As an indie filmmaker myself, I completely appreciate other indie films. However, I found this film to be less than stellar, especially given the amount of other films this director and writer has worked on. Please note that I am being so critical because this is not the director/writer's first, second, third, or fourth film. This is just my opinion so please do not take everything I say as the end all be all. I am just one reviewer.
This will be a long review but hopefully helpful.
The Script
I LOVE the dynamic between Porshe, Klips, and Jazz!! Some of the dialogue between them is just SO GOOD. Jazz and Klips! Some great lines in here made me chuckle-the lines came out naturally too. Those two work well together!!
On to my dislikes.
Within the first five minutes of Act 1, we are introduced to six characters. SIX. How can we latch on to characters when there are so many within the first few minutes? We are told that we should care about these characters but we never really get time to sit with them.
The pacing is all over the place. 20-25 minutes in and I have no idea what is going on and I still do not care about any of the characters. What are the protagonists trying to gain? What are their goals? What are we working towards? The minutes are ticking by so fast but yet nothing is actually happening.
Some of the dialogue is on the nose.
So many side characters are dying that nothing feels earned - the stakes aren't there.
By the 1hr mark, two characters show up that we have only seen in the first 5 minutes. So for like 50 minutes tehy were out of the picture. It's a shame because one of them was part of the ending twist.
There were inconsistencies in the script.
After the Jazz and Porsche fight, how did they get back home? They were both injured by a severe gunshot and stabbed. Why didn't Porshe just kill her at the warehouse?
. The Black twist was underwhelming. There wasn't any indication that he was her brother.
The ending twist with the three ladies is out of nowhere. The detective is in cahoots with the three ladies is so left field. There was no indication that she was a double agent!!
Why did they kill Richard? Why is every cop a double-crosser?
The screenwriter seems to know what is going on but can't seem to convey that to the audience. I suggest really taking the time to pace things. Outline and really run things through.
The Acting
Kellae Renae stood out to me. She is very natural. I would love to see her in some comedy roles! She and Kitty J work so well together.
Santosha Nicole always delivers!!
With that being said, sometimes things felt a bit off. That isn't to say that the actors are terrible by any means. No, they ALL did well! But sometimes it seems like they are reading the script on set or trying to remember their lines. They either needed more time to be off book or the director needed to direct the actors so they could get a better performance out of them.
There were scenes where the actors were just standing around waiting for their lines. They felt stiff and awkward. As a viewer, it took me out of the scene. Some scenes felt forced and over the top while other scenes like the teaser felt super tamed. The teaser is basically this: A guy, let's call him 'John', was sitting on his bed reading his book. Three masked individuals with guns burst into John's room. Instead of reacting to it by jumping up or screaming or even having a face of shock/terror, he just sits there and looks at them casually like he is looking at tv or something. There is no reaction.
Some of the actors were natural or strong in scenes! The chemistry between Porcshe and her friend/partner was very well done. I also really like Gam-Gam and Porshe's relationship - nice touch.
Technical
The stunt work was dope!!
Sound is important! This film, like many indie films, seems to forget about getting clear audio. When the actors project, the audio often clips. The messed-up audio really takes me out of the emotional scenes. There's a very pivotal scene after Porshe kills someone. She is in the shower and just completely breaks down. That scene would have been much much better if the audio was clearer and it wasn't clipping.
Good job on prop and the stunt work!!!
This will be a long review but hopefully helpful.
The Script
I LOVE the dynamic between Porshe, Klips, and Jazz!! Some of the dialogue between them is just SO GOOD. Jazz and Klips! Some great lines in here made me chuckle-the lines came out naturally too. Those two work well together!!
On to my dislikes.
Within the first five minutes of Act 1, we are introduced to six characters. SIX. How can we latch on to characters when there are so many within the first few minutes? We are told that we should care about these characters but we never really get time to sit with them.
The pacing is all over the place. 20-25 minutes in and I have no idea what is going on and I still do not care about any of the characters. What are the protagonists trying to gain? What are their goals? What are we working towards? The minutes are ticking by so fast but yet nothing is actually happening.
Some of the dialogue is on the nose.
So many side characters are dying that nothing feels earned - the stakes aren't there.
By the 1hr mark, two characters show up that we have only seen in the first 5 minutes. So for like 50 minutes tehy were out of the picture. It's a shame because one of them was part of the ending twist.
There were inconsistencies in the script.
After the Jazz and Porsche fight, how did they get back home? They were both injured by a severe gunshot and stabbed. Why didn't Porshe just kill her at the warehouse?
. The Black twist was underwhelming. There wasn't any indication that he was her brother.
The ending twist with the three ladies is out of nowhere. The detective is in cahoots with the three ladies is so left field. There was no indication that she was a double agent!!
Why did they kill Richard? Why is every cop a double-crosser?
The screenwriter seems to know what is going on but can't seem to convey that to the audience. I suggest really taking the time to pace things. Outline and really run things through.
The Acting
Kellae Renae stood out to me. She is very natural. I would love to see her in some comedy roles! She and Kitty J work so well together.
Santosha Nicole always delivers!!
With that being said, sometimes things felt a bit off. That isn't to say that the actors are terrible by any means. No, they ALL did well! But sometimes it seems like they are reading the script on set or trying to remember their lines. They either needed more time to be off book or the director needed to direct the actors so they could get a better performance out of them.
There were scenes where the actors were just standing around waiting for their lines. They felt stiff and awkward. As a viewer, it took me out of the scene. Some scenes felt forced and over the top while other scenes like the teaser felt super tamed. The teaser is basically this: A guy, let's call him 'John', was sitting on his bed reading his book. Three masked individuals with guns burst into John's room. Instead of reacting to it by jumping up or screaming or even having a face of shock/terror, he just sits there and looks at them casually like he is looking at tv or something. There is no reaction.
Some of the actors were natural or strong in scenes! The chemistry between Porcshe and her friend/partner was very well done. I also really like Gam-Gam and Porshe's relationship - nice touch.
Technical
The stunt work was dope!!
Sound is important! This film, like many indie films, seems to forget about getting clear audio. When the actors project, the audio often clips. The messed-up audio really takes me out of the emotional scenes. There's a very pivotal scene after Porshe kills someone. She is in the shower and just completely breaks down. That scene would have been much much better if the audio was clearer and it wasn't clipping.
Good job on prop and the stunt work!!!
