Starry Eyes

Saw "Starry Eyes" last week @ The Cinefamily and I can honestly say it was one of the most thrilling theater experiences I've had. The film has everything I love. Humor, horror, depth and heart. Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer have made a piece of work that I can place on a shelf in between my David Lynch collection and my favorite horror films. That's a really big deal for me. I'd highly recommend this film. Head to iTunes and see a film that will launch a lot of careers. Director/Writers Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch are sure to be around for a while with their brand of twisted psychological horror. Alex Essoe is a star-in-the making...you'll see. And Travis Stevens seems to be a champion of smart, edgy material that will stick in your head for days after viewing.

Starry Eyes is an ambitious movie with lofty goals, giving a dark, sinister edge to show business. It's unfortunate that it doesn't completely follow through on it's promise. Sarah (Alex Essoe) is a young waitress trying to 'Make It' as an actress in Los Angeles. She gets an audition for a horror film titled 'The Silver Scream'. Sarah is an emotional wreck who resorts to a strange form of self-harm (She rips her own hair out of her head) After blowing the audition, she does just this in the bathroom, which catches the attention of the casting agents, and she is asked to re-enter the room and do just that. After this, she has a call-back, which goes disastrously when she finds herself unwilling to "Do whatever it takes". After a third attempt, she begins her descent into madness and decay, and so does the plot. Where this movie fails is in setting up even any loose logic as to why everything is happening. There's obviously a cult involvement, but there is absolutely NO explanation as to what they do, or how they do it. I'm not saying that I need everything spoon-fed to me, but completely ignoring any context altogether isn't surreal, it's frustrating. There are some very effective performances, namely from the film's lead. Noah Segal is also serviceable as Sarah's aspiring hipster filmmaker friend, and Marc Senter is criminally underused as the assistant casting director. The special effects are also of note, which become both fantastical, clinical and down-right disgusting. The crisp, clean cinematography also enhances the effects, sparing absolutely no detail. All in all, it's a decent movie, despite it's shortcomings. It's nothing overtly special, but it's engaging enough to keep you at least watching, even if you're not always terribly invested.

What a piece of garbage! this is the worst movie i have ever seen in my life! it makes absolutely NO sense, it's just a bunch of blood in gore in the second half, the first half is mind numbingly boring! i seriously almost turned it off a few times, the whole thing was just completely stupid and had no point to it, it sucks! there goes an hour and a half of my life i'll never get back! DO NOT BELIEVE THE POSITIVE RATINGS! they're a scam, probably people from the movie trying to up the rating and fool people into watching this piece of rubbish! don't waste your time, watch ANYTHING else but this, this is the worst movie i have ever seen! seriously, and i've seen a lot of movies so that's saying a lot. THIS MOVIE FLAT OUT STINKS!!!

Disturbed young actress rejects the people who care about her and makes a pact with the devil to be cast as a star. This is pretty slow and confused, and ends up as a slasher. I agree with another reviewer - a psychological drama gets horror shoved into its orifices. The horror set up is so slight it could be dismissed as an hallucination, even at the end, but the mental decline of the heroine is well done. Sort of like The Babadook, which also failed in this combination. Y'know, sometimes reality is horror too. The themes are interesting - the price of ambition, the hopelessness of college graduates in the USA, the abusive power of an older generation. In that way it's a serious story, so the horror is even more out of place. The writing for the bitchy character was good - all those little remarks delivered with concern but designed to undermine confidence. The lead actress has the figure of Nicole Kidman. The music is some guy with a keyboard pressing buttons.