DVD Review: A Perfect Place
Ipecac
Director: Derrick Scocchera
Words: Aubrey Bramble

Mike Patton is no stranger to the world of entertainment. Most famous for lending his lead vocals to the bands Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, and Peeping Tom to name a few, he has also enjoyed a successful career as collaborator, producer, and - more recently - as both an on-screen and voice-over talent in feature film. (Anyone who caught I Am Legend in theaters this holiday season got an earful of Patton whenever the undead antagonists parted their bloodthirsty lips.)

With the upcoming release of A Perfect Place, a 25-minute short film directed by Derrick Scocchera of Fantoma Films (one of the largest producers and distributors of special interest and auteur films), Patton can now add film score composer to his constantly evolving, tumescent resume.

Touted as a modern stab at traditional Film Noir, "A Perfect Place" plays out a bit more like a finely aged episode of the popular black and white mid-Twentieth Century serial, The Twilight Zone, or its genre-sharing cousin, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Starring The Devil's Rejects' Bill Moseley and Batman Begins' Mark Boone Junior, the film is also reminiscent of early buddy films along the lines of Crosby and Hope or Lewis and Martin, but markedly darker and with a more sarcastic flair.

The film is fun, but nothing to write home about. The lighting is too bright for real Film Noir, and although the set design, wardrobe and dialogue are period consistent, the automobiles are glaringly modern. The rhythm suffers as a result, and disintegrates the overall vision just enough to annoy. Moseley and Junior make a believable pass at Average Joe dialogue, and they play well off one another, yet the narrative lacks the meaty core necessary to sustain viewer interest.

Perhaps most interesting is Patton's score, which unfolds flawlessly and beautifully from start to finish; his interpretation of post-WWII melody is spot-on but with an intriguingly original twist. His compositions propel the soporific action forward and save the production from ending up in the black hole of short film oblivion, but just barely. If he continues to explore the world of film scoring, I think we will all be pleasantly surprised, enticed, and rewarded by his efforts.