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TADFF 2022 Review: ‘Something in the Dirt’ is Uniquely Benson & Moorhead

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Something in the Dirt

The fifth film from the dynamic filmmaking duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Something in the Dirt is a cosmic sci-fi puzzle buddy comedy – the kind of film that only Benson and Moorhead could pull off. 

In the film, new neighbors John (Moorhead) and Levi (Benson) witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, and realize that documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune into their wasted lives. An ever-deeper, darker rabbit hole, their friendship frays as they uncover the dangers of the phenomena, the city, and each other.

Something in the Dirt showcases their particular brand of offbeat storytelling, though classifying the film’s genre is no easy task. With elements of buddy comedy, cosmic horror, supernatural mystery and existential explorations, conversations between John and Levi cycle through some rather heady topics as the film bounces between narrative formats. 

It’s mostly a real-time third-person capturing of the events (with flashes of stock footage to accompany the dialogue), but it’s also partially a retrospective documentary that incorporates their own “found” footage and reenactments. 

It’s an interesting structure that allows the story to unfold just in the way they want it to. Hints are dropped and details are unreliable so – as an audience – we’re guided and misled into choosing what reality we want to believe. It’s a unique beast, born out of COVID lockdown. 

The film was shot almost entirely in Benson’s own apartment with a tiny crew; it’s a testament to the power of DIY filmmaking. Benson and Moorhead are very hands-on with their films and – between the two of them – always wear multiple hats (writer, director, editor, cinematographer, producer, and visual effects). 

It seems that with each new film, Benson and Moorhead are pushing themselves a little further to just get weird with it. The characters are unexpected (a gay doomsday evangelical and an asexual registered sex offender) and their performances are grounded and humble in a way that you want to see as much of them as you possibly can. 

They’re working through a lot, both in their own lives and with this great cosmic mystery they’ve stumbled upon. LA serves as a muted backdrop to their drifting lives, stripping away any associated glamour to show the city as it is; with wandering coyotes, low-flying airplanes, electrical hums, and the accepted looming threat of a potential forest fire. 

Something in the Dirt throws a lot at its audience, but it’s less grandiose and bombastic as some of their prior films. Those expecting something as action-driven as Synchronic or The Endless will be surprised by its calm pace. While there’s still a lot going on, it focuses more on theories, theorems, relationships, and humanity. 

It’s appropriately named; Something in the Dirt is perhaps their most grounded film, despite all the otherworldly mystique. Fans of Benson and Moorhead will enjoy the cognitive sci-fi and savvy storytelling we’ve come to expect from the duo. With their characteristic flair and creative chemistry, it checks off a lot of boxes. That said, if you’re hoping for something fast-paced and punchy, perhaps keep digging.

Something in the Dirt played as part of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival‘s 2022 lineup. The film releases on November 22.

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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