Infestation (SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE BEGIN ON PAGE 15)

domesticelefant · 24 Aug 09 :: 22:16

It's a crappy webcam picture but I guess it qualifies as proof that the ticket arrived in tha house today:

Infestation comes September 7th.

TeeJay · 24 Aug 09 :: 23:07

Very cool. Can't wait what you'll think of the movie, once you've seen it. I still can't believe I'm seeing the movie in three days! Wish I could take you all with me.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 24 Aug 09 :: 23:43

I can't wait for all of you to see it. It's so much fun!

therealshell · 25 Aug 09 :: 21:19

TheCentralScrutinizer wrote:

I can't wait for all of you to see it. It's so much fun!

I watched INFESTATION on the absurdly named "SYFY" channel, so I am assuming that it was probably cut in some ways; I know for a fact that Kinsey Packard's boobies were blurred up/out. I will have to add INFESTATION to my Netflix queue to watch the uncensored version.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 25 Aug 09 :: 21:32

Yep, language and boobies were blotted out. I doubt if any actual scenes were cut since there was no sex in the movie. And in American, we never cut violence. You can eviscerate someone during the family hour, but God forbid anyone should see a booby. I hate how backwards and puritanical we are.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 26 Aug 09 :: 16:39

Heh. Check this out. In a new article in Nylon magazine, Ann Paquin says almost exactly the same thing I said yesterday. She and Stephen Moyer were being interviewed about True Blood and their sex scenes...

"I don't think a naked body is particularly shocking or interesting... It's not the culture I was raised in. I was not brought up in the United States. I don't share the [attitude] that you can have graphic violence, but - God forbid - you see someone's nipples."

TeeJay · 27 Aug 09 :: 22:02

ZOMG!

That's all I can say right now. I'm gonna start typing up some kind of review tonight, but I don't know how far I'm gonna get. It's been a busy week and I'm so tired.

My night ended on a crappy note, though. I didn't realize they were showing District 9 tomorrow at the FFF. So I tried to get a ticket. The couple in front of me bough 13 tickets for the movie. The last ones. Sold out when it was my turn. Suckiest thing is, that couple was behind me, until they opened up another booth and they were faster to get there. There is something to be said for good old English queuing up. Oh well, I'll get the chance to catch it in regular theaters in October, so it's not a tragedy. Still kinda ruined a great night, though. Especially since I was so close!!

And yet: WOW!

EDIT: I was wrong. District 9 starts in Germany on Sep 10 and will show in OV in Cologne. So all is well, I'm gonna see it in two weeks anyway. Evening saved.

-TeeJay

justme · 28 Aug 09 :: 00:38

I'm glad it was good. Can't wait to hear what Anne thought!

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Aug 09 :: 01:21

She hasn't seen it yet. Her screening is in September sometime. When is it again, Anne?

TeeJay · 28 Aug 09 :: 09:46

I think it's on September 7. If Stuttgart wasn't so far away and if it wasn't on a weekday, I'd totally drive out there to see the movie again. It actually screens also in Frankfurt on Aug 31, but it's at 9:45 PM on a Monday. The drive out there is over 2 hours. It would be doable, but I'd get home around 2 AM at night. I think that requires a kind of dedication I'm not quite ready to muster, especially since the DVD comes out in the UK in just about two weeks. It's a nice notion, though. Hm... I think I'm gonna keep considering it over the weekend.

-TeeJay

TeeJay · 28 Aug 09 :: 19:03

Oh, and Deb? After reading some of your posts on IMDb, our ending was exactly like the one on SyFy. They didn't cut or truncate anything. People are left to wonder. But I think you already knew because Kyle told you, right?

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Aug 09 :: 19:21

Yes, he did. But Siffy really did mangle it. I don't know how to explain this if you haven't seen it done before, but just as the movie itself cut to black screen and rolled credits, Siffy shrunk the movie into one third of the right side of the screen so they could advertise what was coming up next in the other two thirds of the screen on the left. So in effect, we didn't really get to see the joke of Cooper saying, "Holy shit" (or whatever it was) and the screen cutting to black. We also couldn't see the credits because they were all scrunched up, and we didn't get to hear whatever music came up as the credits began to roll.

It didn't leave us thinking, "Cool! They're setting up a sequel." It left us thiking "WTF??? Siffy you suck!"

There's one guy who's actively campaigning against the movie because of the ending. I've had to have a couple of his very nasty rants deleted.

TeeJay · 28 Aug 09 :: 19:40

Editsound wrote:

The only possible reason for the absence other than it being a creative mistake, is that the BG buzzing was mixed so low, that you can only hear in in a theater(which would also be a mistake)

Rick, I saw it in the theater and I don't recall any background buzzing. Could they possibly be referring to the sound that the bugs made when they were flying by? But then again, that sound wasn't constant. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense unless it was a mistake. When they told Cooper to listen, I first thought they were referring to the bird twittering outside because in the beginning of the movie they remarked on that it was "so quiet" outside.

Also, maybe that got lost on TV, but at the end when Hugo makes Cooper and Sara look down the street and Cooper goes, "Holy shit!", there's a really menacing, deep rumbling sound coming from that direction. Kinda sounded like hundreds of tanks driving in their direction. My friend Detlev next to me actually said half jokingly: "That's the Army."

I've now read all of your comments (I tried to avoid spoilers earlier) and some of them were really interesting. I agree with Deb, though, that a sequel appears to be very unlikely. I think before they really tried to sell the movie, everyone was convinced it would easily find a theatrical distributor. Now that the movie's going straight to DVD, I don't see anyone wanting to spend money on shooting and producing another straight-to-DVD sequel, let alone two. And that's a darn shame! It would have stood its ground in theaters, I'm very sure of that.

Oh, and by the way... Shani Rosenzweig and Kyle Chandler (not sure if the Kyle Chandler--gotta ask Rankin about that) were mentioned in the Thanks To section of the credits.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Aug 09 :: 20:00

Also, maybe that got lost on TV, but at the end when Hugo makes Cooper and Sara look down the street and Cooper goes, "Holy shit!", there's a really menacing, deep rumbling sound coming from that direction. Kinda sounded like hundreds of tanks driving in their direction. My friend Detlev next to me actually said half jokingly: "That's the Army."

Did you read what I said right above your post? We saw/heard NONE of that because Siffy screwed it up. I dare say NO ONE would be mad if that's what we got to see/hear on TV. But because Siffy sucks, we got bupkis.

TeeJay · 28 Aug 09 :: 20:13

Hey, all the more reason to look forward to the DVD!

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 28 Aug 09 :: 20:49

That's what I keep telling that jerk on IMDb who's screaming at everyone not to watch it because Kyle has created a rip-off ending.

TeeJay · 28 Aug 09 :: 21:20

And without further ado, here's my review (thanks for the beta, Deb!):

Oh my God, I peed a little.
Don't worry, that's not me speaking. It's a quote from Kyle Rankin's horror comedy "Infestation" that I had the rare chance to see on the big screen at the German Fantasy Film Fest in Cologne at the end of August. Let me first clarify this: I didn't pee, not even a little, but I did laugh and cheer and ooh and eww, along with the other odd two to three hundred people in the audience.
First of all, I have to admit that I went to see the movie first and foremost for one reason: Chris Marquette. Running a big fansite about him and also knowing him in person, I didn't hesitate twice when I heard that the movie was gonna screen at the FFF. The day they opened pre-sale, I was there at the ticket booth to secure a ticket.
Of course Chris wasn't the only reason I was pretty geeked up about the movie. Even before the trailer came out, I had watched Kyle Rankin's "Hellholes" online, and I was pretty sure that Infestation would be right up my alley.
Infestation didn't disappoint, quite on the contrary. I can honestly say that I haven't had this much fun in a movie for a long time—and I go to the theater on a regular basis. Some of my enjoyment may have been influenced by the audience, who reacted appropriately in all the right places, some scenes even got applause and cheering. However, there is no doubt most of it was largely due to the excellent script, its cinematic implementation and the actors' skill of bringing the characters to life.
Let's talk about the story in a little more detail for a minute. It starts out with our unlikely hero Cooper, who doesn't quite take his job as a telephone sales rep for herbal healthcare products very seriously. Just when he's about to be fired, there is a sudden, loud screeching noise and then everything goes black. It is days later that Cooper awakes to find everyone in the office (himself included) stuck in thick, white webbing. The first living being he encounters after freeing himself of his sticky, organic prison is an ugly black bug, the size of a small bear. Reacting on pure survival instinct, Cooper successfully fends off the disagreeable creature.
He then awakens some of his colleagues and the somewhat odd group starts discussing their next course of action. The plan seems to be to seek out the house of Cooper's father, which is equipped with a secure bomb shelter. On the way, they make several stops and several discoveries about their adversaries that will greatly help them fight for their survival. Some members of the group also make discoveries about themselves that will greatly influence their future. But it's not all great, some serious shit happens too. And in the end— No. I'm not gonna tell you.
What greatly surprised me was the quality of the script. From the trailer I figured that the movie was going to be a fun comedy with a fair bit of gore. The tone appeared to be light and funny, so what I expected was a film that would be amusing, witty, maybe a bit slapsticky with a portion of self-irony. It was all of that (and better), but I was positively surprised by the emotional moments and the underlying familial relationship substory that was interspersed throughout the movie. They gave it a lot more depth and kept it grounded.
Another positive surprise was the special effects. Maybe the trailer gave me the wrong impression, but I had expected for the bugs to be a lot more "trashy" (which, mind you, would have worked as well for this kind of horror comedy). As it is, I thought they looked real and believable, and not trashy at all. Well done, Mr. Potelle!
My only point of criticism is that I thought it stretched on a bit in the first third. Once the decision was made to go out there and get moving, the audience is eager to see what the group is going to encounter and doesn't want to watch these guys preparing for a night in the office building, though admittedly those scenes had a fair share of jokes and amusing moments.
As for Mr. Marquette, I am also full of praise. Chris's first lead role in a feature movie, and he did the job wonderfully and with great skill and passion. From movies such as The Girl Next Door and Just Friends we knew he had great comedic talent and timing—which thrived in Infestation. His facetious and funny lines had just the right tone, his expressions were priceless. Chris's portrayal of the character got a lot of laughs from the audience. On the other hand, the emotional moments were very powerful and made me root for Cooper, even if in the next moment a quip from his lips would have me laugh out loud. Makes me contemplate what an injustice it is that such talent often goes unrecognized in the big, bad world of Hollywood when other, rather mediocre actors are pushed and hyped.
I must also mention the rest of the cast, which was wonderful as well. Not one of the characters felt out of place or not real. Brooke Nevin and Chris had great chemistry and Ray Wise played a wonderfully callous dad. "Let me tell you a little story... You're an idiot!" Diane Gaeta will get an honorary mention. It was great to see her as so-called "White Trash Girl", bossing Cooper around.
I said earlier I wasn't gonna tell you how the movie ends. And I'm not, but there is no way I cannot mention the ending. Kyle Rankin, you are a torturer of movie viewers! But I have to say, it was a pretty cool way to conclude the story. Can we hope for a sequel?
Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in creating something that was such a joy to behold on the big screen, it really made my day (and more). A big thanks also to everyone who is responsible for it screening at the FFF all over Germany. Thanks, Mr. Rankin, for keeping in touch. And thanks, Mr. Marquette, for being awesome, as always.

-TeeJay

TeeJay · 29 Aug 09 :: 18:49

Here's an excellent review of the movie in German from someone who saw it at the FFF and gave it 8 out of 10 points: http://kino-tv-und-co.blogspot.com/2009 … ation.html

About Chris they're saying:

Das Aushängeschild, welches den Film dann konsequenterweise über die gesamte Spielzeit trägt, ist vor allem Chris Marquette, der seinen Charakter in einem wunderbaren Mix irgendwo zwischen Trottel, Looser und absolut liebenswertem Kerl anlegt.

The figurehead that carries the movie consistently throughout the whole playing time is primarily Chris Marquette, who built his character from a wonderful mix to place it somewhere between klutz, loser and absolutely endearing guy.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 01 Sep 09 :: 20:44

I've been meaning to mention that I read the article about Rankin in Fangoria when we were killing time at the bookstore Saturday, waiting for Taking Woodstock to start. He said that the story is actually set in Colorado Springs, even though that's never clear in the movie. He also said that he really, really wants to do a sequel, but it depends on whether or not the DVD is a hit.

TeeJay · 01 Sep 09 :: 23:09

I found a version of the movie online that was taped off of SyFy and I can see now what you mean when you say the ending is truncated. The cinematical version was maybe only two seconds longer, but at least in the theatrical version you realize that the ending is supposed to be so abrupt. In the SyFy version it really looks like they cut it off too early. Also, in the theatrical version Chris gets to say the word "shit" instead of just "sh".

I think I now know what they meant with the "no buzzing". In all the scenes when they're outside, there's this unnatural buzzing noise in the background. I guess I didn't consciously realize it when I was watching the movie, but it's definitely there when you pay attention to it, at least in the version I found. However, since we all had trouble hearing/remembering it, they should probably have taken more care to make it more memorable or to do better sound editing.

Btw, Kyle Rankin told me I impressed him by pointing something out that he, too, didn't like about his movie in retrospect. Just like I said in my review, the movie drags a little in the first third, and Kyle appears to agree.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 01 Sep 09 :: 23:26

I don't agree with the drag factor at all because as long as our beautiful man is onscreen, I'm happy.

TeeJay · 02 Sep 09 :: 08:45

It's not that those scenes were boring, it's just that I felt as soon as the decision was made to go to Ethan's house, I was expecting for them to go on the road and experience the perilous outdoors. Especially in the scene where Chris and Hugo start moving the furniture, my inner voice distincly said, "Get on with it!" I think that was, in retrospect, Kyle's feeling as well.

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 02 Sep 09 :: 15:11

Never bothered me at all.

TeeJay · 03 Sep 09 :: 18:08

Another positive review from someone who saw it at the FFF:

Fazit:
Infestation reiht sich nahtlos in die Liste der Krabbeltierhorrorkomödien ein. Jedoch versucht Kyle Rankin erst gar nicht zu erklären wo seine Käferinvasion her kommt oder verwendet gar viel Energie auf das Käferdesign, nein er erzählt geradlinig mit viel Tempo die Geschichte eines Loosers, der dank glücklicher Umstände die Welt rettet und seine große Liebe findet und erschafft mit seiner Hauptfigur die Parodie auf die klassische John Cusak Actionrolle.
Das das alles so gut funktioniert ist mit Sicherheit den Darstellern Christopher Marquette und Ray Wise (hier als strammer ex Militär mit eigenem Waffenarsenal und Schutzbunker) zu verdanken, aber auch den anderen seltsamen Charakteren, wie der echt unheimlichen Blondine, die selbst in schlimmster Notsituation nicht von den High Heels lässt und deren penetrante Annäherungsversuche nicht nur Cooper unheimlich sind. Die Effekte sind wie erwähnt nicht so prickelnd dafür ist die Idee des Insektenhybriden wahlweise mit Mensch oder Tier nicht neu, aber wirklich gut.
Infestation unterhält von Anfang bis zum Ende ganz wunderbar auch wenn nicht jeder Witz oscarwürdig ist und der Film einen gewissen 50er Horrorfilmcharme nicht verbergen kann, ist er sehr empfehlenswert.
source: http://dexterward.blog.de/2009/09/03/ka … e-6883256/

They're again comparing Cooper to a parody of the classic John Cusack action hero. They're also saying that the reason the movie works so well is mainly thanks to Chris and Ray Wise. This guy's conclusion is: very much recommendable

I think all reviews I've read from people who saw it at FFF were very positive. Most commented that the effects aren't top notch, but that the movie still works well. No one called it a masterpiece, but I think pretty much everyone was positively surprised. If that's any indication for the DVD sales, I'd say we're off to a good start.

-TeeJay

TeeJay · 03 Sep 09 :: 20:21

This was already posted in the Chris-Watch thread, but maybe it ought to go here as well. Infestation airs again tonight on the SyFy channel (at 7 PM) for those who might have missed it the first time around.

-TeeJay

Chris Marquette Message Board

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