Lucky Bastard

From the perspective of a life-long die-hard movie enthusiast, I really enjoyed Lucky Bastard and find myself surprisingly haunted by some of the imagery and the darkness of the story's main antagonist. It would be easy to dismiss Lucky Bastard as something trite and low-brow and seemingly not worth the time to pop some corn. Any movie in which the backdrop is the adult film industry suffers an immediate stigma and a lot of closed minds unwilling to consider it as a legitimate movie-going experience. That is unfortunate because there is much to treasure here, from the frequently hilarious dialogue to the spot-on performance of Don McManus to the shocking moments of violence that seem totally plausible in today's world.

Lucky Bastard is a highly entertaining exercise in the found-footage genre, lending the impression that we are watching real people in a real situation. Unlike other found-footage movies that focus on the supernatural and therefore become questionable in their realism, Lucky Bastard unfolds with specific and tangible reality. Some may question the acting ability of the cast, but don't be fooled by knee jerk critical reactions. These actors know what they're doing to sell the concept of the movie, as do the artists behind the camera. The very premise, that of a young man who wins a date with his favorite adult film star and visits the set of an adult website to perform in a scene, is 200% believable in the p*rn-saturated cyber reality we live in today. And if you're paying attention, the movie addresses something far beyond the on-screen dalliances of a hopeful everyman and his dream woman. It's ultimately about the dangers of exploitation and the risk of gleefully humiliating so-called geeks, people we label without really knowing them or what they are capable of unleashing. When you consider the facts of today's world in which troubled young people walk into shopping malls and schools and IHOPs to open fire with automatic weapons, Lucky Bastard presents a disturbingly potential reality of what can and does happen when you don't know what you're really dealing with.

To give away Lucky Bastard's plot turns would do a disservice to the prospective viewer. I would simply say give the movie a shot if you want to be entertained, amused, titillated, and ultimately shocked. The movie will gently carry you along for a while, making you laugh, misleading you into a lazy state of casual observation until the first shock comes. The latter half of the film is far from humorous, and there are moments that will resonate, especially when you think about the internet-obsessed guy next door who seems harmless yet a little creepy.

Lucky Bastard puts a fresh spin on the found-footage genre and is effective in delivering laughs, surprises, and an ick factor that you'll think about after it's over. It's also worth mentioning that it's one of the few thrillers I can think of that delivers gruesome events in bright daylight, and that stylistic choice really stood out to me and helps distinguish Lucky Bastard as a unique and believable tale. I think this movie has a very strong appeal to a young, hip audience, and I'm really hoping it can get the attention it deserves and rise above those who would carelessly dismiss it. Check it out!

'Lucky B@stard' is a decent enough concept for a 'slasher' film: a found-footage thriller set in the adult film industry. It could have at least been watchable, but it just doesn't have the script or execution to live up to the promise. The story revolves around a p0rn website's gimmick of allowing one "lucky" fan to perform on-camera with an adult star. Things naturally take a turn for the worse when their chosen participant reveals a disturbing side of his personality.

Sadly, the audience will probably see every plot beat coming a mile off and - worse still - it has a majorly slow build-up. Despite the 94-minute runtime, it takes over an hour for the narrative to truly get going and anything vaguely exciting to happen. By then, it's likely many viewers will have lost patience. Part of the problem is the pacing. Much of the first act is spent on mundane set-up, introducing the characters and the mechanics of the titular website.

When the thriller elements finally kick in, they feel rushed and lack either the impact or gore that they might have had with better development. From early on, it's easy to guess where the story is headed. This might not have been so bad if the characters were more entertaining, but most of the cast are reduced to stereotypes and the script doesn't provide much depth to elevate them beyond their roles as victims or the killer.

Ultimately, 'Lucky Bastard' is a decent enough idea that doesn't quite work, due to its length (maybe it should have been some sort of half hour short?). While the premise might draw you in, the sluggish first hour and predictable plot twists make it a tough sell. If you're a fan of the found-footage genre or curious about its unique setting, it might be worth a look. Just don't expect to be blown away and, for a film set in this industry, you won't be getting too much in the way of what the p0rn genre is most famous for - if that's what you're looking at, you can probably find more on an average internet search.

Not hard-core, not soft core porn. I could not believe I cared about the characters in the movie. The fans of Scream understand that virgins are the only ones to survive horror movies. I would not classify as a horror movie. There are plenty of murders, nothing blood curdling or head turning. I did find myself getting caught up in the storyline of the lead actress, Betsy Rue. I felt empathy for her. Getting back to Scream, there are no virgins, except possibly the antagonist. It is interesting how he is dealt with in the final scene. The movie held my interest. I was caught up in the producer/director task to complete the porno and the obstacles he overcame. Think Blair Witch Project of the adult industry. Can you tolerate nudity and lazy sexual content? Give it a watch.

I was expecting a very low budget flick with bad acting filmed on a camera phone. A soft porn disguising itself as a thriller. Not even sure why I watched except something in the trailer told me maybe I was wrong. And I was. Now I'm not going to claim this was great art or anything but it was entertaining and kept my interest til the end.

I'm not much for found footage movies, can't stand them really but they did find a way to use a better quality then most by having it take place in a reality show house equipped with cameras everywhere. I think that really helped me enjoy this "found footage" So don't let the FF term keep you from watching.

I expected acting to be on the porn level but found it to be much better and believable. The dude who played the lucky bastard was really good. Both when he played the shy kind of frustrated nerd all the way through to the other side. I think I enjoyed his performance most, watching that transition and thinking of the frustrated nerds I've known. Yeah I could see that happening! Overall a decent flick, much better then I thought it would be. I'll give it a 6/10

Lucky Bastard is a "found footage" thriller about a porn website run by Mike (Don McManus) that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Dave (Jay Paulson) is an eager young fan given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue). But everyone gets more than they bargained for in the seemingly mild-mannered Dave... with gruesome results.

I am not a fan of the found footage subgenre in horror (if this can be called horror). Since its modern birth with "Blair Witch Project", few of those entries in this category have been better than average. This, I must say, might be the exception. Not only were the cameras not overly irritating, but it actually made sense for the plot of the film to have so many filming at once.

The film starts with a rather graphic sex scene by non-porn standards (perhaps not surprising for a film of this subject matter) involving actress Catherine Annette. Now, this scene notwithstanding, Annette is an actress to watch -- she has excellent screen presence and steals scenes, even eclipsing star Betsy Rue (with all due respect to Rue, who more than holds her own). The nudity is a bit extreme, earning the film an NC-17. But, again, this is about porn so that may be expected.

Don McManus is awesome, very funny and I love the beard. He is a veteran actor, though perhaps not well known. He is not going to become much more well known from this film, but he should -- he has a great personality, a great look about him, and he is the one character in this movie I really found myself identifying with (whatever that might say about me).

In the background is producer Jim Wynorski, whose involvement is not entirely clear to me. I can frankly say this is the best thing with Wynorski's name on it that I have seen in over a decade, probably longer. Also worth notice is editor Tony Randel, a "Hellraiser" veteran. People rarely notice editors, but Randel is worth every penny.

Although the plot of this film is rather simple, it was brilliantly scripted. Every camera is accounted for, scenes are made to flesh out characters without dragging on too much. Everyone came to the set ready to act, and this was expertly executed. Well worth a watch.