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Released by: Wild Eye Releasing
Released on: March 24th, 2015
Director: Shawn Holmes
Cast: Michael Guy Allen, Meg Braden, Julian Curi
Year: 2014
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The Movie
Memory Lane is the debut feature from writer and director Shawn Holmes, who-together with a group of equally inexperienced actors-are clearly doing their best to make the most out of what is an intriguing premise, namely that of a troubled war veteran who keeps attempting suicide in order to uncover the basis of what he believes to be the murder of his fiancee.
It's a shame, then, that the end results of Memory Lane are less than stellar, thanks primarily to the aforementioned lack of experience from the actors involved, most of which deliver performances which range from simply forgettable (Michael Guy Allen in the lead) to amateurish (Julian Curi) and grating (Meg Braden as said fiancee). The script from Holmes and co-writer Hari Sathappan is certainly interesting and clearly indebted to other mind-bending sci fi films-such as Memento, for example-but the film itself struggles to project its characters to us as people about which we should care, as an audience.
The love story between Allen and Braden's characters is stilted and unlikeable, the same with his relationships with other characters in the film. There's zero chemistry to be had, and it's apparent early on that there's not much for us grab as an audience with these characters. It's the composition, framing and editing where Holmes shines, however, as most of the shots here on Memory Lane are tight, composed and even beautiful at times, particularly when Allen enters his dream-like state of "Memory Lane," after shocking himself in a bath tub full of water.
This isn't enough to save the film from being a tough sit, even though Memory Lane only clocks in at 70 minutes. Holmes may be a talented technician, but this film is still a ways away from being a success.
Video/Audio/Extras
Wild Eye's DVD of Memory Lane looks sharp and clear, but suffers from some muffled audio, making conversation between some of the characters difficult to really decipher. This may be a fault of the set-up or acting, but either way, the end results aren't really anything about which to write home. There are plenty of extras to make up for that, however, including a director's commentary from Holmes which is fairly matter of fact when it comes to production notes and behind the scene info. It must be said, however, that there's quite a bit of dead air spots, without any audio intrusion from the film itself, making this a challenging listen.
Holmes also introduces the film's deleted scenes, short films and screen test segments, all of which to a great job at exposing all of the work Holmes and crew put into finishing the film. Finally, promotional videos and teaser trailers all expand upon the Memory Lane idea with plenty of hype and arresting visuals, making this a fully stacked disc for those who did enjoy the film.
The Final Word
This writer, unfortunately, did not dig Memory Lane. Holmes' film is nice to look at, and clearly showcases some dedicated people behind the scenes, but the end results don't really achieve the power or goals they have in mind.
