"Late Phases" (2014)

Watched "Late Phases" (2014). I think I should just come out & say that I now consider myself a big fan of horror actor Nick Damici. I first took notice of him in "Mulberry St." and then he floored me with his role as "Mister" in "Stake Land". And now in "Late Phases" he gives what I think is his best performance to date. Here he plays a blind retired Vietnam veteran named Ambrose who, just after moving into a retirement community, is the victim of an attack by a werewolf. Knowing the werewolf will no doubt return on the next full moon, Ambrose spends the next month sniffing out suspects and preparing himself for battle with the beast. In reality though, this is more a film about a man who lives with regrets and knows his time is short (hence the title). As excited as I was to see a new werewolf film (as they've always been my favorite movies monsters), I actually enjoyed the film because it was more character centered, and the the performances really pulled me in to where I actually forgot I was watching a film about a werewolf. In fact, the only real complaint I have about the film is the werewolf itself, as it's design does stand out as looking a bit too "Muppet" like. Still, at least it's practical FX and not CGI (and besides, if I could overlook the less-than-stellar werewolf effects in one of my all time favorite films, "Ginger Snaps", I can certainly ignore them here as well). 8 out of 10 for me.