Primitive War, from Fathom Events

Somehow, Robert McNamara left this part out of the shameful book he wrote to disavow his responsibility for presiding over the Vietnam War. Of course, it is fictional, because living dinosaurs were never discovered in-country. However, it aptly represents the bad decision-making imposed from above on junior officers, NCO’s, and their squads and platoons, by politicians and senior officers. Fortunately, Vulture Squad has a talent for improvising and an aversion to buck-passing. Consequently, when they discover a top-secret Soviet operation unleashed dinosaurs in Vietnam, they take decisive counter-measures in director-screenwriter Luke Sparke’s Primitive War, which is now playing in theaters, via Fathom Events.

Col. Amadeus Jericho allowed Sgt. Baker to hand pick the “Dirty Dozen”-worthy members of his Vulture Squad, because he knew Baker could get the job done. Thanks to their latest rescue operation, there will be two less missing POW’s. Obviously, their next mission will be dicey, considering Jericho’s caginess regarding the on-the-ground circumstances. Baker’s men are supposed to extract any surviving Green Berets and report any unusual observations. Presumably, the dinosaurs will qualify.

It turns out this is all the Soviets’ fault, particularly Dr. Borodin, the mad scientist whose experiment opened a wormhole, which all the really dangerous dinosaurs stepped through (as well as some of the herbivores, like stegosauruses and brontosauruses). Baker even captures a motivated informant, paleontologist Sophia Atalar, who was recruited by Borodin to study the dinosaurs. Despite his orders, Baker realizes Vulture Squad must stop Borodin’s research by any means necessary. However, to reach the hidden Soviet base, Baker and his men must evade a squad of raptors and a pair of very upset tyrannosaur parents.

It is important to note some of the worst dinosaur effects come in early scenes, so resist snap judgements. As the film progresses, the quality of the dinosaur renderings improves dramatically. In fact, some of the later scenes are shockingly cool. In all likelihood, if Primitive War had released a year before Jurassic Park, it would still be considered legendary.

Regardless, the depictions of warfighting are always viscerally gritty and realistic. There is nothing cartoony about Vulture’s Squad’s recon and rescue business. If anything, depicting the battles and wartime conditions took priority over the dinosaur apocalypse. Yet, the mordantly sly, cynical, and foul-mouthed dialogue rings even truer than the scrupulously realistic blood and muck.

The ensemble cast couldn’t get much grittier either, starting with Ryan Kwanten as steely Sgt. Baker. Arguably, this is his best film work in years. The rest of the squad also looks and acts credibly battle-tested. Sparke does not exactly over-indulge in backstories or character-building, but Carlos Sanson, Nick Wechsler, and Aaron Glenane have sufficient screen presence to differentiate and distinguish their characters.

The Portrait

Paintings that are maybe a little too realistic have been creeping out horror fans since Poe wrote his very short (2 page) short story “The Oval Portrait.” Calvin DuBose’s 1937 self-portrait is similarly disconcerting to behold. It almost looks like it could reach out and grab you. It especially seems that way to Sofia DuBose, who has come to the old DuBose estate to care for her husband in Simon Ross’s The Portrait, which releases this Friday on VOD.

Sadly, Alex DuBose is only a shell of his former self since suffering severe brain trauma. His wife is hoping something inside dormant consciousness will spark when he sees the estate he grew up in, but all that remains is his old propensity for violent outbursts. The grounds are still beautiful, thanks to Brookes, the rough-hewn care-taker, but the interior is rather gothic. Not surprisingly, that is especially true of the attic, where Sofia uncovers Calvin’s spooky self-portrait. Much to her shock, her husband is an eerie dead-ringer for his notorious ancestor.

In addition to his well-regarded paintings, Calvin DuBose had a reputation for violence and cruelty, but he was protected by the DuBose family’s money and power. Given their similarities, Sofia DuBose cannot help associating her husband with bad old Calvin. In fact, she starts to suspect the painting still holds Calvin’s spirit and he is exerting a malevolent influence over her spiritually vacant husband.

There is a lot of cool atmosphere in The Portrait. The location is highly effective and the art and set design are first-rate, especially the paintings created by portraiture artist Fipsi Seilern, which really evoke the right gothic vibe. However, the slow pacing is a conspicuous issue. Frankly, David Griffith’s screenplay probably would have worked better as a one-hour installment of horror anthology. Too often, viewers can see The Portrait’s padding.

[Empty] Head Count

Periodically, local jurisdictions wanting to get tough on crime have tried to reinstate chain gangs, until the professional criminal advocacy groups threaten to sue. Admittedly, this penal practice looks pretty dangerous when an unseen wild animal (straying far outside its natural habitat) starts feasting on the line. However, our anti-hero takes the opportunity to escape, leaving his chain-mates to their fate (they were fine, mostly), in Ben & Jacob Burghart’s Head Count, which releases tomorrow in theaters and on-demand.

Technically, Deputy Sawyer saved Kat’s life. He repaid him by stealing his police cruiser. He still has the leg iron, minus the chain, but folks don’t seem to notice or care much around the Kansas-Missouri border. In fact, he rewards the friendly encouragement of one old timer by stealing his pick-up, which conveniently comes with a revolver. The Burgharts will make a big show out of the running total of bullets he has chambered. Keep in mind, reloading is always an option.

Turns out Kat is a terrible fugitive. He keeps hanging around his brother and his ex-girlfriend, Jo much to the annoyance of her current man. Even dumb old Deputy Sawyer can find Kat, but instead of arresting him, he forces him to steal from an illegal gun dealer.

Frankly, the most memorable work in Head Count, which really ought to be called “Bullet Count,” comes from Ryan Kwanten as Sawyer, which is saying something. Unfortunately, it is almost immediately evident Aaron Jakubenko cannot carry this film, partly because Kat is such a dull and unappealing character. There is a late, third act attempt to bolster sympathy for him, but it still involves foolish behavior and stupid choices.

Supercon: Taking Down the Con Crud

Fan conventions are quite a shrewd place to pull off a heist-caper. There is tons of cash floating around, as well as a bunch of distracting odors. The cos play will also be handy for five questionable celebrities out for a big score in Zak Knutson’s Supercon (trailer here), which opens today in New York.

As a child actor, Keith Mahar played a cringey Indian stereotype with testicular cancer. Now approaching middle age, he ekes out a living at fan conventions. At least Matt Wheeler was the lead of his canceled TV show. Brock Hutchinson was a legit star in the 1970s, but those days are long gone. On the plus side, he can be much more open about his sexual orientation. Comic book artist Allison McNeeley has real talent, but since when has that ever been enough. They are all regularly exploited by Shatneresque TV space opera icon Adam King and his crooked partner, Gil Bartell, the forces behind the three-day cash cow, Supercon.

When Bartell fires the fab four and threatens to blackball them at other cons, they decide to hit back where it will hurt them the most—their wallets. With the help of respected comic book and screenwriting legend Sid Newberry, they hatch a crackpot scheme to rob the cash fleeced from fans. Thomas Crown would not approve of their minimal preparation, but they have plenty of enthusiasm to compensate.

That is somewhat true of the film as well. The screenplay is basically a clothes line holding a series of gags and rude insults, but it blithely barrels ahead at warp speed. In fact, the ensemble seems to have a go-for-broke spirit, weirdly invigorated by the in-jokes and defiant political incorrectness.

Surprisingly, John Malkovich (yes, the John Malkovich) actually tones it down a little as the Obiwan Kenobi-like Newberry, but he nicely provides the film’s fan-centric ethical compass. Russell Peters makes Mahar an unusually dry and acerbic sad sack loser, which is an accomplishment. Brooks Braselman goes in all for flamboyant shtick as Hutchinson, but he also delivers some cuttingly droll lines. Maggie Grace’s McNeeley is also quite the lethal banterer. Ryan Kwanten is a bit out of his league in their company as the impulsive Wheeler, but Clancy Brown is totally in his element, chewing the scenery as the scenery-chewing King.

Supercon is definitely slapdash, but it would be a blast to watch at one of the bigger Comic Cons. Clearly, Knutson and co-screenwriters Andrew Sipes and Dana Snyder know their con culture. It is hard to imagine actually paying money to see this film in a brick-and-mortar theater, but Supercon has its place in the world and should find an extensive audience. It is not exactly recommended, but this is a film that is bound to find real fans eventually, so you can just wait for it to happen. For the time being, Supercon opens today (4/27) in New York, at the Cinema Village.

Caped Aussie: Griff the Invisible

Clark Kent is actually a bad disguise. He is quite conspicuous in his own way. A better super-hero alter-ego would be blandly pleasant. That is not Griff. He is a real life Clark Kent, but he harbors delusions of crime-fighter glory in writer-director Leon Ford’s Griff the Invisible (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

By day, he is bullied at work. By night, he patrols the streets of Sydney in his costume made super-costume, freaking out his neighbors and attracting the attention of the local constabulary. He has a record of this sort of thing, which is why his brother Tim frequently pops over with a six-pack of Fosters for a one-sided man-to-man. Tim thinks he recently met-cute with his new girlfriend Melody, but she looks like she is about to break-out in hives whenever he tells the story.

When Melody gets a load of Griff, she recognizes something of a kindred spirit. She is also quite shy and frequently obsesses over the possibility of walking through walls, like Kitty Pryde in the X-Men. She and Griff would definitely get that reference. However, it is not clear whether she truly represents a healthy potential relationship as she encourages Griff’s quest for invisibility, pushing him deeper into his fantasy world.

Believe it or not, Invisible is a surprisingly mature and nuanced film. Ford is particularly adept at misdirecting and subverting viewers’ well-honed genre movie expectations. He also refrains from papering over Griff’s considerable issues with pleasant “be-true-to-your-dreams” wrapping. Instead, he makes it clear this character has genuine angst and insecurities.

Best known for True Blood, Ryan Kwanten’s performance as Griff comes as another happy shock. Though he was frankly rather wooden in the silly revenge pot-boiler Red Hill, the sensitivity and vulnerability of his work here constitutes a quantum leap forward. Maeve Dermody (which must surely be her real name) also gives a fully realized, multi-dimensional performance as Melody, never becoming the simplistic sidekick her character perhaps aspires to be.

Even the look of Invisible flies in the face of genre convention. Though there are the bright bold comic-book colors, cinematographer Simon Chapman gives it all a gritty look, utilizing old school 16mm. It suits the material better than one might think. Indeed, that is largely true of the entire film, especially Kwanten, in what could be a genuine forget-the-HBO-vampires breakthrough turn as the Comic-Con Candide. Endearing and also more than a little bit sad, Invisible is a fresh-spin and the superhero genre, definitely recommended when it open this Friday (8/19) in New York at the Village East.