queun How do you make a "realistic" movie about reanimation? In all honesty you can't, but you come closest by presenting characters with realistic reactions and motivations in an implausible situation. In most movies, the reaction to a loved one's unexpected return is most often horror or joy. The reaction could well be sadness and confusion. This is more subtle and thought provoking and more difficult to make interesting, but I think this film succeeds in that respect. The messages are subtle, the presentation of a well worn plot device was original, the acting was believable.If you need gore in a reanimation movie or pies in the face in a comedy, skip this movie. But if you want something to think about for a little while after the closing credits you may enjoy this.

samkan Shoestring meaning GFTM's budget. Watching this movie reminds us that it is "know how", not money that results in good camera work, dialog, acting, etc. The acting, especially the three main characters, was very earnest; i.e., you can tell these guys have a desire to be professionals. The side roles, i.e., girlfriends, ghosts, etc., are also competent (with the exception of the cop). Contrast GFTN with similarly conceived and budgeted horror flicks with single shot camera work, blunt dialog and monotone delivery of lines. The thrills and suspense were enjoyable enough and not overwrought, the ending better than most. Some nice touches; e.g. meeting a deceased at the graveyard park on a sunny day. Only one small slice of unnecessary filler. When you think of it, GFTM is about as effective as a high budget effort; e.g., INSIDIOUS, MAMA, etc. Give these directors, makers, etc., some money next time!

Rabh17 There are a number of reviews smashing this movie-- mostly due to unmet expectations of normal Hollywood Horror. Worse, some people may be expecting it to be a modern remake on a Lovecraftian idea of a Machine that could open a gate to the 'Beyond'. If you're expecting a 'Re-animator' clone-- it's NOT. It's totally different.It's a Ghost story that really runs like a Drama. And it's bareboned. It's done ENTIRELY without special effects. The 'Creep' is in the actors' situations alone. The Ghosts are a Dramatic Question...and the Question behind ALL Ghost stories is a Fundamental one posed: "Is it RIGHT for the Dead to come back to the Living?"It's Not about whether 'The Dead Hate the Living' or 'Evil Spirits being unleashed' or 'Curses from beyond the Grave'This movie is about what happens if you refuse to Let go. What happens if you actually bring the Dead Back into your Life when the World has already closed the books on their Lives.A young man loses his parents, and seeks to undo their Deaths by bringing them back with a machine. But the World and Life really has no place or order for things that 'Should not be'. Bad things will happen.Not Supernatural Bad Things...Just Inadvertent things. Unpleasant things. Irrevocable things.As an indie/Non-Hollywood effort-- this one gets a solid round of applause from me. The acting was decent and heartfelt. And the timing was good with tension and build-up. And the ending was a solid moral stamp: You can't change What Was.This is an intelligent indie/drama flick is good for a late, rainy weekend afternoon. And if you like it...it's also a Girl-friend Test.

Alison In Phasma Ex Machina, Cody (played by Sasha Andreev) is devastated by the sudden deaths of his parents; even though he's just barely an adult, he has sole custody of younger brother James (Max Hauser), whom he is unintentionally neglecting because of the force of his grief. A year and more later, he has become obsessed with creating a machine that will "bring them back," using electromagnetic fields and negative ions to create something of a bridge between one world and the next. After all, just because people have "passed over" into death doesn't mean the realm they go to is immune from the laws of physics, right? Cody is able to buy arcane electronic equipment, creating his own Vandergraaf Generator and using solar adaptors made and sold by Tom (Matthew Feeney), an older man just coming to terms with the death of his wife six years ago and just starting to form a relationship with a new woman. But Cody is on to something, and Tom's not as much over his grief as he thinks he is. Add to that the fact that nobody can control who might "come back," and, well, anything might happen....This is a first film by writer/director Matt Osterman, who hosted the World Premiere at the FantAsia Festival in Montreal, and I've got to say, it's perfect. In every way, this is a perfect film - the writing, the direction, the framing of the story, the cinematography, the acting, everything. The only actor I'd heard of in this is Laurie King (who plays a middle-aged neighbour of the boys, in a small but key role), but every one of these actors is spot on. Completely naturalistic in behaviour and authentic in dialogue - you really believe these are real, ordinary people doing things that real, ordinary people do, or would like to do. I was especially impressed with Sasha Andreev, who looks a bit like a cross between Freddy Rodriguez and Casey Affleck, and whose acting is as good as the latter's without the annoying adenoidal voice. Even the ending of the film is perfect, in that not everything comes out alright, but that's okay because that is the way life really is.Really. This film should be getting a decent release in the US - it helps a lot that it's American-made and in English, perhaps our only FantAsia film without subtitles; I've read rumours that major studios are already lining up for a Hollywood remake, but you know they'll mess that up. So do what you can to encourage a release, please; it's very much worth it! Go to HTTP://www.phasmamovie.com/ - the official website - and check out the trailer for yourself.This is quite possibly the best film I've seen all year - not best FantAsia film, but film, period. A gazillion stars!