ASouthernHorrorFan First I have to say that I find the whole "found footage" subgenre really tiresome. Most forget the golden rules that the film must abide by, no over produced, creativity or effects cluttering the footage; none of that bulky explanatory dialog justifying the scene or set- up; and no camera shots that step out of the found footage concept-these things destroy authenticity of the film. Also a lot of directors and writers forget that the story has to be somewhat realistic to established human behavior in said situations so most of the stuff coming out is sh*t. Of course this just my personal assessment of the subgenre. If I see a film step out or ignore these guidelines I usually turn of the movie. That being said, on to my thoughts toward "The Upper Footage". Writer/Director Justin Cole obviously understands the rules of found footage styled film-making because he successfully creates a believable, terrifying event that manages to feel real, look like something that should not have been caught on camera, and is entertaining as h*ll. The acting and scene shots are disturbing pieces that come together to make one horrifying account. From the debauched folderol of spoiled, rich kid escapades that start this story I felt an unsettling feeling come over me that lasted to the bitter end. The emotional connection I felt for the victim was at times sickening and intense. The cinematography used for "The Upper Footage" stays within the confines of what would be plausible for this situation. It never goes beyond the poorly produced, camcorder footage-of course it is footage caught with the best equipment rich kid money could buy so every moment is watchable, gritty and powerful. There isn't a bunch of post- editing effects that distort the footage beyond what works for authenticity and the added use of social media and tabloid TV footage is perfect. If I wasn't such a gossip blog whore I would have believed these to be real Hollywood elitist brats. The material presented to us by Cole is just that spot-on. There is a small lull in the stories momentum about midway, but every movie has that problem. With this film the lull happens during all the panicked screaming at each other the characters get wrapped up in. It is acceptable because in this context it has to be there. Otherwise the high octane, chilling climb upward would start to feel too sensational and contrived. Luckily it doesn't last long and the second half of this horrendous tale pushes you right back into that uncomfortable, sickening feeling. "The Upper Footage" is truly a great piece of found footage horror that proves the subgenre still has plenty to offer to all horror fans. Even though this isn't "real" footage of some poor girls demise, I had to remind myself of that fact constantly. Definitely check "The Upper Footage" out, it is a disturbing nightmare that stays with you well after watching the film.

Drew Grimm Van Ess First of all, I have to mention that I cannot believe that I saw someone online say that this is "One of the greatest movies I've ever seen". I don't know, maybe some people like myself just have higher standards in terms of what constitutes as a great movie. That quote is even more ludicrous than the actual movie.It starts with a lot of summed up footage, showing news reels and clips, interviews, and radio show hosts talking about this mysterious girl doing copious amounts of cocaine on these YouTube clips that leaked online a few years ago. Some rumors even started flying around that it was celebrities. Then there's the name drop of Quentin Tarantino, and his involvement in buying the rights to the video clips, with intent on making a motion picture about them after the girl in the videos, Jackie Spearo, died in a tragic way. Tarantino eventually backed out of using the YouTube videos to make the movie. I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but this whole movie and the controversy behind it is completely a marketing campaign only. There's no truth to it, it's a veil pulled over the viewers eyes to build a fake sense of dread.If you have to trick audiences into liking your movie, that's a false achievement in my book. The feature film will tell you that the videos were uploaded to YouTube as a bribe, and blackmail. When actually, the truth is, the uploads were to cause confusion and start rumors in social media. Having several female celebrities falsely accused of being the faceless woman in the clips, it added mystery and had people wanting answers. The stir it all caused in the media was used to build hype behind The Upper Footage, and make it seem authentic. While it is undoubtedly a rude and aggressive marketing strategy, it worked because moviegoers and people who follow social media outlets actually think it's a true life incident.It's the same exact type of hype that happened when The Blair Witch Project came out, and everyone really thought the actors and actress involved were really dead. What baffles me, is regardless of how real or unreal it is, people really believed they were watching a movie about a dead girl and her last night alive. There's no way this would be released to the public as a motion picture if this were in fact a true event. Some people just aren't as naive as others may think, and can see through a bad lie when they see and/or hear it. This movie ruined people's lives, really?Although I knew the falsity behind the making of The Upper Footage, and despite the fact that it's yet another found footage film, I still gave it a shot. To be quite frank, I was bored for about 75 minutes of the 87 minute run time. It's just a group of rich, racist snobs partying in a limo and and being about as crude and impolite as imaginable. After 25 minutes of nonsense dialogue and the search for a plot, Jackie enters the movie via her date, and her face is pixelated the entire film. The party goes from the limo, to a high-scale apartment, and from there, we get a lot of loud talking/shouting, people acting as annoying as possible, and a ton of drug use. It's the kind of movie where without pausing it, you can get up and get a bite to eat and a drink, pet your cat, check your mail, check your email, and use the bathroom without missing anything of mere close importance.After throwing up profusely, Jackie kicks the bucket. And what do the guys at this party do? They decide to drive her body around for a good thirty minutes (at least it feels as though it were a half hour), all the while recording everything including too much arguing, and whining, and moaning. I gave this flick a fair chance, but any and all entertainment value is lost on me because, I was not amused. I wouldn't think that someone's tragic death and the need to cover the incident up should be so loud ad boring.Then, we get to watch the lead male characters dig a hole for eternity. Most of which is in silence, giving you plenty of time to send a text or check your email again.I'd rather attend a tax seminar than watch this ever again. I don't believe in the hype behind it, and it fails to entertain on almost every level. That is of course, unless your idea of a good movie entails nothingness for 75 minutes, and maybe 10 minutes of watchable footage.

christopher-dallas-113-229541 "The Upper Footage"It wasn't just bad, it was annoying.Had it been made prior to "The Blair Witch Project" and just a short film made by a group of friends with a good camera, it would be OK.I want to state all kinds of negative one-liners but that's not being objective and will get ignored. s in the Found Footage genre were was, "The Blair Witch Project." Quite a few of my co-workers thought that Blair Witch was real. That was due in part to the multimedia campaign elements such as the website.The Spanish film, ".REC" was great. It was engaging from beginning to end. Not that a real budget necessarily matters but it had about $1.8 million and the money was widely spent.I found V/H/S to be better than this and that movie received poor reviews. It was crudely filmed but then so was The Blair Witch project but it wasn't dishonest.I was misled by the list of positive reviews by Internet critics on the Vimeo site as well as the user reviews.I'll stop short of accusing the film makers of using their own people as shills. For all of the dishonesty, lack of creativity and lack of entertainment value, I'm giving this a 4.Only because the male anti-hero actors were good. Not being sexist. The females were just one dimensional.If "The Upper Footage" entertains you then great. I can't stand Ranch dressing, avocados or curry but don't criticize others who do.If you enjoy found footage films and never watched ".REC" have a look at both the Spanish original and the American version with Dexter's sister, Jennifer Carpenter. The American remake did justice to the original.If you watched this on Vimeo, the Joss Whedon film, "In Your Eyes" is a better choice for your first Vimeo rental. A nice romance, low key, great acting with characters you liked.Roger Ebert was the last of the educated and credentialed, objective professional critics. The rest have zero credibility whose one-liner reviews are from a copy/paste cheat sheet.

Matthew Sell Blake, Taylor, Devin, and Vlogger Will drive around New York City looking for cocaine and women. Devin finds a young woman, Jackie and all five of them go back to Blake's apartment and an accident happens.I know this is a very brief overview on the film, because I think it is far better to know as little as possible going in and then after the film look on the internet at the marketing and recent issues. If you wish to know more a quick Google search should give you a wealth of information.I first saw an article about Upper on Bloody-Disgusting almost two years ago and was intrigued. The marketing campaign was top notch and left me wanting more. I finally have got to see the movie and I was really not sure what to expect. The first half of the movie is a little on slowish side, plus I knew what ultimately was going to happen because of the marketing, but it does a fine job in establishing the young adults for what they are, rich and only worried about drugs, hooking up and themselves. After watching the movie the next day I talked about it with co-workers and wanted to talk even more but I did not want to give anything away so I just encouraged them to view it. It has been two days since I saw the film and I am still thinking about it, which as far as I am concerned is the definition of a good film, to make you think and keep thinking after the film is over. Upper is not an easy movie to watch nor is it an easy movie to review. The best bet is to watch it and decide for yourself. The ending of the film left me angry over what had transpired because these rich spoiled young adults had not taken responsibility for their actions. The film is a commentary on the socialite/"Upper" society and media. It might be a love it or hate it film, but love it or hate it the film should spark some great discussions.