STASH HOUSE (Eduardo Rodriguez, 2012)

[leigh1975]

I agree!!!! Finally, somebody else thinks Stash House is unfairly criticised! Yes, there are problems with the script, such as silly plot devices, but in general it works, and to be fair it never presented itself as an action film, more of a thriller with action elements. For what it is, I liked it... I'd rather watch this over recent fare like ITNOTK or Package, which I didn't like AT ALL.

[Jox]

to be fair it never presented itself as an action film, more of a thriller with action elements.

That's not the issue. The fact that it wasn't an action film and more of a thriller was actually great (on paper).

It's just quite tedious, both Evigan and Faris (so miscast or directed in this) have been much better actors (in BURNING BRIGHT and NEVER BACK DOWN), and the script as I read it (almost close to shooting script) felt much better. There's zero budget in sound design, mix and things like that that brings the whole thing down, and again I suspect much bad decisions (like the security camera gimmick à la PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, the USB key etc) come from the producers though I have to get it confirmed. Last 20 minutes are worth it but you have to get there...

I have yet to give it a second watch, I don't think that bad either but it's still not very good and far below what it should have been. Even Dolph seems badly directed (and filmed) at the beginning, yet I know he worked quite a bit on his part with his acting coach before production.

[leigh1975]

I totally agree with the post-production limitations, and it's hard to know what went wrong there... having seen El Gringo, it's not as if Rodriguez is a bad director... what he did in that film is fantastic for the level it's produced at.

[Jox]

From what I hear there was also a lot of help from Isaac Florentine who came to help on EL GRINGO so I don't exactly know. But what's for sure is the producers liked him enough to hire him back for GRINGO right after the STASH HOUSE shoot.

[leigh1975]

Joel Silver saves the day, haha. I wonder if Dolph enjoyed working under Silver? I know that sometimes Dolph is at odds with his 'action man' image at times, but for the part of him that still enjoys the genre, it must be interesto finally be working for surely the biggest action movie producer of all time.

[Jox]

It was produced under Silver's company (among others) but he probably wasn't much involved (he's not even credited on the film itself although that doesn't mean anything), at least not in the production (filming) side of things. Dolph might not even have dealt with Silver at all, Courtney Solomon and Moshe Diamant were running the show I guess.

Dolph almost worked with Joel Silver three times in the 80s and early 90s:
- with Craig Baxley's MAN TO MAN in 1988 (shut down only days before filming because Silver had a falling out with the other producer Bernie Brillstein about the co-star, whom they had trouble casting)
- Terry Gilliam's aborted WATCHMEN (Silver wanted D to play Dr Manhattan but Gilliam wasn't too keen on the idea)
- and this more unconfirmed but D might have been attached to Silver's VIKING project circa 1991...

[leigh1975]

That's such a shame!!!! Well, it's interesting that he was pushing for Dolph to be in roles... I guess Silver saw something in him.

[Tom]

SH was pretty poorly lit too. The film didn't look good at all. It may have looked reasonable on BR, but I've only got the DVD. But yes the main problem is that so little actually happens. The two leads are pretty dull too. Dolph needed a little more screen time but his time was limited. I'm sure he had a few moments cut from the script I saw too. I think originally it was Dolph's character who introduced himself to the couple when they first move in, instead of his partner posing as security. There's also a whole point about Dolph pitying his father for dying on a barka-lounger chair just wasting his life, and Dolph ironically dies on a chair at the end, but that just gets completely lost in the film through poor storytelling and even worse lighting.

[leigh1975]

The blu ray does look a little better, but it doesn't make it a new viewing experience or anything.

[Jox]

French DVD reviews
http://www.clapmag.com/index.php?option ... &Itemid=21

http://www.dvdcritiques.com/critiques/d ... x?dvd=7556

- Making of (8 minutes) : De la promo dégoulinante (encore un réalisateur surdoué qui sait exactement ce qu’il veut …). Vomitif.

- Making of (8 minuites) : Sliming promo (again a gifted director who knows exactly what he wants...) Barfable.

Back cover

[Jox]

Theatrical release in South Korea this week

[Jox]

STASH HOUSE writer Gary Spinelli just managed to sell a spec script to Universal and Ron Howard for $1 million.
http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/univers ... ll-direct/

[Moltisanti]

Hope it's not STASH HOUSE 2: THE STASHENING.

[Travis]

Hope it's not STASH HOUSE 2: THE STASHENING.

Good one.

I just saw it. I thought it was decent. Kind of a nice change of pace for Dolph.

[Jox]

Thai back cover