Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Beta Test Blu-ray Movie Review

American Nympho.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 13, 2022

Writer/director Jim Cummings has made quite a name for himself in just a few short years, coming in hot with critical indie darling Thunder Road before taking a detour with The Wolf of Snow Hollow, both of which defied their impossibly small budgets with memorable visuals, interesting stories, and a real knack for efficiency. Both also starred Cummings as a curiously similar central figure (a neurotic, insecure police officer) whose emotional instability and outbursts made him a magnetic subject, even if the well-worn genre trappings of Snow Hollow proved to be a less satisfying outlet for his particular brand of black comedy. His latest project The Beta Test is a collaboration with PJ McCabe, who joins him in writing/directing duties after appearing in both earlier films and a few of Cummings' early shorts, including 2017's The Robbery. Among other things, The Beta Test examines yet another fragile male mind in full collapse, this time set against a three-pronged backdrop of shady Hollywood agents, infidelity, and digital footprints.

It's a surprisingly comfortable fit for what seems like a seamless transition into new-ish tonal territory for Cummings. He once again stars as ambitious young talent agent Jordan Hines, who's due to be married to sweetheart Caroline Gates (Virginia Newcomb) in a few short months but clearly dreads the prospect of monogamy. His daydreams -- or hallucinations, really -- grossly exaggerate the perceived interest of other women and, combined with Jordan's staunch avoidance of past vices (alcohol, smoking, even coffee), this restless behavior bleeds into his professional and social lives too, from fruitless attempts to land lucrative Chinese client Raymond Lee (Wilky Lau) to the harsh treatment of a new assistant, Jaclyn (Jacqueline Doke). Jordan's whiffs of infidelity manifest fully on the day he receives a foil-stamped purple envelope in the mail; it's an invitation for no-strings-attached sex with "an admirer" at a local hotel, where he even gets to choose between all manner of tawdry options like a dinner menu. Blindfolds are mandatory.

Eventually, Jordan's impulses get the best of him and, as expected, the brief encounter does nothing but nudge him further away from his fiancée; it also drives a wedge in his friendship with co-worker PJ (co-director and co-writer PJ McCabe), who distances himself from Jordan after digging up some dirt on the envelope's origin. But Jordan's main adversary can be seen in the mirror, as his particular line of work -- a slick-talking talent agent struggling to compete in a potentially dying industry -- forces him to eventually re-evaluate his compulsive dishonesty with everyone, including himself. As the envelope mystery deepens, so too does the potential of him finally owning up to his mistakes.

Tonally, The Beta Test owes tribute to several existing films, from Cummings' earlier work to clear inspirations like American Psycho and the output of David Fincher, including The Social Network. That's good company to be in and, to its credit, The Beta Test still manages to carve out a mostly unique identity despite its similarities to these films. It's also acted extremely well, from Cummings in his magnetic lead role to even the smallest supporting character, and a number of unique A/V touches -- covered briefly in the technical sections below -- offer proof that the creative team was in control of the film despite working with limited resources. In short, The Beta Test is more dependably solid work from Cummings and, though not a total breakthrough effort for the director, it's yet another standout independent film that will hopefully lead to bigger and better things hopefully still fueled by the same do-it-yourself spark.

Much like Cummings' first film, The Beta Test was a fully crowd-funded affair but shrewdly traded in Kickstarter for Wefunder, a resource that actually gives investors a return on their money if profits are eventually made. It's nothing if not an interesting way to generate support for independent projects and, as evidenced by the film's ~$300,000 budget (which creates a mostly† seamless atmosphere), a legitimate option for aspiring directors of all ages. [Please note that I am not endorsing this resource in any official capacity, nor was I one of The Beta Test's financial backers.]

The Beta Test arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of IFC films, delivering a solid A/V presentation but sadly no extras.

† - It's hard to fault The Beta Test for working on a tight budget, yet it's also impossible to ignore some of the film's cheaper-looking moments. The worst of the bunch ends its opening scene, a bloody death by way of window tossing that's so wholly unconvincing that it's almost painful. Maybe just show it from a different angle?

The Beta Test Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

IFC Films' single-layered Blu-ray proves sufficient real estate for this all-digital production (a movie-only disc with barely 90 minutes of total content), whose 1080p transfer features all the highlights and occasional drawbacks of its high-definition source material. In the right lighting, fine detail and textures are quite impressive, with modest depth and an overall smooth but not waxy appearance that carries with it occasional noise and only a few mushy but fleeting artifacts. Low-lit and nighttime sequences are a bit more problematic, where noise and waxiness appear more regularly while gamma levels fluctuate a bit more more than expected -- nothing too out of the ordinary, but black levels often lean towards dark gray. Still, The Beta Test is clearly well-shot and framed nicely at 2.39:1, save for a brief period during its final sequence where it opens up closer to 2.00:1 (screenshots #24-25); this is clearly a deliberate choice and mirrors Jordan's newfound openness with his fiancée, although it's tough to explain without venturing into spoiler territory. Needless to say, elements like this are what make me give films like The Beta Test the benefit of the doubt, as they're clearly crafted with a specific purpose in mind and that level of detail is always appreciated.

The Beta Test Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix offers a suitably but only occasionally immersive sonic experience, since dialogue does most of the heavy lifting. Exceptions include the original score by Jeffrey Campbell Binner (a few well-placed classical pieces are also featured), which often aims for a more enveloping experience while occasional style flourishes add weight to Jordan's sporadic hallucinations. Other more tangibly suspenseful moments, like the grisly opening sequence and a bit of breaking-and-entering in its third act, likewise dial up the surrounds to increase tension without feeling too overcooked. It's fine treatment, all things considered, although the optional English (SDH) subtitles may come in handy if you need help deciphering some the film's rapid-fire retorts. Another helpful inclusion is an optional 2.0 Descriptive Audio track, which to be honest was not expected on a release of this type.

The Beta Test Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No extras here; a huge disappointment, although a few scraps can be found online. (This is a good starting point.)

The Beta Test Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Beta Test will be of great interest to the growing fanbase of Jim Cummings, who shares writing and directing duties with co-star PJ McCabe in an erotic thriller-comedy that sits right at home in his existing body of work while also feeling like anything but a lazy re-tread. Story-wise, it owes a bit too much to other films to be considered a truly original work (at least in comparison with Thunder Road and The Wolf of Snow Hollow) but still remains a consistently engaging film that's very well acted and, aside from one very questionable bit of CGI, pretty damn seamless considering its ultra-low budget. IFC's Blu-ray is sorely disappointing from the perspective of bonus features, but its solid A/V presentation and reasonable price tag make The Beta Test a recommended blind by for curious newcomers.