Movies
[Tribeca ’12] A Look At ‘Resolution’, A Film That Defies Genre Classification
Rat King, Replicas… with Tribeca horror features, it’s usually pretty difficult to get a full flavor of what the films will be like, as they are often world premieres or shrouded in some sort of secrecy. That being said, there is still one film on my radar that I’m looking forward to covering for sure, and that is Resolution, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead.
“Michael is committed to getting his best friend Chris to sober up and put his life back on track. But what begins as an attempt to save his friend’s life quickly takes an unexpected turn as the two friends confront personal demons, the consequences of past actions, and forces beyond their control. Expertly balancing dark humor, heart, and thrills, Resolution is an utterly unique cinematic experience that defies genre classification.”
The drug dealer violence / detox slant looks like it makes for some good tension, but with the synopsis saying that it defied genre classification – I got wary as to whether or not this was something BD viewers would want within their horror realm. I contacted newcomer Justin Benson and asked him what we might expect. 
“While the “defies genre classification” part is accurate, we also proudly embrace that we are “a horror movie.” Even though Resolution is not an homage to anything in particular, and every decision we made went toward making something we’d never seen before, there is one horror movie tradition we firmly stuck to: making the smartest, funniest, creepiest movie we could make, with whatever resources we could scrounge up.”
Justin went on to mention how he reads Bloody-Disgusting every morning while he has his coffee, so I asked him where his blood roots were embedded.
“There are so many amazing films across the broad spectrum of horror that we admire. Actually the list of horror films we love is massive and gets pretty obscure. That being said, in the making of ‘Resolution’ we respectfully tried to make something all our own. Horror is the most intelligent, inventive and diverse genre in film making, and we worked hard at every stage of the movie to make sure we lived up to that under appreciated tradition.”
Justin Benson has written, directed, and worked just about every odd job in the film industry. He has directed several short films and commercials. Resolution is his first feature. Aaron Moorhead directed his first feature at only 19 years old. He has worked as a cinematographer, director, VFX artist, and colorist, and has shot several indie features, shorts, and commercials.
Resolution makes its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival this April 20th in New York City.
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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