The Phantom Tollbooth - Movies Reviews Index


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Home Subscribe About Us Features News Album Reviews Movie Reviews Past Movies Movie Resources Concert Reviews Book Reviews Top 10 Contact Us	Baghead Stars: Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Steve Zissis, Elise Mueller, A. Scott Howard and Jeff Garner as himself Directors/Scriptwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass Sony Classics Distributors Rating: R for language, some sexual content and nudity Running Length: 90 minutes Want to make a horror film on a limited budget? Well, "Blair Witch Project" is in the past, so here comes "Baghead" about making a horror film in, guess what, the woods. The four people involved, Chad (Steve Zissis), Matt (Ross Partridge), Catherine (Elise Muller) and Michelle (Greta Gerwig) go from humorous to self-absorbed to downright scary in what they do to achieve what they want. We begin with the screening of a movie by Jeff Garner (playing himself) to the applaud of his audience. Chad, Matt, Catherine and Michelle decide to go to a cabin in the woods for a fun weekend, but at the same time, write their own script. Ideas pour out, liquor is abundant and so are relationships. One would think that with the creativity displayed, people could get ideas and write a script in record time, but they start yearning for each other and there goes common sense. You need a road map to sort out who is currently friendly with who, and who wants revenge on who and who wants to "...leave immediately..." This last part when the group begins to see a mysterious figure with a paper bag over his/her head standing outside the cabin windows. They figure out pretty soon that it isn't Poppa Bear. At this time, the audience is either asleep or urging the group to keep the lights on and climb on the roof, but no, that would be too easy. Why do people turn on a light, go to a window (making themselves a perfect target) and stare into the dark woods? Why does it take the group a short time to get from the main road to the cabin and an enormously long time to get from the cabin to the road? Is this an elastic road? "Baghead" begins as a sophomoric venture and then, as we become accustomed to the characters, turns into a personality study. We see the beautiful, childlike Michelle begin to like the sad, childlike, Chad. Matt and Catherine are made for each other, she leads and he follows. We all know people like that. Liquor flows like water, everyone wants to write a script and be a movie star. In this case, it begins after dark, in the woods and paper bags become alarming. Copyright 2008 Marie Asner