth, Reality Queen exposes just how highly produced “reality” shows and stars are. Does watching “reality” television make us feel better about ourselves? Probably. Do we follow these people because we idolize their ability to make money when they have exactly zero real skills? I don’t know if I can answer that. Reality Queen certainly lets us feel like we’re above it all, even if we are guilty of clicking a hair gummies ad or betting on who will receive the final rose.

Denise Richards plays an Angelina Jolie lookalike and she is everything. Julia Faye West as our main subject, London Logo, is a giant bobblehead. The commitment to this over the top caricature is awesome. Kate Orsini plays BBS journalist Diana Smelt-Marlin. She is the best part of this film. She gives us permission to laugh and roll our eyes at a worldwide culture that is pretty gross but definitely entertaining. I would watch an entire series that she hosts. From Twitter battles to terrible celebrity products, Reality Queen would be even greater as a series. There is so much fodder to explore.