This is a silly notion because why is a magical phone app so particular about plans? Then there's the moment where we get the specs on the data for this app and it's… bigger than expected ("Like a whole season of Game of Thrones on your phone"). The killer app cites breach in agreement terms if users "alter their acceptance of fate." It's legally vague but could basically apply to any time any person cancels plans (an introvert's worst nightmare come true). The mystery of the unknown, a haunted app, is going to be better than uncovering the secrets behind the app and its "terms of agreement." The mystery behind the app is less interesting to watch than the question of how a character is going to die, which is why this would work better in a smaller time frame like as a short where it plays its trick once. The problem comes when the movie tries to arrange a reasonable explanation for all the supernatural spookery. It's got enough punch and dread that I could see it performing well on a fest circuit. It establishes its premise, some degree of rules, then simmers in the dread, and produces a few solid creepy moments and a clever conclusion that signals what Plan A had been for the victim's demise. Had Countdown merely consisted of this opening segment, it could have been an enjoyable short film. This is all evident in the film's opening eight-minute prologue, which is actually, genuinely a good watch. It's a modern mash-up of The Ring and Final Destination, with a technological trap that curses the user like The Ring and then as the seconds tick closer it becomes a paranoid guessing game of what could befall the victim, much like the sneaky appeal of the Destination movies. There's a reason Countdown almost kind of works. Quinn tries deleting the app, even buying a new phone, but it cannot be stopped, and she's now having strange visions and meeting up with other users who fear the app's threats are very real. It's only a countdown timer and some people get ninety years and others get three days. Her younger sister downloads a new cool app that predicts when a user will die. Quinn Harris (Elizabeth Lail) is a nurse who is still coming to terms with her mother's tragic death, her feelings of guilt over the accident that caused it, and being harassed by her boss (Peter Facinelli). It's also unfortunate because, after having seen this 2019 Countdown, that there won't be any other versions of this worthwhile premise. Anyone can independently come up with the same high-concept premise, it's just funny to me the similarities between the two. I don't hold any suspicion with Dec and the filmmakers behind this version of Countdown. I still have the pitch document and, if I do say so, it's not bad. We even called it… "Countdown." Our pitch, which we presented to a producer and, as far as I know, never got further than that, would have opened bigger and bigger, starting with a mysterious slasher killer on a college campus that opens up to, eventually, a self-aware machine arranging life-and-death judgements and manipulating technology to see it through. In 2015, I and a screenwriting pal of mine Joe Marino were developing a TV series pitch for… a mystery involving a website counting down to the specific second of specific people's deaths. Nothing personally with this movie written and directed by Justin Dec but because of the concept, a killer countdown ticking down to a specific person's ultimate demise. Srpski Film (aka A Serbian Film) generated no small amount of controversy following its first American screenings at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival.I have history with Countdown. Not long after Milos arrives on set, he realizes this will not be an ordinary porn film, and as he's dosed with drugs and led from one extreme of sex, violence, and human debasement to another, Milos becomes aware that his physical and emotional survival is being put to the ultimate test. Milos agrees, even though Vukmir won't tell him what the movie is about. Vukmir (Sergej Trifunovic) is a mysterious man who offers to pay Milos a huge sum to appear in his next film - enough to support his family for life. Milos has been having serious money problems and wants to better provide for his family, so when an old friend tells him about a wealthy filmmaker who'd like to work with him, he's willing to listen. Milos (Srdjan Todorovic) was once a star in pornographic movies, well known for his ability to perform longer than any of his peers, but he gave up his career and now lives a quiet life with his wife and young son. Filmmaker Srdjan Spasojevic pushes the boundaries of what can (or should) be shown onscreen in this violent and malignly erotic thriller.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |