Director: Andrew Campbell, Lucas Campbell
Writer: Jared Bullis, Andrew Campbell
Starring: Raymond Turturro, Ashleigh Holeman
Distributor: TEMPE DVD
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POISON SWEETHEARTS is an anthology of short stories about good Cleveland girls who go bad! Interspersed between each story are mock educational films that help inform the viewer about the female terror. The film is filled with pretty girls and retro feelings and Simpson-que sarcasm.
The marketing for the film is a deceptive. Looking at the dvd cover one would think it was a neo pulp “good girl goes bad”. After reading the synopsis you’re none the wiser. I came to the conclusion that it must be a “girl gang” movie? Which is fine with me as I love “girl gang” movies. I cant describe my disappointment to find out its an anthology of short films. I hate short films! I wanted to see a feature film DAMN IT! Short films belong my youtube not my dvd player! Why don’t filmmakers understand that NO ONE wants to see short films! Short films are rip off, even more so when the movies publicity make little effort to alert you to this fact. It’s alluded to at best. This inaccurate advertisement only hurts the film. I was lost for the at least 15 minutes. It was only until the second films I worked out what was going on. I was hoping that at least all the girls would get come together at the end of the film as that’s very common with these types of films, or maybe all the stories will intertwine just like PULP FICTION. Nope, nothing, not even close! It’s just a bunch of similar themed short films. I have no idea why there isn’t some kind of epilogue? The film only runs for 70 minutes for goodness sakes!!! It’s not like any of the section are packed with plot, fifteen minutes could have been cut and addition forty five minutes of an actual movie could have been filmed and placed at the end. That would have been a great movie. POISON SWEETHEARTS is all set up with no pay off.
What this film does best is appropriate styles and cliques from the 50’s to the 80’s and mix them together. I found this very appealing. The film constantly walks the line between absurd, camp, dry and just DAMN cool! But at times the film its just too over the top such as entire SWIMMER section. This is the only section were the comedy isn’t being played straight and its also the only section is isn’t funny. Also the film uses old school ‘Hershell Gordon Lewis’ type blood. You know the type it looks like a melted crayon. The reason behind using it would that it gives it more of a retro feel. But everyone hates that blood, it looks stupid and the only reason people used it first place is because it looked correct to the eye but photographed terribly. I hate to sounds like a nit picking but in these types of films the audience knows they’re not going to get dramatic chainsaw fights or car chases so we enjoy the simple things such as guy covered in realistic looking blood (and naked woman if we can get it). It’s like being promised a woman but getting a transvestite. Once again I could be nit picking, I could have a valid point or maybe I just really hate that type of blood (as much as I hate short films). For me it was another example of all set up no pay off.
The cast are fantastic. The real standouts are Roza Haidet (as the Young Impressionable Girl) and Raymond Turturro (as Scheme S. Schemer). There a few actor who are miscast… well I not miscast as much as just way too young for there roles such as the Husband and Wife from the third section. All the characters are incredibly likeable in there own ways. This is a credit to the actors considering how weak the script is. I highly doubt there even was even one. Despite the weak material there is strong direction. Visually it’s interesting, but at times its a tad predicable (just like the script). I going to run the risk of sounding like a hippy now, despite all its flaws the vibe of the film is right. The movie and the music are both tone perfect. As I said before I really enjoyed how they mixed cultures and styles. My favorite blending of styles occurs in the second section which a 50’s schoolgirl falls for a 80’s hip hopper.
In the audio commentary they said they were inspired by Grindhouse Trailers. The wanted to make a movie that was extended trailers as the Grindhouse movie them selves never paid off. If they had bothered to do anything research they would have found out in the last few year they’re have been many fantastic, no budget, Grindhouse inspired movies such as MAD COW GIRL and CHAINSAW SALLY. Ironically like the the Grindhouse films they described this film doesn’t pay off. I feel like I could be sound too negative about this film. It was just a disappointed to see so much raw talent no to waste. All the elements were there if only they, if only they had more ambition they could have had a cult classic on there hands. At its best, it’s a quirky and unique, at worst lazy and predictable. If you’re into neo pulp no doubt you’ll get some pleasure from it. For me it was worth watching just to find out about The Campbell Brother. They are both talented and I look forward to seeing there other films. I hope they return to the neo pulp genera and next time they deliver a little more.
LESLIE MORRIS 01.07.08
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