POST - Directed by Jim Parrack - Film Review

Post is raw. it’s a film that makes you feel like you’re a guest in the households, in the dance studios and amongst the friends and our forlorn main character. It is shot in a way  that makes everything seem so real, you can taste the wine and smell the ocean air.  Parrack utilizes available light to make it seem authentic and genuine.  our main character, a broken dancer, is losing touch with reality after a traumatic event. The film follows her desperate cry for help and her journey out of her heartbreak, and her friends and loved ones watching her struggle to find and lose herself along the way.

Ciera Parrack plays the lead, whose internal battles present themselves often after a few glasses of wine and when she’s lost too long in her thoughts. She floats along in her daily routines and even acts as though things are just fine at points, even though she is clearly breaking. Scott Haze appears as well, in a strong, militant character who deals with his own emotional battles after the incident that left them both feeling rather numb in their own ways. Scott delivers an emotional performance as he comes to terms with this devastating trauma amongst others, in a heart-wrenching, gripping grief counseling scene where he allows himself to let go and emotionally connect with his character in a believable, riveting  performance. Heather Morris, of Glee fame, also appears as a fellow dancer/friend whose child-like charm provides laughter and light during some of the emotional progression of the film. 

Post is a bit shaky, be warned, so if hand held shots and moving cameras are not your forte, then this is not the film for you. However, if you can look past that you can find a journey through grief and emotional overcoming that can be a surprising comfort to those who lost and even those who fear losing and all those in-between. 

[L to R; John Weselcouch, Ashley Lendzion, Nathan Larkin-Connolly]

Amidst the unique, dark and even horrific films of June 14th’s first round of films for New Filmmakers LA was a little comedic gem: A Sense of Humor. The colorful short with a different take on the trials of love, shined brightly amidst it’s short film companions. 

A Sense of Humor is the story of a comedian, Charlie, who just can’t seem to deliver a punchline that works. Charlie has been set up on a blind date, and he hopes the girl isn’t hideous. Cue Laura and her best friend Rachel, prepping for Laura’s blind date…with Charlie. The duo meet up and have a few drinks when Laura admits to Charlie that she is incapable of laughter. Charlie makes it his mission to defy her medical mystery, but his inability to accept Laura’s incapability of laughter may just push Laura away, rather than fix her. 

A Sense of Humor is an endearing look at love, as Charlie slowly discovers there is more to Laura than just her disorder. The cast is delightful, with John Weselcouch as the adorably awkward Charlie, whose failed attempts at helping Laura are charming and clever. John captures Charlie’s awkward frustrations perfectly and you can’t help but feel for him throughout the film, until he frustrates the audience itself with his choices. Heather Morris is Laura, who, despite her inability to audibly express her appreciation of humor, is a delightful, funny girl. She uses “That’s funny” instead of laughter, and forms an adorable relationship with Charlie. Ashley Lendzion appears as Rachel, the optimistic best friend of Laura, whose brief appearances spawn one of the laugh out loud, funniest moments of the film. 

From the casting, to the well executed, great looking shots, this brilliant little short is not one to be missed. Nathan Larkin-Connolly wrote and directed a charming little piece that is sure to continue to attract attention as it continues on it’s festival run. Given the chance, see this short…and if you don’t crack a smile, laugh and enjoy it, then you may just be the one who is lacking a sense of humor!

Photo credit: Laura Crespo

VersaEmerge’s new album Fixed at Zero is a theatrical, somewhat psychedelic trip through nature, space and time. This debut full length from a band that is definitely not new to the music scene, is a welcomed new resident of the local music stores sales rack. Following up their self titled EP, Fixed at Zero was worth the wait. 

VersaEmerge currently consists of lead singer Sierra Kusterbeck, whose vocals have often been compared to other female singers breaking through “The Scene”. However, Sierra holds her own with her intriguing range and a smoky sass. Assisting her on this trip through an off beat Wonderland is Blake Harnage, whose backing vocals are hauntingly perfect and skills on his guitar strings are impressive. Blake is one of the founding members of the band; caring for it through rotating members and changes in style. Rounding up the current trio is Devin Ingelido, who contributes backing vocals as well but never fails to come off a bonafide badass behind his bass. 

VersaEmerge’s sound is difficult to compare to other artists of the scene. Versa holds their own, standing out against their pop punk competitors as a refreshing flashback of alternative rock that procreated with a theatrical opera of instruments. Notable songs on the album include Fixed at Zero. The track urges the fans (or vultures as VersaEmerge’s loyal fanbase has been dubbed) as well as new listeners to ignore the hissing of their own mental vultures on their shoulder and reminds us that we are all fixed at zero, stuck in one place, at some point. It’s a song that when performed live, you cannot help but pound your fist and move your feet to the quasi anthem of being at the bottom.

Other songs that stand out include Figure It Out, Mind Reader and Fire (aim your arrows high). The latter includes a very cinematic exit, that leads into the chillingly beautiful and powerful Up There. This track clearly demonstrates Sierra’s vocal abilities; ranging from soothing falsettos to foreboding cries that create a balance of harmonies. 

“Here we are, rooted deep, looking up,” a line from the final track Lost Tree, which is representative of the band itself. VersaEmerge is a band rooted deep, branching out with a long blossoming career ahead of them. 

- J. Cannon