Starring: Sierra McCormick & Jake Horowitz
Writers: Andrew Patterson & Craig W. Sanger
Production company: GED Media
Distribution: Amazon Studios
THE SPOILER FREE REVIEW
The Vast of Night delivers in a lot of ways. From the very opening they create an atheistic that gives them room to be weird, but played out in a very real and forward manner. The script is incredibly tight allowing them to pull off extremely long takes. Sierra McCormick gives a standout performance; anyone that can hold my attention switching telephone lines for 11 minutes is an actress of note.
The budget was listed on IMDb at $700,000... if that's true they absolutely knocked this out of the park. I've seen quite a few low budget indies and this is one of the best. Amazon Studios that distributes the film exclusively should write this production company a blank check on whatever they want to make next.
Were there any bumps? A few but only if you're really looking and in the industry. Do you loath dialogue heavy long-takes where the actors carry the story? That's cool, they're not for everyone, so this film probably isn't for you. Do you love well written sci-fi portrayed through a unique lens while playing tribute to sci-fi greats? Go watch it, tell your friends to watch it, support this like its a Marvel movie as it deserves to be celebrated.
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An HONORable Mention
review written by: Christopher James Cramer
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BEYOND THE REVIEW (SPOILERS)
This section is a bit more of a rant as I have some questions to throw into the universe. Why was no director credited and what was that set dynamic like? This is an Amazon exclusive, why is there no Blu-ray? COME ON AMAZON! This was shot on the RED Dragon and I'm also a RED Dragon owner/operator... how much of the grain was from the Dragon's lowlight capabilities and how much was given to it in post-production? You're a tight 90 minutes, how much is on your editing room floor? This movie is an absolute 10 to me but that doesn't mean it's perfect, full disclosure some scenes felt a little long... did you have a shorter cut and went with 90-minutes because that's the magical number for most features.
Lastly, a few things to commend the filmmakers for:
-Going practical with their spaceship, IT LOOKS GREAT! (and again only a $700,000 budget)
-11 minute takes... that's a risk and it paid off for me. It's a beautiful thing if you're an assistant director, but a risk. I love risks.
-Low budget indie pulling off those long shots through the town on a go-cart! Well done!
-The voice casting of Bruce Davis. That was an entirely off camera performance that kept me in it.
-Jake Horowitz and Sierra McCormick were fabulous and this film highlights them well.
This film was a recommendation of Zach Kanner, I do not know anyone that worked on this project and I was not paid for this review. Part of my new "Go find an indie you like and tell your friends about it" initiative. The title needs work.