The Upper Footage

Audience Reviews

View More

05/02/2015 5.5/10 What mainly attracted me about this movie was all the buzz it had and how it all seemed so real and shocking. But once you know it's all fake, that it actually didn't happened, then the movie kind of loses most of its charm and cleverness. But still, it looked for the most part like actual footage and although most of it was boring, the performances were good although the characters were not like-able at all. Overall, the marketing work was probably one of the best at making an interest on a movie, but for the most part, it doesn't live to all its standards and buzz. ~May 2, 2015~ See more 11/01/2014 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. See more 09/26/2014 I'm a horror film fanatic, and I can honestly say I have never seen a movie anything like The Upper Footage. I was absolutely enthralled. Very effective film, fantastic performances, truly chilling to the bone, on several levels. The subtext was brilliant. If you enjoy unique, convincing, alarming films that are going to stick with you for a while, give this one a watch. Highly recommend. See more 08/30/2014 Quentin Tarantino should have picked up this concept and made a movie of it because it would've been 20x better than this pile of garbage. Don't watch this movie, don't buy into the concept... just... don't. Awful. I wanted it to end the moment it began. Every character is so unlikable - racist, homophobic, and extremely misogynistic at all times. I can't even... this movie... is so stupid. See more 08/30/2014 By far the worst movie of 2014, and one of the worst movies I've ever seen in all of my years of cinema going. I found out about this little flick because the official Twitter account followed me (you know a movie is gonna be great if it makes an direct attempt to get you to watch it). I followed back, thinking "hey, why not, I'll support a little indie film." As I read more and more into it, I became incredibly interested. The reviews were raving, comparing it to some of the best found footage movies. Every fan-based review of it was also very positive, leading me to believe that it must be pretty good if EVERYONE is talking about it. So, I got pretty pumped. The idea of this being the "first film experience of its kind" compiled of supposedly real footage of a young woman's death was intriguing to me. I guess I'm sick and twisted, but I was sold. Well, I just watched what is being called one of the most important films of our generation. This brings me back to a little flick called 'Megan is Missing.' Marketed towards scared parents and teens, this film aimed to scare people out of talking to strangers on the internet. All it made me do was laugh. It was my second least favorite movie up until that point. Now it's my third. To be completed honest, Megan is Missing is a masterpiece compared to this and I would watch it any day because it is entertaining. All 'The Upper Footage' is is a bunch of pretentious young upper class city kids snorting coke and saying some of the most racist, homophobic and sexist things you can imagine. Oh, but it's alright, because it's a MOVIE and we're not SUPPOSED to like these characters! Well, you can't market your movie as a real thing and then use the excuse that it's just a film to say whatever the hell you feel like. And if the characters are unlikeable from the start, NOTHING IN THE MOVIE MATTERS. I had no sympathy for a single character throughout this whole movie. I did not care one bit what happened to anyone. So, the "plot" is that a girl named Jackie parties with a bunch of idiots and dies, so they have to hide the body. It is a lovely adventure full of domestic violence, f-bombs in every sentence, out of place fast food stops, and... that's about it, because literally NOTHING happens in this entire movie. There is a four minute long shot of hair. Only hair. There's is a whiny blonde spitting out phrases like "I wanna go home" and "I don't wanna be here" in the most annoying high pitch voice you can imagine for the entire last half of the film. If this sounds good to you, by God you are going to love the hell out of this film. Needless to say, I have unfollowed the Twitter account. The Upper Footage is probably the most unpleasant film I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through and I would recommend it to absolutely no one. It actually pains me to see this getting praise. If this is considered a good film, there is a part of me that almost wants to stop being a film critic. See more 06/27/2014 ok, when you get over all the nonsense hype built up about this movie being "real" and appreciate the effort they went through to make it look authentic its actually not bad... but.. its not real, its obviously scripted, almost leaning toward cliche white kid banter that doesnt attempt to be genuine, or when they would conveniently leave the camera places. it was too perfect and that kind of ruined it for me... all in all it was ok its good in theory but lacked execution See more Read all reviews

The Upper Footage

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW