Johngy's Beat Reviews "It's Just A Game"

Late last year, I interviewed James Azrael at the Chicago Pop Culture Con. James was there promoting the HSPPA (Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association), a nonprofit traveling museum. The screen-used props on display were part of the ongoing mission to preserve cinematic history. James talked about he HSPPA in our interview found at On the Beat With James Azrael.

James also talked about his latest project. “Its Just A Game” was written and directed by Daniel Emery Taylor. James co-produced it with Daniel. James also has a role in it, a role he describes as “big guy with a beard,” an accurate description on the surface, but I would later see his performance goes beyond a gratuitous cameo role, but more on that later.

James calls “It's Just A Game” a paranormal horror thriller. Promo pieces advertise it as “a twisted tale of teenage bullying, jealousy, angst, and a bizarre theatre cult intent on summoning the spirit of an ancient witch.”

James was very excited about a special screening, but unfortunately I was unable to attend. From all indications, the premiere was a big success, according to my friends who did attend.

Last week, James invited me to review the film via a private online link. Having already been intrigued by the trailer and bits I heard from friends, I eagerly accepted his offer.

Reviewing, even commenting, on work by friends can be very tricky. What if I didn't like it or even hated it? James wanted honesty, but I still worry about disliking work by my creative friends.

Fortunately, those worries dissolved within the first few minutes of watching it. In fact, I jokingly messaged James and told him that I was annoyed, because I only wanted to watch a few minutes that day, just to get the feel of it and I ended up watching about half of it. I also figured that I had to have enough time to watch the rest in one sitting, because I would not want to leave it again.

“It's Just A Game” was thoroughly enjoyable. I promise not to reveal too much of the story in the rest of this piece, so no real spoiler alert is needed.

The movie opens with a group of 4 teenage girls sitting in a bedroom exchanging scary stories. It's just a game, right? Maybe or maybe not. Things start happening. That's very vague, but I don't want to give away the story, because it unfolds so well.

I suppose I can reveal that a cult soon enters the story, since the actions of this cult play a main role in the film. They interact with all the girls in some way.

What is the connection between Brianna and the cult? What does one want from the other? How are the others affected? As the story progresses, we continue to learn more about the cult's mission, but still we must ask if it is just a game. What is really going on? All of these questions are answered clearly.

There are so many outstanding performances, but it is the nerdy, bullied Brianna who takes central stage and in my opinion, steals the show. Hannah Cohen-Lawlor as Brianna is brilliant. She goes through a range of emotions, without overselling any of them. She is completely believable and intriguing at every point in the story.

While I loved Lawlor's performance, I would be doing a disservice if I didn't applaud the work of the other young actors. I honestly saw story highlight moments from each of them.

Sarah Kopkin as Brianna's best friend straddles the line between protecting Brianna and trying to get to the truth. Perfectly described as a "manic pixie nightmare," Leah Hudspeth manages to be both cunning and innocent, while having fantastic chemistry with Alex Zuko. Daniel's performance as Brother Thaddeus is brilliantly sinister, while maintaining an eerie calmness.

Discussing performances, I must address that “big guy with a beard,” my friend James. As Brother Julius, he is in fact a big guy with a beard, but the character is more important than just a filler. It's not a huge role, but it fits in nicely in the story and James did a great job with the role.

“It's Just A Game” manages to have violence, blood, gore, fright, suspense and everything you'd want in a thriller, without going over the top. Some horror fans might argue that there wasn't enough brutal carnage. For me, this is one reason why I enjoyed it. It never sunk into violence for effect or for the sake of violence. Don't misunderstand me though, plenty of blood is shed.

That is a bit of a recurring feeling for me throughout the film. Every scene is wonderfully almost underplayed. In an era when things are slammed into your face on the screen, “It's Just A Game” goes the “less is more” route. The sex scenes are actually sexy. The slashing scenes are realistic, yet shocking. Quieter moments are used to build the story, not fill time.

By the time the movie was reaching the climax, my mind was racing with possibilities of how it would end. The ending did still manage to surprise me in a great way. Again, there was no big surprise for the shock value. While it might have been shocking, it made sense, while being entertaining right to the very end.

For most of us, the bottom line for any movie is enjoyment. I can suspend disbelief as long as I am entertained. I can overlook many other things, if I am entertained. As I was mentally putting together this review, I couldn't recall any parts that didn't fit, were ridiculous or missed the mark for whatever reason. I simply really enjoyed “It's Just A Game” and recommend it to all. "It's Just A Game" looks to become a cult classic.

As previously mentioned, you can see the “It's Just A Game” trailer on YouTube. You can also follow “It's Just A Game” on Facebook.