By Sarah Schumacher, Special to Bootleg Essential Culture
The Duplass brothers tap into ‘Blair Witch Project’ aesthtics for ‘Baghead.’
“Baghead”
In theaters June 13
Following along in the ever-evolving “mumblecore tradition,” the Duplass brothers bring us a comedy turned horror flick to wet our taste buds. Four aspiring actors retreat into the woods in order to create the ultimate screenplay. Sound familiar?
It may initially seem a little “Blair Witch Project”-esque, but the end result introduces another realm of unsettling creepiness. The villain? You guessed it, a guy with a bag on his head.
The group creates several hurdles for themselves in the filmmaking endeavor. Sex. Alcohol. Misunderstood Relationships. All adding up to a slasher-film-spoof ending minus the blood and gore.
Jay and Mark Duplass began making movies and premiering them in their parents living room back in the ’80s. Stemming from a question posed by a crewmember during production of their last film, “The Puffy Chair,” the Duplass brothers created “Baghead” from the scariest thing they could think of…“a guy with a bag on his head staring into your window.”
This melding-of-genres flick is sure to send the Duplass brothers into the big time.
“Quid Pro Quo”
In Theaters June 13
As an 8-year-old boy Isaac Knot (Nick Stahl) is involved in a serious accident, leaving him paralyzed and parentless. Now a reporter for public radio in New York City, Knot is astounded by an on air tip that a perfectly able-bodied man walked into an emergency room and tried to bribe a doctor into removing his legs.
Knot begins investigating the anonymous tip. Through his research, he finds the mysterious Fiona (Vera Farmiga) who introduces him to a whole underground world of fake paraplegics. But, Fiona has her own secrets. She is the owner of a mysterious wheelchair that she doesn’t need.
Watch as Knot tries to unfold the layers of the human mind in order to discover the thing that makes humans feel whole.
This first feature film from writer and director Carlos Brooks delves into black comedy with a mix of romance and drama. And the perverse desire to remove healthy body parts.
“The Happening”
In Theaters June 13
Mother Nature is turning her back on the human race and no one can stop her. M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated film begins threatening mankind on Friday the 13th. When else?
Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) are having enough problems on their own. With divorce lurking around every corner, their lives are in disaster.
Unexplainably people begin dropping like flies. The Moores realize they must stay together to save themselves and their young daughter.
Elliot races against time to get his family out of the city and into the rural countryside of Pennsylvania. But, where will he run when he realizes trees are his enemy?
