Empathy, Inc.:
Ah, who doesn't love a good low budget sci-fi feature bursting with ideas? What it lacks in the money to pull off any fancy, this film makes up with a bevy of engaging plot developments, social commentary, and philosophical intrigue that very capably pushes past the constraints that the lack of budget could have otherwise curtailed. Indeed, the control it has over its scale is quite impressive, knowing to keep its focus tight and to maintain a surprisingly brisk pacing to follow through on its promise. Occasionally, the budget does creep up in terms of somewhat limp staging of what could have led to some visually striking moments and some shortcuts it takes to keep the plot going, but the filmmakers here do provide a strong dread-soaked atmosphere that amps up the tension and suspense throughout, leading to an ending that manages to hit a lot of notes for quite the orchestral sting. Very impressive stuff and I sure do hope that the folks behind this get the chance to work on something bigger in the near future.
Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson:
Al Adamson certainly has his fans out there, but even if you aren't the type to dive into the very treacherous waters of Z-grade schlock, no experience is necessary to both enjoy and to be enthralled by his life story as it is depicted here. With a massive amount of personalities getting the chance to talk about the man, including some archival footage from Adamson himself, the first hour of the film is the kind of entertaining anecdote dispensary that you would have hoped for, as they all talk in great detail about the ins and outs of the more mercenary aspects of the B-movie business, from how long a film can actually sit on a shelf to the way they get recycled when their owner has a chance to make a quick buck elsewhere with a different title. And the making of bits of the films themselves are pure gold, with the story that eventually turns into Dracula vs. Frankenstein being a major highlight with all the twists and turns it takes before arriving at the crap heap the footage makes it out to be. As is often the case, the stories behind the making of those films prove to be far more enriching than watching those films, but through it all, we get a great picture of the kind of camaraderie that Adamson inspired in his cast and crew of regulars, creating a surprisingly wholesome atmosphere for a documentary surrounding cutthroat exploitation pictures.
That's important, as when we do finally get to the end of his life, the doc takes on a far more serious true crime vibe, reminding you that the guy we just spent all that time with through his friends and coworkers really didn't deserve what happened to him. Even with the opening of the documentary telling you outright the way his body was discovered, the way it's all put together in the final 40 minutes is expertly handled in terms of maintaining tension and dread, utilizing a riveting interview with his housekeeper to put a human face on Al that the detectives assigned to the case couldn't, resulting in a very emotional conclusion that pays off big time. It only seemed like on the surface that having to juggle the wacky B-movie antics with the deadly serious real life murder case would have led to some serious fumbling, but the filmmakers here prove adept at bridging the gap between the two for something very special.
Does it make me want to watch any of Adamson's films myself? Hardly, but it makes a strong case for why he was such an influential figure in his own right, and the doors he opened for some filmmakers (a pair of rather influential Hungarian cinematographers got their start on his productions), reopened for some older talent (Russ Tamblyn is a riot in this), and continuing a filmmaking tradition that's still maintained to this day to really make you wish that things didn't turn out so horribly for him in the end for the mark he left on everyone in his orbit in the end, both professionally and personally. I'd even go as far to say that he deserves his own feature film adaptation, a la Ed Wood, with how rich his life story turned out to be, but on one condition: it absolutely, positively needs to have the part where an over-the-hill chimpanzee headbutts a script supervisor on the set of one of his films. If a blurb like that doesn't get you interested in at least watching this, then I don't know what will.
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