Change Your Image
agyar
Reviews
The Ten (2007)
horrible
somehow, this was labeled a comedy. these guys are so self-satisfied they have no capacity to scrutinize their work. you know, weed out unfunny stuff, force yourself to step it up. these feel like the result of some late-night pot smoking session by 14 year-old boys. how these actors signed on for this is a mystery.
i was at a screening at SXSW and watched half the audience walk out. morbid curiosity drove me into my seat. how bad would it be? the answer: horrible.
Kudos to the actors for giving it their best shot. the only good one was #2.
Unknown Soldier (2004)
engaging economical and ultimately moving story
i guess this was ultra-low budget. It kind of feels that way but it was interesting. I felt like things kept moving forward, i didn't know where it was going and maybe that's what i liked. I also liked that this young black guy is just a regular kid, not some alpha-male with a chip on his shoulder, which seems to be the stock black young man.
For me the ending really elevated the whole thing. they didn't try to make some big giant statement. they just showed us an image that lead us to believe L was going to be okay. I liked that. the director didn't tie it up in a nice bow. it's the kind of movie that should have an open-ended finish.
All in all i'd say it was strong enough to recommend because I found myself thinking about the story the next day. I didn't expect that, but there i was wondering about this guy while i was waiting for the bus. How many low-budget movies stick with you like that?
Things That Hang from Trees (2006)
boring
This film is a bore. i like unconventional, foreign and art films, but they have to have a character or story element that holds some kind of interest. this lacks any interesting element or character. Unger is strong, and her character could have saved this film, but alas, it just doesn't happen. for me there is nothing worse than an art film that is filled with clichés. weak effort.
I guess the biggest problem was the script, but it's the director's responsibility to recognize those problems and turn clichés into original and interesting characters, or dispense with them. when the boys father shows up and is a nasty a**hole, it's just another eyeball rolling moment. This film is loaded with them. although it looks good and is shot well enough, the story-telling is just amateurish.