Thursday, July 22, 2010
Michael Allen
Director: Tammi Sutton.
Writers: Brian Moon, Carlos Laucha, and Jacqueline A. Kelly.
Sutures is a film produced by Sutures LLC and distributed on DVD July 20th by one of the largest independent film supporters, MTI Home Video. Sutures LLC was created exclusively for this film and this company was likely built as a stopping gap in case the film failed financially. This is an educated guess. However, filmmaker Tammi Sutton and her crew have displayed a knack for incorporating childhood trauma in to a story involving unanesthetized organ harvesting. The believability of the premise takes awhile to get used to, but once imagination overcomes this obstacle, Sutures turns out to be an enjoyable yet tragic tale of madness and unresolved Oedipal issues.
The film begins as many horror films do with several good looking twenty-somethings venturing out in to the wilderness for a well deserved rest. These med' students have earned their relaxation by incorporating dead bodies in to their poker games and scaring the life out of their fellow, female students. Out in the bush, unsurprisingly, a villain appears ready to hack and slash, but here there is a twist. This killer's motives are not without purpose and instead are for medical research, or for organ harvesting. You see, this serial killer is hoping to cure a rare disease by inflicting as much surgical damage on others as possible.
The imposing Carlos Laucha plays one of two central antagonists, who has some daddy issues to recover from. As a child, Alexander Tatum watched his own mother dissected over the course of years by his own father. The senior Tatum's obsession with surgery has passed on to his son, while Tatum looks for an identity outside of cruel torture, disfigurement, and involuntary surgery. The result is a conflicted character who is dealing with a withered ideal self and an imposing ought self, both of which conflict. Murder is the result; thanks Personality Psychology 330.
A few awkward moments, a continuity error and some poor music in the credits are all that holds back this very watchable and gorey display of horror cinema. Which leads in to this question - how would you solve this problem? A killer is loose in a large house where you were staying and where at least one of your friends has been killed. As well, you have new surgical scars close to where your kidneys used to be. Do you A) go back in the house for a second time to look for your friends where the killer is B) wait for the police outside or C) hoof your ass back to civilization. If you picked A) you are dead like most of the other characters in the film, but bonus points to readers who picked B) or C).
Staying with the criticism, the lovely character Sienna (Allison Lange) is admitted to the hospital with a neck wound and treated. At the end of the film her wounds have miraculously healed without a scar. Finally, the last, and this reviewer believes, the only title track at the end credit roll is really terrible, but this cinema lover has, unfortunately, heard worse. Writer Staci Layne for Horror.com picked up on the musical selections as well: "and don't even get me started on the end-credits song." Also, Sutton for your next film please turn up the lights on the initial credits, thanks!
Outside of these few minor errors, Sutures clips along at a nice pace with some solid acting from the leads and secondary characters. The co-created script from the three writers adds some depth to the story and likely released some strong emotions in the process. Also, Sutton, who has been in many different parts of the horror universe e.g. actress, producer etc., shows that women can make some balls out horror, too!
To sum up, Sutures has been released as of July 20th by MTI Home Video and this reviewer encourages reader's to step out of the mainstream and try out some independent horror with this 2009 production. Otherwise, the director might come by and harvest your kidneys. Watch out!
Characters/complexity/believability 7 (some multi-dimensional characters and some are mostly fodder).
Setting/realistic/uniqueness: 7.5 (two great sets with the underground hospital and get-away castle).
Continuity/editing/music: 5.5 (a little more tightening up required here, -1.5 for a terrible end soundtrack, -1 for initial credits/dimness, -1 for disappearing surgical scars, -1 for not introducing a little more music in to the body of the film).
Overall: 6.66 out of 10 (a solid, independent horror flick).
Sutures at MTI Home Video:
Sutures at MTI
The film's trailer:
The Film's Trailer on Youtube
A well written review by Staci Layne on Sutures:
Sutures Reviewed at Horror.com
Purchasable:
Advertise Here - Contact me Michael Allen at 28DLA
| | |
Stumble It!
Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis by Email
Writers: Brian Moon, Carlos Laucha, and Jacqueline A. Kelly.
Sutures is a film produced by Sutures LLC and distributed on DVD July 20th by one of the largest independent film supporters, MTI Home Video. Sutures LLC was created exclusively for this film and this company was likely built as a stopping gap in case the film failed financially. This is an educated guess. However, filmmaker Tammi Sutton and her crew have displayed a knack for incorporating childhood trauma in to a story involving unanesthetized organ harvesting. The believability of the premise takes awhile to get used to, but once imagination overcomes this obstacle, Sutures turns out to be an enjoyable yet tragic tale of madness and unresolved Oedipal issues.
The film begins as many horror films do with several good looking twenty-somethings venturing out in to the wilderness for a well deserved rest. These med' students have earned their relaxation by incorporating dead bodies in to their poker games and scaring the life out of their fellow, female students. Out in the bush, unsurprisingly, a villain appears ready to hack and slash, but here there is a twist. This killer's motives are not without purpose and instead are for medical research, or for organ harvesting. You see, this serial killer is hoping to cure a rare disease by inflicting as much surgical damage on others as possible.
The imposing Carlos Laucha plays one of two central antagonists, who has some daddy issues to recover from. As a child, Alexander Tatum watched his own mother dissected over the course of years by his own father. The senior Tatum's obsession with surgery has passed on to his son, while Tatum looks for an identity outside of cruel torture, disfigurement, and involuntary surgery. The result is a conflicted character who is dealing with a withered ideal self and an imposing ought self, both of which conflict. Murder is the result; thanks Personality Psychology 330.
A few awkward moments, a continuity error and some poor music in the credits are all that holds back this very watchable and gorey display of horror cinema. Which leads in to this question - how would you solve this problem? A killer is loose in a large house where you were staying and where at least one of your friends has been killed. As well, you have new surgical scars close to where your kidneys used to be. Do you A) go back in the house for a second time to look for your friends where the killer is B) wait for the police outside or C) hoof your ass back to civilization. If you picked A) you are dead like most of the other characters in the film, but bonus points to readers who picked B) or C).
Staying with the criticism, the lovely character Sienna (Allison Lange) is admitted to the hospital with a neck wound and treated. At the end of the film her wounds have miraculously healed without a scar. Finally, the last, and this reviewer believes, the only title track at the end credit roll is really terrible, but this cinema lover has, unfortunately, heard worse. Writer Staci Layne for Horror.com picked up on the musical selections as well: "and don't even get me started on the end-credits song." Also, Sutton for your next film please turn up the lights on the initial credits, thanks!
Outside of these few minor errors, Sutures clips along at a nice pace with some solid acting from the leads and secondary characters. The co-created script from the three writers adds some depth to the story and likely released some strong emotions in the process. Also, Sutton, who has been in many different parts of the horror universe e.g. actress, producer etc., shows that women can make some balls out horror, too!
To sum up, Sutures has been released as of July 20th by MTI Home Video and this reviewer encourages reader's to step out of the mainstream and try out some independent horror with this 2009 production. Otherwise, the director might come by and harvest your kidneys. Watch out!
Characters/complexity/believability 7 (some multi-dimensional characters and some are mostly fodder).
Setting/realistic/uniqueness: 7.5 (two great sets with the underground hospital and get-away castle).
Continuity/editing/music: 5.5 (a little more tightening up required here, -1.5 for a terrible end soundtrack, -1 for initial credits/dimness, -1 for disappearing surgical scars, -1 for not introducing a little more music in to the body of the film).
Overall: 6.66 out of 10 (a solid, independent horror flick).
Sutures at MTI Home Video:
Sutures at MTI
The film's trailer:
The Film's Trailer on Youtube
A well written review by Staci Layne on Sutures:
Sutures Reviewed at Horror.com
Purchasable:
Advertise Here - Contact me Michael Allen at 28DLA
| | |
Stumble It!Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis by Email
Posted in: 2010,brian moon,carlos laucha,continuity,dvd,dvd artwork,editing,horror,jacqueline a. kelly,movie review,music,musical score,release date,slasher,sutures,tammi sutton,thriller
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