Premise: An aspiring YouTuber spends a day with a man from a Craigslist ad who she doesn't realize is a murderer.
I think I'm out on this series. Fair or not, I just don't find Mark Duplass threatening. It may be that simple. There's a lot I should like about this movie. I have an established weakness for found footage. Unlike the first movie, this immediately establishes that Duplass is actually a threat, so most of the thrill in the movie is the dramatic irony. Desiree Akhavan has a great sarcastic energy that reminded me a lot of Natalie Morales. I appreciate how much the movie does with so little. The cast is literally 3 people. It could all be filmed using a cabin rented on Air BnB. These are all things that work in its favor. I even generally like Mark Duplass. I've seen many, many things with him and almost always like him.
I just don't buy him in this role. It feels like Mark Duplass doing a bit. It reminds me of Fred Armisen or Jason Mantzoukas when they are in a sketch or scene where they seem more focused on making the other cast members laugh than playing as funny to the camera/audience. That's Duplass' tone except it's not intended for laughter. It's not a threatening performance, and the character is more annoying than alarmingly weird.
Oh, and the fact that she doesn't double-tap him with the shovel at the end is inexcusable. You always double-tap the crazed murderer.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment