Cummings plays a police officer (again) with rage issues (again) and an alcohol addiction. "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" isn't as good as that movie, but that's partially because it's more ambitious, so I give him credit for trying.
The film is the brain child of writer/director/star Jim Cummings, whose film "Thunder Road" I adored. His efforts are equally matched by the film’s supporting cast, which include Riki Lindhome, Chloe East, Will Madden, Jimmy Tatro, and the late Robert Forster in one of his final roles.There's a lot going on thematically in this uneven horror comedy.
Wolf of snow hollow full#
Honestly, Cummings plays this character so well, it’s hard to be bothered by the parallels, and his penchant for delivering a mesmerizing and magnetic performance is still on full display here. However, there’s a lot of behavioral overlap between Thunder Road’s Jim Arnaud and Snow Hollow’s John Marshall - it would seem that Cummings has taken a liking to playing divorced, alcoholic law enforcement officers who struggle to maintain a relationship with their daughter - but there’s enough nuance and separation for it to not come off completely redundant. It’s incredibly grounded, which is refreshing for a werewolf film, but it also leans into the genre’s spooky atmospherics enough to keep you guessing how things will play out.Ī large part of Snow Hollow’s success stems from Cummings’ ability to create realistic and relatable characters with tragic flaws and believable quirk, whose compelling nature make the story all the more rich. As the body count grows, the town’s paranoia and aggravation mount, and Marshall grapples with his alcoholism, his father’s failing health, and his crumbling relationship with his daughter in the midst of all this growing tension. It would seem that a substantial amount of evidence points toward this supernatural beast, but it’s a notion Marshall refuses to fully accept. As a rash of vicious murders befall a relatively quiet ski community, sheriff deputy John Marshall (Jim Cummings) struggles to maintain under the stress of the bizarre investigation. The film interestingly juxtaposes a character’s fight with his personal demons against the lore of a werewolf, a creature known for its uncontrollable condition and full-moon desires. The drama is not as prevalent as Thunder Road and is notably downplayed here, which allows the comedy to dominate and the horror to punctuate, but it’s arguably the more serious, drama elements that create the solid emotional foundation for this howlingly hilarious and haunting werewolf thriller to build upon. The film plays like a cross between Fargo and An American Werewolf in London, mixing black comedy, horror, and crime thriller into one delightfully satisfying genre stew. Yet again, he showcases his incredible ability to juggle various tones with fairly graceful ease and deliver a commanding performance that undulates between earnestness and absurdity. With his third feature, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Cummings captures much of the same magic as Thunder Road while adding a fun genre slant to the usual mix of comedy and drama. As monumental and thunderous as Thunder Road was (and still is), Cummings proves that his previous effort was more than just lightning in a bottle. With 2018’s Thunder Road (which was adapted to feature from the short film of the same name), Cummings took audiences by surprise, captivating them with his astounding acting and his seemingly effortless ability to weave between comedy and drama.
In addition to primarily writing, directing, and acting, he frequently serves as editor (primarily for his own content) and producer, backing other indie projects and filmmakers, occasionally dipping his toe into the role of composer. Jim Cummings is a special filmmaker and man of many talents.
0 kommentar(er)
