Steineded
How sad is this?
Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
erolsabadosh
I decided to put this on after watching Darling on Netflix and subsequently looking up more from Mickey Keating as I really enjoyed that offering. 5 minutes into this movie I was hooked, and stayed that way until the end. The only reason I wouldn't rate this film higher is because it isn't very ambitious, but what it aims for it does pretty well. This is a B movie, and I don't want to say any more than that because I don't want to spoil it. In fact I'm angry at Netflix because the images on the film's page contain spoilers, I recommend going into it knowing absolutely nothing. Lauren Ashley Carter is really good in the film, yes her character is extremely wildly emotional which some may find annoying, but I found her very entertaining. If you go into this expecting a decent B movie with a simple plot then you should be satisfied, there is certainly emphasis here on style and atmosphere, the story won't impress you as its one we've seen countless times before but it does what it sets out to do and delivers a little bit of suspense, mystery and horror on a low budget and at under 80 minutes it's brisk and easy to watch.
Steve Ramsey
I seem to be in the minority here, but I really enjoyed Pod and I don't quite understand its low IMDb rating. Most of the negative reviews criticize the film for its lengthy scenes of dialog and lack of action or horror. I think the problem is expecting Pod to be a horror or sci-fi film that it isn't trying to be, possibly due to its trailer.The lengthy scenes of dialog and conflict were precisely what I enjoyed most about the movie. It's a solid script willing to take its time establishing the dynamics between all three siblings. Once brother and sister Lyla and Ed meet with their brother Martin, Pod unfolds as a psychological thriller. The tension grows until all hell breaks loose in the final act. Lauren Ashley Carter delivers a superb performance as Lyla, portraying a young woman in conflict with her family, yet conveying a real emotional connection to her siblings. When the action comes late in the film, Carter reaffirms my belief that she is THE Scream Queen of modern indie film.Brian Morvant also delivers a strong performance as the mentally unstable Martin. Is he schizophrenic or are his ramblings actually true? Morvant plays these scenes with conviction and believably. I was fascinated by the story and very anxious watching and wondering how it would unfold. Pod takes risks with its main characters in a way most big-budget films won't dare. Don't watch this movie expecting a sci-fi or horror film that plays out as you would expect, but rather take the time to enjoy the dialog and appreciate the performances.
view_and_review
Pod is proof that anyone can make a movie. It's also proof that Netflix has no set standard for what content they will stream.With a total of five credited characters this low budget indie film failed catastrophically. About a psychotic ex-army man who has captured a "pod", the movie looks like something dug up out of the discarded ideas of X-Files. I half way expected to see David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.Martin (Brian Morvant) did his best Brad Pitt 12 Monkeys impression to convince the audience he was really crazy. Me, personally, I can only listen to so much rambling and incoherent speech for so long before I start to go crazy myself.We have to endure a good chunk of the movie with Martin rambling and his brother and sister trying to convince him to leave his home in the woods. The bulk of it is pure cacophony as it's difficult to make out anything any of them is saying. Then to add to the headache inducing noise was a terrible musical score. The music was horribly loud and misplaced. I don't need "scary" music when someone is simply driving from one place to the next. I don't need more overbearingly loud stringed instruments when people are talking. They tried to use the music to set the mood which would've been OK if the mood was annoying.To further the chaos the cameraman would zoom in and out and shake the camera to simulate fear, angst and panic. It looked more like someone following a police officer on foot in an episode of COPS. As if they didn't know if they wanted to be a traditional film or a POV film.Besides the picturesque views of the lake and other shots there was nothing satisfactory from this movie. It wasn't scary, it wasn't unique, it wasn't thrilling, it wasn't even comedic in its failure.I'll end my review with this one quote to give you an idea of the "quality" of this movie. Ed (Dean Cates) says, "If dad saw this place he'd be spinning in his grave." Really!?
emberstonepierce
Although the acting and character development in this film are very good, I was left at the end with too many unanswered questions and unexplained plot holes. It's always difficult to realistically display mental health disorders in a sympathetic and factual way and this title managed to cover such an emotive subject in a sensitive way, which was quite impressive. However, the storyline isn't a strong one and does little to explain who the characters really are, let alone how or why they make the choices they do. People are introduced and never explained, leaving you feeling that you have no idea where people have appeared from or what their motives are. I understand that sometimes as a viewer you have to 'Put the pieces of the puzzle together yourself' but it constantly seemed as if a lot of the pieces were missing and there was no way to see the whole picture. Overall, this movie was rather disappointing and missed the opportunity to create a great atmosphere as well as subjecting us to a rather strange and badly thought out narrative.
