Amateur movie with Big budget

A Brilliant Conflict

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

What happens when roller derby girls go up against the supernatural? Well, you get this Australian movie, that's what happens.Cherry Skye loves roller derby. And now, she's falling in love with Brad. But that draws the anger of his ex-girlfriend Hell Grazer, who is the meanest and dirtiest skater on the track.Soon, the supernatural rears its ugly head - you know how these things happen - and the roller derby track has become the MurderDrome! Now, everyone that Cherry cares about is marked for death, thanks to a leather-wearing derby demon and her combination hook and cleaver.This movie has an ultra low budget, several actors who have never acted before and surprisingly good gore. It's the perfect film for when you're up in the middle of the night and wonder if Australian horror movies can still be as wonderfully demented as they were in the 1980's. This is a fun, fast ride that entertained me - well beyond my expectations. It's cheesy, it's ridiculous and I watched it at 4 AM.

As you might be able to guess from the DVD cover, this is comedy slasher that attempts to pay homage to 80's film. In a plot, not well developed, Cherry Skye (Amber Sajben) must stop the gates of hell while battling fellow skater Hell Grazer (Rachael Blackwood) over a boyfriend Hell dumped and Cherry picked up on the rebound...again not well understood.The film used professional roller derby women. The production wasn't well scripted with some of the best scenes being ad lib. The movie has a lot of music and bands and the DVD extras include videos by several bands. I enjoyed "The Dark Shadows" which showed a "Concrete Blonde" influence. The film had good scenes, but the plot was no where. I enjoyed the actors, unfortunately it was poorly directed/scripted. There is a commentary film which was a zoo as a half dozen people all speak at once...and Amber Sajben is far from the sweet innocent she plays in the film. I did like her costumes with the ears on the hoodie. In the outtakes, Daisy Masterman kept forgetting her lines, which I thought was odd with all the ad lib scenes.This was the flat rink roller derby and not the wooden banked derby I grew up with. There were no arm locks, no sling shots, just women in hose and hot pants skating around in a circle with an occasional elbow and fall. While the film claims it is "cult" the 20 minute plot poorly stretched into a feature film didn't make it. Psych (as Cyndi Lawbreaker) a professional skater, did a great job acting.Guide: F-word. Distant car sex, no nudity.

Story: Well this was different and the same all in one go. I personally have never seen a film that revolves around roller derby. So the idea that we have a group of roller derby players on the run works for me. Facing up against the supernatural also works well and we get all this for a grand total of just over $5000. Sure we get very generic characters this is simple to watch, fun and full of blood splatter. This gives you what it says on the tin and never tries to confuse you or throw in silly twists. (6/10)Actor ReviewAmber Sajben: Cherry Skye young skater who gets given a locket from an admirer, but after it turns out the locket could be important to stopping a potential evil spirit taking over she must fight this spirit before it takes her soul. Good performance as the bubbly roller derby player. (7/10)Rachael Blackwood: Hell Grazer rival player and former love interest to Brad, who doesn't want him to move on and date Cherry. She comes off as the bully villain of the piece but does end up getting what is coming her way. Solid villainous bully performance. (7/10)Jake Brown: Brad young man caught up between two women and an evil spirit, he struggles to skate while trying to impress his new love interest. Simple supporting performance of a young man stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. (5/10)Be-On The-Rocks: Momma Skate the evil spirit that has come back from hell to continue building her body count. Staking around with her weapon, that leaves plenty of bodies and blood splatter. Good villain creation that you will remember for some of the kills. (7/10)Supporting Cast: All good supporting performances that each add something to the story, usually a few laughs but also are used to create some well created effects for kills. (7/10)Director Review: Daniel Armstrong – Good direction to create a good solid low budget horror film. (7/10)Action: Most skating for action through the back streets and some roller derby action too. (7/10) Horror: Plenty of gore and blood but very few jump scares. It was more about the gore which works well. (8/10) Sports: Nearly the whole film is shot with the characters skating around the streets during the night. (9/10) Settings: Nice setting used to make each scene feel scarier than it could have been. (9/10) Special Effects: For the budget the effects are great, but don't go expect perfect ones. (9/10) Suggestion: This should be watch by all the horror fans out there it shows you, you can make anything with any size budget. (Horror Fans Watch) Best Part: Bitch Face made me laugh to nearly every line that came out her mouth. Worst Part: It is hard to find something to criticise in such a low budget film. Kill Of The Film: Trans Em Believability: No (0/10) Chances of Tears: No (0/10) Chances of Sequel: No Post Credits Scene: No Similar Too: Dead Hooker in a TrunkOscar Chances: No Budget: AUD 6,000 Runtime: 1 Hour 12 Minutes Tagline: It's not a game anymoreOverall: Low Budget Horror at its Best Rating 75

As I sat down in the Theater to watch the first screening of this film, I was unsure what to expect.However, once I saw the hundreds of excited industry goers arrive, I realised that the hype behind this film was very much real.To believe this movie was created on a very low to non existent budget, with both cast and crew donating their time to create this project, is very hard to believe. The passion from Strongman Picture's Daniel Armstrong and Anthony Moran bleeds through this film. Not to mention their Cheshire Cat like grins at their premiere. Although at times, the budget constraints are evident, as a whole the film is above a satisfactory level to watch and enjoy in it's entirety.This was my first look into the "Roller Derby world" and I can see this film fitting into a very comfortable horror niche around the Globe.If this kind of genre isn't your cup of tea, I strongly advise you to sit down and watch it. If anything, it will get you as excited as I am to see watch Strongman Pictures has in store next!