Memory Lane

Director - Shawn Holmes
Starring - Michael Guy Allen (Super 8), Meg Braden (Bikini Model Academy), and Julian Curi (Up North)
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Sci-Fi/Thriller
Tagline - "Some die to forget.  He dies to remember"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Everyone has the directors they truly enjoy and will buy everything they release.  They also have actors, actresses, and so forth that they really enjoy.  Horror fans have distribution companies that they love and will follow until the end of time.  One of my favorite distribution companies right now is Wild Eye Releasing.  I came across this indie label in 2013 when I first started writing for Horror Society.  Since then I have reviewed every film of theirs that I could get my fat fingers on and on very few occasions I have been let down.  This is a pretty impressive feat coming from an indie distribution company.  Not long ago Wild Eye sent me the film Memory Lane to review.  I could easily tell this film was not a horror flick but a blend of sci-fi and thriller.  This peaked my curiosity and when it was time I tossed this one in to check out.  Thank you Wild Eye for sending it my way.  

     The film follows vet Nick Boxer (Allen) who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  He returns home and is unable to properly communicate with family and friends until he rescues a girl who is trying to throw herself off a bridge.  He falls in love with her and she shows signs of affection for him as well.  This changes Nick for the better.  He starts to interact with people and starts to overcome his PTSD.  He buys her a ring and proposes but she kills herself not long after sending Nick into a deep depression.  He tries to kill himself but his friends and family is able to save him at the last moment and revive him.  He is able to see his fiance before he is resuscitated and starts to believe she was murdered and did not kill herself.   He then becomes obsessed in uncovering the truth but to do so he must die over and over again but is the truth something he can handle?

     In my youth I was ignorant just like everyone else I suppose.  When I realized that horror was my home I rejected all the other genres and when someone would mention sci-fi flicks I would instantly start bashing it.  As I got older I realized that what I was doing was fucking stupid and all genres have something for everybody.  I then caught myself falling in love with the sci-fi genre like when I was a kid watching *batteries not included, Howard the Duck, Enemy Mine, and so many more.  With that being said, I was never really a fan of thrillers with the exception of Michael Jackson's song.  Thrillers always try too hard to fuck with the viewer and it rarely works.  The only thing they accomplish is ruining a story that could have been impressive if it wasn't for the shock value twist.  Memory Lane did not do that at all.  Instead, the film delivers a straight forward story that unfolds very well and does not try to over complicate things.  The acting in this one is decent but lead actor Michael Guy Allen is really not that convincing in his role.  When his character is "normal" and casual, his performance is on point but when he is having a melt down he is hard to watch due to his sporadic behavior.  I know he is trying to play a convincing PTSD victim but he can go about demonstrating these emotions in a different manner.  I have seen several films with a PTSD characters and none of them were handled like that.  The remainder of the cast does a great job as well and it really helps the story flow fluidly.  The story for this one is one that will make the viewer think but is not that complicated and flows very well.  The story involving a man attempting to kill himself over and over again to solve the death of his lover is brilliant.  The story is great and easy to follow.  This is a thriller that gets it.  Sadly, the story does hit several slopes where it slows down for a bit. Finally, the film does not really have any on screen kills, gore, or practical effects so you gorehounds are going to be pissed.  However, you fans out there that love a good story then this one is for you! Overall, Memory Lane is a film for the movie fan that loves a rich story.  The story does have some slow spots but it does pick up and makes the viewer wonder "what if?"  Check it out because I do recommend this one.