13/40
In this 19th-century supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must rise from nothing to hero, defeating hundreds of beavers to become the greatest fur trapper in North America. The film’s estimated budget was around $150,000. Director Mike Cheslik estimates that the mascot costumes cost around $10,000, and the crew purchased all of the costumes online. After Watson Beaver “passes out,” his mustache falls off and lands in the snow as he stands up. He uses it again in the next scene, even though he walks away without putting it on. Reference: Film Junk Podcast: Episode 940: Immaculate (2024). Jean Kayak and Acme Applejack Written and Produced by: Wayne Tews Designed and Co-Produced by: Karl Landwehr. I saw this film at the Nightmare Film Festival. It’s not in the horror genre, but I wanted to write a review anyway. I should clarify that this is not usually a movie I like. However, seeing it with a crowd as midnight approached was a fun experience. The film’s antics by co-writer/star Ryland Brickson and Cole Tews also add to the story. I should also mention that it premiered in Ohio. This movie stars Jean Kayak (Tews), who has an orchid and makes strong cider. He’s a drunk who likes to party. One day, beavers show up and ruin one of his large barrels that held the cider. This causes everything to collapse and now it’s winter. Jean has no luck finding food and is struggling to survive. Jean then goes into the fur trade. Watch as a bearded man makes a lot of money. So much so that the guy running the stand, Doug Mancheski, wants him to marry his hairier daughter, Olivia Graves. Jean works his way up to become a trapper, which puts him at odds with the beavers of the area. They’ve created an epic dam that has a lot more going for it. So, I kind of knew what I was going to find here, having seen a previous Tews film called Lake Michigan Monster. It’s along similar lines. There’s CGI and animation for the backgrounds. These techniques are also used for character movement, and just generally to spice it up. This has been going on for a long time, and I’m impressed. What helps is that we don’t have a lot of dialogue. They sometimes present it as a silent film, we even have title cards. It’s also reminiscent of cartoons where our characters didn’t speak. It sounds cheap, but what you have to do is a lot harder than it looks. They follow that idea of ​​telling a narrative story without using a lot of dialogue. The things you see become repetitive. I’ll admit that by the end, I was exhausted and ready to go home. I don’t want to downplay that, though, because it gets harder and harder to stay awake every day as it gets closer to midnight. However, I have to say that this movie is made for a movie experience or to invite people over for a drink and just enjoy the time spent watching it. I understand that there are people who hate it. I tell you, as someone who likes serious and dark movies, this is a movie that will cleanse your palate and if you let yourself go, you will feel great. I didn’t even mention that all the animals are just people in costumes. This makes it even better with the antics we see. If you have the opportunity to see it in the settings I mentioned, don’t hesitate to watch it. My rating: 6 out of 10.