Director, Joshua Blewitt brings us chauvinistic, narcissist, movie lover and filmmaker, Chez Florentine (Joe Carmichael), amidst the release of his latest (very controversial) flick, Mean.
Opening on a talking heads/interview is the first entry we are given in a film with subject matter which is clearly an ode to films, filmmaking and the numerous techniques and artistic choices that come with it.
With varied styles, the cinematography ropes you in, keeping you engaged throughout. However, these multiple styles also leave this short struggling from a tonality point of view. Not to say the contrast doesn’t work but the script may have just been a tad heavy for lead, Carmichael, who doesn’t necessarily demonstrate the passion for film that his onscreen counterpart required, convincingly.
As an artist, there is a difference between the stories you want to tell and the stories you’ve been asked to tell.
Mean serves as more than just a title, not only doesn’t it hit on the downsides of the movie industry but it represents 21st-century filmmaking in the age where the internet has a voice and everyone is a critic. Although the ending falls a little flat, the finale does succeed in leaving you with a strong message: As an artist, there is a difference between the stories you want to tell and the stories you’ve been asked to tell.
Jacked In Reviews ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)
As we open on members of the Osage people amid – what can only be described as – a spiritual oil rave, […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
Picking up from where we left off, Denis Villeneuve’s sequel gives us a more granular, in-depth experience for the […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Natura’ (2023)
From the opening shot, you’re immediately captured by an open woodland which truly readies you for being emersed in […]
Behind The Scenes of Sam Raimi’s ‘Army of Darkness’
Travelling back in time, far away from the intimate cabin in the woods setting, we have Army of Darkness AKA […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Evil Dead’ (2013)
Evil Dead follows a bunch of youths staying in a cabin whilst attempting to help their drug-addicted friend, Mia […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Red Fox’ (2023)
Red Fox tells a powerful tale of blurred “justice” and despair, as a bunch of deluded folk of faith hunt a homeless […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘The Pagemaster’ (1994)
The Pagemaster follows the life of an over-cautious boy, Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin), who buries himself in […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Riley & Rambo’ (2023)
A day in the life of, we follow a young boy by the name of Riley as he journeys around the Bradford area collecting […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘The Monster Squad’ (1987)
Horror’s answer to The Goonies, The Monster Squad follows a bunch of kids in a club based around, you guessed it, […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Wish I Were There’ (2023)
Directed, written and animated by Neil Baker, Wish I Were There is an ode to the English seaside.
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ (2022)
Trisha Yearwood’s How Do I Live begins to play over the opening credits and we are met with two stoners watching […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘It’s John’ (2023)
It’s John follows amateur filmmaker Smithy Jones (Victor Hampson), and his rag-tag team of actors who are in the […]