Patient Zero
The world is struck by a virulent pandemic which resembles rabies, but is far worse and far more deadly. So far there is no cure. Morgan (Matt Smith) is an unusual case in that he was bitten but not turned. Also, he can translate the strange new unintelligible language of the "infected". The military uses him to question infected prisoners in hopes of finding Patient Zero and put an end to this madness. While not military himself, Morgan has a personal reason to find a cure - his wife Janet (Agyness Deyn) is one of the victims and is currently being held in the facility where Morgan works, alongside Dr. Gina Rose (Natalie Dormer) and his assistant Scooter (John Bradley).
Colonel Knox (Clive Standen) is does not have the same patience as Morgan, and displays a distinct lack
of empathy for the infect, causing the two men to often butt heads. Morgan gives the infected he talks to nicknames, generally based on musicians he likes, such as Joe Cocker and Pete Townsend. One man they bring in has been dubbed The Professor (Stanley Tucci) and he seems different from the rest, not showing the same antipathy to music the others have. Could he be Patient Zero?
Morgan loves his wife, but he's only human. He and Gina find themselves drawing closer and closer, leading to the inevitable. In a world filled with uncertainty, how such a relationship thrive? Especially when Morgan still loves his wife and wants to find a cure for her and the others. But that entails finding Patient Zero.
To be honest, I was going to turn this one off, not because it was bad or I didn't like it, but it's so dark and depressing. But I reasoned that since I hadn't seen Stanley Tucci yet, I'd wait. And once I did, I couldn't stop watching. Yes, this is rather dystopic, so don't look for rainbows and kittens here, but it's an interesting study of human nature under extreme pressure. We've been through COVID, so we know about pandemics - this one is far worse. I was interested in seeing Matt Smith as someone other than Doctor Who, and thought he did well, as did Natalie Dormer, who you might remember from The Tudors and Game of Thrones. Stanley Tucci - well, look him up if you don't know him. He's done a lot. This film kept me riveted till the end, so I'll give it 4 Stars.
Deadstream
Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter) was a popular video streamer who did something stupid and was banned for a while. But six months have passed and he's back and ready to go! His specialty has always been to exploit his weaknesses as a human being through his videos. But there is one venue he hasn't challenged yet and he's going to do it now, by live-streaming from a haunted house! He finds a house that isn't so famous they'll kick him out for trespassing and beings to stream. Knowing how weak he is, he takes precautions to prevent himself from taking the easy way out, such as throwing a couple of spark plugs from his car into the woods, padlocking the front door after he enters and throwing the key where it isn't easy to reach... His viewers seem divided between supporters and hecklers, but he doesn't mind, sure he'll win the skeptics over.
Shawn has cameras set up all over, and besides his own supplies, his mother has given him a few things to take, including holy water. Supposedly a number of people have died in this house, supposedly killed by a ghost named Mildred, who hung herself after the man she loved and wooed with her poetry died. Shawn sets a few ground rules for himself to his viewers, including no running away, and if he hears a noise, he has to check it out, which goes against his grain as a scaredy cat. But as he begins to tour the house, he does hear things, and he isn't sure what he is hearing, or what we are seeing. Until everything becomes all too real...
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect here, but it wasn't this. There is definite scary and creepy
vibes, especially when you think you see things the main character doesn't. I played it back a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things, and I wasn't. I knew from the outset when he threw out the spark plugs and padlocked the door that this would all come back to bite him in the butt and it did! I jumped more than once, and although Shawn is not particularly likeable, he does grow some as a person during the film. I am a big fan of found footage films, and I think this was a pretty good one. Low budget doesn't have to mean low quality, and I think this one was well done. It was also written by Joseph Winter and his wife Vanessa. Well done! I give this film 4 Stars.
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