[yasr_overall_rating]
A drama centered on people who seek validation by broadcasting their lives to as big an audience as possible.
One of the stars of “Blood Shot,” Skyler Day, has a YouTube channel where she plays music on an acoustic guitar and seems to clammer for more viewers. I think Skyler Day’s appearance makes “Blood Shot,” also known as “Channeling” on IMDb, ironic. The film seems to be a movie about how the increasing intensity of social media is a bad thing, but this message loses much of its credibility when one of the film’s main stars is engaged in the very activity the film attempts to condemn. But “Blood Shot” is a low-budget film so this is neither the time nor the place to critique a film for the strength of its social satire.
“Blood Shot” is an eye-cam film. Why do I consider eye-cam a genre? Because I can name another film, “V/H/S 2,” that also revolves around someone getting a camera installed in his eye. The film’s cover art, depicting an eyeball, also hints at this sub-genre. The film also features a good bit of racing, but it is not “The Fast and The Furious” because “Blood Shot” does not attempt to revolve around cars.
The film is directed by Drew Thomas, who can make a hell of a good film from a shoe-string budget. Thomas only has a few other credits on IMDB including a Coachella documentary and a TV show called “Wal-Mart Soundcheck.” Thomas also wrote the screenplay. I expect good things from Thomas. This man has at least one very good movie in him. I hope that he can keep being afforded the opportunity to work. He also manages to include some good scenes of blood, boobs, and beasts in this flick including:
- 1 mechanical, fire-breathing dinosaur
- 3 scenes where I almost saw boobs
- 1 gory depiction of a man’s mutilated rib cage
- 1 scene where men and women bet on abortion
- 3, maybe 4, mediocre car/motorcycle chases
- 1 cancer joke
- 1 bashed-in computer hacker face, and
- The hottest redhead I’ve ever seen in an indie
New rule around here, if your film has a fire-breathing dinosaur and abortion betting in it, I guarantee you at least a three star rating.
The film opens with a commercial for a camera worn like a contact over one’s eye. There’s a chase sequence between a car and a group of bikers, which is watched by a group of online viewers. We then cut to a flashback of Wyatt, a soldier who dies under mysterious circumstances. Investigating the death of Wyatt is the main thrust of “Blood Shot.” Wyatt is played by Taylor Handley, who is related to the inventor of the Pornstar dynasty and former star of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” and one of my personal favorites, “Phantom of the Megaplex.” Handley also guested in “CSI Miami” (Three of the main performers in “Blood Shot” guested in “CSI: Miami.” Was someone hanging around the CSI set casting for “Blood Shot?”).
Wyatt’s brother, Jonah, a soldier, comes home for his brother’s death. Jonah and his sister, Ashley, mourn the death of Wyatt. This is a very fine beginning to the film. I found myself muttering “This is not terrible” as I watched this sequence. Jonah is played by Dominic DeVore, who starred as Pell Med Corp Guard #2 in “The Shadow Walkers” and Bar Guy in “Men at Work.” Ashley is played by the five foot tall Skyler Day, who I’ve already mentioned in my introduction.
The movie then turns to a scene of executives discussing viewer numbers for various eye cams. This scene does not have an awful lot to do with this movie, except this scene features Linn Bjornland as Mandy. I was not aware this character was named Mandy, but “Blood Shot” could have veered off into being a film just about the eye cam executive Mandy and I would have watched it eagerly. Why would I have watched this film, you ask? Because I’m a little in love with the stunning, redheaded Linn Bjornland, a Scott who grew up outside of Norway and has appeared in “True Blood,” “Grimm,” and “Heart of Dixie.” She describes her acting personality as “Hollywood elegance with modern sensibility.” I describe it as good old fashioned sex appeal.
Jonah ends up investigating the murder of Wyatt with the ample breasted, Tara. Together, they are involved in a couple chases involving a stolen car and hire a hacker to help in investigating Wyatt’s death. Tara almost goes topless a couple times, and ultimately the couple ends up in bed together. Tara is played by Kate French, who is not as attractive as Linn Bjornland. French, a New Jerseyian with lyrics from Ryan Adam’s “Blue Hotel” tattooed on her rib cage has made a career playing bitches and lesbians in shows like “The L Word,” “One Tree Hill,” and “Gossip Girl.”
Jonah ends up discovering that the death of Wyatt was planned by a man named Garrett all along in addition to a needless pregnancy subplot involving Ashley. Turns out, there is an underground community that bets on the outcome on various events of eye cam subjects.
Cut to Garrett’s slightly effeminate son, Dylan, who is present when Jonah confronts Garrett. Garrett pushes Dylan out of the scene. Instructed by his viewing audience, Jonah executes Garrett, finally obtaining revenge for the death of Wyatt. Garrett is played by Ryan Walker, who has appeared on the TV shows, “Ant Farm” and “Suburgatory.” Josh Feldman who plays Dylan has appeared in Disney XD’s “Skyrunners Testimonials” as Little Kid and “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups” in addition to “Reno 911” and “The Closer.”
We end the film with Jonah and Tara going off on another car chase and an advertisement for the military, which is a weird tone for this film to end on.
The satire element of “Blood Shot” is probably its weakest point and as such I felt the Army commercial ending was entirely superfluous. The film is too disorganized and too focused on car chases to be “The Truman Show,” but if you approach “Blood Shot” for what it is, a film with a few genuinely creative ideas, you’ll be pleasantly rewarded.
Available on DVD & Digital April 19th
