2001
30 minutes
Three roommates receive a mysterious item in the mail. Driven by curiosity, they embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever.
LAZER FILM PRODUCTIONS
Presents
"The Upper Hand"
Starring BRIAN DIEDERICH SCOTT FORD JOSH JACOBSON With JILL KOCALIS
ROBERTO KAWATA ROBERT MASSI Music by JASON GOLDMAN Edited by DEREK FREY
Directed, Written and Produced by DEREK FREY & AARON TANKENSON
REVIEW OF "THE UPPER HAND" FROM OPENFILM
"It's got one helluva trick up its sleeve."
month ago
Categories: Drama Experimental Horror
Review by: MiamiMovieCritic
4 out of 5 Stars
About half of this movie is in no way believable. Get this: It's about three college-age slackers who find a secret map and go digging for treasure. That scenario might have worked if the guys were in junior high. You could imagine Will Holloway and Jim Nightshade (from Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes) taking such a map seriously, or maybe the Goonies. But three guys in their twenties? I don't think so.
Still, don't write this movie off too early. It's got one helluva trick up its sleeve. Following an enigmatic dream sequence, the story proper begins with three roommates (played by Brian Diederich, Scott Ford and Josh Jacobson) hanging out on a boring Saturday. The mail arrives (delivered by the surprisingly hot Jill Kocalis), including a mysterious treasure map. There's also a note explaining that the treasure must be found by tonight. Whatever, just go with it.
Where the movie starts to get good is when the treasure-hunters get to the beach where the treasure is supposed to be buried. One of them claims that the beach is haunted, and tells a hokey story about a Chinese fisherman who laid a curse on the place sometime in the 1800s. This turns out to be pure misdirection, like the long subplot in What Lies Beneath where Michelle Pfeiffer thinks her neighbor has murdered his wife. The twist at the end of The Upper Hand turns out to be very clever. I'm guessing this was the initial idea that Derek Frey and Aaron Tankenson had when they sat down to write this story. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that if you wanted to cover up a crime, this would be a fairly ingenious way to do it. Provided, of course, that the people you were trying to dupe were all 12-year-olds.
Starring Brian Diederich
Scott Ford
Josh Jacobson
Special appearance by Jill Kocalis
BEHIND "THE UPPER HAND" PHOTO GALLERY
Voice over by Megan Webb Fera and Kristen Frey
Reviews
Gregg
Rating: (5)
On
Wednesday, October 31, 2001 at
04:10 PM
Well shot, with tight editing and and creepy music. The beginning dragged a
bit before getting to the "meat" of the story. Good acting by the three
guys--enjoyed the dynamics of their opposing characters. Isn't that the girl
from "Creep"?
film4mt
Rating: (5)
On
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 10:10 AM
Very intense, creepy. Excellent!
darbycollins
Rating: (5)
On
Thursday, December 13, 2001 at
10:12 AM
Very cool, interesting storyline. Kind of like X-Files meets the grown up
Goonies. The opening shot with the tree is really beautiful visually. The
only criticism I have is that certain parts were really dark to see on the
computer. Other than that, very well done, I liked the actors and I wanted
to see more.
Rating:
(5)
On
Tuesday, September 03, 2002 at 07:09 PM
Excellent job, very professional. The acting was top notch. I could really
believe the characters in their interaction with each other, thats due to a
great script and great direction. The whole thing was beautiful in imagery,
and thrilling to watch. Great Job!
toysoldier
Rating: (5)
On
Wednesday, January 01, 2003 at
11:01 PM
This is a quality film...The Upper Hand one of the best shorts I've ever
seen. Great acting, an interesting plot and top-notch photography. Lots of
suspense in this one too!