Featured DVD Review: Liars, Fires, and Bears

April 5, 2015

Liars, Fires, and Bears - Buy from Amazon: DVD

One of the best parts of my job is being able to give smaller films a boost in publicity. They don't get much smaller than Liars, Fires, and Bears. There's only one review on Rotten Tomatoes and it is a broken link. Does this film deserve to be seen by more? Or is it being ignored for good reasons?

The Movie

The film begins with us being introduced to Eve. Eve was adopted out of foster care and she's in a therapist's office so they can make sure she's adapting to her new living environment after suffering from neglect and abuse. The therapist isn't liking the answers she is giving.

The next character is Dave, who is in a bar attempting to flirt with the bartender. At least I think that's what he's doing. He's so bad at it, that it is hard to tell. She then cuts him off and offers to call him a cab. To be more accurate, she tells him she's calling him a cab, or she's calling the cops. He claims he's going to go to the bathroom, but instead sneaks out. While this is happening, we see Eve trying to open car doors in the parking lot. When Dave gets to his car, he sees Eve inside. At first, he tries to bribe her to leave, because he knows how bad it looks. However, when the bartender comes out and threatens to call the cops, he claims he has a ride home... Eve.

Eve does manage to get Dave out of the parking lot, but when Dave wants to take over driving, Eve tells him she needs a ride. She needs a ride to Colorado where her brother lives. Dave refuses, but that conversation will have to be put on hold, as first Dave get's busted for DUI and Eve gets caught running away from home. It gets worse for Dave. Firstly, his used his jacket to cover up Eve, because he didn't want to have to explain that to the cops, but his wallet was in his jacket, so he doesn't have the money to get his car out of impound. Then, his apartment is broken into and his TV and computer are stolen. As a result, he buys a gun from a pawn broker. This turns out to be a mistake, but the details go deep into spoiler territory.

Meanwhile, Eve is implementing a new plan to get to her brother, one that involves arson and sneaking back to Dave. At first Dave is upset that Eve is back in his life, but after all that's happened to him the past few days, including what is about to happen to him that night, he's given up pretending he's in control. And with that, it's a road trip to Colorado. ... After stealing his maybe girlfriend's car. A lot happened to him in just a few days.

This is the first feature-length film for the director and co-writer, Jeremy Cloe, as well as the two stars, Megli Micek and Lundon Boyd, the latter of which co-wrote the screenplay. It is based on a short film, Sad Story, which was made by the same group. This explains why the two leads have such good chemistry together. It is the chemistry between the two leads that is the highlight of the film. (The pair even won awards at the Vegas Indie Film Fest, while the film won Best Feature there.) The film also does a marvelous job balancing the humor and the more emotional aspects of the movie. Finally, while the film cost less than $100,000 to make, it didn't feel like it.

The Extras

There are two featurettes on the DVD. The first is a 6-minute making of / interview featurette. The second is a 3-minute featurette on the set dressing for Daniel's house.

The Verdict

I really hope more people check out Liars, Fires, and Bears. It is an excellent Indie film and the DVD is definitely worth picking up. I look forward to seeing what Jeremy Cloe, Megli Micek, and Lundon Boyd do next.


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Filed under: Video Review, Liars, Fires, and Bears, Megli Micek, Lundon Boyd, Ashley St. George, Luke Jones, Melody Melendez, Charles Cantrell, Jeremy Cloe