Moma Museum of Modern Art NYC 2009, Official Selection Fancine Málaga Festival de Cine Fantástico 2009, Official Selection Dead by Dawn Edinburgh 2010, Official Selection Montreal World Film Festival 2009

THE DEATH OF ALICE BLUE

2009, regia di Park Bench

Scheda: Nazione: Canada - Produzione: Toothin Theatre - Sceneggiatura: Park Bench - Fotografia: Stephen Thorne - Montaggio: Mike Stewart - Art Director: Mark Gabriel - Scenografia: Anthony Morassutti - Costumi: Kimberley Ann Rush - Musiche: James Mark Stewart - Formato: Color - Durata: 87'.

Cast: Alex Appel, Park Bench, Kristen Holden-Ried, Gordon Currie, Barbara Radecki, Megan Fahlenbock, Veronica Hurnick, Carolyn Dunn, Conrad Coates, Amanda Brugel, Michael Caruana, Juno Mills Cockell, Ed Fielding, Katie Griffin, John Healy, Diane Higgins, David Macniven, Laura Thorne.

Trama e commenti: freezone-sci-fi.blogspot.com: «La timida Alice Blue riesce a trovare lavoro come copywriter presso la prestigiosa agenzia pubblicitaria Raven Advertising. Ignorata dalla maggior parte dei dirigenti è impegnata a creare una campagna pubblicitaria per l'importante azienda vinicola Netherwine (vino rosso naturalmente) ma l'agenzia ha altri piani per lei. Insieme ad un gruppo di colleghi dei piani bassi, che si fanno chiamare "La Resistenza" e sono convinti che qualcosa di sinistro si celi dietro l'agenzia e la Netherwine, Alice cercherà di far luce sul mistero e nel contempo scoprirà la sua predisposizione genetica a diventare un vampiro. Plot non molto ispirato per il primo film del canadese Park Bench che risulta più interessante sotto l'aspetto visivo per l'atmosfera retro anni 80 infarcita di vetusti computer e luci al neon [...]».

Plot Summary, Synopsis, Review: IMDb - fangoria.com - quietearth.us - rottentomatoes.com - efilmcritic.com - nowtoronto.com - theglobeandmail.com: «It’s easy to hope for and forgive a young, first-time actor-filmmaker named Park Bench. So here’s hoping Bench gets another chance to make a movie and that he’ll benefit from the experience of fumbling The Death of Alice Blue, a vampire movie without enough sharp teeth. Yeah, there are too many vampire shows. Then again, young filmmakers have been learning the business of making B-movie knock-offs ever since Roger Corman threw up a shingle in the late fifties. No, what’s wrong with The Death of Alice Blue isn’t that it’s derivative. It’s that the movie simply doesn’t know how to access the pleasures of B movies. It’s way too complicated. Too talky. Overpopulated. With no action until the final reel. Alice Blue (Alex Appel) shows up at a Toronto company, Raven Advertising. She’s ambitious, wants to get ahead. The owner, Amanda (Amanda Brugle) doesn’t like her for mysterious reasons and resents the fact that the creative director (Kristen Holden-Reid) does. There is also a mysterious revolt within the firm, an uprising on the way. Okay, that’s enough conflict and mystery to get a good movie started. But Bench junks up proceedings with way too many incidental, do-nothing characters – a solemn detective; wicked Cinderella-type co-workers who hate our heroine; Alice’s unpleasant mom; and a nervous guy who is always trailing behind, biting his nails. Movies, especially B movies, are supposed to move like feeding sharks – fast and straight ahead. The Death of Alice Blue meanders like grazing sheep. And no one can agree upon an acting style. Gordon Currie, Bench and Holden-Reid resort to a relaxed naturalism, while many minor characters employ the slightly arch, camp readings you encounter in porn movies. The film picks up at the end, when the villains bare their teeth, whereupon filmmaker Bench starts employing nifty special effects, killing off many of his film’s unnecessary characters. But by then the audience is dead to the world. It’s unfortunate Bench didn’t start his movie at the end, with half the characters gone, and the other half armed, dangerous and interesting» (Stephen Cole).

Approfondimenti: Movie Review

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