Title: Seconds Apart
Actors/Director/Anything Worth Mentioning Right Away: This is an After Dark original. Aside from knowing that and knowing that it started twin boys, I had little other knowledge of it going in.
Introduction: I purchased this DVD for an undisclosed sum at the advice of one Mr. Tim Sullivan.
Location: All around town.
Plot: This movie has an odd feel to it. In the opening sequence, a group of high school aged kids are shown playing Russian Roulette. What’s odd is that one of them loses (blows his face off) and not only do the others not freak out, they continue playing the game until they’re all dead. As you watch this scene unfold, not knowing in full what’s going on, you’re left with a certain sense of suspense that sets the tone for the rest of this movie.
I don’t want to spoil the plot, because I feel like all that needs to be said is that this is one of the most original and second by second best movies I possibly have ever seen, but let me just say this. For whatever reason, I really paid close attention to Orlando Jones in this movie. Sometimes, he looked like a normal actor guy and sometimes he looked very weathered. At first I wondered if he was simply just letting himself go, you know, because he was upset Mos Def kept taking all of his good roles. But then sometimes he’d look like he was in any other movie he’d be in. So I didn’t quite get it. But in the end, you will get it. And I recommend you watch this all the way through.
Acting: Despite my not knowing anyone in this movie outside of Orlando Jones, it actually does have good acting in it. The twins especially put on such a performance… it’s just one of the many reasons why it’s so easy to get sucked into it all.
Production: Not only do I know that this movie was in theaters (and looks like such), I know that for whatever reason it did not play in Houston. Boo.
Sex/Nudity: There really isn’t any nudity, but there is almost a sex scene. One of the twins comes close to having sex, but quickly panics and runs out. I think if this scene were to have played out in full it would have taken something away from the character. You have to understand they’re not like us, and having them act like us would’ve been the wrong way to go. This scene actually plays out perfectly.
Special Effects: The big opening scene of Russian roulette and then the final scene with the fire are probably the biggest in terms of special effects. In between that, there are some deaths (murders), sure, but they aren’t quite as big. None the less, the special effects look rather realistic which, once again, doesn’t take anything away from being sucked into this plot.
Overall Verdict: I’m going to be bold perhaps for the first time ever whilst reviewing a movie and say that this movie ranks right up there with the first time people saw something like The Exorcist or Poltergeist. It has that ability to completely suck you into its own world, while at the same time you’re really not sure what’s going to happen next. It couldn’t have been better done.
No comments:
Post a Comment