Attack of the Baby Doll/The Golem (2007)
Review by Theron Neel
I just finished watching Attack of the Baby Doll and The Golem, two movies from Stunt Kitty Films. Both flicks are directed by Debora Roventini and written/produced by Rob Robinson.
These are no-budget video productions that look as if they were made with a home video camera. I mean, there are no production values at play here at all. But I do respect the effort Roventini and Robinson have put forth. Stunt Kitty Films has a website and several DVDs available for sale. They’re also making the rounds at various film fests, so they are definitely taking this seriously.
Attack of the Baby Doll is a short film about a former drag queen’s love of dolls, anchored around a musical number called “Drag Queen’s Lament.” The whole affair is amateurish and misguided. It looks like something a high school drama student would film to display on YouTube. The performances by Phillip Faiss and Debora Roventini are terribly broad, and the whole thing is too long at 27 minutes.
The Golem is more serious attempt at a film. It’s the story of a family gathering at the old homestead following the death of their father. While packing up the house, they discover their father had made a golem and stashed him in the garage before he died. While dealing with old family resentments and petty arguments common during these occasions, the golem comes to life and attacks them…and they kill it. And everyone forgives each other. That’s it. This is a combination of horror and family melodrama that never takes off. This flick shows a surer grasp of filmmaking technique, but is hampered by wooden acting and a slow script. Victoria Reid Taylor does good work here as the daughter, but the rest of the cast is forgettable at best. Roventini overlays and intersperses home movie footage over the film as it progresses, and this does evoke a mood of melancholy that works. But I think the filmmakers would have been better off sticking to a drama here and not mixing in an inane supernatural plot. But, as I said, this is the technically superior film of the two I watched.
I support independent film, and I admire the fact that Stunt Kitty is out there living the dream. In the future, I’d really like to see them put a little more effort into their projects. I think there is talent at play, but they need to make sure they have a script that works and then put a bit more money into the production of the movies. It’s time for them to take the next step in their journey. Oh, and no more musicals about baby doll collectors would be a good first move, guys.
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