Episode 723 - Bliss (2019)

Hi everyone!

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Fantastic Fest feature from Andrew Campbell. This week we’re getting a Shudder exclusive, so if you’ve ever been thinking about taking the plunge into this genre-driven service, now is the time! It’s the only place you’ll find independent darlings like PREVENGE, REVENGE, MANDY, and podcast favorite, ONE CUT OF THE DEAD (Episode #625). Don’t miss Andrew’s other recent reviews for SCHOOL’S OUT (Episode #716), COME TO DADDY (Episode #709), and THE LODGE (Episode #702).

Before the review, we’ll have a brand-new promo from our good friends at The VHS Strikes Back podcast. Every week, Dave and Chris blow the dust off an actual VHS cassette, then watch and discuss the film. You can find out more on Twitter @vhsstrikesback or on Facebook and Instagram by searching for The VHS Strikes Back podcast. Don’t miss their two guest episodes during last year’s Reign of Terror 2019, with reviews for ALIEN VS PREDATOR (Episode #605) and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (Episode #626). And don’t miss their recent guest review as Comics in Motion for BIRDS OF PREY (Episode #720)!

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Here we go!

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<< VHS STRIKES BACK PROMO >>

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back today with a psychedelic horror film that cribs from the book of MANDY. As amazing as Fantastic Fest is at stretching genre boundaries and traveling far outside the US border to capture films the world over, each year there tend to be a few films that overlap in a six-degrees-of-separation sort of way. Last year, it was actor James Badge Dale appearing in three films: DONNYBROOK, THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK (Episode #537), and HOLD THE DARK (Episode #272). This year there were two films with direct connections to today’s entry. Supporting actor Jeremy Gardner appears in this one, but he also brought to the festival his low-budget romantic monster movie AFTER MIDNIGHT, which I’ll be covering in a couple weeks. Joe Begos, however, pulled off a rarer feat, directing both today’s film as well as VFW wherein a band of veterans defend their VFW lodge from “an army of mutant punks”.

So without further ado...

Today’s movie is BLISS(2019), the newest heavy metal nightmare from indie horror writer/director Joe Begos. BLISS stars Dora Madison as Dezzy, a starving artist in the underground Los Angeles art scene. Dezzy hits a particularly nasty creative block, struggling for weeks to complete her new painting. With her agent and her landlord breathing down her neck, Dezzy turns to drugs for a little inspiration. A potent mixture of cocaine and the hallucinogenic DMT leads to an out of control night of partying along with some dark visions that spark her creativity. Finally making progress on her self-proclaimed masterpiece, Dezzy continues her drug-fueled bender. Unfortunately for the people around her, violent side effects begin to take hold.

For a film that clocks in well short of 90 minutes, BLISS starts out a bit slow. The storyline necessitates this and I appreciate the fact that the film takes its time to introduce you to the main character in all her abrasive glory before her life starts to unravel. BLISS is told over the period of just a few days as Dezzy turns to partying in order to take her mind off the looming deadline to deliver a half-finished painting on an oversized canvas. She has the background complete and it’s obviously going to be a very dark piece even before she begins fueling herself with drugs and alcohol. It would have been helpful (but maybe not in the film’s budget) to show off a few more of her completed works to help establish the character. Dezzy likes to party, but she mostly likes to fight and argue with friends, employers, strangers, whoever gets in her way. The audience is given a sense of her character, but I don’t think director Begos intended to engender much sympathy for her situation.

If you can survive the poor acting and rough dialogue for the first half-an-hour, Dora Madison goes on to deliver a solid performance as the film careens in a violent direction. When Dezzy gets a hold of her new favorite drug cocktail, she becomes borderline vampiric and it's hard to look away. As with any out-of-control substance-abuser, the hangovers are the worst and watching Dezzy try to piece together her actions from the night before is just as much fun as watching her wreak havoc. Once you get a handle on the story, there really isn’t much in the way of twists and turns. The film really does get more entertaining as it trucks along, but the plot is razor-thin.

What makes BLISS fantastic?The thing you have to admire about a film like BLISS is that it knows exactly what it wants to be. The film is clearly a labor of love created by a rock-n-roll writer/director who looks the part. With a limited budget, Begos is able to use some creative camera angles and dark red ambient lighting along with a blasting soundtrack and tons of quick cuts to make several violent scenes really crackle. This one was not for me, but I see what he’s going for and I respect the hustle. Based on the 90%-plus Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and the 69% audience score, BLISS is clearly being enjoyed by the hardcore horror fans and critics for whom it was intended.

BLISS is rough-around-the-edges blood-and-guts B-movie horror in an economical 80-minute package. Fans of films such as MANDY, UNDER THE SKIN, or LORDS OF CHAOS (Episode #551) will enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Metacritic: 53

One Movie Punch: 6.2/10

BLISS (2019) is not rated and is now streaming on Shudder.

Come back on Monday, where I will be pinch-hitting with a movie just a bit more kid-friendly than today’s film. Disney’s THE CALL OF THE WILD is the first theatrically-released adaptation of the hundred-year-old Jack London story since the Charleston Heston version in 1972. Whether you’re seeing it this weekend or holding out for some word-of-mouth, I’ll have full rundown on this classic tale of an aging Han Solo and his CGI pup.

See you then!