Customer Reviews

Special Effects

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The presence of Ms. .45 star Zoe Tamerlis was what made me rent this DVD in the first place. Unfortunately, since her role in Ms. .45 was as a mute, I had no idea how bad her dialogue delivery could be. She has physical presence and an unusual beauty, but her performance in Special Effects is simply amateurish, like watching an acting student in class. This effectively ruined her character, no matter how much flesh she was willing to show and how victimized the character is.

Luckily, bug-eyed Eric Bogosian delivers the goods big-time as an obsessive, borderline psychotic film director who recreates his murder of an actress in his own film. Bogosian doesn't overdo the mental instability of the character (unlike, say, Joe Spinell in Maniac), relying on low-key menace and internal intensity to do the job, and it succeeds grandly. Fortunate for the film, because Special Effects is an otherwise rough, oftimes pretentious movie with a laughable music score that makes the whole thing look like a porn parody. However, one or two effective thrill sequences (the lights-out ending is great, as well as the murder by film strip) added to Bogosian's terrifically unnerving presence make for a watchable thriller whose strong moments do reward you for enduring through the weak ones. Worth a look.

Keefe travels from Oklahoma to Manhattan and tracks down his wife, a struggling model (Zoe Lund with an awful southern belle accent) still looking for her first big break. Still wanting to pursue her career and having no interest in returning home to resume the role of mother to their toddler son, Andrea sneaks out the bathroom window of her apartment and leaves her hubby (again). In a last ditch effort at stardom, she ends up at the home of Chris Neville, a recently fired director after budget issues on his latest film, in addition to a recent flop. Andrea assumes gaining the attention of a filmmaker when they're down and out should make getting noticed in the business much easier. But refusal to have sex with Neville while on camera leads to being a reluctant participant in a snuff film. Will she finally get her 15 minutes of fame in the afterlife, as Neville prepares a comeback (and, secretly, an alibi) using the footage of her death? And what are the odds of Keefe (the number one suspect in his wife's death) finding an exact look-alike to Andrea (also Zoe Lund, this time in a more natural European accent) in New York? An unusual thriller that only seems to be in the horror subgenre as well due to writer/director Larry Cohen's track record and the snuff film part of the storyline. Intriguing the first time around, but a second viewing may not be necessary. 5.5/10

Larry Cohen usually made entertaining movies based on interesting concept, and there's nothing wrong with the concept here; a film director makes a movie about the murder that he himself committed. Unfortunately, a good idea isn't enough to make a good movie and the script here is much below average for Cohen and the pace is much too slow. The soundtrack distracts from the suspense rather than add to it. Don't bother with this movie unless you feel you need to see all of Larry Cohen's movies.

I am a fan of Law and Order Criminal Intent and therefore a big fan of the late great NYPD Major Case Captain Danny Ross played by Eric Bogosian. Eric is known for his off-the-wall comedy and thought provoking one man plays and his movies ( Talk Radio ) a movie I saw once years ago and never forgot. In fact I would think of him from time to time and wonder why he didn't show up more in movies I felt like his potential was wasted over time. I was thrilled when he made his first appearance in LOCI and found it to be the most reliable and mainstream thing he ever did. Just knowing that raving talent was under those stodgy police business suits was somehow comforting. Anyway back to this piece of crap. The main female character reminded me of a young Loni Anderson mixed with a blow-up doll. Only I think the blow-up doll would've had a better feel for dialogue. Eric delivers some of his mania that only he can do without it becoming just self-parody. He is young and tentative and shiny faced. His curls are alluring his eyes unique and his body perfect. But other than how cute he is wearing his clothes and all his ranting mood swings and phsychotic ramblings where he camps it up, even he cannot save this monstrosity. Just my opinion but even at the bargin price I see listed today, that movie is vastly over priced.

Genere favorite Larry Cohen wrote and directed this film, which offers a little more than your typical slasher pic from the 80s. In this movie we follow a husband as he goes to the big city in search of his wife,whom moved from the country in hopes of making it big as an actress. Clues lead the husband to a known director, whom apparently was the last to see his wife. Little does he know that the director actually murdered the wife and caught it on film, which also bcame the inspirationof a new movie featuring the deceased woman's characterand guess who plays the husband inthe film. Yes the real husband actually plays the woman husband in the movie, and the girl they got to playthe role actually looks a lot like the original girl. A case of deja-vu occurs when the director attempts to recreate the actualmurder in his film, where he begins to question fantasy from reality, and ultimatley putting the new girl and husband life in danger. Although the movie does bring an intresting formula to film, the low budget, poor performances,and unintresting characters cause the project to suffer.The film has its up and downs, but do to the slow pacing and seemingly clueless characters, we're left rolling our eyes more than pondering what will happen next. Had they gotten better actors and fxed the script up, then maybe we could have a tense picture.Overall we had poor acting and low budget,it could have been an intresting hitchcockian- thriller was nothing more than a dull interpretation of a would be fake snuff film.

FIrst I really loved Zoe Tamarlis...she is such a unique beauty and rail thin...she may not be the best actress but she truly was an artist..the movie is cheesy but Zoe maked up for that...