Use
of Budget
Can I just stop for a moment, stand up, and applaud
loudly for Mr. Graham and crew for pulling this film
off at a mere 5 grand? Might I add that this budget
includes the cost of purchasing equipment? I can honestly
say that I thought that $5,000 was a type-o when first
I watched Livelihood. Aside from the hilarious
story line and great camera work, the sheer creativity
involved in cramming in this much movie for such a tight
budget speaks volumes about the sheer ingenuity involved.
Ryan and his posse hand-built much of the equipment
used on this movie (Steadycam, crane, rigging, etc.)
and edited this together on a homebuilt PC. Its almost
as if their motto was "Why pay for it when you
can do it yourself?". Lots of us are familiar with
having to jury rig equipment to make it work for in
similar situations, and few things are more satisfying
than seeing your frankenstined gear perform beautifully.
Livelihood gets full marks for use of budget.
Lasting
Appeal
It is vital that the audience first understand this
movie for what it is: a movie intended to be funny and
slightly campy. Once the understanding is reached that
this film is not intended to be a fright-fest, a full
appreciation of the movie can then commence. The humor
and unique twist on an undead flick kept me laughing,
and its underlying story had just enough meat and substance
to make this a really worthwhile watch.
With
lots of off-the-wall creativity, satirical commentary
on our society, and great requotability, this is the
sort of film that has the ability to become a cult classic
in the vein of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python
& The Holy Grail, and Napoleon Dynamite.
(Unfortunately
for me, the film's so requotable, that the Editor won't
stop piping up with, 'Rock'n'roll!' in Billy Jump's
screeching falsetto! Hmmm...now, what did I do with
my migraine medication?)
Overall
Comment
Being the no-nonsense guy that I am, I like movies that
I don't have to sit down with a pen and paper to figure
out the point of the movie. I didn't have to watch it
6 times to hear what the director was saying.. Leave
that sort of writing to literature, because the secret
to life can't be summed up in 102 minutes. I consider
the pith of Livelihood's substance to be humor with
a point… several points to be exact:
