Blood From a Stone
2010 · 10m · USA
Directed by Bill Palmer
Genres: action, comedy, satire
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, theatrical
A send-up of irresponsible 1980s action cinema: a muscle-bound renegade cop battles a spider-worshipping cult in 1986 Los Angeles.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Finally—a film that actually *gets* why 80s action is absurd instead of genuflecting at its altar. Palmer's spider cult gambit is the kind of premise that makes you laugh at the audacity, then realize he's dead serious about the bit, which is exactly when it works.
A competent pastiche that understands its source material, though it operates more as affectionate parody than formal interrogation; the theatrical staging is assured, but the film doesn't quite achieve the tonal precision that separates homage from genuine critique.
The choice to play every frame with complete conviction—no winking, no irony hedging—is what sells the absurdity; that deadpan commitment transforms what could've been a skit into something with actual weight.