Cost of Living (2011)
Two young security guards at an unusual corporation have a bad night.
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Excellent, a Must See
The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.
This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
"Cost of Living" is an 8-minute (9.5 with credits) short film from 4 years ago. Basically, for the entire thing we have 2 guys running around and killing monsters. Lots of slime included. While the writer and director Ben David Grabinski is not famous at all, has not made any other movies, the actors in here certainly are. Bret Harrison is probably not that well known, but many may have heard of Brandon Routh. And the voice we hear is actually Mary Elizabeth Winstead. What a waste to not show her really with her physicality. Anyway, I guess they wanted to make this more relevant with the seemingly important words the main characters had to say while slaying evil, but I did not find it really memorable at all sadly. As a whole, a fairly mediocre short film. Not recommended.
Really enjoyed this short. Slick anamorphic cinematography, wonderful sound design, excellent pacing. Everything you want from a feature film experience condensed down to a nine minute short. This was the best Routh has ever been. There's a strong John Carpenter vibe to the whole piece, and Routh fills the Kurt Russell boots nicely. Would love to see him in a feature role like this. The director, BenDavid Grabinski, did a great job shooting this with a tight budget and aggressive schedule (reportedly two days). Let's hope we see a feature film from him soon.The end of the short suggests there might be a sequel. I think the concept of "working-class monster security guards" would make a great feature, so here's hoping that Cost of Living leads to something bigger for everyone involved.