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Saturday, May 9, 2020

THE BODY (Short Film Review)


                               Starring: Marc Clement, Anton Schrama, Tim Hawkins

                                                   Directed by: Adam Weber

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  Let it be said that on-the-job training can be a bit of a strain on one's mental framework - from the trainer to the trainee. There's a certain way that people like things to be done, be it in a speedy yet cautious fashion...then there's which tool to use to properly dispose of the corpse - Uh, let's just forget that I mentioned the last part there, okay? MOVE ALONG PEOPLE - NOTHING TO SEE HERE!!

  Actually, there's plenty to see here in this near 12-minute short film from my fellow compadre from Down Under - his name is Adam Weber and he's not only the extremely talented backbone of his own film review website AdamTheMovieGod.com (MUST-VISIT SITE), he just happens to be the writer, producer and directorial heavyweight for this darkly comedic jaunt into the world of hitmen and their overeager cleanup crews. Adam was gracious enough to provide me with a screener for this which at this time is still lying in wait until all this pandemic crap blows over, so consider me the FIFTH HORSEMAN, yet I only bring only fortunate upcoming news to the masses...that and the fact that I've only ridden a horse once and almost got bucked off within the first minute my big ass hit the saddle, but I digress. Let's get to the meat and taters of this little gem, shall we?

  We as the audience are tossed into a roaring Thunderbird as it makes its way down a lonely stretch of Australian highway, and our main man at the wheel is the "trainee" if you will - his name is Steve-O (Schrama), and he's headed to meet up with his superior-of-sorts. The fella who will be showing the ropes to his slightly overzealous charge is Darryl (Clement), a hitman who acts as if he's got no time to waste and very little patience for learners who don't possess the ability to soak up the knowledge. Needless to say, Steve-O has brought all the wrong tools for the job, and before this night is over he'll either snag a passing or failing grade on his job performance. At the risk of blowing any pertinent plot details out of the water (and ruining the integrity of Adam's work), I'll keep my yapper closed as to any more info on this one, but rest assured that it's an utterly fun way to kill a dozen minutes.

 Cinematography-wise, this presentation is an all-out winner from its early dusty, wind-swept views of a dried-out strip of asphalt, to its tail-light illuminated night shots that give the darkness of the desert a glowing pulse. All performances were engaging, comedic in a darkened fashion, and kept attention locked on the screen - I've found over the years that even some portrayals in a short film can lose the audience and cause the product to stall out, even under an abbreviated timeframe - not the case here, however. Overall, The Body is a successful ride that should squarely show up on your radar once it's released to the masses, and we here will keep everyone updated as to when that will happen so stick close by!

RATING: 4 out of 5

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