Jason Lei Howden

  • Guns Akimbo (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Prime Streaming, September 2021) I quite liked writer-director Jason Lei Howden’s debut feature Deathgasm, so my expectations ran high for his follow-up Guns Akimbo. It does not disappoint too much. Set in the same irreverent, gory, raunchy and fast-paced style as the previous film, Guns Akimbo focuses on a young video-game developer (Daniel Radcliffe, not bad at all) who, after going troll-hunting on the comment section of a popular deadly livestream series, wakes up to find two guns bolted to his hands and a featured role in the next instalment of the series. Pitted against an extraordinarily competent assassin, he quickly realizes that there’s no one else to turn to. It’s probably useless to complain (even as a formality) that the result is far too violent for its own good. Still, the breakneck pacing of the rest of the film helps in making up for it. Howden gets to the action quickly and lets his camera fly to keep us involved: it’s all frantic in trying to keep up with the convoluted plotting, but the approach will make videogame fans feel right at home. There’s a valid criticism that the film is a lot of flash and not much substance, but then again — Guns Akimbo is more comfortable on a shelf next to Crank and Hardcore Henry than anything else more respectable.

  • Deathgasm (2015)

    Deathgasm (2015)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, December 2018) One of the best things about cheaper digital filmmaking equipment and the resulting explosion in smaller-scale independent productions is that it allows a greater number of people to express their point of view. It’s not quite outsider art, but it can often feel like it especially once those movies espouse niche passions and aesthetics. If you’re a New Zealander Heavy Metal fan, for instance, Deathgasm is there for you as it describes the experience of Heavy Metal high-school outcasts in confronting a demonic invasion of their hometown. Riffing off metal aesthetics and gory horror movie tropes, Deathgasm is made by and for a specific audience. In the film’s value system, rocking out is tops, fantasies have you on top of a mountain brandishing a sword while surrounding by cavorting nude girls (a fantasy that’s apparently common to both the male and female lead), and the devil exists … but he can be vanquished by the power of metal. While this is not exactly a unique concept (if I had a movie theatre, I’d try booking a triple bill with Trick or Treat and Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny), it’s far enough from the norm to be enjoyable in its own way. The granguignolesque amount of gore is made palatable by the film’s overall comedic tone and dynamic energy. Hailing from New Zealand, Deathgasm is sure to reach a worldwide audience. I do admire the conviction with which writer/director Jason Lei Howden achieves his own objectives. I’m not a metal-head nor a gore-hound, but I did have a surprisingly good time watching Deathgasm.