Evan Glodell is a busy guy. He wrote, directed, edited, produced and starred in "Bellflower". And if that weren't enough, he also was the production designer (under the pseudonym "Team Coatwolf") and invented an app to make DV shots (purposesly) yellow, grimy and only partly in focus. It's quite a debut, to be sure. Like "Mean Streets" and "Resevoir Dogs", I do believe that Glodell and his cast of unknowns will go on to greater stardom in the future. However, unlike the two aforementioned films, this is no masterpiece.
The story is about a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno named Woodrow (Glodell) and his buddy Aiden (Tyler Dawson) who are obsessed with apocalyptic movies and comics, especially "Mad Max". They don't appear to have jobs, and when Woodrow is asked what he does, he replies "I'm building a flame-thrower." The duo have also customized a pair of cars. One is a Volvo with a whiskey spigot in the dash, and the other is a vintage Chevelle with flaming tailpipes. (They get their equipment at a salvage store on Bellflower Ave, hence the title of the movie).
At a bar one night, he meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman), and it's love at first sight. She turns out to be even more into apocalyptic stuff than he is. So much so, she refuses to go to a nice restaurant, instead making him drive all the way to Texas to the nastiest diner he knows of. Then she makes him trade the Volvo for an "apocalypse" motorcycle ("apocalypse" in this instance being an adjective meaning so ugly it looks like a prop from "Escape From New York"). And finally, she makes him grow a truly heinous beard (an aside: I have a beard, as do my brother, father, and stepfather. And I feel on behalf of all bearded men, I must apologize for Glodell's disgusting facial hair).
Then one day, Woodrow discovers Milly's male roommate Mike (Vincent Grashaw) is also her "friend with benefits". He storms out of the house, crashes his bike and winds up in the hospital for some time.
After that, it gets hazy. It's fairly certain that he has revenge sex with Milly's best friend Courtney (Rebekah Brandes), but either he becomes a violent misogynist with peaceful fantasies about leaving LA; or he stays grounded, leaves LA with Aiden, but has blood-soaked revenge fantasies. The audience is left to choose what--if anything--actually happens after the motorcycle crash. Even the revenge sex may just have been a fantasy.
Altogether, this movie is a mixed bag. It's certainly well-acted and well-written. And I like the idea of the final act of the movie being ambiguous as to what is real and what isn't. However, I found the camera-work I mentioned in the first paragraph to be grating after the first half-hour or so. I also don't share the apocalypse-mania of the three lead characters, so I really had a hard time empathizing with them. Plus, none of the characters appear to have jobs, so I wonder how they can afford to live in these nice Hollywood bungalows. And there is never a scene in which one or more of the characters isn't drinking, smoking or doing dope. (I'm sorry, but bacon and beer is not a healthy breakfast.) Evan Glodell is a talented young actor, screenwriter and director. I am sure one day he will be a sought-after talent. "Bellflower" is a good start to his career, but that's all it is--a start. 7 out of 10.
The story is about a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno named Woodrow (Glodell) and his buddy Aiden (Tyler Dawson) who are obsessed with apocalyptic movies and comics, especially "Mad Max". They don't appear to have jobs, and when Woodrow is asked what he does, he replies "I'm building a flame-thrower." The duo have also customized a pair of cars. One is a Volvo with a whiskey spigot in the dash, and the other is a vintage Chevelle with flaming tailpipes. (They get their equipment at a salvage store on Bellflower Ave, hence the title of the movie).
At a bar one night, he meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman), and it's love at first sight. She turns out to be even more into apocalyptic stuff than he is. So much so, she refuses to go to a nice restaurant, instead making him drive all the way to Texas to the nastiest diner he knows of. Then she makes him trade the Volvo for an "apocalypse" motorcycle ("apocalypse" in this instance being an adjective meaning so ugly it looks like a prop from "Escape From New York"). And finally, she makes him grow a truly heinous beard (an aside: I have a beard, as do my brother, father, and stepfather. And I feel on behalf of all bearded men, I must apologize for Glodell's disgusting facial hair).
Then one day, Woodrow discovers Milly's male roommate Mike (Vincent Grashaw) is also her "friend with benefits". He storms out of the house, crashes his bike and winds up in the hospital for some time.
After that, it gets hazy. It's fairly certain that he has revenge sex with Milly's best friend Courtney (Rebekah Brandes), but either he becomes a violent misogynist with peaceful fantasies about leaving LA; or he stays grounded, leaves LA with Aiden, but has blood-soaked revenge fantasies. The audience is left to choose what--if anything--actually happens after the motorcycle crash. Even the revenge sex may just have been a fantasy.
Altogether, this movie is a mixed bag. It's certainly well-acted and well-written. And I like the idea of the final act of the movie being ambiguous as to what is real and what isn't. However, I found the camera-work I mentioned in the first paragraph to be grating after the first half-hour or so. I also don't share the apocalypse-mania of the three lead characters, so I really had a hard time empathizing with them. Plus, none of the characters appear to have jobs, so I wonder how they can afford to live in these nice Hollywood bungalows. And there is never a scene in which one or more of the characters isn't drinking, smoking or doing dope. (I'm sorry, but bacon and beer is not a healthy breakfast.) Evan Glodell is a talented young actor, screenwriter and director. I am sure one day he will be a sought-after talent. "Bellflower" is a good start to his career, but that's all it is--a start. 7 out of 10.