EMAV Film Review: Brandon Christensen’s 'Z' Offers Suburban Suspense

Las Vegas-based filmmaker Brandon Christensen’s first feature, 2017’s “Still/Born,” was about a mother dealing with a malevolent entity out to get her newborn child. At first glance, it seems like Christensen has just moved on to the next creepy-kid age bracket with his new feature, “Z,” but “Z” effectively shifts focus from its familiar initial set-up to a deeper examination of generational guilt. The theme from “Still/Born” that “Z” most strongly picks up on is the challenge and strain of motherhood, and Christensen dedicates the movie to his wife Alissa, the mother of his children.

Keegan Connor Tracy is excellent as Elizabeth Parsons, the mother whose life is thrown into chaos when her eight-year-old son Josh (Jett Klyne) starts playing with an imaginary friend he calls Z. As the movie begins, Josh is a happy, energetic kid who carpools to school with his best friend and loves his parents. But once Z shows up, Josh becomes sullen, withdrawn and prone to angry outbursts. He attributes all of his bad behavior to Z, and soon escalates from name-calling to shocking acts of violence. Elizabeth becomes convinced that Z is an actual sinister presence in their home, and not just a product of Josh’s overactive imagination.

Keegan Connor Tracy is 'Elizabeth Parsons' in "Z".

That’s all pretty standard horror-movie stuff, although Christensen (who co-wrote the screenplay with frequent collaborator Colin Minihan) executes it effectively, and Klyne gives Josh the right amount of unsettling emotional distance. The movie really belongs to Tracy, a veteran TV actor who rarely gets to play leading roles. Even in the more predictable early part of the movie, Tracy makes Elizabeth’s parental distress feel urgent and real, especially as she’s largely dismissed and patronized by her husband Kevin (Sean Rogerson), in another echo of “Still/Born.”

Tracy really gets to shine in the film’s final third, when the focus of the danger shifts from Josh to Elizabeth, and Christensen deviates from the creepy-kid horror formula. Another veteran character actor, Stephen McHattie, makes the most of his handful of scenes as a therapist who treats Josh but also knows more about Elizabeth’s past than he lets on. Some of the twists and turns of the plot don’t make a ton of sense, but they all have a strong thematic resonance.

Jett Klyne in "Z".

Shooting, as he did with “Still/Born,” in his native Canada, Christensen captures the bland menace of seemingly placid suburbia, where the wholesome nuclear family hides dark secrets. Christensen mostly makes impressive use of his limited resources, although there are a few unconvincing special-effects sequences, and Z himself is scarier as an unseen presence than in the few brief glimpses of him onscreen. As he did on “Still/Born,” Christensen proves that he can generate suspense and dread in a handful of locations (mostly deceptively cozy family houses).

Between “Still/Born” and “Z” (which made the rounds of horror film festivals, including Sin City Horror Fest, last year), Christensen has established himself as a rising indie-horror star, and specific moments in “Z” recall the early work of new horror auteurs like Ari Aster (“Hereditary”) and Mike Flanagan (“Oculus”). “Z” is a step up from “Still/Born,” technically and artistically, and there’s every reason to think that Christensen will continue to develop as a filmmaker with future work. He’s kept Vegas as his home base even as his career has taken off; maybe next time he’ll get to direct a feature film here, too.

Z is available May 7 on Shudder.

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EMAV Review: Searing ‘Dance Nation’ takes a heartfelt look at girlhood ★★★★½

An authentic look at growing up a girl

★★★★½ - Delicious

Growing up a girl can be a traumatic experience for some. The LAB LV gave a poignant, brutally honest presentation of Claire Barron’s 2018 dark comedy “Dance Nation” recently at The Playhouse. About the trials and tribulations of a tween competitive dance team, anyone who grew up taking dance—or participated in any group activity for that matter—might appreciate the authenticity of the piece.

Barron captures so much about the way pre-adolescent girls (and boys) talk—like the silly, stream-of-consciousness things they say and the mind-boggling things they believe—in her funny dialogue, which is often about body parts and naively sexual in nature. She examines not only how girls cope with their changing bodies and navigate relationships during such a formative period of life, but also how the cutthroat nature of dance—with its emphasis on talent and winning over having fun—can have a critical role in shaping their personalities.

A sort of memory play, Barron wrote the characters so the age of the performers doesn’t matter so much, so we see not only the child but also glimpses of the woman or man they hope to become. And while the choreographed dances are a part of the text, the characters aren’t always the best dancers, and the actors dance as the characters would.

Director Kate St-Pierre has assembled an excellent ensemble cast with stamina and focus for the high-energy show. Performance experience varies a bit but each actor has their moment to shine in well-modulated scenes and monologues and the emphasis on character development pays off. Having the audience on three sides allows intimacy, though sometimes visibility is obscured since actors sit on the floor a lot.

The good stuff happens when dancers sit on the floor and chat before and after class while they rummage through bags, do their hair, and get dressed. They give each other advice about their changing bodies and the boys they like, build each other up and tear each other down. They want to dance more than anything in the world, and they all want the leading part.

The dance team is taking their “Gandhi Dance” (choreographed by Anastasia Weiss) to Nationals, and Amina has the title part. Ruliko Cronin gives an earnest, layered performance of Amina, the girl who has the most talent, gets the best roles, and knows she’s better than everyone else. She feels humble enough about her abilities to let others have the spotlight, but only to a degree. Her competitive edge and ambition always wins out. As Amina’s best friend Zuzu, Shambrion Treadwell gives us the vulnerable facets of a sensitive girl who wants so badly to dance, but is overlooked because she lacks confidence and natural talent. When she finally gets the chance to take center stage as the Spirit of Gandhi, she blows it in a form of subconscious self-sabotage.

Destiny Nelson embodies the role of Ashlee, and fully embraces her epic, kick-ass monologue (neatly lit by the glow of her castmates’ cell phones) that is by turns hilarious and surprising, a sort of female power anthem to boost the confidence of both her present and future self. Gigi Guizado gives a sweet, people-pleasing Maeve who always stands with her feet in first position as if ready to take on any challenge, while Daniela Munafo perfects the eye roll with her outspoken, uninhibited Sofia. And Aisha Kasmir as Connie and Ja’Saun Crawford as Luke are fine in less prominent parts.

Kelly Hawes plays multiple roles, and is especially powerful as Zuzu’s strong, cancer-stricken Mom in a scene with Darren Pitura as Dance Teacher Pat. Dressed in all black as any self-respecting artist would be, Pitura nails the win-at-all-costs Teacher with a funny, deadpan toughness that could rival any football coach. His doomsday motivational speech to the dancers is masterful in build and comic impact, and also downright chilling. Yet he shows glimpses of regret and also a realization of his influence on his students’ self-esteem.

The show also pokes fun at the cheesiness of dance teams and the sexualization of prepubescent dancers. Every recital has a “Sailor Dance,” choreographed here by Weiss, and Caine Keenan’s “Face Dance” features cool movement spotlit from the shoulders up. “Spider Pussy Dance,” choreographed by Weiss, St-Pierre, and the ensemble, is like a metaphor for the precocious beasts that adolescent girls can be. The spare set design by Benjamin Loewy works well as a dance studio, Dave Clark nicely lights the show in aspects of both dance and drama, and Dustin Shaffer adds a whimsical note to the costumes with the multicolored team jackets.

LAB LV’s “Dance Nation” is an authentic look at the traumas of growing up a girl.

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EMAV Film Review: 'An Irish Story: This Is My Home'

“An Irish Story: This Is My Home” is available from all major VOD providers.

Although they originally hail from Ireland, the members of the Black Donnellys (Dave Rooney and Dave Browne) have made Las Vegas their permanent home, performing as a resident act at Irish pub Ri Ra inside Mandalay Place. The concept of home is central to the new documentary “An Irish Story: This Is My Home,” which chronicles the Black Donnellys’ 2018 effort to set a Guinness World Record by performing 60 gigs in 50 states over 40 days. It’s a fun, fast-paced road movie, with footage of the hard-working musicians performing everywhere from a nursing home to a carpet cleaning company (along with, of course, plenty of Irish pubs). It’s also an upbeat meditation on what it means to be an immigrant in America, framed by Rooney’s wait to receive official confirmation of his green card.

The Black Donnellys are no strangers to Guinness World Record attempts: Previously, Browne broke the record for the longest continuous guitar solo, and in 2014 the band broke the record for the longest continuous concert (372 hours). So they are eager for this latest attempt, even though Guinness hasn’t officially recognized the effort as of the beginning of the movie (or as of now). These guys are jovial and genuine, and it’s easy to root for them as they set out on this logistical nightmare of a journey, undertaken mostly via a janky rented RV, but also by airplane in order to fit in gigs in Hawaii and Alaska.

Director Karl Nickoley takes a fairly straightforward, linear approach to presenting the band’s journey, framed by a retrospective interview with Rooney and Browne (sitting at a bar and drinking beers, of course). Although produced on presumably limited resources (there’s lots of talk of the band running out of money), the movie is visually polished and smartly edited to keep the story moving. The carefully planned trip goes off the rails quite a few times, thanks to natural disasters (a volcano eruption in Hawaii, a tropical storm in the southeastern United States), mechanical failures and gigs that get canceled at the last minute, but no matter what, Rooney and Browne persevere, whether they are playing for a packed bar full of hardcore fans or for a handful of bored, confused attendees at a hastily arranged show.

Black Donnellys (Dave Rooney and Dave Browne).

Nickoley intersperses the road-trip scenes with some historical material about immigrants in the U.S. and interviews with various immigrants who’ve found success in America (including noted Vegas restaurateur Jose Andres). Those interviews sometimes feel a bit haphazard, but Rooney and Browne themselves provide the strongest emotional connection to the immigrant experience, talking about the history of Irish-Americans and how they themselves have embraced and been embraced by the U.S. When they perform one of the tour’s final gigs at New York City’s oldest continuously operating bar, which has always been run by Irish-Americans, there’s a real feeling of pride and accomplishment.

Although the movie gives a strong sense of the chaos and excitement of the tour, and includes plenty of the band’s original music (which is somewhere around the intersection of U2, David Gray and Ed Sheeran), it’s surprisingly low on extensive concert footage. When Rooney presents a song he wrote for his late cousin, an employee at one of the bars where the band performs, it’s a powerful moment that the movie could have used a little more of, as it bounces from one state to the next. Still, that just makes “This Is My Home” an enticement for viewers to check out more of the Black Donnellys’ music online, and to see them perform in person, whenever that may happen again.

“An Irish Story: This Is My Home” is available now for digital rental and purchase from all major VOD providers.

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