joel_the_ghoul

A friend of mine is currently attending grad school at Northern Illinois and was fortunate enough to receive passes to a "test screening" of this film. Knowing absolutely nothing about the film going in I had low expectations, more or less thinking I was about to sit through a student film. The misgivings continued through the credits when I saw a cast of names that, although recognizable, hardly signal quality in a motion picture. I was pleased to find, however, a true diamond in the rough; a decent tongue-in-cheek thriller that left everyone in the audience entertained throughout the entire film.

Basically, Judd's character is a rich hermit who insists on living a self-fulfilling prophesy of going insane, a notion that has been ingrained in him ever since his father flipped out and slaughtered his mother. Wrapped up in his own personal demons, he invites Vincent Spano along for the ride and asks him to investigate the motives of his trophy wife, Jennifer O'Dell, who he think is an ill-intentioned vamp trying to drive him insane and rob him blind. Drama and confrontation unfolds in a fairly simple fashion, but the result is a solid effort that is both tense and occasionally funny. While I would hardly call the movie a shocker, there are enough unexpected twists to keep you engrossed.

Since this was a test screening, the sound was still a little rough and the time code had yet to be removed, both of which proved to be a bit distracting. But all of the performances stood out, particularly Judd Nelson, who makes us completely forget about The Breakfast Club while reminding us that he can still act. Given that director lives in Michigan, the only member of the crew in attendance to talk about the film was the production manager, who acted more like an MC than a member of the crew. He suggested the crew was made up of a bunch of young first-timers, which I don't doubt given some of the experience listed on this page. After hearing that, I became more impressed with the end result and would gladly watch it again once the final product is released. The PM also said they were still searching for a distribution deal, so I would like to wish Mr. Zambeck best of luck in his endeavors and would strongly recommend checking this out once it becomes available.

I saw this movie on a trip to Iowa, and not knowing much about Matt Farnsworth, the director (or the subject of meth, for that matter), I had no preconceived expectations, but walked away impressed and educated by a first-time filmmaker's jarring exploration into addiction.

Though Farnsworth doesn't quite explore the psychology of drug addiction as much as he could, the frenetic, visual representation illustrates the world of meth from a user's perspective, providing a sharp contract to the small town setting of the film. Farnsworth is capable in the lead role, but its Michael T. Weiss's turn as a sadistic, power-tripping sheriff that steals the show.

A couple of complaints: Fransworth occasionally goes for shock value, mistaking it for a message of rude awakening. And the hand-held, store-bought-video-camera interludes of the Iowa landscape seem forced and shlocky. The landscape means very little to the film (presumably less than Farnsworth thinks it does, since the movie is named for the state it resides in), as this story could be easily translated to any city (big or small) in the states.

I've read Farnsworth has been leading an anti-meth crusade, and while that's honorable, I hope (for selfish reason) that he has not abandoned directing for this higher calling. I can't wait to see what he does with his second go-round.