Bellflower – Blu-ray Review

The Flick:

Every now and again a movie comes a long that successfully changes the rules. Bellflower is one of those films. First time feature filmmaker Evan Glodell and his friends (they call themselves Coatwolf Productions) have created a visual masterpiece that transcends traditional narrative. The film has to be the only one I’ve ever seen to feature flame throwers, bad-ass cars, multiple Road Warrior references, and a cast of characters that seemed so real, even the assholes were hard to ignore. It’s not usually a good thing to wear multiple hats on a production, but Glodell pulls it off as writer, director, co-editor, producer, and actor. As a matter of fact, his performance hits a peak that pulverizes viewers into submission, making them his bitch for the film’s entire runtime.

Bellflower (named after the street they live on) follows best friends Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) who made their way from Wisconsin to California with dreams of kicking ass and taking names after the inevitable apocalypse. They spend their time making a flame thrower, dreaming of muscle cars, drinking lots of alcohol and talking about their hero Lord Humungous, a character from the movie The Road Warrior. All is good with the world as the boys build their dream car and await the impending end, that is until Woodrow meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman), a sexy insect eating firecracker that takes hold of his heart and grinds it into hamburger meat.

A standard coming-of-age story this is not. These characters are so vivid that you can smell the sweat, sex, and whiskey on them. It is extremely surprising how strong this cast of unknowns is. It is obvious from the first frame that they aren’t afraid to suffer for their art. One shining example of raw talent is Tyler Dawson. His portrayal of a guy that would do anything, even kill, for his best friend is nothing short of spectacular. His emotion, and energy electrified his scenes, and enhanced the characters around him. Glodell also dials in an extremely powerful performance that punches you in the gut so hard you’ll piss blood for a week.

This is a film made by filmmakers so determined to do it right that they even built their own cameras, in order to achieve Bellflower’s beautifully washed out images. I can’t remember the last time a film had this type of effect on my senses. Bellflower mounts an audio visual assault on those brave enough to watch an original movie, and it is absolutely, positively a killer film.

 

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Visual

The audio came in loud and clear, and the video was so beautiful you could freeze almost any frame and hang them on museum walls. This is an amazing transfer from the good film friendly people at Oscilloscope.

Special Features

Behind the Scenes of Bellflower: An insightful look into the world of the Coatwolf team. Well worth watching.

Medusa Rundown: A look at the killer hand-built car that becomes an iconic character in the film.

There are also Outtakes, the film’s Theatrical Trailer, a DVD copy of the film, and Previews of other upcoming Oscilloscope release.

The Flick Rating:

The Blu-ray Rating: