Dead Air

DVD Release Company: Anthem Pictures (http://www.anthemdvd.com/)
Language: English
Length: 93 Minutes
Image: Color
Year: 2009
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: October 27, 2009

“Rectum! Damn near killed him!” – Gil (David Moscow)

MOVIE REVIEW

Truly frightening, Corbin Bernsen directs a social commentary film that does more than just speak of corrupt politics and government secrets; it speaks rationality in irrational terms. The budget horror thriller about “zombie-like” creatures that doesn’t rely on the gore or heavy effects but rather accomplishes in instilling a fear of the unknown, isolation, seclusion, and a real world disaster scenario. Its a different horror film that most fans will enjoy, especially enjoyable with the high caliber, well established iconic actors of the genre.

Logan (Bill Moseley) and sidekick Gil (David Moscow) are your late night shock radio disc jockeys who thought tonight would be like any other night in offending the million of the listeners that tune in to their radio show. Until one of their listeners calls in, panicking and frightened, about with what seems to be a riot of people killing people – men, women and children. As the night goes on, Logan, Gil, Lucy (Patricia Tallman) and Burt (Joshua Feinman) learn that its not just people killing people; the people are infected with a terrorist released toxin that turns them into rabid and zombie-like maniacs that can induce the same systems upon their victims with one scratch or one bite. Trapped, the radio station crew stays on the air, warning those in the downtown area of Los Angeles to get out or to lock themselves in but when Logan’s wife and daughter are in the path of the infected, he must find a way to rescue them.

I’m serious when I say that this film is plausible. Rabies is an actual disease and what if, this is only a what if, they could turn it into an airborne, fast-acting toxin? What would happen? I like the whole concept of Dead Air, especially the broadcast radio station crew being trapped and not willing to go to the emergency broadcast system but rather to stay on the air and to inform those listening. I wouldn’t want to hear numerous beeps and some voice recorded person telling me that everything is under control if all hell breaks loose on Earth.

Logan on air

Bill Moseley is perfect for the role of Logan. He has the fast-talkin’, wise crackin’ voice of a shock jock. He delivers his lines so well I can swear that he could pass as Man Cow Muller from the Man Cow morning show. Even the look of Logan is scarily similar to the look of Man Cow. Anyway, enough about Man Cow – I don’t want to focus on that. I want to focus on this cast. The cast is a tall drink order in a short glass which means that Bill Moseley and Patricia Tallman are big names for an indie project though are no strangers to indies themselves. This is their third film together; you might remember them as brother and sister in the remake of the Night of the Living Dead by Tom Savini or you might, but probably not, spot them in Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness. So, they have no problem playing an ex-married couple who are also employee and producer here – there is an underlying chemistry between them that works well and hopefully they’ll continue to be their own entourage. It is really hard for me to comprehend their characters for this film for I want to view them as Otis Driftwood and Barbara; their major breakthrough roles, but they do an effective job here and it pulls me out of that loop of character-typecasting and into their new shoes. Patricia Tallman as station producer Lucy does a fantastic job as being the scared yet calm female lead and, thus, makes her a strong character.

I told you how highly I think of the concept but doesn’t some of the aspects of the plot seem familiar. There is this 28 Days Later homage of some sorts. Running infected maniacs with blood coming out from their eyes seem to have been “borrowed” straight out of the Danny Boyle film. Though, these creatures are not as intense, they do bring their own life and characteristics to the film. No longer does the disease have to be spread by blood but rather just a mere scratch will do. That makes everything more terrifying because that limits the contact you’re suppose to have with those infected. It adds an extra beat to that already intensified heart beat that thumps in your chest. I found myself in rapid shouting thought wanting the survivors to not get with in arms distance. Imagine being trapped in an elevator with a very strong security guard who has been infected – you might as well make peace with yourself in that short time of liveliness.

The terror doesn’t stop

Fear doesn’t just come in the moment like that scenario explained about the elevator. Director Corbin Bernsen, who you might remember from Major League 1 and 2 and the hit television comedy series Psyche, wants to place in you a situation where you know what is going on outside without actually experiencing it. He wants you to hear the chaos being lived out by callers calling in to tell their horrifying story to Logan. Its that notion of the unknown; what we picture in our minds is nearly ten times more frightening than the actual event – usually. You hear callers being mauled to death, you hear callers changing into the infected, you hear callers speak of apocalyptic prophecy and so on. It gets to you in the worst way because if you don’t see it, it becomes surreal and surreal, to us the human race, is over exaggerated and disbelieving. We can’t understand what is happening so we tend to either rationalize and forget it or fear the absolute worst, leaving sweat on our brow and a parch dryness in our mouth.

What really hurts this effective indie horror thriller is the big names. Personally, I think Bill Moseley and Patricia Tallman, though no strangers to the indie film world, are now two household names for even the casual horror fan. This really feels like an amateur film and, frankly, it is. It is Corbin Bernsen’s third feature film and though I love what he did here with Dead Air, I honestly want him to stick with acting. He is a great actor and should do what he does best. If he could work on his technique while doing shorts, I wouldn’t have a problem with that but his direction methods and results hinder the film more than advance it. Some of his camera angles are dull. Though the dialogue is witty, mostly with Bill Moseley, it is bland and corny at times. These are issues that need to be addressed during pre-production and I think director Bernsen rather rushed through production in order to meet deadlines instead capturing and holding on to the spirit of the screenplay. At the end of the day, the indie picture business is what it’s labeled – a business – and time constraints come with the business and are set in place.

The climax is my biggest complaint. Rush isn’t the right word for it, but it will do for lack of a better term. How can I explain the climax without ruining the film? I can’t. Lets just say that something happens to our protagonist and then we are forced to go through a dreamlike and reminiscing state that leads all the way to his recovery or his toppling of the problem and it happened in a matter of seconds. It seemed almost unfair for the viewer to be subjected to that detour while the film put us on that crumbling edge the entire time. I felt let down and betrayed because there is room for so much more suspense but again there is that issue that was spoken of earlier, the rushing of trying to complete deadlines and in this case, wrapping the film too neatly for its own good.

The overall review ranking of Dead Air is moderately high. Constantly putting you in a heart pounding situation, there isn’t much hope instilled or being given to the audience leaving dread in its place which is always a plus in my book; happy endings always leave me unsatisfied. Yet with a rushed climax, that heart pounding stops in its tracks, stills, and then slumbers into an unfulfilled pocket of “what the hell?” Bill Moseley, Patricia Tallman and the concept barely gives this film a passing grade as the climax and direction really hurts it from advancing to a higher rank.

DVD REVIEW

Image quality matters – remember that kids if you ever want to make movies. Here the image quality is plagued with fuzzy imperfections and blocks of movement that creates distractions while trying to enjoy the film. Though, it was nice to see it in 1.78:1 widescreen format, but that doesn’t make up for the fact. The audio was a problem. There is a slight imbalance between ambiance and dialogue creating a more attentive awareness for my already strained ear canals. Again kids, Dolby Digital 2.0 should never, ever be used. Doesn’t matter how long it takes to conjure up more money, do it for better audio quality.

Behind the scenes look

As far as extras go, there are a few options to view. The behind the scenes featurette gives you interviews with cast, crew and director. Its good insight if you want to see how much director Corbin Bernsen rushes production. You also have the very short “Fly on the Wall” and “Behind the Shot” video captures where you get listen to Moseley and Tallman talk about previous projects and see the longest shot in the movie. I’m still trying to figure out why these were given special feature treatment because if I wanted pointlessness, I would have logged in to imdb.com or rewatched the longest scene.

The overall ranking for the Dead Air DVD is low. The sole thing keeping it from hitting rock bottom is the cover art. At first sight, there is a hint of a cheesy c-grade movie that the cover of Hood of the Living Dead similarly gives off. Yet the meshing of the color red and with Bill Moseley on the forefront has a strong attractive appeal. However, the poor image and audio quality just really hurt the release and the extras are practically pointless.