North Carolina's Event Reviews
Sounds the Movie - Independent film
Out of this world Indy film soon to be distributed in North Carolina
How often does one get a chance to see a full length movie on DVD a year before it is released on TV or the theaters? We did and it was so entertaining, We had to write a review about "Sounds, the Movie". Yes, its an "Indy", that is, an independent product. And that means slim budget and many times, poor quality. "Sounds" proved what you can do with a great script, lots of talent and little money. It helps that the writer and director is the next Speilberg. Move over George Lucus! A kid your age when you made Star Wars has done to "The X-Files" what "Men in Black" did to, well, "The X- Files" !
This movie is a terrific spoof. But for all the campy fun it had with characters and plot, there were some actual "gotcha" moments when I almost jumped out of my chair like when dead guy's head popped out of the under-watered side of the boat in Jaws and Richard Dreyfus gargled with sea water in his mouth piece.
The plot is easy and fun. A blast from space hits a rural setting and four Generation Xers are sucked into the weird happens. (One literally). At first I thought, "Oh this is really amateurish, I'll give it another 5 minutes, then I am bailing." Then I was drawn in and it was too late. The director used the campy opening to catch me off guard - like the opening of "Twilight Zone, the Movie".. and the camera angles and lighting tricks quickly went from "ho hum" to "how's they do that?" and more. This director, Ryan Humpheries, is really going places.
Okay, I confess, I love movies and some of my favorites look pretty hooky today, like Forbidden Planet and Solent Green and Creep Show.. But what great stuff !~ One of my all time favorites was a little known black and white called, The Little Flower Shop of Horrors". Total budget for this "Barely a B" was probably less that my credit card limit today. But it was so much fun, we laughed and repeated lines and scenes from it for years, and still do. A sleeper that almost no one recognized at the time, it had the distinction of being the first movie Jack Nicholson ever appeared in. (He was a teenager). Then in the '80's someone besides me was still laughing at it because they made a smash Broadway hit spoofing it as, "The Little Shop of Horrors. Later it was made into a movie and it made a lot of money in its full color theatrical release, by the way.
Why tell you this? Because "Sounds" tops TLFS of H ! I predict that the actors will be heard from again and may someday be as big as Jack Nicholson (although hopefully without the potty mouth)
This movie is not only immensely entertaining - I'd give it a two microwave popcorn bag rating! - but it will be looked back on and talked about decades from now when Ryan reigns and Speilberg and Lucus are drawing Social Security. Did you like the combination of humor and adventure in Men in Black? Jaws? Airplane? "Lethal Weapon"? "Toy Story"? Even Woody would laugh uproariously! (cue: Tom Hanks, "Ha, Ha , Ha, Ha!!!)
