Director:
Christopher DiNunzio
Studio/Production Company:
Creepy Kid Productions
Genre:
Horror
Sub-Genre:
Crime
Length:
Feature
Website:
http://www.creepykidproductions.com
Score:
1/5
You hate to see a good idea go down in flames like it does here but such is life sometimes. Christopher DiNunzio’s “Livestock” begins with an intriguing premise but, unfortunately, that’s where it ends, with a premise, an idea for a story rather than a fully realized, compelling narrative. Despite bad acting, cheesy music and borderline production values, “Livestock” grabbed me, if only momentarily, by at least trying to do something new, blend genres in a fresh and original way.
Suffice it to say that, what, at first glance, appears to be a standard mobster movie winds up going in a whole new, totally unexpected but, on second glance, sort of logical direction. The less specific I am about the plot, the more likely that anyone who chooses to see the film after reading this review, will be as impressed with the premise.
Unfortunately, as I frequently tell my screenwriting students, it is not enough to merely have an idea for a movie; filmmakers need to have a story, a plot, with rich, dimensional characters in dynamic, demanding situations. In “Livestock” there is no sense of the main character really striving to accomplish something, scenes just sort of seem to appear with only faint relevance to one another and, bottom-line, the film commits the greatest offense that any film can commit, it quickly gets boring. There are elements that are meant to supply thrills and chills but, because of the lack of any real dramatic tension, they feel rather pointless.
So, in the end, I liked the premise of “Livestock” but felt that it squandered the promise of it, that with a tighter, more refined screenplay, it really could have been an eye-opening metaphorical examination of a particular sub-culture, a really sharp perspective from a unique point of view --- but it is not.
Christopher DiNunzio
Studio/Production Company:
Creepy Kid Productions
Genre:
Horror
Sub-Genre:
Crime
Length:
Feature
Website:
http://www.creepykidproductions.com
Score:
1/5
You hate to see a good idea go down in flames like it does here but such is life sometimes. Christopher DiNunzio’s “Livestock” begins with an intriguing premise but, unfortunately, that’s where it ends, with a premise, an idea for a story rather than a fully realized, compelling narrative. Despite bad acting, cheesy music and borderline production values, “Livestock” grabbed me, if only momentarily, by at least trying to do something new, blend genres in a fresh and original way.
Suffice it to say that, what, at first glance, appears to be a standard mobster movie winds up going in a whole new, totally unexpected but, on second glance, sort of logical direction. The less specific I am about the plot, the more likely that anyone who chooses to see the film after reading this review, will be as impressed with the premise.
Unfortunately, as I frequently tell my screenwriting students, it is not enough to merely have an idea for a movie; filmmakers need to have a story, a plot, with rich, dimensional characters in dynamic, demanding situations. In “Livestock” there is no sense of the main character really striving to accomplish something, scenes just sort of seem to appear with only faint relevance to one another and, bottom-line, the film commits the greatest offense that any film can commit, it quickly gets boring. There are elements that are meant to supply thrills and chills but, because of the lack of any real dramatic tension, they feel rather pointless.
So, in the end, I liked the premise of “Livestock” but felt that it squandered the promise of it, that with a tighter, more refined screenplay, it really could have been an eye-opening metaphorical examination of a particular sub-culture, a really sharp perspective from a unique point of view --- but it is not.