WATCH THE TEASER HERE
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Being at the mercy of someone else’s nefarious machinations is never the ideal place to exist, is it? When we are only striving to make the world a better place while indulging in our own intellectual endeavors, for another entity to arrive and not only upend our progress, but then attempt to plumb the depths of our minds to surmise and steal that which we’ve worked so diligently to discover and use it for bad instead of good–yeah, that’s a total bummer. BUT–can we find the inner strength to resist or at least withstand these foul methodologies being utilized by less than scrupulous people and then experience the freedom we want back? Patient Zero (Boris Lukman) has precisely this dilemma, as his thoughts and reality are being warped by the shadowy Tom (Travis Mitchell) and his two henchmen (Jake Lesh & Raffaele Marchetta) as they try to weed out the secrets of a genius–but to what ends?
Next, my Mind:
There’s truly just a little bit of everything being showcased, and hence conveyed to our watching eyes, through this 85-minute indie feature that comes courtesy of the cinematic cavalcade consisting of writer/director/producer/executive producer Grayson Berry, writer/director/producer/executive producer/editor/cinematographer Raffaele Marchetta, and writer/director/producer/executive producer/editor Thomas Ryan Ward along with writer Bill Timoney, producers Dennis Chavis and Bellamy Shivers plus primary associate producers Michael Krikorian, Joanne Berth, Michael Berth, and Rick Marin, solidly wearing its, like, totally 80’s visual and narrative stylings that pay homage to multiple genres including sci-fi, dark comedy, horror, and at least a smattering of drama. While this critic will freely admit being fully able to follow the baseline elements the foundational story is presenting, there were certain times where I honestly felt a bit astray with other aspects of it along the way and exactly HOW the film’s individual episodes worked into the grander whole.
However, that said, it is still quite the adventurous ride we’re privy to here, as we get to absorb what I consider a total of eight separate chapters throughout the film’s runtime, all of which cover a myriad of diverse thematic explorations that then mold into the sum total of it all. Segment #1, titled “Bitter Cup” humorously channels corporate politics, though darkly so, in following a young executive assistant who’s got much higher aspirations–and might do anything to get there. Segment #2, “Disturbed”, follows a young and (supposedly) in love couple until it becomes emphatically clear that all is assuredly NOT what it seems, much to several character’s impending, then grimly evident, detriment. Moving on to Segment #3, called “Icarus”, we jump aboard the alien train as a pair of friends driving to a crash site end up getting far more than they expect upon assisting a downed pilot. Segment #4, titled “The Place”, sees a couple coming home from a dinner date run afoul of a eerie light followed by being in an even eerier facility when they find they are the test subjects for an unnamed group of–people??
“Ballistic”, which makes for Segment #5, delves into our innate fears about WWIII, bomb shelters, and those (perceived) final moments we’re spending with those we care about most–including the decision to divulge secret best have been left undisclosed. Segment #6, “Special”, almost hits home with frighteningly contemporary relevancy about self-image, organ donation, and seedy industry practices via a beautiful actress whose dream role has just come about–if she can actually survive what’s really in the producer’s agenda for her. The 7th Segment, titled “Unanswered” carries a creepy vibe that lends itself to some seriously disturbing conjecture when centered on a seemingly pious man who has recurring and deeply haunting specters plaguing him–but is it actually for good reason? It then comes down to the final Segment, #8, which I counted AS one item even though its title, “Vortex 1 & 2” might suggest otherwise and make it nine parts, and finds the hapless but defiant Patient Zero being tormented even more by his captors as he tries to find any means available to turn the tables and foil a master plan.
When viewed as their respective individual tales, the format works wonderfully, with each certainly carrying its own magnitudes of horror-centric concepts wrapped in different underlying purposes and topical mediums. But, if one really tries to ascertain how it all is interconnected to what amount to a grand dive into the secret of the universe via Nikola Tesla’s numbers theory and associated studies, I guess for this critic it didn’t QUITE make sense, other than the possible “3, 6, 9” factors related to the actual number of Segments we’re given, and how someone (or someones) would wish to control the power it represents? By the finale, which of course I will NOT in any form give away, it maybe answers that aforementioned (hinted at, really) summation of events. Visually the film IS a throwback to the 80’s, with sometimes more spartan look and cinematography that more than illustrates an ode to the decade, as are the clothing, special effects, and music. But, this IS what we’re going for here, so there’s no use ragging on “but, it looks so CHEAP and LAME with no CGI, man”. Suck it up, people, and take it for what it is. Low budget, yes, but still at least ambitious in its intent and heart behind it all.
Now, this is actually the second film I am reviewing this weekend (the other one being “Anno 2020”, which can be read here) where the term “ensemble cast” is in FULL employment, much less that several of the cast take on multiple roles to boot, much less the wealth of supporting actors that make appearances, too. Like “Anno 2020”, I am somewhat forced to do what I did there and be transparent in that if I were to even TRY to critique the actors the way I would normally aim to do, this review would also become another entry in the online version of The Encyclopedia Britannica, and that just won’t do. So, I WILL first say–to all the primary and supporting actors who played multiple roles–genuine kudos to you for doing so and making each character you embodied their own animal as opposed to being some cardboard cutout of the SAME thing over and over again. Therefore, this is an initial shout-out of “Well done and well acted!” to Damien S. Berger, Grayson Berry, Terrence Berry, Lindsay Marie Jorgensen, Khush, Raffaele Marchetta, Tifanie Sbriscia, Jeffrey P. Thornton, Christine Wong, and Thomas Ryan Ward.
Then, with sincerely equal praise and congratulations for well portrayed performances via single segments, another huge shout-out to the efforts, lead or supporting, of Brian Belzer, Dennis Chavis, Christina Dollard, Febriana Farley, Kenneth Farley, Nick Ferraro, Sealth Grover, Rolando Hernandez III, Cody Kantor, Daniel Kapler, Jake Lesh, Michael A. Loori, Megan Marchetta, Allen Santa Maria, Lauren Mattia, Anthony Mazzocchi, Simone Janai Parrish, Franke Previte, Arthur Gregory Pugh, Brian Reilly, Wayne Richardelli, Natalie Rosati, Samantha Rothermel, Lisa Siano, Jillie Simon, Kelly Slane, Maddie Sykes, Joseph Taylor, Keith Vaile, Daryl Willis, and Jeremy Zenor. I will pick out Lukman as Patient Zero, a man either meant to be or represent Tesla who finds himself in a serious conundrum when members of an unnamed organization have taken him and subject his mind to alternate realities that apparently tie into Tesla’s secrets of the universe, which they wish to extract. Mitchell is a perfect caricature of an 80’s baddie through his role as main antagonist Tom, all cocky, overconfident agent vibes exuding forth.
Again, all the actors did do a wonderful job and allowed the film, despite its lower budget, to be brought along well enough for entertainment and enjoyment. So, in total, “Vortex: A Film Anthology” is about as enigmatic as it is just plain fun, a decent tribute to the decade that it resembles, with excesses via the fashion of direction and execution, at least to certain extents, that were present during that era of filmmaking. Without a doubt, it’s a prime exhibition of just-above-grass-roots independent cinema and those who love making it.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
