FOLKS: HERE'S A REVIEW OF THE STITCHER THAT I FOUND ONLINE...SOME GOOD COMMENTS AND INFO...PROBABLY THE MOST INSIGHTFUL REVIEW I'VE SEEN THUSFAR... ENJOY!
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From Dan Barnes in Longmont, CO:
Before I decided to write this review, I spent a lot of time looking at other online reviews on The Stitcher--checking out Google, seeing what other "experts" have to say (ScreamTV, B-Movie-Man, Rouge Cinema, among many others), researching the filmmakers, the cast, the storyline, etc. What I can say is that although everyone is entitled to their opinion and should freely express it, you should: 1) do your homework (as I did), 2) not review the movie if you haven't seen it, 3) proofread your reviews... no one will take anything you say seriously if you have spelling and grammatical errors all over the place, 4) not be overly harsh on certain aspects of the film and then not highlight anything that was good... every film has some redeeming qualities to it...just be realistic and constructive. Spouting all negative comments makes you into a "sour grape" who seems to have an axe to grind against the film or its cast/crew.
All that being said, here's some background on myself...I am 48-year-old husband and father from Longmont, Colorado...I don't know the actors or the filmmakers from Adam, but I can honestly say that I am a huge horror fan and enjoy the genre in all of its many facets. I heard through the grapevine recently that a 2-woman movie team from Tulsa did their 3rd feature film, all done in Oklahoma (it’s not all buffalo and teepees), all done with Oklahoma talent (known to be extremely talented…see Kristin Chenoweth, James Marsden, James Garner, and many, many others) and have won numerous awards nationwide for their previous film efforts. I went on the movie sites (www.stitchermovie.com and www.nextmonkey.com) and watched the trailers, saw the cast photos, did some online research on the actors (do a search on www.tulsaworld.com with pretty much any of the actors’ names), even rented the company's other 2 previous feature films (Toe Tags and Branded). I was impressed to the highest degree with what they've been able to accomplish thus far, especially in comparison to what other larger budgeted, larger crewed independent films have (or have not) done. So I anxiously bought The Stitcher with higher than average anticipation... and here is my review...
I’m not going to spoil the premise by mentioning every little detail in a synopsis (and as I side note to the “sour grapes” out there: if you don’t understand my wording thus far, then stop reviewing anything until you can intelligently have a dynamic and fair dialogue about it…and read a dictionary!), but here it goes… late 20/early 30-something hottie inherits a lake house from her recently-passed aunt…house is about the best thing going in this backwoods hick town…hottie invites long-time friends (which include other hotties and a few guys) to the lake house for a weekend of fun, sun and, eventually, a little death and mayhem. Legend has it that there is a killer nearby who has a weird deal about clothing accessories, folks in the town are standoffish, and the friends get picked off one at a time. Does anyone survive? Do we find out the background, the “why” behind the killer’s motives? Buy the movie and find out! OK...enough synopsis. Yes, the story isn’t far gone from other well-traveled and similar films (i.e. Wrong Turn, Hills Have Eyes, etc.), but it’s a familiar premise and one we can easily get involved in. Here’s the kicker, though…the killer has an edge to him, a new & interesting backstory, and a pretty cool look (watch the bonus featurette on the making of the film…very cool and insightful stuff). The premise of The Stitcher is based on true and actual events…surely they were probably enhanced and made to be larger-than-life for this film, but it’s not a distraction and actually kept me riveted to the screen trying to piece it all together. Darla Enlow and Dana Pike have set the stage for a fun ride, and you will be amiss to not enjoy it. In other reviews I’ve read (go ahead, search for them yourself), there have been complaints about the camera used, the angles of the shots themselves…listen up close to me now… I dare you to do better with whatever budget these folks had to work with!! I’ve seen my fair share of horror schlock (as have many of you), but this isn’t all that bad and for the most part quite an entertaining film. Every director has his or her own special style… Enlow likes shooting slightly off-kilter…like the whole movie needs a nice glass of V8. Watch her other 2 movies and you’ll quickly see that it’s her trademark so to speak. Get over it if it bugs you. The camera is fine, the shots aren’t grainy, the editing is nicely executed, the sound is naturalistic (ok, maybe a bit heavy on the farm animal effects and crickets) and the blood effects are passable. This is surely not a million dollar-plus budget movie, nor does it try to be, but I can definitely say that the film does a fantastic job of overachieving beyond its means (the very nice soundtrack and the opening / closing credit sequences to name a few specifics). Remember folks, this movie was shot and run with ONLY 2 CREW MEMBERS (Enlow and Pike)…given that fact alone, I can say “Well done!”
Let’s get into the acting… I can be honest in saying that overall this was the most naturalistically acted independent horror film I’ve ever seen. One review I read stated that this was the strongest ensemble cast they’ve seen in years…I happily agree. Sure there are moments when certain actors didn’t understand the intent of their characters given a certain scene, or fully be in the moment, but there is a very relaxed sense from the actors…I didn’t see “acting”…I saw characters! Side note to Celeste Cash, who plays the dim-witted but EXTREMELY HOT party-girl / restaurateur, Erin…I will say, though, that she plays dumb so well, you’d be apt to think she wasn’t really acting, and that persona doesn’t jive well with her being a restaurant owner, but see her in a bikini and you’ll forgive her. (My wife is going to kill me for liking her so much!) Many of the leads and major/minor supporting characters are stereotypical, but despite the lack of full character development in the script, the actors do a nice job rising above this and truly do create more than just cardboard cutouts on screen. There are more than a few of the actors whom I can see going on to even bigger and brighter things. More than likely, there will probably be someone in this cast that you can relate to or identify with: the tomboyishly hot female lead, Brittany, played well by Carmen Garrison…the protective, overworked city boy lawyer and male lead, Nick, portrayed with smooth charm and natural passion by Scott Gaffen…the yoga-involved vegan professional, Tamara (a scene-stealing Laurel Williamson)…the wise-cracking pothead music & filmmaker with a slight heart, Digger (a funny Justin Boyd)…his wife-whipped moviemaker BFF, Kurt, and his bitchy wife (and Digger nemesis), Michelle – played with appropriate bite and love/hate affection by Christopher Rowe and Heather Surdurkan, respectively. Another often-talked about character was the multi-married, directionally and time-challenged Danielle (played w/ crying intensity and I-am-the-victim-centeredness by Caroline Wright)…her short scene w/ Gaffen in the alley, for me, probably had the strongest connection and had the most intensity of any in the film, but you can tell without any doubt that all of these friends had chemistry, a comfortability, and a likeableness that translates well. This was the first time in many a film that I actually did care about the characters and what happened to them (whether good or bad). The townsfolk, although clichéd and trite, lend atmosphere and a backwoods flavor – the Bubba teeth notwithstanding – that posed a fun opposition to the straight-laced Nick and Brittany (with special notice going to Dana Pike as a hilariously over-the-top homeless woman who goes from ghetto black momma to Blanche Dubois in mere seconds!). As Sheriff Wallace, Craig Walter does a passable job, but his motives are unclear…I won’t give some specifics away, but without clearer character development (either from the script and/or the actor), I began to tune him out. A nice creepy job is executed by Greg Burns as Deputy Cedar… his character warmed up as the film progressed and winds up a focal point…shame he disappeared in Act III.
I’ll admit that costuming and make-up were slightly non-realistic but, again, passable…another review I recently read stated that not all rednecks have grease smeared all over them…but I have known some rednecks in my time and they are larger-than-life! Dirty--maybe, some missing teeth/Bubba teeth—sure, but not to this extent. And who thought up Nick’s hideous orange shirt in Act II??? I doubt an up-and-coming lawyer like Nick would wear such a shirt, but hey, my sense of style isn’t all that either! There’s a ton of fake blood to go around and although you don’t see graphic violence in this movie, you will get the gist. To those other reviewers who stated how lame it is that The Stitcher isn’t graphic enough, I find it refreshing that Enlow allows the audience to picture the killings in their own minds and put the pieces together (unlike the gore of Hostel and the Saw series, cool though they may be). Now I love gruesome as much as the next person, but the lack of gruesomeness in this is not a distraction…in fact you get to focus more on the characters and their actions versus the visual effects, and that is definitely a welcomed difference from today’s commercial horror films. Although I never sat at the end of my couch in wide-eyed wonder, I was always fully engaged throughout the film…a rare feat nowadays.
Locations, lighting & extras: I’m willing to bet that there were many options to adequately show “generic small town” in Oklahoma, and this movie does not fail in that regard. They say the town is small and pathetic but once was a pretty big deal back in the day. I saw both sides of that and never questioned or felt like something was missing from the locations. Lighting was fine but not stellar (at times too dim)… I’ll assume with more crew and/or more equipment, Enlow and Pike can provide even better quality in future endeavors. The special features and extras on the DVD were quite humorous and explained well the process of making this film without being boring. The bloopers were hilarious, and based on the company’s previous films, this is another trademark of Next Monkey. The “Carthage” comic book was a fresh touch, and after some research, discovered that “Carthage” was Next Monkey’s award-winning short film (also starring Scott Gaffen) and was the basis for The Stitcher. I hope to view it sometime soon, and I definitely look forward to more good things from Gaffen in the coming years (also a talented stage performer from what I have read). The music videos I could’ve done without as they weren’t very entertaining, but I did enjoy the music itself and what it brought to the overall film…special notice goes out to Calling Matthew’s “Living in a Dream,” which for me was one of the best ending credit songs I’ve heard in years, and RadioRadio’s “Butterfly” (particularly the first minute or so) as the movie’s “theme” song. According to the movie’s website, all of the bands were entries in a contest to be included in this film… an awesome idea and nice work and exposure to all of these worthy groups.
What I got most out of The Stitcher was that it was plainly obvious that everyone involved had a blast doing the film…and it shows in pretty much every aspect…a novel quality indeed, especially when compared to the big studio offerings. I enjoyed watching them have fun, and isn’t that what it’s really about in the end? There should be joy in creating horror and in watching it (not literally of course, but you get my drift)…this is a damn fine piece of filmmaking and a quite enjoyable experience to watch. I’m now a Next Monkey fan (are there any t-shirts or something I can purchase?), and I have been stitched to The Stitcher! I have a suspicion that Michael, Jason, Freddy, Jigsaw, Chucky and others have a new kid on the block, and he’s going to earn their respect!
