The Speak (2011)

Director:

Anthony Pierce

Writers:

Brett Donowho (screenplay), Lamont Magee (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Sizemore, Kristina Anapau, Tina Casciani

Cast

Credited cast:
Tom Sizemore	...	Doyle
Kristina Anapau	...	Paige Stone
Tina Casciani	...	Malia
Brett Donowho	...	Jackson
Michael Klinger	...	Luis
Steven Nelson	...	Shelly
Una Jo Blade	...	Elsa
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brielle Donowho	...	Child Ghost

Storyline

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 2011 (Japan)

Filming Locations:

Salem, Oregon, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quorum Entertainment, Speak Productions, The, Tony-Seven Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

WTF...Where Did The Budget Go ?

..oh wait, there it is...in Tom Sizemore's back pocket.

A rather impressive opening ten minutes, quickly fades away leaving a mediocre found footage candidate, and one that will equally as quickly, fade away from the viewer's memory.

Valiant efforts clearly went into developing the characters as they slip and slide through the introductions and scene-setting, however, of the three main protagonists, only one, Paige, shines through the torrent of ad-libs and scripted dialogue. The other two, especially Luis, struggled to get to grips with the basic premise of not only the movie, but also, the genre in which they are filming. Emotions were tortured and unbelievable, giving the viewer very little in the way of empathy, and this continued throughout.

The addition of Tom Sizemore in this movie, is lost on this reviewer. His part was so small and confusing, that it really didn't add anything to the experience, indeed, for someone with a rich history is some top movies, he seemed out of place and uneasy about his part, struggling with the script throughout.

It's the same old clichéd main content as you move into the bulk of the film, and whilst there are movies out there (Grave Encounters) that pull this off with great ease and stunning visuals, The Speak falls into the category of trying hard, but not hitting the mark.

There was/is huge potential with the storyline they put across at the start, however the plot is buried amongst some pointless exchanges between the lesser cast members, so that if you blink, chances are, you've missed it.

It's difficult to not give away spoilers, because The Speak is your run of the mill standard found footage movie ie...movie makes stumble around a disused building, meet some maligned spirit, and all die.

Anthony Pierce makes a good job of trying to include a sense of foreboding, however some major errors in continuity spoil the movie - for instance, when Tom Sizemore's character states very clearly, "I hope you've got torches, cuz there ain't no power in there" - you would rightly expect a nice dark atmosphere, lit by torchlight and the occasional infra red shot, but no, Pierce forgets all about that, and has the building under full power with lights switching off and on at will.

Small things like that, will stick in the mind of the hardened found footage fan, and as a result, spoil the experience.

Another "it could've been so good" movie, let down by not concentrating on what makes these movies successful.

Fear.