Dirt Boy
Picture:
C Sound: B- Extras: C+ Film: C+
Atwater
Commons is put on the map literally by the book Dirt Boy by way of its author Atwater Bridges (Arthur J. Walsh), so
when Matty (Jacob Lee Hedman) comes back to find out about a series of serial
killer-like murders that occur in the town.
It looks like the town has taken more than the author’s name. When he starts asking questions, people stop
talking and even start threatening.
Writer/director
Jay Frasco’s 2001 thriller would seem like a cheap gimmick and very belated
entry to the serial killer cycle, but it is not as bad or obvious as it
sounds. One gag is that Matty is
listening to the audio book, as he is too busy to actually read the book as
hardcover or later paperback editions.
That is not to say that the film is joke-filled, though. However, despite a good starting point, the
film never takes off. Part of the problem
is just that serial killer films have been done to death, while this one is
more about the mystery, which is not set up well. On that level, too many red herrings are
thrown in.
The
letterboxed 1.66 X 1 frame was shot in the Super 16mm film format by Jeffrey
Greeley, whose cinematography fits the subject matter and would have even
benefited from an anamorphic transfer. The
only problem is that the shots are too close, as if home video and television
were being considered, intended or not. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic surrounds and is not bad.
Extras
include a commentary by Frasco, Hedman and producer Jay Smalley, cast and crew
biography information, a stills gallery set to music, the actual audio of the
book’s audio book, merchandise/website information, trailer, deleted scenes, the
actor who played the voice from a car trunk, and the Seattle, Washington world
premiere.
So the
film has an ambitious idea, but just does not go far enough with it and is
covering many areas that are simply played out.
This needed more pre-production and much more thinking-through. It mixes a few aspects of genre, but never
does any of them as well as it should.
Maybe more about why and how the book was a hit, which itself is not
convincing. This makes Dirt Boy an above average curio at
best.
- Nicholas Sheffo
