ZERO TO HEAVEN is the sequel to director Michael Fredianelli's 2015 meta moviemaking comedy CROSS-CUT. The movie is the first sequel from Wild Dogs Productions and this makes sense. The CROSS-CUT universe is one that's a ripe playground with few rules so it's easy to see why director/star Fredianelli and producer/co-star Maralynn Adams would want to play in that sandbox again. While ZERO TO HEAVEN is ultimately the lesser of the two films, it's still a lot of fun. For one, the film ups the ante and increases the scope to cover locations along the Western US. It's also peppered with plenty of action set-pieces including car chases, shootouts, and probably the best fistfight Fredianelli has filmed. While the CROSS-CUT formula (or non-formula) does warrant that these movies should feel like more than one movie and traverse genres, ZERO TO HEAVEN plays a tad too stitched together and never comes off as being as cohesive as its predecessor was. And while the movie's production values impress, it makes use of perhaps one too many theme parks as settings. This might sound like an odd critique, but much of the scenes set in these places feel tacked on and overstay their welcome to the point that they feel like you're watching someone's old camcorder vacation diaries. One scene involving creative use of a Disneyland fireworks display is almost enough to justify the earlier meandering though. Despite its shortcomings, ZERO TO HEAVEN is a plenty fun and funny indie film offering that you should definitely give a shot.
Review of Zero to Heaven
