| REALITY
CHECK Rating:   Directors: Rafal Zielinski Producers: Elie Cohn, John Langley Writers: Brent Askari, Chum Langhorne Director of Photography: Seo Mutarevic Cast: Vanessa Christel Cambell, Natalia Cigliuti, Timothy Lee DePriest, Nate Dushku, Khalil Kain, Courtney Peldon, Kim Hoy, Sticky Fingaz Visit the IMDB Page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
7/20/02
Reality Check may not be the most original film in the world, but the key here is in the execution. Basically a spoof of horror films and reality shows like The Real World, this movie definitely sputters before its conclusion, but the ride along the way is enjoyable. And it also appeals to a prurient desire many of us probably share: How often have you wished for reality show contestants to be offed by a homicidal maniac?
A group of seven young adults are assembled by a sleazy television producer named Brock (Sticky Fingaz, formerly of 90's hip-hop legends Onyx) to go off to a remote house in the woods and try to co-exist. The group's interaction is, of course, video taped and the television series is supposed to proceed in Survivor-like fashion, as the group would vote off a different member in every episode. Immediately drawing the wrath of his cohorts is Crash (Timothy Lee DePriest), a Kid Rock-ish character (basing this comparison on what little I know of Kid Rock), who manages to offend seemingly everyone any time he opens his mouth. This makes him the immediate suspect when the camera crew strangely goes missing and then the other contestants begin dropping like flies.
The connection made between the annoying fictional characters that usually litter horror films, and the equally irritating real-life people who star in shows like the aforementioned The Real World, is a welcome one. There are also enough variances in the characters to make them distinguishable. Some of the more colorful ones are the laughable gothic guy Gar (Nate Dushku), the manipulative, spoiled and beautiful Serendipity (Natalia Cigliuti) and the innocent, lily white virgin Charlolette (Courtney Peldon). The actors all play their characters with the right amount of zest, and the film doesn't take itself seriously at all.
Reality Check does start to wear out its welcome after awhile, and it appears that writers Brent Askari and Chum Langhorne grew a bit thin on ideas. Rafal Zielinski (who directed the very solid 1994 film Fun -- a contemporary, American answer to Heavenly Creatures) keeps the atmosphere playful and the story moving, so it largely remains entertaining throughout. Timothy Lee DePriest makes a nice showing as Crash, the contestant you love to hate, and the abundance of female eye candy helped keep me involved too.
Fans of last year's great Series 7:
The Contenders should be able to connect with the humor in
this film (although it operates on a broader and much less dark
level). It's not mandatory viewing by any stretch of the imagination,
but Reality Check is diverting entertainment and clever
enough to get the job done.
(Screened at the 2002 Dances With Film Festival)
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