Gift SubscriptionsLarry Fessenden
Machines fight for control of a world destroyed by man in this ultra-low-budget sci-fi saga from filmmaker James Felix McKenney. A global war has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable, and the few humans who have lived through the conflict have been driven underground in order to survive. The Girl (Christine Spencer) lives in a subterranean bunker that she shares with several rattletrap robots of her own design. The Girl occupies herself by watching old videotapes of a scientist who was her friend and mentor before the apocalypse, but lately she has other things on her mind. Another survivor (Brenda Cooney) has established a robot army, and is using the machines to lay claim to the remains of the Earth. As the Girl constructs her own mechanical security force, she discovers the Enemy Leader has a dangerous surprise in his arsenal -- the ability to turn the Girl's robot friends against her. The ranting scientist in Automatons is played by Angus Scrimm, best known to horror film buffs as "the Tall Man" from the Phantasm franchise. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laree Love, Don Wood, (more)
A man sets out to find the son he didn't know he had and winds up getting answers to some questions he never asked in this comedy drama from director Jim Jarmusch. Don Johnston (Bill Murray) is an emotionally blank middle-aged man who has never married and lives a quiet, comfortable life thanks to shrewd investments in computers (though he doesn't use one himself). After being given his walking papers by his latest girlfriend, Sherry (Julie Delpy), Don receives an anonymous letter informing him he fathered a son 19 years ago, and that the boy wants to find his dad. Not sure what to do, Don shows the note to Winston (Jeffrey Wright), a neighbor who fancies himself an amateur detective. With Winston's help, Don narrows the list of possible mothers down to four women, and with a mixture of reluctance and resigned determination he sets out to find them. Armed with a CD of traveling music from Winston, Don pays unannounced visits to Laura (Sharon Stone), an oversexed widow with a libidinous teenage daughter (Alexis Dziena); Dora (Frances Conroy), a stuffy real estate agent; Penny (Tilda Swinton), an aging biker with no happy memories of Don; and Carmen (Jessica Lange), a self-styled analyst for pets whose outward eccentricity disguises a firm inner stability. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, (more)
- 2004
Independent filmmaker Douglas Buck wrote and directed this anthology of three short subjects, each of which takes an unflinching look at disturbing secrets lurking beneath the surfaces of several "ordinary" families. In Cutting Moments, a housewife (Nicca Ray) who has come to the end of her rope as she tries to reach out to her emotionally vacant husband (Gary Betsworth) reacts with a shocking act of self-inflicted violence, which soon spirals out of control. In Home, Betsworth stars as an emotionally abusive husband and father (himself the victim of a vindictive and unfeeling parent) whose random and persistent cruelty finally manifests itself in a shocking act of revenge when his wife (Christine Caleo) and daughter (Jayne Deely) take a stand and refuse to obey his commands. And Prologue concerns Billie Anders (Sally Conway), a 17-year-old girl who returns home after a year in a rehabilitation facility following an incident which cost her both hands and put her in a wheelchair. As Billie deals with the many ways in which her friends, her family, and her hometown have changed, she decides to confront the man whose actions caused her pain. The three films featured in Family Portraits were created over a span of seven years and were screened individually at a number of film festivals before being compiled for feature release both theatrically and on video. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This well-crafted independent horror film from writer-director Larry Fessenden is one of the better films to emerge from the '90s "revisionist" movement in vampire cinema, which also included Abel Ferrara's The Addiction and Michael Almereyda's Nadja. Fessenden also plays the lead as Sam, a disillusioned part-time bartender in New York's East Village who half-heartedly tries to escape a life of disappointment and failure by immersing himself in alcohol. His woes include the recent death of his father, a respected archaeologist, and a trial separation from girlfriend Liza (Heather Woodbury), who still loves him but refuses to be drawn into his world of alcoholic nihilism. At a wild Halloween party thrown by his two best friends, Nick (Aaron Beal) and Rae (Patricia Coleman), Sam meets a lovely dark-eyed woman named Anna (Meredith Snaider), with whom he's instantly infatuated. The two engage in idle conversation, leaving together when the festivities die down. A mutual attraction seems evident, but Anna disappears, leaving Sam a bogus telephone number. Thus begins a game of romantic cat-and-mouse, consisting of brief and steamy encounters separated by long periods of uncertain waiting for Sam. During the first of these encounters, the two find themselves pursued by a pack of wolves in Central Park, which Anna seemingly repels with a motion of her hand. At their first moment of sexual contact, Anna bites Sam on the lip and licks the blood -- an act which causes Sam to pass out in ecstasy. Their sporadic clinches are often punctuated by similar bouts of bloodletting, and Sam begins to succumb to a desperate, all-consuming need for Anna. His paranoid behavior seems to be a product of his intensifying alcohol addiction ... but Sam begins to suspect his condition is actually the onset of vampirism, caused by Anna feeding on his blood. Despite suggestions that his sanity is in serious doubt, there are several hints that his suspicions may be well-founded. For instance, one of Sam's friends tells him of a wild one-night stand with a mysterious woman who sounds like Anna -- after which he disappears without a trace. Anna also seems to have difficulty entering Sam's apartment or standing near him when he's cooking with garlic. Later, an eerie moment occurs at a ceremony honoring Sam's father, when one of the professors spots Sam's lady friend and is overcome with dread. Fessenden keeps this premise deliriously ambiguous, casting doubt over what Sam is really experiencing (even when it seems obvious that Anna is preying on every one of Sam's friends) and continues to crank up the intensity until the startling and violent climax. The director uses his locations to remarkable effect, fashioning a nightmarish but strangely beautiful world with images like a red-lit Empire State Building, a disorienting ride on a Coney Island Ferris wheel, and a furtive nude photo shoot on Wall Street. As an actor, Fessenden is appealing as Sam, an intense and creative thinker with a crumbled sense of self-worth, a shaky grip on reality and some missing front teeth. Far more horrifying than countless effects-laden vampire films, this surreal yet wholly convincing work merits multiple viewings. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Fessenden, Meredith Snaider, (more)
A twenty-five year old man whose chance encounter with a mysterious stranger has found his intellect rapidly expanding finds himself at the center of a gruesome murder case in an award-winning horror thriller starring Olivia Hussey, Sean Young, Dee Wallace Stone, and Udo Kier. Alex Borden is rapidly becoming a genius, but as the power of his mind grows so does the mystery of a brutal series of murders. Now, as the killer seems to set his sights on Alex, the frightened genius must use his newfound brain power to put an end to the mayhem once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Denham
A shocking and tragic event causes the members of a quietly dysfunctional family to reexamine themselves and their lives in this drama. Ben and Sandy Travis (Jeff Daniels and Sigourney Weaver) are a couple whose troubled family begins to crumble when their eldest son, star college athlete Matt (Kip Pardue) commits suicide. Sandy's naturally cynical nature becomes all the more prickly, and while she tries to bond with her surviving teenaged son, Tim (Emile Hirsch), they seem closest when they discover a shared fondness for marijuana. Ben also tries to reach out to Tim, but the young man is never able to shake the feeling that he's never quite been the son his father wanted. Tim has a girlfriend, Steph (Suzanne Santo), but their relationship has been going through a rocky patch, and Tim finds himself questioning his feelings about women and men when his friendship with next-door neighbor Kyle (Ryan Donowho) evolves into something more intimate. Imaginary Heroes was written and directed by Dan Harris, best known for his work as a screenwriter on the blockbuster comic-book adaptation X-Men and projected remakes of Superman and Logan's Run. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch, (more)
- 2007
Director Ilya Chaiken explores the lives of Tico and Derrick, two friends and former Statue of Liberty employees who lost their jobs in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Tico is a quick-tempered youth who responds to his unemployment dilemma by dabbling in petty street crime and half-baked scams. Meanwhile, Tico's friend Derrick becomes convinced that the only means of providing for his family is to finally give in to the persistent Army recruiters who have been hounding him for months. As the situation begins to get desperate and neither of the pair proves successful at landing a legitimate job, each struggles to make ends meet by any means necessary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Thompson, Kareem Savinon, (more)
It's hard to be hip and a mother at the same time, as one twenty-something New Yorker discovers in this independent comedy drama. Zelda (Eleanor Hutchins) is a struggling artist who lives with her boyfriend Max (Larry Fessenden), a would-be writer, in a bohemian neighborhood in Brooklyn favored by fellow creative types for the cheap rents and friendly atmosphere. Zelda is also the mother of a two-year-old boy, Little Z (Jonah Leland). Max is the child's father, but doesn't go out of his way to shoulder his share of the labor in caring for him; Zelda says that since she opted to keep the baby, the ultimate responsibility is hers, not his, but it's hard not to sense a hint of resentment in her attitude towards Max. Zelda strives to be a good mother and provide for her son while staying true to her on-the-edge personality, but she's begun to realize that she can't go on being the life of the party and a responsible single parent at the same time; she's also grown tired of sharing an apartment with five other adults, none of whom is holding down a full-time job. As Zelda is arriving at an emotional crossroads, her old friend Natali (Holly Ramos) re-enters her life; Natali has just gotten out of rehab after her latest attempt to wean herself off heroin, but with little to keep her occupied, her self-control is not especially strong, and Natali soon finds herself becoming quite friendly with Max, who is growing weary of his relationship with Zelda. Margarita Happy Hour was shown at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, where it was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, (more)
Fresh off the success of his award-winning senior thesis film The Underdogs, Tisch School of the Arts graduate Jim Mickle returns with this tale of a mysterious virus that causes mass chaos as it sweeps through a terrified Manhattan neighborhood. It's another sweltering summer day in downtown New York City, and as the residents of 51 Mulberry Street lament their crumbling building, higher rent prices, the rising cost of gas, and the ongoing war in Iraq the heat continues to climb as tempers begin to flare. The city is changing, but it's an unseen transformation that won't be noticed until it has evolved into an unstoppable force. A rat has attacked a passenger on the city subway, and just downtown another unsuspecting victim is bitten by a ravenous rodent. As darkness falls over the city, emergency response teams struggle to contain what appears to be a rapidly-spreading virus that is metamorphosing the helpless denizens into a bizarre new species. The streets are quickly filling with these malevolent new creatures, and as a retired boxer named Clutch awaits the return of his daughter from the battlefields of Iraq, the fearless fighter and seven other evicted tenants from 51 Mulberry Street will be forced to bolt the doors, secure the windows, and take one last stand against the mindless, frenzied masses who will stop at nothing to ensure total assimilation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Damici, Antone Pagan, (more)
- 1991
Geoffrey (Stephen Ramsey) and Lillian (Miriam Healy-Louie) are a couple spending the summer in the country in hopes of smoothing over some rough patches in their relationship. However, Geoffrey, who is a research scientist, has brought his work with him, which hardly helps, since Lillian's biggest problem with him is that he doesn't spend any time with her, and he seems more concerned with his career than his marriage. This is all the more galling for Lillian because she has given up her career as an artist in order to be more supportive of Geoffrey's work. Geoffrey is also upset because he's only been able to use mice for his lab experiments with new medications, and he is eager to begin working with larger animals; in his impatience, he begins trapping dogs, and he eventually catches the pet of a little girl named Frances (Ashley Arcemont). Meanwhile, Alex Vine (David Van Tiegham) is a scientist and an expert in organic farming who is trying to convince growers in the area to give up chemical pesticides while he studies their impact on the ecosystem; however, most of the farmers are not interested, since the marginal amount of insect damage that would result from organic growing techniques would still make their crops unsuitable for many produce buyers. David Van Tiegham, who plays Alex, is also a well respected percussionist who has worked with Talking Heads and Brian Eno, and as a member of Laurie Anderson's group, he appeared in her concert film Home of the Brave. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Ramsey, David van Tieghem, (more)
River of Grass has all the elements of a conventional road movie: a car, a gun, criminal plans, and young lovers on the run from an angry father who also happens to be a suspended police officer. But writer and director Kelly Reichardt has instead taken these familiar elements and fashioned an anti-road movie, a deadpan film that is more existentialist comedy than crime drama. The young lovers in question are Cozy, the cop's daughter, and Lee Ray, a shady character from the wrong end of town. Lee Ray comes into possession of a pistol, and soon he and Cozy find themselves unintentionally involved in a shooting. Fearing capture by the law, the two make plans to leave town, committing a series of robberies on the way. However, they don't manage to get very far; indeed, the film's central premise is how the romantic myth of lovers on the lam proves disappointing in the face of a far more pedestrian reality. This well-received, low-budget indie was shot on location in South Florida, placing its story against an appropriately depressed landscape of sun-bleached strip malls, barren highways and overgrown, swampy fields; the title is another name for the Florida Everglades. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Fessenden, Dick Russell, (more)
- 2003
A chance encounter prompts a young couple to forsake everything they have ever known in the hopes of truly experiencing life as never before in director Jeff Winner's reckless romantic drama. After meeting and falling in love over the course of just one weekend, Kevin (Karl Geary) and Ro (Stephanie Szostak) vow never to lie to each other and to dare each other to do the one thing they fear most. As the new pair hastily abandons their jobs, sells their possessions, and bets everything they have on love, reality rears its ugly head when they are forced to take up a life or crime as a means for survival. Meanwhile, Ro struggles with a pressing secret that could break them up for ever if revealed, or slowly drive them apart if held too close to her heart ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Geary, Stephanie Szostak, (more)
Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America director Douglas Buck follows that gruesome collection of three short films with this feature-length reimaging of cinema auteur Brian De Palma's 1973 horror film concerning a pair of mysterious siblings and the curious reporter who stumbles upon their deadly secret. Grace (Chloë Sevigny) is an ambitious young journalist conducting an investigation of a controversial psychiatrist (Stephen Rea) who is currently maintaining a questionable relationship with disturbed patient Angelique (Lou Doillon). As the investigation continues, Grace soon stumbles into an ongoing conspiracy populated by human experimentation, strange deaths, and a controversial operation. As the probing reporter delves ever deeper into the profoundly unsettling details and witnesses a brutal murder thanks to the unintended assistance of Angelique's latest love interest, Dr. Dylan Wallace, her fragile mental state is quickly shattered by the spiraling violence and unspeakable revelations to which she is now inextricably bound. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Doillon, Stephen Rea, (more)
Neil Jordan's The Brave One stars Jodie Foster as a happy woman whose life changes irrevocably after a brutal assault leaves her partner (Naveen Andrews) dead. The woman, feeling that the police investigation will be unable to catch the perpetrators, begins to live in constant fear. This outlook results in the woman eventually dispatching vigilante justice. Terrence Howard co-stars as the officer in charge of the investigation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, (more)
As preparation gets underway for the construction of an environmentally devastating oil well in a remote Alaskan base just outside the Arctic Circle, a series of unexplainable occurrences lead a team of adventurers to believe that something supernatural may be afoot in director Larry Fessenden's chilly snowbound thriller. Pollack (Ron Perlman) is the ultra-macho leader of a team of adventurers that include his former lover Abby (Connie Britton), pot-smoking mechanic Motor (Kevin Corrigan), and inexperienced newcomer-cum-fortunate son Maxwell (Zach Gilford). When research scientists Hoffman (James Le Gros) and Elliot (Jamie Harrold) arrive to assess the environmental impact of the proposed project, Pollack's unmasked contempt for the pair's stalling of the project immediately creates dissent among the group. As emotions boil to the breaking point and cabin fever begins to take hold, Maxwell's increasingly strange behavior is initially attributed to the blinding white barrenness of the region that has been known to fast wear thin the fortitude of even experienced men. There's more to Maxwell's midnight wanderings and incoherent mumblings that meets the eye though, because as the outside temperature begins to rise during the dead of winter and the team members begin to experience fleeting visions out of the corner of their eyes, it begins to appear as if mother nature may be voicing her opposition to the proposed pillaging of her luminous white landscape. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Perlman, James LeGros, (more)
Creatures of the night find new prey on the scariest night of the year in this horror story. It's Halloween night, and four friends -- Allison (Vanessa Horneff), Elliott (Wil Horneff), Trevor (Karl Jacob), and Brian (Sean Reid) -- are on a road trip en route to a friend's wedding when their car breaks down after running into something. Looking for help, the four happen upon the farmhouse of an elderly couple, Elvin (Richard Little) and May (Barbara Wilhide), which is located next to a huge barn. Elvin and May have already become lost in the darkness of the barn, and soon two of the lost travelers are suffering the same fate as they search for friendly strangers. However, while they can barely see a hand in front of their face, they discover they're not alone in the barn, which has become home to a huge swarm of bloodthirsty bats. The Roost is framed by an introduction and postscript from a television horror show host, played by Tom Noonan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Three friends out for a day of hunting discover they're the ones whose lives are in danger in this independent thriller. When a guy announces to his friends that he's getting married, two of his buddies decide to take him out for a final weekend of male bonding, centered upon a weekend of hunting and camping. The three New Yorkers head to Delaware and find a secluded spot in the woods where they drink beer and occasionally shoot at random animals. However, as they happen upon a beautiful ridge, shots ring out and they discover they're not the only people in the forest. Before long, the guns go off again and the hunters realize that they've become a target, and they have to find a way out of the suddenly forbidding woods before it's too late. Starring Reggie Cunningham, Ray Sullivan and Sean Reid, Trigger Man received its world premiere at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reggie Cunningham, Ray Sullivan, (more)
Larry Fessenden, director of the acclaimed independent horror films Habit and No Telling, crafts another unique tale of terror and suspense with this supernatural drama. George (Jake Weber) is a high-strung professional photographer who is starting to unravel from the stress of his work with a Manhattan advertising agency. Needing some time away from the city, Jake, his wife Kim (Patricia Clarkson), and their son Miles (Erik Per Sullivan) head to upstate New York to take in the winter sights, though the drive up is hardly relaxing for any of them. George accidentally hits and severely injures a deer that ran onto the icy road; after George stops to inspect the damage, he's confronted by an angry local named Otis (John Speredakos) who flies into a rage, telling George that he and his fellow hunters had been tracking the deer for some time. An argument breaks out, which leaves George feeling deeply shaken. When George and Kim arrive at their cabin, they discover that it's next door to Otis' property, and they soon find that a dark and intimidating presence seems to have taken over the cottage. Since, when they stopped at a store en route to the cabin, a shopkeeper told Miles about the legend of the Wendigo, a beast from Indian folklore who is half-man, half-deer, and can change itself at will, the child begins to wonder if the creature might have something to do with his family's sudden misfortune. Wendigo was enthusiastically received in its premiere screening at the 2001 Slamdance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Clarkson, Jake Weber, (more)
- 2008
Old Joy director Kelly Reichardt crafts this intimate tale of Wendy, an alienated Indiana woman who packs up her car and sets her sights on Alaska, but finds herself stranded in a small Oregon town with no money and only her faithful dog Lucy to keep her company. When Wendy realizes that there's nothing keeping her in her home state of Indiana, she makes the decision to relocate to Alaska and seek out work at the local fish cannery. Her four-legged friend Lucy in the passenger seat next to her, Wendy stops off to get some rest in a small Oregon town. The following morning, when Wendy attempts to start her car, the engine fails to respond. But this is only the first in a series of snowballing events, because as Wendy waits for the local garage to open she heads to the supermarket to pick up some dog food for Lucy. Opting to shoplift the puppy chow since she doesn't have much cash to speak of, Wendy subsequently finds herself in the local jail thanks to an overzealous employee. By the time Wendy pays her fine and gets back to the supermarket, Lucy is gone. Unfortunately the dog pound doesn't open until the following morning, and after receiving some help from a kindly local Wendy gets some particularly bad news about her car. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michelle Williams, John Robinson, (more)
A twentysomething office drone struggles between freedom and responsibility in this independent comedy-drama. Sanjay (Ajay Naidu) is a man in his mid-'20s who has come to the conclusion his life is stuck in neutral. Sanjay hates his job and doesn't think it has any real future and one day he announces to his boss that he's quitting. However, Sanjay's boss manages to double-talk him into not only keeping his job, but taking on longer hours and new responsibilities he doesn't really want. Several of Sanjay's friends are in the same boat and together they struggle to decide what freedom is worth to them and how to get it. You Are Here was the first feature film from writer and director Jeff Winner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ajay Naidu, Todd Peters, (more)
A young bride says "until death do us part," but finds that doesn't necessarily put an end to her romance in this offbeat blend of horror, comedy, and romance. Danny (Graham Sibley) and Denise (Tracy Coogan) are a young couple who have just gotten married and head off to a beachside bungalow to celebrate their honeymoon. While enjoying a sunny afternoon on the beach, Danny and Denise's idyllic getaway takes a turn for the worse when a monster rises from the ocean and attacks Danny. The creature spews poison into Danny's mouth, and soon the new husband is dead. But Danny isn't gone for long -- he unexpectedly regains consciousness, but Denise soon learns that her new mate has become a flesh-eating zombie, and that the former vegetarian now has a taste for human beings. But Danny still has one link with the world of the living -- he loves Denise with all his heart, and struggles to keep his monstrous appetites under control for her sake, while Denise remains deeply in love with Danny, and tries to adjust to the strange and monstrous changes taking place in the man she married. Zombie Honeymoon was written and directed by Dave Gebroe, who was inspired to make the film by his sister, a horror film fan who lost her husband in a surfing accident not long after they were wed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tracy Coogan, Graham Sibley, (more)
