Michael Burns is a producer and director with a few films under his belt. Proper Binge was co-directed and written alongside Dean Q. Mitchell and tells the story of Buzz. An Appropriate name for a man simply looking to waste his life with as much booze as he can muster. Falling back on a sepia finish, Proper Binge melts away from its initial color opening. Buzz aka Burgess Zwink is a loser, living with his mom and running amok any chance he gets.
While Proper Binge is a story I usually enjoy, Mother of Movies admits only partial investment in the overall film. I didn’t like the characters, none being particularly likable. Besides the film’s epicenter with Buzz, motivations for other parts were not well explained. Interpersonal relationships between Buzz, his best friend, and his girlfriend were topically touched on but never enough to build the angst required for a totalitarian-themed immersion.
Wasting Life is a Way of Life
Set in a small Alaskan town, we are introduced to a bunch of different faces. Buzz’s best friend has a job that requires him to walk around handing out daisies. I am fairly certain his girlfriend is also his step-sister. In addition, he adopts a local vagrant from the streets who wants nothing more than to crawl inside the coffin he has squirreled away like a raccoon.
There are certainly a lot of elements to keep track of and I for one found it rather hard to keep it all straight. The narrative seemed to want me to heed its warnings about living life and being the best person you can be. And I get it when in relation to that upward journey back into the life of the living, inspirational quotes can be uplifting.
Proper Binge
Proper Binge comes closely behind Burns’ newest film Peaks and Valleys. Surprisingly some back-and-forth questions about the film with the director turned up some interesting information. Mother of Movies has watched both, coincidentally back to back. Fans of this film will be keen to know the two features bear some connectivity. Both films reside in the same universe and have some really cool continuity aspects. Of the two films, Peaks and Valleys is by far my favorite, but if you are going to watch one, watch Proper Binge too.
I give Proper Binge
2.5 tiptoe through the daffodils out of 5
Watch Proper Binge on Amazon Prime Video in some countries.
- Proper Binge was acquired as a screener for the purposes of review
- Directed by. Michael Burns, Dean Q. Mitchell
- Starring Bradford James Jackson, Jeremy Blake, Berick Cook, D’Artagnon Moonin, Cassandre Leigh, and Thomas Jacobs.
