In this week\u2019s low-profile VOD releases, murderous frog- and parrot-based creatures stalk unsuspecting victims, a motel clerk encounters ghosts at her workplace, and privileged narcissists whine about their relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murdaritaville<\/em><\/strong> (VOD, Blu-ray, and VHS March 1):<\/strong> An opening title card describes this inept horror comedy as \u201ca love letter\u201d to the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett \u2014 and also misspells Buffett\u2019s name, which is emblematic of the slapdash approach from director and co-writer Paul Dale. Dale specializes in these gimmicky micro-budget genre movies, including Killer Kites<\/em> and Sewer Gators<\/em><\/a>, and Murdaritaville<\/em> follows the same formula, with only nominal suspense or horror. Dale, of course, has no rights to any Buffett music, but the dialogue sounds like he\u2019s trying to win a contest for the most unmotivated Buffett references. The idea of a literal mutant \u201cparrothead\u201d as a killer of insufficiently dedicated Buffett fans is amusing, but Dale can\u2019t hold that theme together, instead just haphazardly offing his annoying characters until he runs out of steam before the 60-minute mark. As a three-minute sketch, Murdaritaville<\/em> might have been mildly amusing, but as a feature film, it\u2019s a grueling endurance test for even the most laid-back Buffett aficionado. Grade: D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wild Fire<\/em><\/strong> (VOD March 5):<\/strong> Married adults don\u2019t generally play Truth or Dare, especially not at someone\u2019s 50th birthday party, but that\u2019s apparently the only way that writer-director Jennifer Cooney can get her characters to open up, leading to many awkward revelations for a trio of couples and the widowed party host. Elliana (Celeste Marcone) and six of her guests sit around a fire pit after everyone else has gone home, trading intrusive questions that challenge their relationships. It\u2019s like Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?<\/em> filtered through a bookstore\u2019s entire self-help section, with smug philosophy professor Del (Jillian Geurts) offering the most insufferable \u201cinsights\u201d about romance and sexuality. Wild Fire<\/em> begins with cheesy soft-focus sex scenes that suggest a much seedier movie, but while the party occasionally seems on the verge of devolving into a full-on orgy, Cooney sticks to the tiresome personal drama. The stilted performances and pseudo-provocative dialogue would probably have fit better if Cooney embraced the softcore Skinemax vibe. Grade: C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frogman<\/em> (VOD March 8):<\/strong> Shot mostly on Hi-8 videotape, this found-footage creature feature conveys a compelling level of authenticity, trading on the same faux-urban legend veracity as The Blair Witch Project<\/em>. At times its Blair Witch<\/em> homage is a bit too blatant, as filmmaker Dallas Kyle (Nathan Tymoshuk) and his friends Scotty (Benny Barrett) and Amy (Chelsey Grant) explore the town of Loveland, Ohio, and interview local residents about the supposed monster that lurks in the surrounding woods. Frogman<\/em> goes all the way into eldritch horror in its chaotic finale, but it works surprisingly well as a low-key dramedy before then. There\u2019s a tragic melancholy to Dallas, who\u2019s obsessed with the footage of Frogman he allegedly captured as a child, and determined to disprove his online haters by obtaining undeniable documentation. He\u2019s also secretly in love with Amy, in a subplot that provides an unexpectedly poignant payoff. Frogman itself isn\u2019t as satisfyingly explored, but director and co-writer Anthony Cousins still creates a striking, immersive world within his limited resources. Grade: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n