#austinvesely

Some trailers are so wild that you can’t help but be intrigued.  I recently saw a trailer with Chance the Rapper, Zazie Beetz of Atlanta, Paul Scheer, ghosts, werewolves and pizza places, and I was immediately possessed with the need to see how all of these elements could possibly coexist in one film.  That film was Slice, and thanks to a Vudu holiday sale, I got my chance to finally check the film out. 

Sean Hammerschmidt (Austin Vesely), deliveryman for Perfect Pizza Base, has his throat slit during a delivery to the Ghost Town community found on the outskirts of the town of Kingfisher.  The community, home to the 40,000 ghost residents of Kingfisher due to recent legislation and redistricting, immediately comes under fire by the activist group Justice 40,000, led by Vera Marcus (Marilyn Dodds Frank), a resident of Kingfisher hoping to have the Halcyon Square stipmall in which Perfect Pizza Base is located demolished.  Justice 40,000 member Debbie (Kelli Simpkins) interrupts Mayor Tracy (Chris Parnell) during his press conference about the murders, which raises the suspicion of Kingfisher Chronicle reporter Sadie Sheridan (Rae Gray).  News of the murder also reaches Astrid (Zazie Beetz), a former employee of Perfect Pizza Base and caretaker to Hammerschmidt, and she decides to rejoin the staff in hopes of exacting revenge.  The police investigation, led by Detective Marsh (Tim Decker) and Detective Bradley (Will Brill), is mainly focused on werewolf and former deliveryman Dax (Chance Bennett), who is seen at the scene of multiple murders to the staff of Perfect Pizza Base that follow.  With the Ghost Town residents and Perfect Pizza Base employees seemingly in danger, all investigating parties dig deeper and deeper into the events in hopes of uncovering the true culprit and putting an end to whatever plan may be developing, even if all parties cannot get on the same page.

The take that this film has on the supernatural lore is refreshing and engaging in the sense that it adds both modern-day updates and nostalgic callbacks to other eras.  The use of political redistricting to essentially segregate ghosts from the rest of the population is similar to political redistricting along the lines of race and economics, and the resulting poor treatment and demonizing (no pun intended) of the area makes sense in light of that comparison.  Adding in werewolves and witches into the world helps bolster the narrative, but the very lax nature and approach to these supernatural elements gives the continuously absurd and dark humor a boost by association.

The narrative, though both intriguing and loaded with comedic moments, is a bit convoluted when one takes a step back.  There are a large number of elements, homages and storylines at play, and at times, it can be a bit much trying to keep everything separated and in line as the story jumps between characters and events.  It’s not that the events that take place are too dense or difficult to comprehend, it’s just that there are simply a very large amount of them in play for a movie that clocks in at less than 90 minutes.  Ultimately, the movie does not suffer because of it, but it is a bit of a chore trying to describe the film to people without slightly losing track of where you are in your recollection of events and characters.

The ghost makeup used is convincing in its subtlety, with a reserved approach used rather than an over the top application.  Dax’s eventual werewolf reveal, in line with his attire, calls back to Michael Jackson in the first section of the Thriller music video in all the best ways.  The bold color palette and irreverent nature of many of the characters hearkens back to horror-comedies of the 1980s, with a few subtle callbacks to film-noir (mostly in the form of the detectives) peppered in for good measure.  The use of special effects in the resolution of the film works well considering that effects of this nature are not used throughout the film, giving their appearance much more gravity and weight in the long run. 

Zazie Beetz sticks with her familiar ground (strong, silent type that doesn’t put up with any shit), but it definitely works in this film, allowing her to play towards type for maximum effect.  Chance Bennett is his usual charming self, always managing to bring maximum amounts of the human element into whatever he does.  Chris Parnell is humorous, but a bit more reserved and on a leash than normal, which does work within his politician framework.  Paul Scheer is also a bit more reserved than usual, which makes us relate to him on a more sympathetic level than humorous one.  Rae Gray and her steadfast attention to uncovering information provides a solid baseline for all of the craziness found in the film.  Marilyn Dodds gets to play the sinister, Scooby-Doo style villain in the shadows, and certainly goes all in with the opportunity.  Tim Decker and Will Brill go all in on the absurd with their slightly out of timeframe, completely strange portrayal of the main detectives.  Supporting roles by Katherine Cunningham and Kelli Simpkins, as well as brief appearances by Y’lan Noel, Joe Keery, Hannibal Buress, Lakin Valdez, Rudy Galvan and Austin Vesely help round out the large ensemble cast.

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