Smiley 2012 - REVIEW

I ran across this poster a while back and it immediately grabbed my attention for obvious reasons. It's a very intriguing glimpse into something that could have great potential. Then, of course, I had to find out everything I could about 'Smiley'. What is it about? Who made it? When will it be available? Have you ever watched a film solely based on what's in that 24" x  36" space? I know I have. I did it with Laid to Rest and I did it with Severance and even though I'd heard nothing but horrible things about Smiley, the poster was intriguing enough to me to make me want to watch it. If you think about it, a movie poster is a viewers first impression of a film and whether they hold that same impression after the fact is a completely different story.

A young woman tests the urban legend about a murderous maniac who can be conjured from the Internet, and begins to fear that her sanity is slipping away. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of the World Wide Web, a killer waits to strike. Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) thought Smiley was nothing more than an online myth. But Smiley is real, and he won't rest until she's proven wrong in a pool of her own blood.

Full of a mostly fresh faced cast, there was nothing really overly amazing about the acting here. The urban legend, mythical being, slasher, whatever you want to call him, Smiley was one of the best things about this film and he never said a word... just ran around poking and slicing through most of the cast. Gerard fumbled her way through what was admittedly a subpar script. And that scream... Ho-ly hell! Her scream is so high pitched that had I been standing next to her with a knife I probably would've stabbed her myself. If you were expecting YouTube sensation Shane Dawson to breathe some life into it, you'll be disappointed. And Andrew James Allen's character?? Well I wanted him dead within the first few minutes. I dunno if that was suppose to happen but that was definitely the way it came off. Roger Bart is the one that stole the show for me. One of the more "seasoned actors" he belted out his lines while managing to stay sufficiently creepy. I didn't have a read on which direction his character was going, and that's a good thing.

The film suffers in several different areas... 1) There is a severe lack of character development. We're given a whole cast of characters to root for and the only one that really has a backstory is Ashley. The audience really has no one to cheer on. 2) It's riddled with one jump scare after another, after another. I counted two within the first five minutes. A successful horror film will never have to rely on jump scares to frighten an audience. 3) Subplots. There is at least one subplot that is never explored. Meaningless characters that pop in and out but really serve no purpose in moving the story forward are just a distraction. There are other ways of revealing information throughout the course of a film without introducing insignificant characters. Filmmakers, even new ones, have to respect their audience.

Director and co-writer Michael J. Gallagher definitely had some great ideas. The concept of the film was great. They managed to take elements from the 90's era slasher and blend it pretty well with the issues of today's social media sites. He just tried to say SO much that the real message gets lost in translation. In fact, Smiley is so "meta" that people who aren't very tech savvy might find it hard to understand. And what is Smiley? Is he a manifestation of the damage one person can inflict on another using only a keyboard? "Trolling", after all,  is the new hip way to bully via the internet. We all see it happening every day. People grow some really big balls when they're hidden behind a computer screen. Is he an energy that transports from one unlucky person to the other via the internet? In the end, the story is wrapped up with a twist that while not overly predictable, it does come off as kind of a cop out.

Having said all that, I don't hate this film. I actually kinda dig it. I just wish I could tell you why. Perhaps it falls into that "so bad it's good" category. I honestly can't say but I would totally watch it again. Hell, I'll probably buy it when it's released on DVD/Blu-ray. Never have I come across a film that has so many things wrong with it but I like it anyway. In fact, going off the set up and content of the film alone, if Freddy Krueger and Candyman defied the laws of nature and had a bastard child I imagine it would be a lot like Smiley. Add someone with a little more experience, better funding, some script supervision and A LOT of polish, I could see this being a successful franchise. Sorry!!! I know that's not what most people are expecting to hear from me but if you look at it a different way, it's a good premise for today's horror. We as a community constantly complain about remakes and reboots and beg for new ideas and when someone does it, the majority hate it. Yes, Smiley is a cockeyed version of something that's been done a million times over but what film isn't? There are very few ground breaking films out there and if you break them all down, you'll always find some element from some other film. So, if you're like me and get into the "so bad it's good" film, then I'd suggest giving it a go but if you watch it and hate it, remember that I DID point out the bad :)

Synopsis Source: Fandango

Smiley Gets a Release Date

LOS ANGELES, CA- Fever Productions announces October 11th, 2012, as the day and date release for the much anticipated horror-thriller SMILEY. The film, which will have a highly innovative, new distribution plan, was directed by YouTube sensation Michael J. Gallagher (“Totally Sketch”) and was co-written by Gallagher and Glasgow Phillips (“South Park”). Michael Wormser (Some Guy Who Kills People) is the producer. Gallagher and his YouTube partners on “Totally Sketch,” as well as the other performers in the film, have an enormous fan base to call on with over 11 million subscribers, 2.2 billion views and 4 million plus fans on Facebook/Twitter. The trailer has accumulated over 11 million views since its debut.

After learning of an urban legend in which a demented serial killer named “Smiley” can be summoned through the Internet, mentally fragile Ashley (Caitland Gerard from Magic Mike and The Social Network) must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley’s next victim. The film also stars Melanie Papalia (“Endgame”), Shane Dawson (“Shane Dawson’s TV”) and Andrew James Allen (“Make It or Break It”), with Toby Turner (“The Annoying Orange”), Roger Bart (“Desperate Housewives”), Keith David (The Thing) and Liza Weil (“Scandal”) rounding out the cast.

SMILEY will be made directly available to a massive global fan base by using a new hybrid approach for distribution. To see the film in theaters, the producers will be utilizing Tugg, Inc. (“Tugg”), a web-platform that lets audiences choose the films that play in their local theater. With Tugg, fans will be able to buy tickets to premiere screenings throughout the U.S. on October 11th and October 31st. Tickets for the premiere screenings will go sale on Monday, July 16th, and fans will be able to request to host their own screenings soon after.

Starting Friday, June 29th, fans will be able to pre-order SMILEY to stream on demand through the film’s website, for a reduced price of five dollars. The buyers will also be prompted to select between a PG-13 or R-rated Director’s Cut of the film. At 12:01 am on October 11th, audiences will receive an email notification that SMILEY is now available to stream over their computers, smart TV’s, smart phones and tablets in the U.S. and most international markets through Redux’s Artists platform, which enables artists and filmmakers to sell video content directly to their audience across every screen. The film streams exclusively on Redux between October 11th and October 31st.

In addition to the Tugg and Redux roll out, the film will be available on more traditional platforms including DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes, Redbox and cable VOD at a later date.

Earlier today, June 29th, Gallagher and the filmmakers appeared at the Anaheim Convention Center at VidCon to deliver a presentation about the release in front of thousands of fans. They also announced two contests, one that will give away invitations to the Hollywood premiere of the film, and a second to allow up to 10 fans to make a cameo appearance in the final cut of the film, which is still in post- production.

Said director Michael Gallagher:

“We wanted to ensure SMILEY would be made available on the same day to fans worldwide. The love and support for the film has given us the confidence to move forward with an innovative release strategy, which puts the audience in the driver’s seat. If they want to see the film in theaters, they can demand it. If they want to watch it at home, they can stream it on any video device. They can even choose between a PG-13 version and an R-rated Director’s Cut. Also, because we are doing it independently, we are able to keep the costs low and the process simple. We hope to create a new model that puts the fans first and lets their interest in the film drive the distribution, not the other way around." 

For more information on the film, contests, upcoming screenings, and to pre-order it today, visit Smiley online!