Spiral — Spiral(Blu Ray)
Spiral- not to be confused with the 2021 Saw spin-off of the same name. Is an early 2000s jazz music-scored indie film, which attempts to mix awkward romance drama with dark thriller elements. It’s compelling enough if at points decidedly slow film- which features a wonderful awkward lead, and a few neat enough twists in its tail. Here from Ronin Flix is a Blu-Ray Special edition of the film- taking a new making-of and commentary track.
Spiral is a 2007 film- it was shot in and around the city of Portland Oregon. The picture was jointly directed by Adam Green( The Hatchet series & ski lift set thriller Frozen), and Joel David Moore( Hide & Seek, and Some Other Women) who also plays the lead in the film.
The film focuses on the ultra-awkward, lanky, and deeply shy Mason(Moore) who works as a telesales agent. He doesn’t really interact with any of his work colleagues, aside from his direct boss the sleek, stubbily ladies-man Berkeley(Zachary Levi)- early on we see him talking down Mason when he rings him up after a late-night panic attack.
Mason sits alone at the same outside bench to have his lunch at work- then one day someone else sits down next to him Amber(Amber Tamblyn) who just started working at his firm, and is initially having a hard time with the job- so the pair slowly but surely form a bond.
As things develop they start a semi-relationship- which includes him drawing/ painting pictures of her in his jazz records-lined apartment. And as things go on things get deeper and more serious. Though there is possibly something amiss about Mason- he keeps having night panics waking up staring at his hands, there’s a door in his apartment with a constant light on & foreboding vibes, and he seems very jumpy- is all this just his shyness/ awkwardness?. Or is there something deeply wrong with him?.
Both of our leads are very good- with their developing relationship painted in a slow/ steady, but largely believable manner. Levi is fine as the lady's man buddy, though you do wonder for a big part of the film why the two are friends, and this isn't definitively answered.
The pace of the whole thing is decidedly slow & at points mellowly lined with the largely laid-back organ & horn-focused jazz soundtrack. As we move through the film, we get brief darts of uneasy/ dark thriller appearing- and this nicely pull you in deeper, to find out exactly what is going on.
Looking at the bloody hand-dripping cover of this release, you’d think it was an out psycho-killer thriller/ horror film- which it most certainly is not, been much more a mix of romantic drama, with light-thriller touches, and a developing mystery vibe which does certainly cause intrigue- it’s also a PG13 film, so take from that what you will!.
This recent region-free takes in a restoration print-this looks balanced & even in its scan. On the new extras side, we get two new things- a commentary track, and a making of. The commentary track brings together co-directors Adam Green and Joel David Moore, director of photography Will Barratt, and editor Cory Livingston. They begin by talking about how the original cut was forty minutes longer, and the directors planned out all the films shot beforehand- so Joel David Moore could focus on acting. We find out the picture was shot in just eighteen days, and they point out early continuity errors. They discuss the pros and cons of filming on film. We find out the office elements were shot in was Wapato Corrections Facility- a Portland prison, that never got used for what it was built for- this caused issues with the locals, so the production had to have a security guard. We find out that three days before shooting half of the locations they couldn’t use, as the owners put up the cost of the locations. Later on, they talk about some of the more horror elements they wanted to put in the film, and why they didn’t use these. They discuss the questions left unanswered in the film and debate what might be on the last page of Mason’s drawing pads. It’s an interesting enough track, and gives one a good idea was it like to work on a small indie in the early 2000’s.
Otherwise, there’s Paint it Red -- Making of Spiral (26.41) this is a worthy making of, bringing together interviews with Adam Green (co-director), Joel David Moore (lead actor and co-director), Zachary Levi (actor and producer), Will Barratt (cinematographer), and Cory Livingston (editor). We find out the idea for the film came from an early short by Joel David Moore. They talk about how the two directors met on the first Hatchet, and what they wanted from co-directing. We find out the rain towers used in some of the film froze during the low temps in Portland when it was filmed. They talk about the creation of the film's lead character, and the pictures balance of what is dream & reality. They talk about their favourite scenes, and the use of Jazz in the film.
Otherwise, on the archive side, we have the following. Commentary with co-directors Adam Green and Joel David Moore, writer Jeremy Boering, director of photography Will Barratt, and actors Zachary Levi and Amber Tamblyn. And theatrical Trailer
Spiral’s mix of awkward romance drama & dark thriller is somewhat hit-and-miss, but we have great leads, and the twists are rewarding enough. It’s nice to see the film getting a reissue from Ronin Flix, as it certainly is a distinctive/ interesting credit in both Adam Green and Joel David Moore's filmography.