Lucky Bastard (2014)

'Lucky Bastard' is a porn website that invites its members to have sex on camera.Shy and awkward Dave G. is chosen by porn producer Mike to have sex with porn star Ashley Saint.But it seems that Dave G. is not as innocent as he appears.I must say that I quite enjoyed "Lucky Bastard".It's a surprisingly clever and absorbing found footage thriller with plenty of sexual activity and graphic nudity.The acting by Don McManus,Jay Paulson and Betsy Rue is especially remarkable.The script offers some surprises,unfortunately the film should be more tense.Still if you are tired of conventional found footage horror/thrillers you may give "Lucky Bastard" a chance.7 murders out of 10.

Robert Nathan's Lucky Bastard fought strict censor restrictions in order to keep its NC-17 rating, effectively making it the first NC-17 found footage film ever made. Wisely so, because an R-rated Lucky Bastard would've been far more inferior than the NC-17 version we got as the final cut. Despite the film being exercised in the genre I run hot and cold with, Lucky Bastard finds incredible ways to be a gripping and suspenseful outing on a genre I wouldn't completely give up on just yet.Just last night, I watched Earth to Echo, a new found-footage adventure for young children that serves as this generation's E.T.. Not only am I fully confident in saying that this is the first and only time the mention of that film and Lucky Bastard will appear in the same review, but I am also saying that through these two films, I have found a reinvigorated sense of what the found footage genre can be if direction and approach are placed in the forefront of the film over gimmicky ideas and momentarily substantial little quirks. Both films have the ability to leave lasting impressions on viewers, especially Lucky Bastard in its often dirty and deeply disturbing nature.Following lowlit shots of a crime scene, the film opens where a young, attractive woman named Casey (Catherine Annette) is being interview for a potential porn video by two men. Shortly after the interview, we see her being viciously raped until another porn star named Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue) walks into the home before becoming overpowered by both of the men. However, a flub by one of the men causes for the staged porn shoot to cut, which is then when we see how this entire setup works. These "rape porn" videos are shot by a loyal cameraman and managed by the cocky and sleazy producer Mike (Don McManus), who is also dating Casey, but of course not exclusively.Following the shoot, Mike approaches Ashley about the idea of doing a shoot for his "Lucky Bastard" website, a site where a random and ambitious fan and subscriber of the series is picked to have sex with a porn star. After much convincing, being that some of Ashley's rules in the industry are no anal sex and no amateurs, she finally agrees, recognizing that she has two young children and several bills that need to be paid. The applicant they settle on is "Dave G." (Jay Paulson), a shy and squirrelly soul, who is clearly nervous about his first time being on camera and shaken when in the presence of the beautiful Ashley. Little else about the film can be said without leading into grave spoiler territory accept that Dave's behavior eventually begins to take a toll on the cast and crew of the "Lucky Bastard" shoot, leading to some incredibly unforeseen consequences.Lucky Bastard defines the rich elements of unpredictability in a film, so much so that just when you think screenwriters Lukas Kendall and Nathan are writing themselves into a corner, they miraculously find a way out and are able to construct another intricate and tense setup just as gripping as the first. Nathan fearlessly orchestrates this idea to the fullest extent, not only bringing to life the smuttiness of the porn industry, but also emphasizing that we (you know who you are) are the people that keep this industry in business. Because we crave and view strange and off-kilter pornography like this is why guys like these are in the business. Should we feel ashamed or should we keep on buying lotion and watching? In reviewers' rants about why Lucky Bastard somehow suffers from a lack of originality, let's hope they don't forget to recognize the great performances at hand here that come from more than Betsy Rue as the porn star, who clearly isn't a helpless, damsel in distress. The performance of the hour comes from Don McManus, who delivers the role of a sleazeball porn producer to such extreme effect, whether he's using his slickness to propel a scene forward, anger to scold and demean, or fear to convince and persuade. McManus shows the extreme diversity of an actor's emotional leverage in one, ninety minute project to the degree that some have a hard time conveying in over a decade in the business. Then there's Paulson, who we can't forget, plays the role of the innocuous and sweet man who doesn't know any better to a vindictive soul with similar leverage and effect to McManus. The unexpectedly refined and winning performances are what keeps Lucky Bastard engaging throughout.However, what keeps the film riveting, never boring, and a rousing great time is just the episodic structure of scenes you didn't expect or predict flowing so well together to create an intense and gripping final product. There is such a cluster of clever ideas and a barrage of different camera angles that work to make the film a consistently exciting great time. Few first time directors can make such an ambitious, gifted product, but Nathan - whose credits include working on the original staffs for shows like ER and Law & Order - uses incredible realism and quietly-vocalized questions to his advantage, creating a tense and well-structured piece of cinema from a genre I previously thought was long gone dead.Starring: Don McManus, Jay Paulson, Betsy Rue, Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette, Lee Kholafai, and Lanny Joon. Directed by: Robert Nathan.

I was expecting a very low budget flick with bad acting filmed on a camera phone. A soft porn disguising itself as a thriller. Not even sure why I watched except something in the trailer told me maybe I was wrong. And I was. Now I'm not going to claim this was great art or anything but it was entertaining and kept my interest til the end.I'm not much for found footage movies, can't stand them really but they did find a way to use a better quality then most by having it take place in a reality show house equipped with cameras everywhere. I think that really helped me enjoy this "found footage" So don't let the FF term keep you from watching.I expected acting to be on the porn level but found it to be much better and believable. The dude who played the lucky bastard was really good. Both when he played the shy kind of frustrated nerd all the way through to the other side. I think I enjoyed his performance most, watching that transition and thinking of the frustrated nerds I've known. Yeah I could see that happening! Overall a decent flick, much better then I thought it would be. I'll give it a 6/10

Lucky Bastard is a "found footage" thriller about a porn website run by Mike (Don McManus) that invites fans to have sex with porn stars. Dave (Jay Paulson) is an eager young fan given a chance to have sex with the fabulous Ashley Saint (Betsy Rue). But everyone gets more than they bargained for in the seemingly mild-mannered Dave... with gruesome results.I am not a fan of the found footage subgenre in horror (if this can be called horror). Since its modern birth with "Blair Witch Project", few of those entries in this category have been better than average. This, I must say, might be the exception. Not only were the cameras not overly irritating, but it actually made sense for the plot of the film to have so many filming at once.The film starts with a rather graphic sex scene by non-porn standards (perhaps not surprising for a film of this subject matter) involving actress Catherine Annette. Now, this scene notwithstanding, Annette is an actress to watch -- she has excellent screen presence and steals scenes, even eclipsing star Betsy Rue (with all due respect to Rue, who more than holds her own). The nudity is a bit extreme, earning the film an NC-17. But, again, this is about porn so that may be expected.Don McManus is awesome, very funny and I love the beard. He is a veteran actor, though perhaps not well known. He is not going to become much more well known from this film, but he should -- he has a great personality, a great look about him, and he is the one character in this movie I really found myself identifying with (whatever that might say about me).In the background is producer Jim Wynorski, whose involvement is not entirely clear to me. I can frankly say this is the best thing with Wynorski's name on it that I have seen in over a decade, probably longer. Also worth notice is editor Tony Randel, a "Hellraiser" veteran. People rarely notice editors, but Randel is worth every penny.Although the plot of this film is rather simple, it was brilliantly scripted. Every camera is accounted for, scenes are made to flesh out characters without dragging on too much. Everyone came to the set ready to act, and this was expertly executed. Well worth a watch.