It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

THE LATE NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE is another throwback indie feature from director Christopher R. Mihm, made on tiny budgets and shot in black and white. They're conceived as tributes to 1950s cult cinema with deliberately retro styliings and a low-fi look. Mihm usually makes feature-length productions but these two came up short so he put them together as one. The first, X: THE FIEND FROM BEYOND SPACE, is a generic bit of fun about a space crew attacked by a man-in-a-suit alien. The second, THE WALL PEOPLE, is about unusual child abductors and less successful as the budget is too low to do the story justice. The films are too cheap to really work but at least they don't outstay their welcome too much.