Sunday, September 25, 2011

The House that Jack Built and Your Portal to Ninety Minutes of Misery: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by Gravitas Ventures.

Director: Bruce Reisman.

Writer: Bruce Reisman and Kris Black.

Here is another entry into the worst films for 2011 here at 28DLA. The title of this latest nomination is The House That Jack Built and this is more of an ego project for actor Kris Black than anything else. Poor acting, lack of rehearsals, a small budget and the use of one set make this film feel cheap, while the script is seriously uninspired. As a little backstory, "The House That Jack Built" was originally a poem from 1755 and there have been at least eleven films made with this title, beginning with George Albert Smith's experimental 1910 film. Without having seen the other ten films, this version is by far the worst. Although this film was technically released on DVD in August of 2010, The House That Jack Built releases this month through video-on-demand. So the film hosts all the prerequisites for making it one of the "Worst Film of 2011."

Okay, let us begin with the plot....That was fun. But really, there is not much of a script here. There is some mention by Joe Mantegna's character of a curse on his family, which is sourced to the house in which both Jack and Jack Jr. live. Mantegna as Jack Jr. begs Kris Black's Jack not to demolish the house and this pact is broken a year after his father's death. Now, Grandpa Jack (Peter Onorati), in unexplained disfigured form, has been released from his supernatural prison. He pursues his family and their friends with a bloody vengeance. Then people die by circular saw, Phillips screwdriver and other tools. That is basically the script summed up in a nutshell.

One of the poor film elements that is going to make itself clear early is the terrible acting. Kris Black acts cool with his cigarette hanging from his month in sunglasses, but his delivery of dialogue is unnatural and sometimes forced. Other characters also struggle with their lines and, understandably, their motivations. Were there any rehearsals? The result is a fairly shallow film, with director Bruce Reisman ready to experiment with the camera e.g. long, continuous shots - despite the hamperings from the acting department.

So, if the film is not pushing forward a relevant story, then what is the purpose of The House That Jack Built? The only answer this reviewer could find is that the film is an ego project for Kris Black, who stars in the film and who also co-wrote the script. He appears in most of the shots and the attention from other characters is almost exclusively focused on him. Watching Black act is like watching "a bored little rich kid" (Dread). His performance is uninspiring and his charm as a character and as an actor seems to be lacking. Black cannot hold the weight of the film on his shoulders, and nor does he seem interested in doing so.

One final look at the film's negatives is necessary to solidify the film's inclusion in "The Worst Film of 2011" category. Black plays a character who makes it big in the recording business, without ever mentioning a hit record or hit single. Also, Jack never performs one song and he seems more like a high school drop out rather than a multi-million dollar recording artist. This is another film which tries to make it seem that making millions can be done without hard work or talent. Maybe this is not the message the film was going for, but it is the one that this critic saw early.

Avoid this film wherever possible, as The House That Jack Built truly disappoints. A miserable experience, The House That Jack Built is a forgettable film that is undeserving of an audience because of its lack of depth, complexity, acting skills and a host of other film elements. This film has been nominated for "Worst Film" and this movie might just come out the winner in 2011.

Story/plot/interpretation: 4.5 (there is no real story here, just the basic framework).
Acting/believability: 5 (some characters are better than others but the primary cast is generally weak in performances).

Overall: 4.75 (a very poor showing here).

*on Comcast, Rogers and various other platforms as of September 2011 (you have been warned).

The Foy Wonder reviews the The House That Jack Built:

The House That Jack Built at Dread Central

Try it in book form; you are bound to get a better showing:



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