I work a lot in the Pittsburgh indie film scene. Local films range from abysmal to actually pretty decent and this was one of the latter. Pittsburgh has some outstanding talent that deserves more recognition. Many of them work as background in big films and TV series like Mindhunter, but get their chance to shine in independent films like this. The stars of Kecksburg are not local, but I saw faces I recognized like Steph Riker, Sonny Ziff, Jerry Pietrala, and more. While I wish they had cast locals in all the roles, the actors from LA and NY put in very strong performances. Maria Olsen is a horror icon and has a brief cameo as a doctor in an classic alien autopsy sequence. In case it isn't obvious from the trailer, there are aliens in Kecksburg, but the aliens aren't the bad guys. The director made a smart choice by not showing them too closely. We see just enough. The main man in black makes your skin crawl. He doesn't have many credits, so I am not sure if he is local, but I hope this gives his career a bump. As other people have stated, there were some weaknesses, but that is to be expected in this budget range. The biggest issue was the sound mix and that can always be fixed in post. I have no idea why they didn't do that before the screening. Most of the voices and some of the music sounded distorted. There were also some shots that just didn't seem to fit, like the crowd on the street when the fire truck goes by.
Really cool vehicles and locations. I give anyone credit who actually finishes a film. It is hard and lots of people dream, but don't follow through. That's where Cody Knotts is different. He keeps trying and every film is better than the last. Plus, he always packs the theater like no other local director I have ever seen. I hope to get to work on his next project!
