Bottom Line: While the rest of the series (everything but the first episode) is now only available on DVD, Girl Number 9 is easily one of my favorite web Thrillers in recent history, and well worth a purchase.

Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, Personal Affairs) and Tracy-Ann Oberman (Doctor Who, Eastenders).

Producers Martin Baker and Pete Coogan are proud to announce Girl Number 9, a dark thriller created exclusively for the internet, in six 5-minute episodes premiering on October 30 2009 at 9pm.

The series stars Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, Personal Affairs) and Tracy-Ann Oberman (Doctor Who, Eastenders), and is written by James Moran (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Spooks, Severance). Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are directed by award-winning feature director Dan Turner, while James Moran makes his directorial debut on episodes 4, 5 and 6.

Vincent Boylan (Joe Absolom) has just been arrested, suspected of being behind the brutal murder of seven girls, but the team only have a limited time to get a confession. If they can’t make him talk, he could slip through their fingers. Detective Matheson (Gareth David-Lloyd), who is leading the investigation, is sent in to try and get some answers. But things soon take a horrifying turn for the worse, as Matheson and his boss Lyndon (Tracy-Ann Oberman) find out that all is not as it seems.

The mystery deepens as everyone is drawn into Boylan’s sick mind games, and each twist-packed episode ends on a tantalising cliffhanger, making every instalment a must-see.

Details

Cast: Vincent Boylan, Gareth David-Lloyd, Tracy-Ann Oberman
Website: Girl Number 9

Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: Girl Number 9

Ratings

Style 4

The only thing I can say about pacing is that I wish the episodes were longer. I mean that in the best possible way. If you watch the DVD version of this you might not see it, but the way the cliff hangers were setup was phenomenal. (Pacing 4)

Storytelling 5

Polish 4.5

This is a dark, moody interrogation serial that will leave you begging for each new episode. While they aren’t paving any new ground with this series, they have managed to take viewers on an extraordinarily entertaining ride. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Fall of Kaden is a strong departure from some of the lighter dramas that make up the majority of web series’ attempt to be serious. It is dark, really dark and it doesn’t ask for any forgiveness from the audience. If you like your dramas closer to The Wire than 90210 you should tune in to Fall of Kaden.

A dark, cinematic Web drama as seen through the eyes of Kaden (Adam Leiphart), a paranoid loan shark out to exact revenge on a wildcard gambler who ran off with his money. Produced by Tape 6 in association with CJP Digital Media.

Details

Cast: Adam Leiphart, Brian Troyan, Diane Hren, Amber Friendly, Joe Andaloro
Website: Fall of Kaden

Blip.tv: Watch Them On Blip.tv
YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook

Ratings

Style 4.5

Pacing 4

This is a dark, punchy drama that hits all the right points. With some episodes closing in on ten minutes long what is most surprising is just how gripping this series is. Kaden’s monologues provide a strong, believable frame for the story, making this a drama worth getting hooked on. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Outside of the language, violence and drug use disclaimers this is a great example of web series drama and a good contender as one of my favorites in the genre. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Compulsions is one of the rare occasions that a show I was looking forward to seeing didn’t disappoint. It’s sharp, well acted and leaves you looking forward to the season two. More than that it shows that an open-ended Thriller can be done and done well on the web, something that other web producers should take note of.

Everyone has a compulsion, most of us fight them, repress them, and keep them hidden. Compulsions tells the story of three seemingly normal people who instead of repressing their dark desires, act on them as emotional outlets.

Compulsions is a serialized dramatic thriller focusing on the internal dark sides of the leads juxtaposed with their “daily lives”.

Details

Cast: Craig Frank, Janna Bossier, Annemarie Pazmino, Seth Caskey, Taryn O’Neill, Sean Spence, Andrew Clemons
Website: Compulsions (RSS)

Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook

Ratings

This is an incredibly stylish Thriller — cold, dark and hard as steel. while the blood effects are a little B grade, the editing and the acting more than make up for it, breathing life into the torture scenes and tying the action of the series together. (Style 4.5)

Pacing 3.5

While I understand the need to maintain mystery, I do wish that they were a little more clear about some of the plot elements. There were times, especially early on, that I had trouble tying the characters into the plot and I was a little lost. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 4.5

Watchability 4

You have never seen anything quite like this in web series land. The story concept is unique, three people letting their inner demons run rampant in order to accomplish some mysterious goal and the acting is rock solid. It is right up there with Girl Number 9 as one of my favorite Thrillers. (Novelty 5)

Overall Rating: 4.16 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: This review is a plea to the people who made Penny Dreadfuls, a plea that they realize what a fantastic piece of horror they have on their hands and keep making new episodes. Horror is hard, actually darn near impossible on the web for a variety of reasons, chief of which is that people usually go for shock value rather than diving into those things that really curdle our blood.

Watch the episodes, leave some comments and encourage the creators to keep turning out this wonderful series.

Darken your day with a little bit of murder, mayhem and other unsettling distractions

Details

Creator: James Arnall
Website: Penny Dreadfuls

Ratings

Style 4
Pacing 4
Storytelling 5
Polish 4
Watchability 4.5
Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Dark and moody, this story has a lot of bite for a series based around what amounts to an ARG. Even with the somewhat wonky chronology you will find yourself quickly drawn into the intrigue if you can piece the story together.

DELETED: THE GAME is an interactive web series that promises to blur the lines between fantasy and reality by drawing viewers into an interactive social game. The 12 episode series begins with Tyler who is struggling to piece together her life after an accident left her with an amnesiac condition. Unexpectedly, she finds herself embroiled in an identity theft conspiracy and feeling overwhelmed, Tyler turns to her new online friends for help. All the main characters eventually become open for interaction. There are hidden trails of clues in each episode, all over the internet and even in real places, setting up a massive search for answers. For their participation, viewers earn points towards weekly prizes including the grand prize of an all-expenses paid trip to do a cameo with the cast.

Details

Cast: Charlene Miller, Shawn Parsons, David Rudd, Brian Seibert, Elia Monte-Brown, Megan Channell
Website: Deleted: The Game

YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Vote For It: Deleted The Game

Ratings

Style 3

Every episode delivers something interesting, the characterization is strong and in general it is a fun and addictive show for thriller junkies. That being said, the dialogue gets a little melodramtic in places but not so much that it will distract you from the overall arc. (Pacing 4)

Storytelling 3.5

Polish 3.5

The story hops around a lot, which does add to the mystery but also takes away from the plots coherence. There are a lot of scenes that are used over and over again with slight variations, which can also be distracting. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Combining hand drawn animation with live action, Drawn By Pain delivers one of the most unique experiences you’ll have the pleasure of seeing on or off the Internet.

Young Emily once watched the world through blinders so the only thing she saw was the page on which she drew. Isolated, she tried to look away as her father gave her mother lessons in brutality from which she could only hide in her mind. But that rage, that fear growing deep within her would surface and once unleashed – could never be re-contained. Ten years older, the demons of old fuel her, empower her and push her to be the very thing she once feared: A monster in her own right.

A dramatic action packed 12-part series in a sea of comedic web content, “Drawn By Pain” engages its audience by leading them through an episodic spiral into one woman’s search for salvation as her animated madness fights for her sanity in the real world.

Details

Cast: Jesse Cowell, Erica Langworthy, Marissa Parness, Elizabeth Plevy, Guy Rader
Blip.tv Channel: Drawn By Pain
Website: Drawn By Pain
Support the Show: Visit The Drawn By Pain Store

Subscribe

Feed: Feed
Twitter Page Jeskid

Ratings

This is a series you have to see to believe. The way they blend live action with animation is absolutely stunning and my only qualm is I wish they had the time to do more of it. Also, the interplay between the main character’s younger and older self and the demons she faces down is the sort of thing you would expect out of a much higher budget production. In all, this is a brilliant piece of work. (Style 5)

Overall the story is fantastic but some episodes seemed to drift, this is especially apparent near the middle of the series when we start to question the protagonists sanity. While I understand what they were trying to accomplish, and they did a good job of doing so, if they had added more exposition it would have helped to flesh out the themes. (Pacing 3.5)

Storytelling 5

Polish 4

This is a complete story in every sense of the word, you’ll find yourself stuck to your seat from beginning to end. Why the 4 then? Well, it’s also one of the darkest web series I’ve seen to date. It deals with issues of abuse, sanity and identity that wil make it difficult to swallow for some more sensitive viewers. If you can get past this you are in for a ride, I couldn’t give a stronger recommendation if I tried (Watchability 4)

Novelty 5

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: If you own or have ever owned an NES this is one of the best things you’ll ever watch. I always knew the mushroom kingdom had some skeletons in its closet.

“There Will Be Brawl” is a non-profit web series designed as a dark, dramatic parody of the popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game for the Nintendo Wii. The Creators of the project are avid fans of Nintendo, and this series has been developed as an homage to the colorful characters of SSBB that we all know and love. Through the hard work of a talented cast and crew, and the support of our fans, we hope to continue to produce a story you will all enjoy.

Details

Creators: Matthew Mercer, Zach Grafton
Escapist Magazine Channel: There Will Be Brawl
Website: There Will Be Brawl
Support the Show: Watch The Episodes At Escapist Magazine

Subscribe

Forum: Forum
Facebook Page There Will Be Brawl

Ratings

I never thought I’d be calling an NES parody “darkly stylish,” but this one is. Between Luigi’s gritty monologues, the strip clubs and the violence this is about as dramatic as the Nintendo universe has ever been. (Style 5)

Pacing 4

Storytelling 4.5

Great costumes, great script, great direction I couldn’t ask for more. (Polish 5)

Insidery isn’t the half of it. This is a series designed for people who know enough about video games to be dangerous. If you don’t, most of the jokes will make no sense and really all you are left with are a bunch of people running around in weird costumes occasionally hitting each other. If you understand the source material this is a dark, edgy parody of the worlds we all grew up with. Each episode is about 10 minutes so save this for when you have a little time to enjoy it. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Condition:Human is one of the most visually stunning and well executed Sci Fi dramas I’ve seen on the web. Once you get over how beautiful it is, you’ll still be drawn in by a story that strays away from the camp that marks many science fiction series’ on the web.

In the near future, man has begun to address the economic and environmental issues plaguing the early 21st century. Rapid technological advancements have changed life dramatically, especially the creation of advanced humanoid robots who have begun to play an integral part in everyday life. Takumi Kenji, the reclusive CEO of Kenji Electronics, and father of all things A.I. has announced the first ever ‘companion’ bots. A model of humanoid who’s interactive capabilities are remarkably natural. As robots continue to evolve their place amongst us we must evolve as well, and as we do society carries the responsibility of answering moral questions that come.

Details

Cast: Kristian Bakstad, Leah Tassey, Arnica Skulstad-Brown, Kasey Ryne Mazak, Josephine Savoldelli, Lloyd Davis, Lani Claxton, Pat Barker, Raymond Wey-Ming Ho, Rob Carpenter
Vimeo Channel: Condition:Human
Website: Condition:Human
Support the Show: Join The Facebook Page

Subscribe

Twitter Feed: Condition Human
Facebook Page Condition Human

Ratings

I really can’t get over how beautifully the effects are done in this show. They are dark, crisp and absolutely seamless. I don’t know what type of budget they had for this show but I haven’t seen a more fully realized world. If you plan to shoot a web series even partially on green screen, you should take notes from Condition:Human. (Style 5)

Pacing 4

Storytelling 4.5

The video quality and effects are absolutely top notch for a web series, however, the audio was a little low and muffled. Considering how interesting the show concept is, it’s frustrating to have to strain to hear it. Let me point out that none of this detracts from the fact that this is one of the most visually stunning web shows I have ever seen. The physical sets are fantastic and the digital ones are close to seamless. I wouldn’t ask for more if this was on network television. (Polish 4.5)

This is a deeply philosophical exploration of humanities obsession with technology and what it means to be human. It moves at a slow, deliberate pace and for some people that might make it difficult to sit through especially since each episode clocks in at over 10 minutes in length. That being the case, if you are looking for some tasty SciFi in the vein of Gattaca this is for you. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

We haven’t seen a really good revenge movie since Ai, I was waiting for something great to come along and Wrath is it. It was written and directed by Sam Hendi, the same person who brought us Gone. Unlike Gone which holds its plot elements close to its chest, Wrath goes straight for the jugular.

Hyette Duffy plays a scorned lover who has kidnapped the woman (Tracy Villiers) who she believes seduced her partner and “forced” him to cheat. The action builds steam as it segues from a low-key monologue to full out verbal assault as Hyette tears into her “rival” and we start to see that maybe, just maybe this woman has a few more problems than a cheating spouse.

This film skirts the line between a character sketch and torture porn, and it chooses the right side, side-stepping violence and replacing it with a carefully crafted look at Hyette’s rapid descent into madness.

Once again, Sam leaves us with answered questions but much like in Gone it’s better that way.

Creator’s Description

Lisa remembers the good times she had with her partner but is there a dark side to their relationship…

Details

Cast: Hyette Duffy, Tracy Villiers
Vimeo Channel: Wrath
Website: Sam Hendi

Ratings

Style 3.5

It’s fast paced without being frenzied, a stunningly well made interpretation of the classic “interrogation” scene. (Pacing 4.5)

Storytelling 4.5

Polish 4

Hyette is incredibly good in her role as the scorned lover, it’s a performance worth watching even if there wasn’t any movie around it. (Watchability 5)

It’s the acting and script that brings this film up, the plot elements have been seen a thousand times before but very rarely executed this well. (Novelty 3.5)

Overall Rating: 4.16 out of 5 stars

I like this one for what it never says.

If that isn’t too cryptic then I’m glad you joined me for this review. Gone is a story of a woman who discovers that the same friends who came out to mourn her sister’s suicide might, in fact, be responsible for it. It’s a story about a diary that tells her the dark secrets that her sister hid away until it was too much to bare. More generally, it’s a story about pain that never gives a single hint as to its source.

That’s the thing about this film, you know that most of the cast are really bad people but you don’t know why. No one really does anything particularly upsetting either, but the implication is that each of them had a hand in the sister’s suicide. It’s dark, confusing and leaves you with more questions than answers. It manages to do all of this while remaining coherent, who can really ask for more?

Creator’s Description

A woman explores her sister’s suicide through the entries in her diary and discovers that her friends might not be who she thought they were.

Details

Cast: Rachel Button, Yeukayi Ushe, Emma Barnard, Laura Lloyd, Solomon Israel, Ana Valerio, Amy Gallagher, Abena Bentum, Stephen Adeluku, Leylan Saad, Kate Shaw
Vimeo Channel: Gone
Website: Sam Hendi

Ratings

Style 3.5

It’s good but It’s a little uneven, it’s starts out really slowly, ramps up near the middle and then slows right back down again in the third act. (Pacing 3.5)

It leaves unanswered questions without becoming muddled in its own sense of mystery. Overall it’s a well executed drama. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

If you really, really need closure this might not be for you, otherwise it is a great watch coming in at just under 10 minutes. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Typically I avoid Art House films. Not that I don’t think they are good (some really are) but because I think it’s a genre with such a limited appeal that it’s not worth sifting through the self-indulgence for the sparks of genius.

In Darkness is an Art House film, a visual poem if you will, and I screened it because it is also very, very good. Like many other films in this genre it’s obscenely dark, if you’re looking for hope and renewal you are in the wrong place. This is a film about death, pain and hate. That being the case, it is also quite beautiful, and it manages to express that beauty without entering into that hyper-kinetic music video territory that many films of this kind do.

There is a lot to praise about this film, it’s visually striking, it’s well acted and the set pieces are incredible. The only thing that takes away from it is that In Darkness does fall into the trap of taking itself a bit too seriously in places, while you can follow the story almost the entire way through the final act is muddled and I needed to view it several times before I completely understood what was happening.

In sum, this proves that experimental film work can be done with grace and style without becoming overly pretentious.

Creator’s Description

Love was cruel to him. The world had shunned him. He only found warmth in despair and misery. Yet the gods lurking within the Darkness weave a tale of their own for this victim of love. Rebirth is on the horizon. Life may yet continue under the smiling face of the darkness. Yet it’ll demand a price…

Details

Cast: Benjamin Blais, Hillary Keirstead, Ahsan Mogul
Vimeo Channel: In Darkness
Website: Enity Films

Ratings

Style 5

Pacing 3.5

A great, dark story about “awakening to darkness” but the slightly muddled third act breaks the flow. (Storytelling 3.5)

Everything about this is beautifully shot. (Polish 4.5)

This is an art house film and it feels like one from beginning to end. If you are completely against the genre, you might want to step away from this one. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Pink is a stylish assassination drama that gets the job done.

Natalie Cross works for the government – any government that pays, that is. Technically, she’s a subcontractor – like Haliburton, only with guns.

She gets hired to hunt down scum and dispose of them – and she always gets her man. Always.

Natalie loves the color pink. As in, “pink mist” (you can figure that one out).

Her prison psychiatrist called her “unstable”. Blame her dad, he was the dangerous one. Old School. Black Ops. And he always wanted a son (that’s why he called her “Nate”). He taught her things like, how to skin a deer and how to fire a rifle. So please forgive Natalie for being a “little girl” in a woman’s body, for wanting a childhood she never had, and for trying to walk away from The Life she was born and bred into.

Prison was a haven for her after she quit, and she’d still be there if her biological clock hadn’t started ringing. So she’s back on contract, working The List. But looking for two men now.

One she’s trying to eliminate. The other… well, she’s got something else in mind.

Details

Cast: Natalie Raitano, Matthew Tompkins, Sheree J. Wilson
Hulu Channel: Hulu Channel
Website: Pink The Series
Support the Show: Visit The Pink Store

Subscribe

Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Pink The Series

Ratings

This show simply drips cool. You have a hired killer committing herself to prison. You have episodes filled with guns, BlackOps, assassinations and angst. If you are a little sick of all your web series being served up with a big side of comedy, then Pink is your place to turn for a little mayhem. (Style 4.5)

The episodes could be longer. They are going with the one episode, one concept model of storytelling but it does leave you wanting and not in that “oh my god what’s going to happen next” sort of way. It leaves you thinking that if they just gave it another minute they could tell a much better story. That being the case, it’s fun, kinetic and the off-screen violence is strangely satisfying. (Pacing 3.5)

Storytelling 4

Everything about this show is top shelf, the camera quality, the directing and a few cringe-worthy lines notwithstanding the script. (Polish 5)

Watchability 4.5

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 4.16 out of 5 stars

I usually have trouble deciding whether to use a “mind-bending” tag because well, I sat through Mulholland Drive and now everything seems pretty normal by comparison. This film got one though because in the realm of “going back in time to save a loved one” films this one has some serious panache.

The premise is pretty simple, a man goes to a parallel dimension to be with the woman he loves. Unlike similar explorations of this concept, instead of hiding away from his double in the new universe and wallowing in angst for about an hour, he decides to cut out the middle man and brutally murder his doppelganger.

As it turns out, this isn’t the first time or the first universe in which our “hero” has come up with this idea so what follows is one of the more bizarre looks at the nature of death and identity that I’ve seen.

Creator’s Description

Sometime in the near future. Three parallel universe, the girlfriend dies in each one, the guys cant take the loss. With an unsecured technology that accidentally made its way to the wide public, They decided to go for a ride to another parallel universe – our universe, in which the girl is still alive…

Details

Cast: Ehoud Eitan, Johanna Thelander
YouTube Channel: Kaus Media Films
Website: Kaus Media

Ratings

I have to respect a world where dimensional transportation devices are left completely unguarded and you have to use a motorcycle helmet as a heads up display. (Style 4.5)

Pacing 4

This pretty quickly devolves into murder porn, which is probably why I like it but does take away from the fact that he’s doing all of this presumably out of love. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 3.5

Watchability 4

Dimensional travel really hasn’t been this fun for a while. (Novelty 4)

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

There is a risk you take when you make a film designed to “prove a point,” and that is that your audience will get lost somewhere inside of that point and lose track of the narrative. While Nothing is a cleverly made and well animated short, it loses itself in this trap.

It’s a story of a company that is trying to sell “nothing,” to do this it needs a marketing campaign so it hires Nobody, a designer who puts together a way to sell nothing to the public. After this setup the rest of the film is a play on these two set pieces that is hysterically funny in the beginning but loses its shine by the end.

Visually it’s really fun to watch and in general it stays on the mark, my biggest critique is that about 2:30 in you get it and you start to wish that the writer found a more interesting direction to take the idea. While it does succeed in panning rampant and senseless consumerism, it does so with a mega-phone and a sledgehammer.

If only for the style and creativity of the animation, I suggest giving this one a look.

Creator’s Description

A Company wants to sell »Nothing« on a large scale and hires Nobody, a renowned designer who creates the adequate advertising campaign and turns out to be an expert in the field of digital hypnosis… A sarcastic view on the advertising industry, ingeniously lived cliches and the contemporary brand hype.

Details

Creator: Ralf Bremer
Vimeo Channel: Nothing
Website: Ralf Bremer

Ratings

A great mix of animation and live action brings this world to life. (Style 4)

Pacing 3

It’s an acid tongued look at advertising and brand loyalty that stays on mark in most places. (Storytelling 3)

Polish 3.5

As well done as it is, the overall theme could get a little grating to some, it’s a position piece and as such you will enjoy it a lot more if you share Mr. Bremer’s position. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.41 out of 5 stars

Usually I use “low budget” as a justification for bad production values, campy execution or generally forgivable silliness in film-making but movies like Ai prove that even when you are working with a shoestring if you aren’t afraid to obsess a little over the details you can create something spectacular.
Plot-wise it is a pretty standard story, it’s an Asian-themed revenge story with a woman whose parents are killed who then trains under a sensei so that she can get revenge on the people who murdered her family. While it won’t win any awards for originality in script writing, it is one of the most well executed movies of this kind I’ve ever seen on the small screen.

Everything from the costumes to the choreography drips style and it looks like some serious time was put in to squeeze every bit of class out of what they had at their disposal. There were moments I forgot I wasn’t watching a scene from a feature film and that’s probably the best compliment I can give a made-for-the-web video.

If there is any downside at all to this film it’s exactly what I mentioned earlier, for all the time and effort that went into making this beautiful, a little more could have been done with the plot. This, however, is only the most minor of gripes and I cannot recommend this more.

Creator’s Description

A young woman, haunted by the memories of her parents being murdered, discovers the truth about herself and her sensei. Inspired by the great tradition of Japanese cinema, Ai is an exploration of themes that stem from the era of the fearless warriors, the samurai.

Details

Cast: Yoshi Amao, Kuwayama “Bob” Yoshihisa
Youtube Channel: Zaffi Pictures
Website: Raffi Asdourian

Ratings

The visual effects are stunning, the action is well scripted and the overall feel of the setting is extraordinarily well captured. (Style 5)

Pacing 4

While it is a classic revenge story is tightly scripted and well executed. (Storytelling 5)

This is a film quality experience, if it was fleshed out a little more I could imagine seeing a very similar movie in theaters. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 4

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: This is one of those series that you need to look at in its entirety to appreciate. The episodes are short and slow moving, but the high concept could make it worth the wait for some.

In a world where no one dies and the sun never sets, an ex-priest enlists the help of a rag-tag band of survivors to find the fabled last remaining entrance into paradise…

Judgment Day has come and gone. Most of the world’s population and all the children have simply vanished. Those remaining cannot die, and do not age. They exist on an Earth frozen in time, where all sources of power and energy have ceased; a world where daylight never ends, nothing works, and the ocean is poisonous.

100 years later, the last chance for redemption rests in an unlikely soul. Steven, a man once of the church, now devoid of all hope or faith spends his days wandering the desolate streets in an apathetic daze. That is, until today.

Welcome to the post apocalyptic world of “After Judgment,” nominated for 6 Streamy Awards! Watch Season 1 of this original sci fi web series, and then delve into the lives of the characters and uncover the clues by watching “Before Judgment,” which contains lost footage of the events leading up to the fall of humanity and the aftermath that followed, as seen through the eyes of the survivors.

Details

Cast: Joel Bryant, Jim McMahon, Taryn O’Neill, Stephanie Thorpe, Monika Jolly, Gregor Manns, Kristen Huff, Mick Theyer, Fesa Salillas, Samantha Colburn, Mike Davies Jr, John Curtis, Andy Gross, Beth Fisher
Blip.tv Channel: After Judgment
Website: After Judgment
Support the Show: See Captain Film’s Other Productions

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RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page After Judgment

Ratings

Style 3.5

The episodes are too short, which makes the story difficult to pick up. Even after you watch a few you are still not really clear enough on what’s going on. Not only that but they have this thing about mixing up chronology which might work if the shows were longer but as it stands it just makes it confusing. (Pacing 2.5)

As stories go this is a really cool premise, the world has ended, the vast majority of people have disappeared and we get to see things from the perspective of the people who have been left behind. They can’t die — not easily at least — they can’t age and the sun never sets. Yes, it does bare a striking resemblance to a major plot premise in Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series but once you get past the first act it starts moving in a much different direction. As I mentioned earlier, what brings this series down is the pace, it’s really designed to be watched back to back and only works when you take large chunks of the story in at the same time. (Storytelling 3)

Polish 4.5

I just can’t give this show my strongest recommendation. I like the ideas a lot but the execution could have been better. The first 30 seconds is usually a recap of the last episode and the last 30 seconds are the credits. That leaves about 3 minutes to build a story, and a good portion of that is monologue or silence. Usually you get one plot element thrown in there, but the wonky chronology makes that hard to put into the wider context. If you like the premise you should give this one a shot, but if you aren’t completely sold on that you might want to look elsewhere. (Watchability 2.5)

The novel series and bad made for DVD movie not withstanding, this is a really original idea. I’d suggest watching Before Judgment along with After Judgment as it really fleshes out parts of the story that might otherwise go over you head. In general, this is an all or nothing proposition, if you aren’t willing to commit to the entire run you probably won’t get much out of this. (Novelty 3)

Overall Rating: 3.16 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Beautifully strange is the best way I could describe this one. I hope that as the series progresses we start to see Dan’s character begin to grow and develop, this could be a lot more than a sketch series.

Dan Humford had an accident.

Now he’s in a coma, forever caught in the infinite white canvas of his own mind, where he’s haunted by memories, personal insecurities, and sometimes candy bars, old girlfriends, and a fetus.

Bite-size at 2-4 minutes each, Coma, Period. is a darkly irreverent comedy about our inept hero, Dan, and the ways he torments and rewards himself in the stasis of being in a coma. Starring comedian and web celebrity Rob Delaney, this actively original web series is hilarious, funny, comical, and as many other synonyms as you can find on dictionary.com.

Details

Cast: Rob Delaney
Strike.tv Channel: Coma, Period
Website: Lead Balloon
Support the Show: Make A Donation (Paypal button near the bottom of the page)

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RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Coma Period

Ratings

Style 3.5

For such a clever premise, it’s too short. Once you get past the intro and the outro you have maybe 2 minutes of actual show. The sad part is that during those two minutes a lot of really interesting stuff is happening that makes you long for an extra minute or two even more. (Pacing 2.5)

It’s still pretty early in the show but I’d like to see a bit more plot progression. Right now it’s very much sketch-based, with every episode completely disconnected from the last. That being said, this show is wonderfully weird and could be fantastic if the writers give us a little more reason to feel for the main character. (Storytelling 3)

Fantastic use of green screen and a lot of fun effects make this a really well put together series. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 4.5

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

ARK is a visually breath-taking look at life, disease and society. When I say breath-taking I mean that in every possible way, the detail and depth of the animation can almost make you miss the strength of the storytelling.

That’s what really strikes me though, the storytelling. Without a word of dialogue director Grzegorz Jonkajtys drags you into this world of desperation, disease and madness. Even though there is almost no action until the final act, you can feel the tension as the protagonist circles around his final decision.

In the world of web animations this is a masterpiece. In fact, any world where this would not be considered a masterpiece leaves much to be desired.

Creator’s Description

An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population.

Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land. So begins the exodus, led by one man…

Details

Creator: Grzegorz Jonkajtys
Openfilm Channel: ARK
Website: Grzegorz Jonkajtys

Ratings

Remember when I said it was breath-taking? Yea. (Style 5)

Pacing 3.5

This is a cast study in strong visual storytelling. (Storytelling 5)

Polish 5

It’s very, very dark and it only gets darker as it enters the third act. If you are looking for hope and redemption, this is probably not your film. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.41 out of 5 stars

Illegal is a short film that follows the story of Daniel who is a young diner owner who hires an illegal immigrant, Carlos, to work for him. Carlos repays this service by claiming that Daniel did not pay him and blackmailing him out of his life’s savings.

This premise is the setup for a gritty and tightly scripted revenge drama. While I would have preferred if they had avoided the standard “interrogation scene” that comes at the end of the second act, the most powerful elements of this film comes during the preamble, where we see how easy it is for dreams to be shattered even when your intentions are pure.

Coming in at 22 minutes, this is feature length by Internet standards but it moves well enough to be an easy watch. If you are looking for a revenge film that’s heavy on character development this is more than worth a watch.

Creator’s Description

Daniel and Jessica are a happily married couple on the verge of realizing the American dream – Jessica is pregnant and Daniel finally gets the money to open a small diner. But when they hire Carlos, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, they find that they are targets of blackmail. With their emotions spiraling out of control, is their love strong enough for them to forgive one another and do what’s right?

Details

Cast: Thomas Blankenship, Tyler Kain, Danny Molina, Chet Grissom, David Pevsner, and Luis Beckford
Vimeo Channel: Illegal
Website: Illegal

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 3.5

What I loved about this movie wasn’t the plot but the execution. The acting and directing are fantastic and while the third act feels a bit rushed, overall the movie has a strongly theatrical feel. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4.5

The dramatic and action elements of this movie mix well. Be aware that it comes in at 22 minutes so set aside a block of time to really enjoy this. (Watchability 4.5)

It’s a well executed but pretty standard revenge film. (Novelty 3)

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Hotels have a rich history in the horror genre. By now you would think that people with seedy pasts would know not to hang out in them. Either way, Do Not Disturb tells the story of a serial killer who has decided to take up residence inside of a hotel to hide away from law enforcement who apparently has something against senseless murder.

It’s dark and moody, with a story the quickly takes a turn for the weird about midway through. In all it’s very entertaining film that looks really polished. While it is a little on the long side for a web video, you still almost wish that the director had more time to explore some of the film’s questions. I wanted to know more about the copycat killer and I wanted more time understand the protagonist – even though we spend just about the entire film right next to him, by the end we are still left without strong characterization.

These minor problems aside this is as good an entry into the web based horror genre as you could ask for, and it makes me hope that director Patrick Rea continues to turn out movies of this caliber.

Creator’s Description

A creepy tale about a mysterious man staying in a hotel, who is visited by a unseen entity.

Starring: Allen Loman as Philip

Details

Creator: Michael Stine
Vimeo Channel: Do Not Disturb
Website: Michael Stine

Ratings

The cards are a little on the cheesy side (Style 3.5)

Pacing 4.5

While I always hope for more character development as a slice of life it works beautifully (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Watchability 4

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: For the closet non-conformist in all of us, Jonathan’s acerbic, ranting squirrel is worth a viewing or ten.

Neurotically Yours is a webtoon created by Jonathan Ian Mathers, depicting a squirrel named Foamy, who is the neurotic pet of a gothic girl named Germaine (voiced by Dawn Bennett). Episodes are mainly located on the Ill Will Press homepage, in addition to numerous external websites.

To date, there are 200 official episodes of Neurotically Yours. There are also a number of fan-produced episodes circulated among various fansites on the Internet. There are also 38 topical rants, which are audio-based rants in which Foamy is talking about a particular topic

Details

Cast: Jonathan Mathers, Dawn Bennett
YouTube Channel: Neurotically Yours
Website: Ill Will Press
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RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Fan Page: Neurotically Yours

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 3.5

Jonathan has perfected his format over the years. The meta-story is solid and each episode packs a pretty compelling arc. Even the rants, which always run to risk of ambling off into oblivion reign themselves in enough to be punchy and not cloying. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 3.5

You’ll know very quickly whether you love or hate Neurotically Yours. It’s dark, it’s opinionated and it can quickly grate on the more sensitive among us. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it. If you are easily bored by rants, you might want to skip this one. (Watchability 3.5)

I can guarantee you have never seen anything quite like this on the Interwebs. (Novelty 3.5)

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars