THE PRIVATES (2017)

THE PRIVATES (2017)

Tagline: Nope.

(Sci-Fi, Comedy, Maybe Radioactive Do Not Touch) [Short]

This whole area here, it’s incredibly unclear what’s going on in this area. 

In this one ‘Kep” is doing an acoustic induction inhibitor test with a high-flux density oxide formula to see if her theory is correct. She is in a band called “The Privates” that doesn’t exactly share her enthusiasm for science and even kind of poke fun at her for it. Anyway, the test goes haywire and sets off the fire alarm. This isn’t the first time ‘Kep’ has started a fire with her experiments. Can ‘Kep’ get the band going for a big show tonight where “Pool Party Eddie” is attending and “Pool Party Eddie” parties. His parties usually end up getting social media buzz which could help the band.  The band has a bigger issue, their music is causing radioactive energy they can’t control. 

First off, I freakin love ‘Kep’ as a character. She is one of those friends you want around just because her curiosity and attitude are infectious. The rest of the band is okay, Max reminds me a lot of Scott from SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. 

There is a funny part in this where Max is losing his cool and states that they are all a little high-strung right now, but he is the only one wigging out. I also liked how they basically have the most dangerous band on the planet and somehow make it work. It’s also possible they will all die on any given night. 

Acting wise we get Rachel Trachtenburg who plays Roka Kepler. She is headstrong, but not as science-oriented as ‘Kep’. Rachel is a good actress, but for some reason seems to mostly do shorts. She is probably best known for the indie film DIAMOND SOLES. ‘Kep’ whose real name is Sasha Kepler is played by Lilli Stein. She crushes this role and has been in several big TV shows including “Blacklist” and “FBI Most Wanted”. Alex Herrald plays Max. I am not a big fan of his character but he does a great job in the role. Herrald is best known for TOP GUNNER: DANGER ZONE. Rounding out the main cast (pretty much the only cast) we get Omar Maskati who plays Ben. Ben has done a lot of safety stuff for the band and no one is taking him seriously. Omar is also pretty good in this role and is best known for the TV show “Better Call Saul”. 

The pacing in this is pretty quick. There aren’t really any emotional scenes and there is no character development so to speak. It also appears that they are dragging the tempo in practice so there’s that. I thought the interaction between the 4 is pretty good and actually reminds me of a lot of my friends when we were in high school. We all stuck together, but we argued from time to time and some of us were obsessive and others were mellow, curious, etc. 

I think what draws me to this is that it's something that could have been in a band practice scene in SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. Having said that, they probably skipped what could have been the best part of the film to keep things short and it feels like we only get part of what could have been a larger more interesting story. Still, 18 tape decks down the drain so, just this 11 minutes is costing the band quite a bit of money. Also, everyone should own a Geiger counter. This is not some big expensive tool; you can get them at Wal-Mart for like $30.00. I know that sounds like a joke, but it’s not. They are actually that cheap. 

Overall this thing isn’t perfect, it left me wanting more, but when it comes to shorts that isn’t always bad. For me, this was pretty fun, but the best I can give it with what we got was a 5 out of 7. It’s more like an episode of a series than a complete story. 

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