Had this movie sitting in my Netflix account for months, because it looked interesting, and the desperation to find some really good horror films. Went to it last night and stayed with it, then got into it, then it's abrupt ending. It brought up some remembrances of Jaws, Halloween, and yes I have no use for those films where you only have the view of one of the characters holding a camera. If the director meant to end the film this way, bad, bad, bad. Just about everything was left hanging. More should have been resolved. If his intention was to do a sequel, but the money dried up, then I'm sorry. You were getting there but it ended badly.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Lying
(2006)
actors looking for some help
7 September 2012
OK, let me start with I love the work of Jenna Malone, Chole Segivny, and LeeLee Sobieski. And over the recent times have wonder why I haven't seen Malone and Sobieski. If people had seen them in this, might never work again, not that anything they did was bad, actually I can't say anything bad about any of the actresses in the movie. But this is a movie that just does not go anywhere. Are Malone and Gross lesbians? Is there some strange plot behind Segivnys actions? Why does one of the characters stand in a field waving what looks like metaphor flags, is she warning someone? I stayed with it to see where it was going, which was nowhere. This was made because the director got boring trying to get his real movie off the ground, "The Wait - 2011" and he had already had Malone and Segivny attached to that. The failure of this film rest totally on the director and writer (one and the same). While Malone and Segivny both seem to prefer working with independent films, why after doing this one did they follow through with the other? Maybe they know the director, owe him a favor. But after this film I would have thought they might have found a way to gracefully back out.
Dakota Skye
(2008)
Time to go independent...
29 September 2009
There are no bad guys, exploding cars, or anything else that so frequents Hollywood's expensive films.
Our disillusioned heroine, who knows that everyone lies, even herself, leads her life day to day with no thought of the future, has stopped looking for someone, anyone who doesn't lie, almost as if she has stopped looking for happiness.
What you get here is a film put together with love and care that explores real situations with real people. How love finds you when you are not looking for it. The chemistry between the leads is perfect, and you can easily forget that this film is an independent without that big budget backing it up.
Take the time and go on a journey with some real people who find that choices are not easy, even when it pertains to your heart.
Our disillusioned heroine, who knows that everyone lies, even herself, leads her life day to day with no thought of the future, has stopped looking for someone, anyone who doesn't lie, almost as if she has stopped looking for happiness.
What you get here is a film put together with love and care that explores real situations with real people. How love finds you when you are not looking for it. The chemistry between the leads is perfect, and you can easily forget that this film is an independent without that big budget backing it up.
Take the time and go on a journey with some real people who find that choices are not easy, even when it pertains to your heart.
The Guitar
(2008)
Not perfect but enjoyable
18 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The "Guitar" by Amy Redford is in no means a perfect work of art, though such things are subjective via the history of the viewer. I found the film entertaining, and work by Saffron Burrows above average. Her portrayal of everyday worker who receives about the worst news a physician can give, with a deadline on top of it. (There are also other issues involved on that fateful day, which are better off left to unfold themselves.)
(Possible spoilers)************** It is not about someone who decides to go out and spend her way to her end, it is a about a person who has been told all her life she can not have the life she wishes, and decides to spend those last days with her best friend, herself. Fate does not offer her a chance to stay with that, as a number of people come into her life, and some surprising new friendships evolve.
It is also about getting that one thing you were always denied, and even with so little time left, a resolve to learn how to use that item, though no one but you will know of your accomplishment. For this is what I believe the movie is about, the main character's quest for something that had been denied by family and practicality of character. For it is about Burrow's character allowing herself a chance to dream, to reach beyond herself.
I was never sure just exactly how the film would end, but knew that once she had gotten that dream guitar of her's, her and the guitar would end it together.
If you want a movie about character, and characters you can feel and care about, I would say try this one.
(Possible spoilers)************** It is not about someone who decides to go out and spend her way to her end, it is a about a person who has been told all her life she can not have the life she wishes, and decides to spend those last days with her best friend, herself. Fate does not offer her a chance to stay with that, as a number of people come into her life, and some surprising new friendships evolve.
It is also about getting that one thing you were always denied, and even with so little time left, a resolve to learn how to use that item, though no one but you will know of your accomplishment. For this is what I believe the movie is about, the main character's quest for something that had been denied by family and practicality of character. For it is about Burrow's character allowing herself a chance to dream, to reach beyond herself.
I was never sure just exactly how the film would end, but knew that once she had gotten that dream guitar of her's, her and the guitar would end it together.
If you want a movie about character, and characters you can feel and care about, I would say try this one.
Hard Candy
(2005)
2 thumbs up
22 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This isn't meant as a long description of the movie, for it is to be seen to be appreciated. The subject matter, the 14 yr old girl allowing herself to be lured to meeting with an "older man" well have some (and has in previous comments) calling foul, how can they make a film like this. But subsequently it is not what it would seem, for it is about a young girl with a purpose.
There actually is only three actors who have a part in this film, of which Sandra Oh's part is at best a cameo, but one with a purpose. The two leads, Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson, are the movie. Neither holds back and allows themselves to become the characters, both of whom become real, and at times leaves you wondering which one to sympathize with, which one holds the real power, which is the spider, and which is the fly. And not till the end does the real truth come out.
You don't need exploding buildings and big gunfights to have a great movie, all you need is a good script and excellent actors to put it across. It is well worth an hour and half of your time. You will grimace, you will cheer, you'll possibly even have some disbelief of what is taking place, but you will moved.
There actually is only three actors who have a part in this film, of which Sandra Oh's part is at best a cameo, but one with a purpose. The two leads, Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson, are the movie. Neither holds back and allows themselves to become the characters, both of whom become real, and at times leaves you wondering which one to sympathize with, which one holds the real power, which is the spider, and which is the fly. And not till the end does the real truth come out.
You don't need exploding buildings and big gunfights to have a great movie, all you need is a good script and excellent actors to put it across. It is well worth an hour and half of your time. You will grimace, you will cheer, you'll possibly even have some disbelief of what is taking place, but you will moved.
DarkWolf
(2003 Video)
Story in search of a a good script (possible spoilers)
7 August 2006
This is the prime example of low budget, winning over what would be a good story line. Let's bring back Samaire Armstrong (having seen her work on the O.C. I know she can do better), then find a better script and budget.
The special effects were so bad, and mostly badly computer generated, that it almost lost me with the first time the wolf was seen on-screen. And Samaire Armstrong's (alert!)changing into a werewolf was done by reducing her at first to a bad GCIF figure before she even begins to change(Final Fantasy's humans, as well as Pixar's made these laughable, think of the figure as a nude Barbie Doll).
The story of was interesting, though the idea of bloodline in werewolves is nothing new. As it also got into the balance between evil, (maybe) not so evil, and the possible end of human-kind should the two lines mate. The subplot of a "book of werewolf linage" which effected some of the other characters in a spell-like manner for a while was effective, but could have been expanded more in explaining what had happened in the past.
Bring in a better script and direction, and I'd come back again.
The special effects were so bad, and mostly badly computer generated, that it almost lost me with the first time the wolf was seen on-screen. And Samaire Armstrong's (alert!)changing into a werewolf was done by reducing her at first to a bad GCIF figure before she even begins to change(Final Fantasy's humans, as well as Pixar's made these laughable, think of the figure as a nude Barbie Doll).
The story of was interesting, though the idea of bloodline in werewolves is nothing new. As it also got into the balance between evil, (maybe) not so evil, and the possible end of human-kind should the two lines mate. The subplot of a "book of werewolf linage" which effected some of the other characters in a spell-like manner for a while was effective, but could have been expanded more in explaining what had happened in the past.
Bring in a better script and direction, and I'd come back again.
9 Songs
(2004)
An interesting effort
7 March 2006
I came across this film purely by accident, and then found the negative comments drawing me in. Truthfully this film is not that bad. While at best, ratings wise, it would fall somewhere in the lower middle, but if you are someone who likes to sample Independent films out there, there could be a lot worse ways of spending your rental.
Basically its the story of a romance told in parts through the mind of the male side of the couple. It uses of varying concerts to cover the different stages of this relationship, thus the title of the movie. While the movie is told from the male's side, you do get her point of view on the relationship by what she says and does. He thinks long lasting, more permanent, while she is interested in just the romance of the moment.
While the actors spend most of their screen time engaged in sex, the realness of it did not seem to offend me as it has others. While some condemn it as pornography, I would tend to want to use the terms honest and daring. You could only make this movie using young actors, who were not afraid to take chances. Having listened to the interviews on the DVD, it was more obvious the chances being taken here, as the dialog was mostly improvised.
While the movie has a short running time, the concert pieces at times could see almost padding. From the interviews and discovering that there was not a short shooting schedule (thought they said ten weeks) I wonder what footage was left out, as going a bit deeper into the relationship would have been more helpful. If you like independent films don't avoid this, unless you have problems with nudity and sex. It just reminded me of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (a totally better film) in that if I had let the frequent overuse of the "F" word chase me away, I would hate to think of his other movies that I would have missed.
Basically its the story of a romance told in parts through the mind of the male side of the couple. It uses of varying concerts to cover the different stages of this relationship, thus the title of the movie. While the movie is told from the male's side, you do get her point of view on the relationship by what she says and does. He thinks long lasting, more permanent, while she is interested in just the romance of the moment.
While the actors spend most of their screen time engaged in sex, the realness of it did not seem to offend me as it has others. While some condemn it as pornography, I would tend to want to use the terms honest and daring. You could only make this movie using young actors, who were not afraid to take chances. Having listened to the interviews on the DVD, it was more obvious the chances being taken here, as the dialog was mostly improvised.
While the movie has a short running time, the concert pieces at times could see almost padding. From the interviews and discovering that there was not a short shooting schedule (thought they said ten weeks) I wonder what footage was left out, as going a bit deeper into the relationship would have been more helpful. If you like independent films don't avoid this, unless you have problems with nudity and sex. It just reminded me of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (a totally better film) in that if I had let the frequent overuse of the "F" word chase me away, I would hate to think of his other movies that I would have missed.
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