From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V10 #72 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Thursday, January 23 2014 Volume 10 : Number 072 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] Raze , Variety review-- Zoe Bell [KLOSSNER9@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 08:07:05 -0500 (EST) From: KLOSSNER9@aol.com Subject: [chakram-refugees] Raze , Variety review-- Zoe Bell Film Review: bRazeb * _EMAIL_ (mailto:?subject=Film%20Review:%20bRazeb &body=Check%20out%20this%20article%20from%20Variety:%20http://variety.com/201 4/film/reviews/fil m-review-raze-1201038414/) _PRINT_ (javascript:window.print()) * _1_ (http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-raze-1201038414/#comments) _TALK_ (http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-raze-1201038414/#comments) * * * JANUARY 8, 2014 | 06:15PM PT This brutally monotonous actioner centers around an all-female fight-to-the-death contest, but viewers of either gender may find themselves dying of boredom. _Dennis Harvey_ (http://variety.com/author/dennis-harvey/) Unlikely to entertain anyone not thrilled by the invitation bLetbs watch chicks pummel each other!,b b_Raze_ (http://variety.com/t/raze/) b is a brutally monotonous fight-to-the-death-contest actioner whose novelty element b all-female competitors b is undermined by lack of imagination on every other level. Vehicle for veteran stuntwoman _Zoe Bell_ (http://variety.com/t/zoe-bell/) , who was showcased to far better effect in Quentin Tarantinob s bGrindhouseb entry bDeath Proof,b feels like an homage to b80s straight-to-video cheapies, one thatbs missing any humor but faithfully reproduces the bare-bones production values. Its fortunes, too, will skew toward home formats; it launches on VOD and iTunes Jan. 10, simultaneous with Los Angeles/New York theatrical openings. Sabrina (Bell) is the surviving frontrunner so far among an original 50 women with various advanced physical combat skills. Abducted, they wake up in an underground bunker, where theybre forced to kill each other in unarmed bouts for an unknown audience via live video. If they lose or refuse, their loved ones are killed, too b no idle threat, as the women view these murders as well as each otherbs fights via closed-circuit TV in their cells. None of them are happy to dispatch fellow prisoners b that is, none save Phoebe (Rebecca Marshall), a career criminal who thoroughly enjoys inflicting great bodily harm. Little happens beyond one bloody one-on-one match after another, staged in a dreary, brick-lined, dirt-floored pit. When not fighting for their lives, the unwilling competitors must deal with a bullying chief guard (Bruce Thomas) and the smarmy couple (Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn) who act as announcer-hosts. This duobs vague comments about an borganizationb going back centuries provides scant context or intrigue, particularly in contrast to the elaborate sociopolitical rationale behind the forced combat in the bHunger Gamesb films. Of course, those movies have tens of millions more in production resources, but bRazeb canbt blame its budget for the paucity of interesting ideas in Robert Beaucagebs thin script. Even when the action moves above ground at last, the narrative finds no surprising directions in which to go. Performances are OK, given the one-note character writing. Helmer _Josh Waller_ (http://variety.com/t/josh-waller/) bs debut feature (hebs since completed a second, bMcCanickb) is professionally packaged, but therebs simply too little variety to the narrative, action, settings and everything else here to save most viewers from boredom. Film Review: 'Raze' Reviewed on DVD, San Francisco, Jan. 6, 2014. Running time: 92 MIN. Production An IFC Midnight release of an IFC Midnight and Cinipix presentation in association with Quincy Pictures and XYZ Films. Produced by Zoe Bell, Kenny Gage, Andrew Pagana, Josh Waller. Executive producers, Allene Quincy, Rachel Nichols, Bill Ceresia, Mathew Hayden. Co-producers, Hunter S. Ellis, Louis Iacoviello, Robert Beaucage. Crew Directed by Josh Waller. Screenplay, Robert Beaucage, from a story by Kenny Gage, Waller, Beaucage. Camera (color, HD), Dylan O'Brien; editor, Brett Bachman; music, Frank Riggio; production designer, Rob Howeth; set decorator, Kate Hofsommer; costume designer, Rachel Burt; sound, Ricardo Garza; supervising sound editor, Jeffrey Dyal; re-recording mixers, Gregory King, Jon Greasley; stunt/fight coordinator, James Young; assistant director, Heather Denton. With Zoe Bell, Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thorns, Bruce Thomas, Bailey Anne Borders, Rebecca Marshall, Allene Quincy, Adrienne Wilkinson, Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn, Amy Johnston, Tara Macken, Nicole Steinwedell, Jordan James Smith, C.M. Schwartzy, Andrew Pagana, Brianna Gage, Kelly Thiebaud. FILED UNDER: * _Josh Waller_ (http://variety.com/t/josh-waller/) * _Raze_ (http://variety.com/t/raze/) ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V10 #72 **************************************