Hill, Masons and Aliens If you see this movie, you will be very lucky. But only if you are a fan of the Back to the Future franchise. The thing is, after watching "The Hill and the Pad" You will feel like Marty McFly, who miraculously fell into the distant past. Where about special effects have not heard anything, but already tried to do something in this direction.
The first paragraph (the one above) is of course pure water. “Hill and the Trench” from Bill Darmon and Christopher Ernst (it is possible that this is the pseudonym of Constantine Ernst) is a vivid example of an incomprehensible and frankly hulking film project that you want to forget as soon as possible.
According to the story, a certain employee of the Federal Land Administration named Tom Digby comes to the area to make calculations. On the maps that fell into his hands there is no strange hill about 30 meters in height, but Tom sees it with his own eyes. Accordingly, this cartographic inaccuracy must be corrected. Tom is attacked by very aggressive locals, because of which the main character has to flee. Well, then the plot leads the viewer along with the unhappy Tom into the secret of the local town, directly related to the...
But this is exactly what this mystery is connected with must be thoroughly smoked, because the screenwriters Bill Darmon and Fritz Leiber put on paper all their delusional thoughts that only arose in their inflamed imagination. There is no other way to explain the presence in the picture of Freemasons, the violent madness of people flowing into the scorched demon-obsessed muzzles that eat the earth, as well as aliens. Some writers tried to show, but what exactly, apparently, they themselves did not understand.
Although the beginning of the picture can be intriguing. So, as the "Hill and Trench" began, really good projects began. A long view of the camera of local landscapes, sound design in the form of natural sounds of nature (rustle of grass, cicadas), the figure of a small man against the background of nature that surpasses him many times. In a word, beautiful. And in terms of landscapes "Hill and Trench" give pleasure, because in some episodes the operator successfully catches the frame, building a light yellow field with lead-drenched dark blue clouds. But that's the only thing to praise the movie for.
The plot falls into outright nonsense and starting as a thriller film turns into a frank stalking thrash, in which only the directors themselves understand. From the scenes that follow in the mix, it is difficult to build a big picture and understand how the main character’s dreams are connected with Freemasons, what role the guys who pursue Tom play in all this and why he is already the ninth cartographer who came here.
The so-called special effects deserve special mention. I’ve seen this before, perhaps, in “Langoliers”, but that film is already quite old, and “Hill and the Trench” is a fresh “creation”. But even so, it seems that the film was edited in the first versions of Pinnacle Studio or in the standard editing program Windows. We are not talking about any graphics at all, and special effects are limited only by red lights superimposed on the frame extremely ineptly and ugly. Oh, and there is also the open heavens, at the sight of which seasickness occurs, although you stand firmly on land!
Of course, everything is dancing from the budget and it is obvious that “Hill and the Trench” had zero. But if so, you can do without such a game and try to play on nature!
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
Enjoy your visit.
2 out of 10