Dreadfully Boring

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Bernadette (Alyssa Lobit) a psychologist throws a party for a group of friends, a theme party where they have to solve a murder. The movie becomes one of those everyone sitting around a table, secrets being revealed, and people being tortured type film. This one attempts to "go deep" by turning "inaction" into a horrible deed deserving punishment, although I think "Seinfeld" did it better.With the exception of Jules (Brianne Davis) on mushrooms, the film was a bit boring as we watched films of wrong doings etc. This type of film works better as a forced game or a brutal "truth or dare."Makes for a decent rental. Not on my keeper list.Guide: F-bomb, sex, rape. No nudity.

I heard about this through an online review on YouTube which was very positive and given the fact that it was directed by one of my all-time fave scream queens Danielle Harris, who has entertained us for years with some brilliant turns in (Halloween 4, 5, Hatchet 2, 3 & Bloody Hatchet); even in crap she always does a decent turn. Now with her solo directional effort "Among Friends" that despite having almost no budget, she managed to turn in a very decent slasher movie.The plot focuses on a group of 20 something's who attend a murder mystery dinner party hosted by one of their friends, but things take a sudden turn for the worst when they are drugged and tied up and forced to watch all their past mistakes on hidden camera, and end up going through hell and torture by their twisted hostess as the night goes on.This is a very good movie, the set up is very interesting and the performances are also really good, it was nice to see everyone involved making an effort. The build up was pulled off effectively as we see at first the group having fun with the party games, then sitting down to the dinner table where the real fun is to be had, wasn't rushed it allowed us a decent amount of time to get to know the characters and the fact that everything mostly takes place in one room, never gets boring, in fact you never lose interest as each secret is unfolded, adds more suspense and drama.Okay there is one or two shortcomings to this, but that's mainly down to budgeting reasons, like firstly the movie doesn't have a great look to it, looks kinda cheap at times and the ending which was so annoying as we didn't get to see their fates and should have went on a bit longer. But besides that, it's still a great watch.Alyssa Lobit who plays the hostess Bernie does a stand up job, conveying true menace and authority to her twisted role, the fact that she also wrote the script shows she has definite talent. She loved every minute of it and it shows, you never know what's she gonna do next, which was thrilling and well and truly steals the show. Brianne Davis was also another standout; she was very funny, especially in her tripping out scene, where we get awesome cameos from Danielle Harris and Michael Biehn, which was awesome. Kamala Jones also gives a very noble turn as Sara , and also the cameo by Kane Hodder was also another fun moment in this.All in all a very decent flick that may lack scares, but doesn't lack fun.

I was looking forward to see the debut of Danielle Harris as a director. She should know what should be in a horror flick because face it, she's in the scene from her youth (Halloween 4 (1988)) until today and has been seen in a few classics within the genre. But I was left with a bitter feeling at the end. I liked it somehow but I also had a few problems with this debut.I liked the story and the way it was shown. But I had troubles with the editing somehow. It's clear that reaction shots were inserts and the inserts are edited to slow. The reaction of some doesn't fit into the fact or reason why they should react. On the other hand, the torture that we do see is okay and it all looked good but once one of the friends is tortured he or she just staid in the game. When fingers are being cut off or even one his testicles they all stay alive. maybe I don't get it and it's all part of this flick but for me that teared this flick down. It's funny to see Kane Hodder and Michael Biehn here in a cameo which is normal, Danielle worked together with Hodder in Hatchet to Hatchet 3 and her best friend is Jessica Blanc, who is married with Micheal Biehn. Due the way the torture and the afterglow was presented I also had a bit of a problem with the acting. Still, Danielle did well and there are a few rare scene's to see especially when Lily is tripping on paddo's. Is it a must see for the geeks of the genre, well, I understand that a few did have actual problems with Among Friends. It never really becomes gory and there's no nudity even as there are a few erotic scene's and the ending, there's a lot to say about that part too. Among Friends, you love it or hate it, sadly I'm in between.Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

"Among Friends" is the directorial debut of scream queen Danielle Harris and if that isn't enough to spark your interest take a look at some of the other super talented people involved. Alyssa Lobit penned this little gem and is slowly proving that she's a rock star screen writer headed for the top. Lobit also stars in the film and carries herself well amongst a troop of indie horror veterans. The film also stars horror genre icon Kane Hodder, Christopher Backus, Jennifer Blanc, Dana Daurey, Brianne Davis, Chris Meyer, and of course the great A.J. Bowen. A.J. Bowen is swiftly becoming a horror genre icon himself. I can't believe how many truly awesome films Bowen has starred in over the last five years or so. "Among Friends" is probably best described as "Misery" meets "The Breakfast Club." The film kicks off with what appears to be a tight knit group of friends attending a retro eighties party. The group is taken hostage by an insane and apparently jilted Bernadette that wants to show them the error of their ways. It doesn't take long before the secrets and lies binding the group together begin to tear it apart (literally). I really liked this film for a lot of different reasons but the truth is there's not much here that we haven't seen before. Harris does a very solid job in her first time behind the camera. There are several instances in the film where one of the characters has drug induced delusions. Harris is especially impressive in these moments as she is able to set those scenes apart from the story we're watching and then pull us back at just the right moment. Although the film is decent in all aspects it never really seems to decide where it wants to go or even how far. This is very evident in the films last twenty minutes which make little sense and almost completely stomp out any fire we had burning here. The production value here is unfavorable and I say that having just had a similar retro eighties party for my daughters sweet sixteen. Honestly the party cost us a couple thousand dollars and would have made twice the set produced in this film. I have to nitpick a little bit that's just my nature but let me counter that by saying my two girl's ages 16 and 11 absolutely loved this film, so what do I know. Through it all the film tries hard to stay interesting, bloody, and pure fun. It's not a great film but it's a great start and hopefully we'll get more of Harris behind and in front of the camera. I give this film 6/10 and recommend it to all off-beat horror fans. Let me know what you thought about this group of friends and there dirty little secrets.