Shooting April (2010)

Studio: Hollywood Wizard/Media Blasters/Ether Films

Theatrical Release: August 30th, 2010

DVD Release: 2011

Not Rated

Review by James Klein

Ever since 1999's The Blair Witch Project, many films have been using the same kind of format and basic premise: a person or group of people use a video camera and record something strange or sinister on purpose or by accident and now this footage has been "found" or "released". We have seen this in a slew of recent horror films such as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and its sequel, REC, Diary of the Dead, and The Last Exorcism (never mind that Cannibal Holocaust did it first in 1980 and is still superior to all of these films). Shooting April is very much in the same vein. The difference is that Shooting April has more in common with films such as Bully, Mean Creek, and even The River's Edge than it does with any of these horror films. That reason alone is what makes Shooting April stand out from the other films. This isn't a slasher film or a ghost movie, this is a real horror film.

The movie focuses on three friends: Doug, Truman and Weasel. All three teens are not the honor role type students. In the very opening we see the teens record Truman bashing cars at a used car lot in broad daylight. This simple scene establishes who these characters are right away. These teens are of the Jackass generation. All they care about is doing stupid and dangerous stunts. I am not a fan of those Jackass films or the TV show and I personally hate that a lot of our young children and teens are growing up watching that crap and mimicking that kind of stupid behavior, just proving how dumb us Americans can be. Shooting April tries my patience in that aspect. We watch Truman set himself on fire as a stunt, we see Doug sitting on the toilet, we see Truman have sex with a girl at a party and then quickly tell his friends he needs to "get rid of her", we witness Weasel and Truman stealing vodka from a grocery store...for awhile it seems as if the entire film is watching these bozos act like goofballs as they laugh and get away with their antics. Then the film starts to change and gets interesting.

After Weasel gets denied by a girl at a party, Truman decides to make a bet with his friends that he can have sex with her on their first date. The friends set up a camera and record Truman getting denied by this girl as well. Truman is not one to keep backing down from a challenge and without giving anything away, the movie takes a dark turn as the friends start to push the boundaries of their "bet".

If you can get past the first hour of watching these guys act like jerks, it may be worth taking a look. As much as I hated these characters, the acting is top notch. On the interview section on the DVD, the actors talked about doing alot of improvisation and they did a hell of a job. Their performances are so realistic and their improv is so natural, it did feel like I was watching these kids and not actors. All of them are great and the film would have been a disaster if the casting was wrong. The film strives for realism and succeeds. However, one of my biggest complaints with these type of films is that when the shit hits the fan, I truly believe the person would put the camera down and either run or take charge of the situation.

Shooting April may be another "found footage" type film and it may get on some people's nerves but the film is brilliantly acted and does take an interesting turn in the third act. Fans of gore will be disappointed but if going in with an open mind, Shooting April passes the time quickly and does stick with you once the credits role.

Special thanks to Donna Lopez at Media Blasters: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-official-Media-Blasters-page/290841438715