Wednesday, July 25, 2012


'Velvet Road' and its zombies leave you wanting more





L. Gustavo Cooper and crew made “Velvet Road” as a short film, but never hid their hopes that they could parlay it into a series or a full-length feature.
I wish them all the luck, for selfish reasons: I want to see more -- more of this 1960s world Cooper recreated, and more of the zombies and people who populate it.
Cooper is a young Jacksonville filmmaker whose “Velvet Road” will begin showing up in film festivals, including the New York City International Film Festival and Atlanta Horror Festival. Just shy of 12 minutes, not counting the credits, it’s beautifully shot, with storytelling that’s remarkably sophisticated.
Exposition is neatly worked in, and intriguing flashbacks tease out the story. It knows when to use silence, and it knows when to use the top-notch original score, a harrowing collection of mood pieces.
Plus it has zombies.
It’s set in 1967, and begins with radio reports of a spreading infection, one blamed on the black population.  A young couple flees in their car, but it’s clear that something’s wrong with the woman; she’s bloody and ill and getting sicker.
To tell much more would be wrong.
The acting is uniformly excellent: Thomas R. Martin and Heather Ricks as the young couple, Walter Colson as a man who crosses their path, and Stephen Ezell as a police officer who turns (minor spoiler) into an excellent zombie.
“Velvet Road” was shot in North Florida and could happily take up residence here if it does get a second life as a series or feature.
Cooper can’t publicly link to the full film as long as it’s showing in festivals, though the trailer above gives a good feel for it.
He said he’ll submit it to Jacksonville’s film festival in November, so that could give you a chance to see it.


~http://jacksonville.com/

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