The digital video revolution is still in its infancy and yet it has already spawned an entire subgenre of low budget "entertainment." DV recorders are now so inexpensive, that video has become the medium of choice for aspiring filmmakers. In theory this is great, because it allows artists an economical platform to express themselves; something celluloid simply can't compete with. Even a low budget feature film, shot on black and white 16mm stock, can run into several thousands of dollars after post-production work. Now anyone with a free weekend and 60 bucks can make a feature length "film." And they are. The main difference between the low-budget DV's of the new millennium and, say, the independent films of the '70's is vision. Video artists seem to refuse to speak in the language of film. It's all 'point and shoot and... scene!' Granted, there have been a few exceptions: "The Blair Witch Project" had a wonderful cinematic energy (which is why it warranted a theatrical release) and the DV productions of Lars von Trier and Danny Boyle at least have achieved a raw, you-are-there documentary feel. But independent product, especially of the direct-to-video/DVD variety are sadly deficient in vision; or anything remotely resembling competent filmmaking.

Is it because most of these DV artists feel that their films will never make it to a theater screen? Do they try a little less because, after all, video is such a disposable medium? Aesthetically DV isn't even close to the rich, textured look of film - regardless of what George Lucas would have you believe. It simply isn't there yet. But couldn't a talented filmmaker potentially take the medium and do something interesting with it? Does it all have to be dull and throwaway?

Well, writer/director Lindsay Graig Shonteff seems to answer this query with a resounding, 'yes!' And it comes in the form of a DV entertainment called "Ice Cold in Phoenix." A feature so pointless, so excruciatingly dull, that it makes the work of the Polonia Brothers (see Carl Lyon's review of "Feeders") seem downright inspiring. "Phoenix" follows the exploits of anti-hero Ryan (the exceptionally uncharismatic Duane Espinoza) upon his return to his hometown. Our lonely drifter, carrying a backpack with only a warn teddy bear and an envelope of 8 dollars, is dropped off by a Phoenix airport. We catch a quick glimpse of his tortured childhood when he pulls out the stuffed bear promptly queuing a poorly realized flashback: mommy was a shrew, daddy was an abusive drunk. Indifferent child actor (as young Ryan) watches the two "argue" before dad leaves in a huff, snatching the boy's teddy. Boy attempts to hold back a smile...

Ryan goes to the airport where he buys a sandwich and, evidently upset at a business man for sneering at him, kidnaps him at gunpoint. From there they drive to the desert where Ryan ties the man up, proceeds with a few minutes of pointless dialogue, then shoots him dead. Instead of getting rid of the body, however, he simply throws it in the back of the van. Ryan drives to his abusive father's trailer home. Ryan confronts him and wants to know why dad never hugged him. Dad tells him to go screw himself and so rejected son leaves. After a short visit to a local park to eat chips, Ryan makes his way to his victim's house where the victim's wife awaits his arrival. Housewife (played with defiant disinterest by Razel Wolf) is immediately tied up and raped. A good 20 minutes of film time goes by as the two of them play out some kind of misogynistic porn fantasy. (The kind where the abused woman secretly craves to be raped and defiled.) And if either actor were even remotely believable, if Shonteff had bothered to write an actual script, the situation might have been extremely unpleasant (a DV "Last House" maybe). As shot, the scenes play out with such bored indifference that any potential drama is rendered superfluous. Is housewife secretly attracted to tortured killer? Does she really want him to kill her already-dead husband? Is she REALLY only 32-years-old?! And, more importantly, will the action ever shift from director Shonteff's friend's admittedly nice home?

Finally, two new characters are introduced: a maid and a pool man. Ryan, of course, systematically kills them both. Then, after putting plastic over the living room couch, asks housewife to have a seat. He leads her to believe (plastic on the couch!) that he's going to leave her unharmed, simply handcuffed. But, liar, liar, he shoots her anyway! Ice cold! Once again in the desert, Ryan Ð from now on referred to as Ice Cold - buries the bodies of the housewife and her husband. Why he doesn't bother bring along the dead maid and pool man is a mystery. So little happens in this film that the exclusion of the two additional bodies could be considered a plot hole. Anyway, with another good 45 minutes needed to complete an actual feature, something else has to happen, right? Well, our sleazy anti-hero picks up a hooker and ends up beating her before engaging in more rough sex. The twist here is that because it isn't shown onscreen it is implied that he lets the hooker live. How unexpected!

The next day, on his way to... 'the road to No Good,' Ice Cold picks up that tried and true softcore-cable clichŽ: the sexy female hitchhiker. Ice Cold really seems to like Suzy hitchhiker (a wooden April Shepherd) despite the fact that she has a boyfriend. The two pull off the road and proceed to have raw movie-sex in the passenger side of the van. Although he has proven himself to be a vicious killer (albeit one with a tortured past), Ice Cold agrees to drive Suzy to California Ð but not before stopping on the way to pick up her boyfriend Cezar. As you can imagine, trouble ensues. Less ice cold than it is tepid...

The hope of reiterating such specific plot information was not merely to inform potential viewers (consider yourselves informed!), but also an attempt to find some kind of hidden logic behind the pointlessness. Maybe, with the synopsis on paper, the hint of metaphor or some nugget of truth might reveal itself underneath that hot Phoenix sun. Alas, there was nothing to be found. The foundation of any good (or even mediocre) film comes from a well-developed script. It is impossible to follow a protagonist (even a flawed anti-hero) when the writer doesn't even know who he is. The screenplay of "Phoenix" (if there actually is one), is frustratingly pointless and ill conceived.

In all fairness, this production does have a few positives in its favor. Director of photography Anthony Miles has a good eye for composition and several of the shots, especially the exteriors, show a little ingenuity. The sound is also superior for an entertainment of this sort and, technically, it isn't as inept as a Polonia Brothers feature but nowhere near as enjoyable. There were a few moments of unintentional humor, most were punctuated by a collection of songs that are best described as "bad 80's hair band." At every inappropriate moment, the same two or three "rock" songs by the same sub-Whitesnake band would intrusively find its way into the soundtrack. It did allow for a few laughs.

There were no extras on the screener copy, but the DVD packaging promises trailers, optional Spanish subtitles and interactive menus. It would be very interesting to view the trailer for "Phoenix" to see how the video company positions this title. Is it a thriller? Maybe a sexy thriller? It's certainly no mystery and far, far away from a Tarantino-type crime saga. The copy on the back of the DVD package is also a bit muddled, leading one to wonder if MTI Video even bothered to watch the production. The sound on the screener was crystal clear and the picture (unnecessarily letterboxed) was very good for a DV-shot feature.

Attention all independent DV artists: please make sure that when you make your next film, try to make it about something. And also try hard to communicate (DV or whatever medium) through the language of cinema. This means creatively telling a story both dramatically and visually. Go for the vision! You can do it! You owe it to yourself and your audience. The indie film gods demand it!