This movie was honestly just terrible. It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this hard at a flick for all the wrong reasons, and I knew within the first ten minutes that things were going to be a total mess. Once you move past how awful it is, you can actually have a great time just wondering how this ever got made. It makes you wonder if anyone involved even bothered to watch the final version after they finished shooting. The plot is about as basic as it gets. A group of Black gay couples all get invited to a resort for a weekend trip where everything is paid for, but they all think the invite came from someone different. Since a few of these guys have some messy history with each other, the tension is pretty high as soon as they arrive. Nobody actually knows who is picking up the tab or who started the whole thing—A thinks B invited them, B thinks it was C, and it just keeps going like that. Pretty soon, a slasher starts picking them off one by one. The killer’s identity eventual...
What the heck was the film about. I know I was paying all attention to the film but it never explained why certain things were happening. It seemed like the film was divided in 2-3 parts with them being linked some way but never an explanation given. By the end of the film, I wanted 2 hours of my life back.
Mark Anton in 90's was a famous porn star who made a few films, was on top and then suddenly vanished into thin air. Flash forward to current time: Michael is researching a book about porn. He's interviewing people who have long wondered what happened to the elusive Mark Anton. The trail leads him to a Brooklyn loft apartment that he and his partner feel compelled to move into. The vibe is definitely unsettling, and there are mysterious holes all over where it looks like cameras used to be. Michael finds a VHS tape hidden in the wall. He plays the tape but is not sure what he sees. He brings the tape to a video store friend to get it fixed but mysteriously then he also disappears. After a while Michael also disappears. The film's focus now shifts to West coast where porn star Matt Stevens has an eerie dream about Mark Anton that he hastily adapts into a screenplay. With the project greenlighted and production well underway, Matt ends up reliving Anton’s career in the same tragic manner.
The film was never clear on what's imaginary vs what is real. You try to keep focus but fail to understand. Every thriller needs to have an explanation for why things are going on a certain route but this one just didn't seem to want it or even think of it. From performances perspective, the film is ok but what can the actors do when the screenplay itself is so timid that it just doesn't make any sense.
DOn't waste your time even though it shows as the top seller on TLA's website :) (1/10)
Comments
I think it was all really about Matt Stevens... he had to "get real." Until he did, the guys in the first 2 parts would live out their respective doomed fates. Once he 'got real' he changed that.