The latest issue of SHOCK CINEMA (#26) has just hit the stands, the slick quarterly review magazine of cult movies, arthouse oddities, and drive-in obscurities. There on page 46, under the "Underground Oddities" column heading is our first in-print review of "Usher."

Steven Puchalski, the editor, has supported me in the past (particularly when I was self-publishing my zine "MondoCine" (Click here for a sample)) and I'm happy to report he gave "Usher" a very favorable review. He clearly "gets it" and it's no doubt because he used to work in a movie theatre himself, and understood the mind-numbing boredom that can sink in, as well as the fantasies that cross your mind...

(To learn more about SHOCK CINEMA visit http://shockcinemamagazine.com or drop a line to Steven Puchalski, PO Box 518, Peter Stuyvesant Station, NY, NY 10009.)

From SHOCK CINEMA magazine, Fall 2004 issue. Review by Steven Puchalski.

USHER (2004) www.ushermovie.com. Armed with a keen sense of humor, this strange and wonderful indie feature from director Roger Leatherwood is more than just a clever high concept. It's also a springboard for surprisingly thoughtful characters, conflicts and emotions. When we first meet Ash (Tom Alexander), the guy is having major job problems. He's a professional hitman, but is laid off by the local mob boss after screwing up his last assignment. Even a career criminal needs to pay rent though, so Ash fills out an application at a local movie theatre and is hired as an usher! It's quite a shift in responsibilities – from cold-blooded murderer to dealing with rowdy teens and mopping up bathroom vomit – but Ash brings the same cool, no-nonsense intensity to this crappy job as he did during his previous line of work. This day-to-day routine will be familiar to anyone who's ever worked a job that dealt with the public – from the annoying questions and high-maintenance customers, to the low-energy employees and tedious routine – and Leatherwood nails the situation. Ash is a killer amongst the slackers (including drunk and bored fellow employees, a depressed concession girl and the sadsack manager), and eventually begins to struggle with his own identity, atrophied emotions and interpersonal relationships. Alexander isn't your standard movie murderer, but he quietly inhabits this curious role. Meanwhile, Quinten Gordon co-stars as a jerkwad food service worker who can't anticipate the shitstorm that Ash can deliver when provoked. Shot from midnight 'til 8 a.m. at Leatherwood's day job – a gorgeous retro-style theatre – cinematographer Chris Rasmussen makes good use of the building's normally unseen nooks, while the script by Leatherwood and Adam Aicher veers into unpredictable directions. In addition, if you've ever worked at a movie theatre (like myself), Ash's work habits will leave you smiling, such as when he calmly tosses out a couple of loud assholes by busting one guy's hand. Alas, that kind of situation only seems to happen in the movies.