Mike
07-30-2003, 12:07 AM
Here's a review from Creature Corner:
LUCKY
7.25.03
By Evan Katz
Starring Michael Emanuel, Piper Cochrane, Lucky
Written by Stephen Sustarsic
Directed by Steve Cuddin
Being a comedy writer for cartoons can be hellish. Apparently the pay is shit, work is sporadic, and you don’t get much attention or acclaim.
In Steve Cuddin’s new indie feature we are introduced to Millard Mudd, a struggling cartoon writer living in Los Angeles. A wicked mixture of writers block, procrastination, and alcoholism has turned his life into a hell of repetition. He drives to the liquor store, drinks, sleeps, and the next day he returns. Deadlines for work are delayed, and sometimes forgotten. Whenever he gets the energy to begin writing a story he is interrupted by an almost assembly line of obnoxious characters. In the beginning of the film he muses “Ever have one of those lifetimes nothing seems to go right?”
One night, on the way back from a beer drenched drive, he runs over a tiny dog. To the viewer the dog would appear dead, but after Millard attempts to bury him the dog springs back to life, and begins a one doggie crusade to mold Millard into a talented and productive writer. Things go marvelously at first, as Lucky, Millard’s new writing partner is filled with good ideas, and gives him the extra kick in the pants he needs to actually get work done. Lucky puts Millard on a strict working schedule, waking him in the morning, and rewarding him with a beer for a day of work well done. However, Lucky has a mean streak to him, and when Millard’s attentions begin to drift to a pretty new girl in his life, Lucky has very effective methods to getting Millard back in line.
Lucky is a very sneaky little film. Millard is a very likable character at first, and it’s nearly impossible to hate the cute tiny little dog who becomes Millard’s muse. The film starts out light and funny. Millard is a character who we can relate too. We follow him on this little trip, amused by his funny voiceovers which detail failed relationships, the difficulty of writing, and the occasional humiliations of day to day life. Occasionally we catch glimpses that there is a bit of misanthropy and bitterness hiding behind Millard’s benevolence, but we write it off as normal. We all get angry and frustrated sometimes. It’s normal to muse about killing the people that give us hell. It’s human. It’s normal to fantasize about tying your girlfriend up and chopping her into pieces, spread the pieces all around the city, and then wear a tooth souvenir around your neck. Actually well, no it isn’t.
By the time Millard is revealed for the complete psychopathic sadist he is, it’s far too late. Our sympathies rest with him and the adorable little dog that godes him on. The film gets harsh. Very harsh. But throughout the entire affair we are guided by the sympathetic voiceover of Millard.
Both the writer and director of Lucky have had lots of experience actually working as writers for cartoons, and the writing in the film reflects it. The dialogue is sharp and incredibly funny. It has a slice of life, warm, quality that never lets up, even when the violence in the film becomes horrifying. That's the reason the film works so well; it's a perfect experiment in contrast. Using the character of a cute talking dog in a film where a girl is tied up, choked until she passes out, and then raped until she wakes up, and then repeated until death, can be an unsettling experience. There are points where you can argue that the misogyny and violence is almost suffocating, but the director and writer have a goal here, and they accomplish it in spades.
The only things that bog down the film are a slight bit of lack of focus of plot in the last third, and an unsatisfying ending. The message is very bleak, but there could have been some more revelation at the end into what really happened. But that is all up for debate, and the film as a whole is a great mixture of dark comedy, and an even darker character study. Truly twisted material.
Check out the movie's official site here: www.themovielucky.com
Grade: 3 1/2 out of a possible 5 Dracs
When the hell does this come out? It sounds really messed up, yet really interesting. I'm very curious about it. At first when I started reading the review and the plot was revealed I almost started to laugh at how ridiculous and cheesy it sounded. But while the plot does sound like it could be taken as cheesy, the actual movie seems like it will be anything but. It kind of reminds me of MAY and WILLARD. It's another one of those dark character studies.
Sounds cool to me!
LUCKY
7.25.03
By Evan Katz
Starring Michael Emanuel, Piper Cochrane, Lucky
Written by Stephen Sustarsic
Directed by Steve Cuddin
Being a comedy writer for cartoons can be hellish. Apparently the pay is shit, work is sporadic, and you don’t get much attention or acclaim.
In Steve Cuddin’s new indie feature we are introduced to Millard Mudd, a struggling cartoon writer living in Los Angeles. A wicked mixture of writers block, procrastination, and alcoholism has turned his life into a hell of repetition. He drives to the liquor store, drinks, sleeps, and the next day he returns. Deadlines for work are delayed, and sometimes forgotten. Whenever he gets the energy to begin writing a story he is interrupted by an almost assembly line of obnoxious characters. In the beginning of the film he muses “Ever have one of those lifetimes nothing seems to go right?”
One night, on the way back from a beer drenched drive, he runs over a tiny dog. To the viewer the dog would appear dead, but after Millard attempts to bury him the dog springs back to life, and begins a one doggie crusade to mold Millard into a talented and productive writer. Things go marvelously at first, as Lucky, Millard’s new writing partner is filled with good ideas, and gives him the extra kick in the pants he needs to actually get work done. Lucky puts Millard on a strict working schedule, waking him in the morning, and rewarding him with a beer for a day of work well done. However, Lucky has a mean streak to him, and when Millard’s attentions begin to drift to a pretty new girl in his life, Lucky has very effective methods to getting Millard back in line.
Lucky is a very sneaky little film. Millard is a very likable character at first, and it’s nearly impossible to hate the cute tiny little dog who becomes Millard’s muse. The film starts out light and funny. Millard is a character who we can relate too. We follow him on this little trip, amused by his funny voiceovers which detail failed relationships, the difficulty of writing, and the occasional humiliations of day to day life. Occasionally we catch glimpses that there is a bit of misanthropy and bitterness hiding behind Millard’s benevolence, but we write it off as normal. We all get angry and frustrated sometimes. It’s normal to muse about killing the people that give us hell. It’s human. It’s normal to fantasize about tying your girlfriend up and chopping her into pieces, spread the pieces all around the city, and then wear a tooth souvenir around your neck. Actually well, no it isn’t.
By the time Millard is revealed for the complete psychopathic sadist he is, it’s far too late. Our sympathies rest with him and the adorable little dog that godes him on. The film gets harsh. Very harsh. But throughout the entire affair we are guided by the sympathetic voiceover of Millard.
Both the writer and director of Lucky have had lots of experience actually working as writers for cartoons, and the writing in the film reflects it. The dialogue is sharp and incredibly funny. It has a slice of life, warm, quality that never lets up, even when the violence in the film becomes horrifying. That's the reason the film works so well; it's a perfect experiment in contrast. Using the character of a cute talking dog in a film where a girl is tied up, choked until she passes out, and then raped until she wakes up, and then repeated until death, can be an unsettling experience. There are points where you can argue that the misogyny and violence is almost suffocating, but the director and writer have a goal here, and they accomplish it in spades.
The only things that bog down the film are a slight bit of lack of focus of plot in the last third, and an unsatisfying ending. The message is very bleak, but there could have been some more revelation at the end into what really happened. But that is all up for debate, and the film as a whole is a great mixture of dark comedy, and an even darker character study. Truly twisted material.
Check out the movie's official site here: www.themovielucky.com
Grade: 3 1/2 out of a possible 5 Dracs
When the hell does this come out? It sounds really messed up, yet really interesting. I'm very curious about it. At first when I started reading the review and the plot was revealed I almost started to laugh at how ridiculous and cheesy it sounded. But while the plot does sound like it could be taken as cheesy, the actual movie seems like it will be anything but. It kind of reminds me of MAY and WILLARD. It's another one of those dark character studies.
Sounds cool to me!