Late Phases (2014)

Strong and Moving!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Under no circumstances should you waste your time with this film. Not only is it the worst werewolf film I have ever seen it is arguably the worst film of any genre I have ever seen. I won't waste any more of my time talking about this steaming pile of turd. I'd rather kick my own knees off than watch this again. The disc went straight in the bin as soon as the film finished.

I really, really, really liked this film! I will watch any and every movie that Nick Damici touches. This is a throw back to those old horror movies of the past - low tech, but with plenty of highs. The acting was terrific. Damici plays an old crotchety Vietnam vet. He is bitter and un-amused by his circumstances. The support casting was cool too - and Ginger from Gilligan's Island was a special treat to see in front of the camera again!!! (There was also the love interest and dance partner of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever). The script was well done. The movie has a good pace and while the werewolves weren't very impressive to look at, it was all part of that old style feel. *Spoiler Alert* And while it seems ridiculous that a blind man could shoot accurately and take out a den of werewolves - you can't forget that he was one really tough old guy!

The independent werewolf movie "Late Phases" has been getting a lot of positive buzz among horror fans — and it deserves it. This is a smartly written, well performed fright flick to which I'd give an 8 out of 10.Nick Damici hands in an understated but perfect performance as a blind Vietnam War veteran antihero. Don't worry — his blindness is not a gimmick, it's more of an interesting plot element. (And, by the way, here's a little trivia — Damici is also the screenwriter for 2010's outstanding "Stake Land.")Tom Noonan is fantastic, as always. Has he ever given a poor performance? I sooooooo loved him trading barbed quips with Fox Mulder as an evil vacuum cleaner salesman — that was one of the best episodes of "The X Files" ever. And am I a weird guy if I think his voice sounds hypnotic?Regrettably, this film suffers just a little from something its makers probably couldn't help — a limited special effects budget. We are definitely in the habitat here of man-in-a-suit werewolves, and it does show. Most of my friends who are serious horror buffs will not mind this, but I noticed, and it did "take me out of the movie" just a little. So many people lament the overuse of CGI in today's movies. I think that when it's absent entirely, you can start to miss it.This is still a really good movie, though. It's on Netflix. Give it a look.

This Werewolf Movie Can Not Run in the Same Pack as American Werewolf in London (1981), Ginger Snaps (2000), or Dog Soldiers (2002), but it Does Owe its Pedigree to These More Memorable Films.It has a Transformation Scene Similar to American, the Snappy Humor of Ginger, and the Tall Lycanthropes of Dog. Still, This Low-Budget Winner is Not Without its Charm. Nick Damici's Completely Engaging Blind Senior Citizen and Some Other Good Performances Help the Mediocre Costuming of the Wolves Disappointment Rise to an Above Average and Respectable Genre Inclusion.Most of the Action is in the First and Third Acts and Deliver Enough Gore and Suspense to Impress, but it is the Different and Surprising Act Two, with its Impressive Script and Dialog About an Old Folks Gated Community Giving the Film its Special Status as an Imaginative and Entertaining Horror.