Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

"Cost of Living" is an 8-minute (9.5 with credits) short film from 4 years ago. Basically, for the entire thing we have 2 guys running around and killing monsters. Lots of slime included. While the writer and director Ben David Grabinski is not famous at all, has not made any other movies, the actors in here certainly are. Bret Harrison is probably not that well known, but many may have heard of Brandon Routh. And the voice we hear is actually Mary Elizabeth Winstead. What a waste to not show her really with her physicality. Anyway, I guess they wanted to make this more relevant with the seemingly important words the main characters had to say while slaying evil, but I did not find it really memorable at all sadly. As a whole, a fairly mediocre short film. Not recommended.

Really enjoyed this short. Slick anamorphic cinematography, wonderful sound design, excellent pacing. Everything you want from a feature film experience condensed down to a nine minute short. This was the best Routh has ever been. There's a strong John Carpenter vibe to the whole piece, and Routh fills the Kurt Russell boots nicely. Would love to see him in a feature role like this. The director, BenDavid Grabinski, did a great job shooting this with a tight budget and aggressive schedule (reportedly two days). Let's hope we see a feature film from him soon.The end of the short suggests there might be a sequel. I think the concept of "working-class monster security guards" would make a great feature, so here's hoping that Cost of Living leads to something bigger for everyone involved.