Oh, After Last Season--you are truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Concerned reader God Is My Codependent noticed that the trailer embedded in my 2009 review of the oddball film After Last Season was "removed for copyright violations" from YouTube.
I did find another copy that had not been taken down:
But I also noticed that, mysteriously, a new trailer went up last spring, one that attempts (with only limited success) to make the decidedly crazy movie look more linear and conventional:
I can only assume that the producers, hoping to recoup some of the $5 million spent on this curiosity, are trying to persuade a distributor to release it and capture some of that sweet, sweet midnight-screenings-of-Birdemic cash. They even spent money on new graphics.
So far, no luck, as I see on the Amazon page that the DVD for After Last Season is no longer available.
But, oh, the comments of the film's supporters sure are enthusiastic, and not in an ironic reviews vein, either.
This one comes from Chris anr8:
This movie isn't the most visually stunning film.
I'm with you so far, Chris anr8!
With a budget of $5 million, the entire movie will not look like the recent Green Lantern film which costs about $200 million to make. But the movie has some very realistic and frightening moments created through special effects.
Well ... no.
It goes beyond being just a small thriller. The experience achieved by the movie is sometimes disturbing ...
True!
... and overall, it is magical.
And you lost me again.
You won't be able to tell the difference between what is real and what is not real by the middle of the movie.
And, again, true, if you mean reality in general and not this movie.
After Last Season starts out like a joke.
A bad, baffling movie walks into a bar ...
At the end of the movie, you begin to understand why some scenes and some sets appear so outrageous. After Last Season stars Jason Kulas (who plays Matt), Peggy McClellan (who plays Sarah), Scott Winters (Dr. Marlen), Casey McDougal (Anne), Joan-Marie Dewsnap, William York and Tristan Cole. In the future, the main characters are tied to some murders and use a new technology.
Actually, no. That's a dream. A dream that takes up about 40% of the movie and doesn't actually affect the plot at all.
They filmed the movie on 35mm and it is rated PG-13. The DVD has 5.1 surround sound (which is neat for many parts of the movie.).
Well, the weird sonic murk did freak out my dog several times.
This one from Alex 510 has the subject line "Nonstop entertainment":
From the opening, After Last Season starts to grab your attention. The movie doesn't resemble your standard movie. Events start to happen that are mysterious and baffling. You see a snapshot of the lives of the characters. Jason Kulas as Matt introduces you to a new world of technology. Peggy McClellan as Sarah shows you a dimension of technology that you have never seen before. They are fascinating. and for some of us who are young at heart or teenagers, humor is present in the story. The other actors like Scott Winters, Joan-marie Dewsnap and Casey McDougal are serious and funny. Great way to spend a Friday evening.
Lindsay says this is a "great way to escape your life":
Took a break and watched the movie. Loved the movie. A view of the future mixed with some thriller. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get away from their busy life or who wants to spend an evening watching a movie.
A breakthrough--how did producers never think of that before?! A movie that's intended to be watched!
James C. says it "keeps you on the edge of your seat":
Not a masterpiece. Not an action flick. Still has some action in it and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. Low budget movie with adrenaline. I wish I could have seen this movie inside a theater when it was released in 2009. The effects you get from the movie would have been ten times greater. Excellent DVD. Well worth the money.
In order to stay on the edge of your seat without falling off, please use a seatbelt. Otherwise, you may pass out and fall off.
But my favorite comes from J. Rollit:
After Last Season was not what I expected it to be. It appears to be something then as you watch it; ...
An incomprehensible attempt at making a movie by someone who has no idea how movies work?
it turns into something else.
A frog? No, wait .... I dreamed that.
It looks like the people behind the movie went out of their way to create a different kind of movie.
Yes. An unwatchable one.
Some scenes contain the simplest sets. The computer animation is primitive one moment and sophisticated in others. The special effects are plain and visible one minute and the next they are photo-realistic.
OK, now you're not even trying to be believable.
It seems like the director wanted to leave just enough clues in the dialogues and designs to tell the viewers what is going on. It looks like he may have left too few hints because if you don't pay attention to the dialogues, you can easily lose track of the plot. I watched the latest trailer on the official web site and that helped me understand what is going on.
Also, the magic mushrooms helped.
You know the names of some of the characters right away.
He's got me there. That really does help.
Needless to say, you don't have to understand the whole plot to be captivated by the movie. It is thrilling and scary just by watching it.
As opposed to say, thrilling and scary by just staring at the DVD case.
Thanks, J. Rollit! I look forward to your guest-hosting gig on Sneak Previews, but only because it's no longer on the air.
2 comments:
Well, for one, no one is even miked. It's the "hollow-room" effect they're so desperately striving for. You'd think they'd somehow rig a boom mic, but then, the shadow would be visible constantly -- obviously they wanted to avoid that.
The acting is convincingly high-schoolish -- the director really succeeded in persuading us that these are all high-school seniors (and their asst. profs.) who are most definitely going to meet a grisly end. By the end.
Bravo, I say, bravo!
The director hasn't convinced me he's ever seen a movie before.
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