Choker (film)
Encyclopedia
Choker is a 2005
American
sci-fi
/action
/horror film
written and directed by Nick Vallelonga and starring Paul Sloan, Colleen Porch, Hayley DuMond, Anthony John Denison, Robert R. Shafer
, Katrina Law
, and Jesse Corti
. The film premiered March 19, 2005, at the Other Venice Film Festival and was released under the title Disturbance on DVD
by MTI Home Video
in October 2006.
over a 12-day period. The roles of "Leader" and "Coroner" were originally to be played by men, but were instead played by actresses Haley Dumond and Katrina Law
.
They also offered that the director in his own role of Frank Russo, gave "a grounded and stellar show". They also observed as a critique that Robert R. Shafer performance got on one's nerves, but that might have been the intent for his character. After their overall positive review, wherein they addressed storyline and pacing, and made note that the film's fight scenes could have been better choreographed, they concluded that the film "was a glossy, steamily sexy, clipped paced, competently acted and ingeniously written mish-mash of horror, action and Sci-Fi".
Conversely, DVD Reviews wrote that Disturbance had the potential to be either a "small gem" or a "schlocky retread", and offered that while its "Arresting visuals and a better-than-average cast" helped to raise this film "above most of the trash that sits at the bottom of the bargain bin at the local video store", the film "too often becomes immersed in triteness to stand its own ground", and that despite the film's originalities, it was "pretty standard stuff" that offers too many genre clichés. In further criticism, they felt that the film's action was substandard, the fight choreography weak, and certain scenes were "ruined by pretentious visual manipulation". They offered that Disturbance "is a good-looking movie", but that its visual prowess could not hide the fact of the film's low budget. They conceded that use of color and shadow "are utilized strikingly" and "make for good eye candy, even if they are not overly endowed with thespian qualities", and offered that Paul Sloan has "a magnetic presence onscreen" and Hayley DuMond delivers "an impressive emotional scene toward the end," and summarize that "As far as low-budget indies go, this could have been far worse." They also felt that while director Vallelonga was "aiming for the spirit of old Roger Corman films," he missed using "Corman's witty sense of dark humor", and that even with the film having successful moments, it "doesn't rise above its direct-to-video status." They conclude "What is ultimately most disturbing about this film is how bland it turns out to be in spite of its visual splendor and appealing performers."
Film Critics United wrote that the film title Disturbance made more sense than the original title of Choker, as the original title seemed to have nothing to do with the film's plot. They addressed the uniqueness of the alien protagonists in that they "don’t seem to be all that ambitious in that they don’t have any particular designs on world domination or anything and just want the occasional body to inhabit and suck the life out of." They also note that while Nick Vallelonga is "a better actor than film director", who has been acting and making movies for well over twenty years with marginal success", as a fillmaker he "refuses to quit." They further note that Disturbance having small budget microscopic budget did not prevent the director's efforts to "bring a little extra to the table", and that while the "story is bit derivative", it is assisted by the work of actor Paul Sloan and the director's choice of suporting cast. It was concluded that this "wasn’t an awful film and it even had a certain amount of charm". And though it was "a bit rough around the edges and often had trouble rising above its low budget roots", the creative efforts were obvious.
On his review website PollyStaffle.com, filmmaker Chad Clinton Freeman wrote that for a low-budget film, Disturbance "isn’t a perfect film, but it’s pretty damn good." He offered that the film works on a number of levels, in that the film has "great audio and visuals", a sense of "film noir", and a music score that is "perfect". He noted that the film did not have a clear cut hero and did not fit into any one specific genre or sub-genre, but works as these were intential choices made by director Vallelonga. He felt that was unique about the film was that while it had many possible main characters, it worked as a ensemble. He made special note of the director's "use of imagery and his subtle references to other films."
for release in 2006, when it was released on DVD in the US under the title Disturbance and in the UK under the title B.E.I.N.G..
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sci-fi
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written and directed by Nick Vallelonga and starring Paul Sloan, Colleen Porch, Hayley DuMond, Anthony John Denison, Robert R. Shafer
Robert R. Shafer
Robert Shafer is an American actor who has amassed a substantial cult-following for having played Officer Joe Vickers in the 1989 horror-comedy Psycho Cop and the sequel Psycho Cop 2. Shafer, sometimes credited as Bobby Ray Shafer, is best known for playing Bob Vance on The Office...
, Katrina Law
Katrina Law
Katrina Law is an American actress of German, Italian and Taiwanese descent originally from New Jersey, USA. She represented New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Katrina is also the lead singer and bass player in her band "Soundboard Fiction"...
, and Jesse Corti
Jesse Corti
Jesse Corti is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Lefou in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. He has appeared on several popular TV shows such as 24, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, West Wing, Judging Amy, Law & Order and many more...
. The film premiered March 19, 2005, at the Other Venice Film Festival and was released under the title Disturbance on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by MTI Home Video
MTI Home Video
MTI Home Video is a United States-based movie distributor in the direct-to-video market. Typically, they will buy the distribution rights to independent films that did not see a theatrical run in the U.S., and be released directly to DVD....
in October 2006.
Background
The film was shot on locations in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
over a 12-day period. The roles of "Leader" and "Coroner" were originally to be played by men, but were instead played by actresses Haley Dumond and Katrina Law
Katrina Law
Katrina Law is an American actress of German, Italian and Taiwanese descent originally from New Jersey, USA. She represented New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Katrina is also the lead singer and bass player in her band "Soundboard Fiction"...
.
Plot
Hud Masters (Paul Sloan) is realesed from prison to hunt down a viral like alien race. He is taken to an agency, where he is partnered with Logan (Colleen Porch) to undergo such a misson. Together they fight their way though a horde of alien infestation in the city, until they reach the leader (Hayley Dumond). Meanwhile, Masters is desperately trying to keep himself from reverting back to his violent ways.Cast
- Paul Sloan as Hud Masters
- Colleen Porch as Logan
- Anthony John Denison as Lt. Murcer
- Robert R. ShaferRobert R. ShaferRobert Shafer is an American actor who has amassed a substantial cult-following for having played Officer Joe Vickers in the 1989 horror-comedy Psycho Cop and the sequel Psycho Cop 2. Shafer, sometimes credited as Bobby Ray Shafer, is best known for playing Bob Vance on The Office...
as Lt. Clark - Katrina LawKatrina LawKatrina Law is an American actress of German, Italian and Taiwanese descent originally from New Jersey, USA. She represented New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Katrina is also the lead singer and bass player in her band "Soundboard Fiction"...
as Santo - Jesse CortiJesse CortiJesse Corti is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Lefou in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. He has appeared on several popular TV shows such as 24, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, West Wing, Judging Amy, Law & Order and many more...
as Mr. Carter - Kimberly EstradaKimberly EstradaKimberly Estrada is an American actress known for playing a wide range of roles, from professional boxer to vixen. Estrada is an ethnic blend of primarily Chinese, Spanish and Native descent and has an extensive background in martial arts and combat including Shaolin Kempo, Jeet Kun Do Kung Fu,...
as Kat - Ella ThomasElla ThomasElla Thomas is an American actress and model. She was born in Addis Ababa to an Eritrean mother from Asmara and an American Air Force Officer who was stationed in Ethiopia. Ella grew up in a small village in Germany with her family but moved to the United States as a teenager. Ella currently...
as Godiva - Nina KaczorowskiNina KaczorowskiNina Kaczorowski , a.k.a. Nina K, is an American actress, stunt woman, model and dancer.Nina was born in New Jersey into a large family from Łódź, Poland. The family moved to Texas when she was six years old. Her upbringing was traditionally Polish...
as Nina - Nick Vallelonga as Frank Russo
- James Quattrochi as Detective Rourke
- Hayley DuMond as Leader
- Susse Budde as Stacy Russo
- Paula Miranda as Kitten
- Arthur Lupetti as John
- Timon Kyle as Willis the Pimp
- Adrienne JanicAdrienne JanicAdrienne Janic , , sometimes credited simply as AJ, is an American actress and television host of Serbian and Mexican descent.-Career:...
as Gorgeous Brunette
Critical response
JoBlo felt that direcor created a project that was a "colorful, stylishly shot, tightly paced and overall vibrant effort", and that film editor David Risotto was to be commended for his work contributing to "the free flowing feel of the film." The also prised the film score crated by Harry Manfredini, referring to it as "exciting and pulse pounding." Toward the acting, they felt that Paul Sloan was "magnetic and convincing in his somewhat dual roles", that Colleen Porch gave "impeccable delivery and hit emotional levels that went beyond what was on the page", that Hayley DuMond gave the proper "intensity, focus and menace" for her role.They also offered that the director in his own role of Frank Russo, gave "a grounded and stellar show". They also observed as a critique that Robert R. Shafer performance got on one's nerves, but that might have been the intent for his character. After their overall positive review, wherein they addressed storyline and pacing, and made note that the film's fight scenes could have been better choreographed, they concluded that the film "was a glossy, steamily sexy, clipped paced, competently acted and ingeniously written mish-mash of horror, action and Sci-Fi".
Conversely, DVD Reviews wrote that Disturbance had the potential to be either a "small gem" or a "schlocky retread", and offered that while its "Arresting visuals and a better-than-average cast" helped to raise this film "above most of the trash that sits at the bottom of the bargain bin at the local video store", the film "too often becomes immersed in triteness to stand its own ground", and that despite the film's originalities, it was "pretty standard stuff" that offers too many genre clichés. In further criticism, they felt that the film's action was substandard, the fight choreography weak, and certain scenes were "ruined by pretentious visual manipulation". They offered that Disturbance "is a good-looking movie", but that its visual prowess could not hide the fact of the film's low budget. They conceded that use of color and shadow "are utilized strikingly" and "make for good eye candy, even if they are not overly endowed with thespian qualities", and offered that Paul Sloan has "a magnetic presence onscreen" and Hayley DuMond delivers "an impressive emotional scene toward the end," and summarize that "As far as low-budget indies go, this could have been far worse." They also felt that while director Vallelonga was "aiming for the spirit of old Roger Corman films," he missed using "Corman's witty sense of dark humor", and that even with the film having successful moments, it "doesn't rise above its direct-to-video status." They conclude "What is ultimately most disturbing about this film is how bland it turns out to be in spite of its visual splendor and appealing performers."
Film Critics United wrote that the film title Disturbance made more sense than the original title of Choker, as the original title seemed to have nothing to do with the film's plot. They addressed the uniqueness of the alien protagonists in that they "don’t seem to be all that ambitious in that they don’t have any particular designs on world domination or anything and just want the occasional body to inhabit and suck the life out of." They also note that while Nick Vallelonga is "a better actor than film director", who has been acting and making movies for well over twenty years with marginal success", as a fillmaker he "refuses to quit." They further note that Disturbance having small budget microscopic budget did not prevent the director's efforts to "bring a little extra to the table", and that while the "story is bit derivative", it is assisted by the work of actor Paul Sloan and the director's choice of suporting cast. It was concluded that this "wasn’t an awful film and it even had a certain amount of charm". And though it was "a bit rough around the edges and often had trouble rising above its low budget roots", the creative efforts were obvious.
On his review website PollyStaffle.com, filmmaker Chad Clinton Freeman wrote that for a low-budget film, Disturbance "isn’t a perfect film, but it’s pretty damn good." He offered that the film works on a number of levels, in that the film has "great audio and visuals", a sense of "film noir", and a music score that is "perfect". He noted that the film did not have a clear cut hero and did not fit into any one specific genre or sub-genre, but works as these were intential choices made by director Vallelonga. He felt that was unique about the film was that while it had many possible main characters, it worked as a ensemble. He made special note of the director's "use of imagery and his subtle references to other films."
Release
The film screened at various film festivals in 2005 before being picked up by MTI Home VideoMTI Home Video
MTI Home Video is a United States-based movie distributor in the direct-to-video market. Typically, they will buy the distribution rights to independent films that did not see a theatrical run in the U.S., and be released directly to DVD....
for release in 2006, when it was released on DVD in the US under the title Disturbance and in the UK under the title B.E.I.N.G..
External links
- Choker at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...