Yet another faux found-footage flick, “Vlog” chronicles the events in the weeks leading up to the 2008 murder of the cute, busty and sexually promiscuous webcam addict and vlogger Brooke Marks (played by Brooke Marks; my quick research reveals she’s a real-life, NSFW web model who, it should be noted, is very much alive).
Roughly the first half of “Vlog” is comprised of Brooke performing her “Brooke Marks the Spot” webcam rants and routines clad in her underwear. Not mere eye candy, she displays a surprising sense of humor and ease in front of the camera. If only we could get rid of the dumb cartoon sound effects she uses in her virtual program. We also see her interact with friends, boyfriends and the occasional enemy in the real world.
One night, she receives a mysterious message on her answering machine from a mysterious and obviously distorted voice, giving her a mysterious IP address leading to mysterious clips under the umbrella title of “How to Erase People from the Face of the Earth” (regrettably, the mystery man has rendered said title in Comic Sans).
These clips show Marks’ aforementioned associates and acquaintances being offed in ways that would make Jigsaw smile with pride. One guy’s head is painstakingly sliced off slowly. Another person is electrocuted in the bathtub, then covered in hydrochloric acid just for science’s sake. Yet another becomes the victim of a bong secretly filled with explosives.
That last one comes complete with an instant replay, which is oddly hilarious, as is the murderer’s deadpan narration: “Always remember to print driving directions from your murder scene to your local incinerator.” I imagine the humor was intended by writer/director Joshua Butler; since he helmed episodes of some great, underrated genre TV series of the early ’00s, including “The Invisible Man” and “Good vs. Evil,” I guess it’d can’t be the result of incompetence. Well-played, Mr. Butler, well-played.
If the sight of blood and guts doesn’t send your palms directly over your eyes, check out “Vlog.” It’s a gore show that also has the goods in the sarcasm, satire and smarts departments. —Rod Lott
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2011.