Frances Stein (2016)
Starring P.J. Woodside, Scott Cummings, Cody Rogers
Directed by P.J. Woodside
Written, produced, and starring P.J. Woodside, who has shot quite a few horror shorts over her career, Frances Stein is not so much a play on the classic Frankenstein view, but instead its own beast, opting for another categorization of its own.
The movie is about a slightly loopy (don’t want to offend anyone) scientist who loses the remainder of her precious sanity while struggling to perfect her latest creation (secret, secret). Turns out that the doc’s invention is gaining ground with a certain group of people who’d like to attain its power for some heavy financial gain – then again, isn’t that always how these things turn out?
At the risk of letting too many goodies out of the jar, I’ll keep a tight lid on the details, but if you’ve been paying attention, I’m sure you can connect the dots (mad scientist / secret experiment / keep for her own doings) – you get the picture. The problem here is in the pacing – FAR too many slow spots and the lack of any real discernible action are what drags this movie into the mud.
Cruising through the film, I did notice some intentional swerving of the storyline, mainly meant to keep the audience guessing, but for most, it just might come too late. Upsides include the acting prowess of Woodside herself – she nails the unbalanced doc portrayal to a “t,” and she’s fun to watch. Also, the character interaction is interesting, mainly because it serves a purpose to help the audience through the progression of the story, which can jump around a bit.
Overall, if you’re into the whole “mad scientist” thing, then by all means, feel free to give Frances Stein a look, but don’t expect to get bugs in your teeth from the speed of travel on this ride.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
