It's not really surprising how a movie like Smiley is badly received by practically everyone. There have been a pool of YouTube movies that scored feature contracts, and quite frankly, this slasher has got to be the worst so far. Directed by Michael J. Gallager, creator for comedy-channel "TotallySketch", tells the story of a naive College freshman named Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) who is somehow drawn into a group of students who like the euphoria of College life - getting wasted without a parent to ground you down. There she is introduced to a freakish and equally ridiculous urban legend simply regarded as "Smiley" who is basically an online serial killer or entity or whatnots.
The story behind Smiley is quite decent, and it would have created a better movie if better told. It's totally understandable that Gallager is in best of his comforts when he made the film, but the rear end of it became a generic slasher horror. I can grasp how Smiley, initially a YouTube sketch, scored a feature film for its own - Gallager knows the business and how to work with production. But quite frankly, I can give you upfront a list of YouTube users that would have made a better movie than this. Tell you, the list will be quite a lengthy one. This user. This user. And this user could use a little attention, and maybe a feature film someday, too. And hopefully we don't land on something like this. I've got faith on them anyway.
Gerard does an acceptable performance - she's given quite a character, and it's only right to do well by it, bring justice to it. And she did, too. But what happens is that she's either reserved or too loud, seldom does it happen that she hits the perfect blend I'm kind of anticipating to see. Other performances doesn't really require a remark as they all felt part of the backdrop. Except Melanie Papaila who plays Proxy, the generous College friend who lends Ashley a whole house to stay at. Papaila's got the conventional feel to her - friend to the blonde girl who'll face demise sooner or later - but you dig her nonetheless.
Gallager uses cheap jump scares and clumsy atmospherics - constant music background to build the tension won't work if you use the same thing throughout the whole film. The shocks are ineffective, and honestly, the only scare element here is how it's brisk 90-minute run time felt like forever. It's your by the numbers slasher that's only watchable with friends who keeps you busy doing very different stuff anyway. Smiley is an ambitious attempt so it's only right to accept that it might turn out good or bad. It's not a stretch to tell that it turned out to be the latter, though. C
0 comments:
Post a Comment