Anyone Else But Me

I know I'm being a jerk, but I've got some philosophical disagreements with Joel and his filmmaking style, so I think it's fair that I watch all of his films this year and give him a chance to change my mind. So I'm probably going to continue being a jerk all year.

Definitely a step up from January, but Joel continues to prove why feature films normally have budgets. And usually take time to actually write well developed scripts. And especially why they typically give themselves longer than, y'know, a month to finish. Sometimes it's even less than that but I still stand by my initial statements about what it takes to make a great movie.

Anyone Else But Me A film about acting, with people who act and where even the thriller elements revolve around people acting.

And where it makes perfect sense that every single character, for one reason or another, is playing a part.

Everyone except Trent-or rather, Trent's character. A 30-year-old playing a man of... what, 60? Whatever the case, his part would be more suited with an older person. It's not so much out of tune as it is just underdeveloped. It could've used more work. But no, if you're making 12 films in 12 months, you can't afford to fine-tune everything. Too bad because the movie it's a fun experience to watch.

Anyone Else But Me highlighted how many talented collaborators Joel Haver has gained throughout his years as a consistent YouTuber. While viewers will recognize plenty of the cast members from several viral online shorts, this satirical crime story of mistaken identity, false personas, and acting ambition, this feature-length release felt grander in its scope and intentions. With Blake Rosier as an actor who took a class exercise a little bit too seriously, this DIY movie progressed with plenty of tension and suspense as he's embroiled in a hostage situation after presenting himself as a multi-millionaire Bitcoin investor.

With an enjoyable mix of comedy, crime, and some self-aware humor about the vapid aspirations and insecurities of wannabe actors, Anyone Else But Me felt far more scripted and mapped out than a lot of Joel Harver's other, more improvised work. The theme of overlapping identity continually crops up as Rosier's character finds himself increasingly out of his depth as kidnapped try to extorte him for a $2 million dollar ransom. Overall, this was a highly accomplished release, especially considering the mind boggling tight time schedule Haver was under trying to make and release 12 feature films in one year.