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In the independent drama "Lightning Bug", Bret Harrison stars as Green Graves, a tormented dreamer whose only aspiration is to become a horror film makeup artist. Graves struggle to reach his goal is plagued by his unlucky mother, Jenny (Ashley Laurence) and his new highly abusive stepfather, Earl (Kevin Gage). But Graves does everything in his power to keep dreaming and to help that dream stay alive is his girlfriend and amateur actor, Angevin Duvet (Laura Prepon).

"Lighting Bug" is a relentless drama about one boy's struggle to overcome his abusive surroundings. Everything from his alcoholic stepfather, hopeless mother and white trash surroundings are all key plot points to keep this boy in check. What is strange about this film is that it is being marketed as a horror film when really it's an unforgiving drama.

The best part of this film is the stalwart performance by Bret Harrison, who is a relative newcomer to film. He has so much emotion and personal depth in a lot of scenes. He is a great find. I will look forward to seeing more from this kid.

I have always liked Ashley Laurence and her portrayal of a lost white-trash single mother is captivating and so unforgiving that I often forgot it was her.

Another thing I really liked was the film's original music from singer-songwriter Kevn Kinney. It brought so much extra flavor to the film.

The biggest problem with the film is that it never lets up. It is just so depressing and relentless the audience is never allowed to breathe or laugh. I also really got annoyed with the sub-plot involving Laura Prepon's character's mother. This is such a tedious subplot to create even more conflict for the boy. He gets enough at home.

If you happen to see this film, enjoy the performance of Bret Harrison but prepare for a very bumpy and dark ride. (3 out of 5) So Says the Soothsayer (dwkish@shaw.ca) DVD Details: "Lightning Bug" will be released from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment on August 9. The DVD features 2 audio commentaries with director Robert Hall and one featuring Ashley Laurence and Laura Prepon. The DVD also includes a music video from Kevn Kinney and some deleted scenes. The DVD itself is smartly packaged and it is amazing how much extra stuff there is here for such an independent film.

I bought this imported DVD misguided in its genre. I was expecting a horror movie, based on the cover of the DVD, and the sentence: "The Most Frightening Monsters Are All Around Us" highlighted in the back. However, "Lightning Bug" is a powerful coming-to-age suspenseful drama, with an excellent direction and acting. It is difficult to highlight individual performances, since I would be unfair with this stunning cast. However, the sick and disgusting devoted character of Ms. Duvet, magnificently played by Shannon Eubanks, irritated me with her hypocrite life and behavior. The Region 1 DVD has a beautiful package and many features, but unfortunately it does not have English subtitles or closed caption. The accent of some characters of this small Alabama town where the story takes place is quite difficult to be understood by a foreigner, and I lost some words along the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Not Released"

the movie starts off with Jenny Graves driving to a new small town with her 2 kids. she talks like a normal smart person but the very next scene she looks and acts like a dumb backwoods hick. i feel the movie moved along to quickly for the first quarter , all the actors except for Green Graves and his brother acted WAY over the top as dumb as a post hicks. i was almost going to turn it off.... but it improved greatly once Angevin duvet (Laura Prepon)character appeared. the story being told is OK but nothing special and in no way shape or form is this a horror movie. why is IMDb listing so many movies as horror lately? it is a drama with a small bit of thriller. 7 out of 10

I picked this one up at the video store because Prepon is on the cover, and being a huge That '70's Show fan I like to see other stuff that the cast is in. I was glad I did get it as it was very well acted by everyone in the film. The characters were very believable whether it was a psycho religious mom or a redneck teenager. The story was pretty simple and in this case that's not a bad thing. I also found it interesting that Prepon was exec. producer. I think anybody that has or has had aspirations of getting out of their hometown to make it the entertainment industry will relate to this movie on some level. It also goes to show that you shouldn't overlook a DVD on the shelf of the movie store just because it hasn't had a big theatrical release.

A drama/thriller, set in the South, about a young boy who longs to escape the misery of his childhood and the misunderstanding of his hometown...

I have known about this film for many years, being a serious horror fan and thus a fan of both Robert Hall and Ashley Laurence (both very nice people, by the way). Not until now, with the Blu-Ray release, did I finally get around to checking it out.

Robert Hall impresses. How much of this is autobiographical and how much is not is hard to say -- I suspect it is much more dramatic than the real story. But it works here, and is legitimately frightening in a way that horror films are not -- abuse is a serious fear for many people. Spousal abuse and child abuse are sadly all too real.

The religious aspect I am uncertain about. There are obviously religious people in the South, and I think the film did a good job by showing that not everyone in town thinks Halloween is Satanic (the line for the haunted house is pretty long). I wish they had explained more about how the church was or was not Bible-based...

I know this is based on the writer/ director's real life and I am curious exactly how much detail is as usually some is fictional for theatrical purposes. Either way, this movie has enough going on to hold your interest throughout.

I had the honor of seeing Lightning Bug a couple of months ago. It is a movie that has it all. It is beautifully written and directed by the very talented, Mr. Robert Hall. It is wonderfully acted by such stars as Bret Harrison, Laura Prepon and Hal Sparks, to just name a few.

A must see for any person who has ever had a dream and strived to achieve that dream. Green (Bret Harrison) has a dream. To leave this small rural town and make it big in Hollywood. Designing and building monsters for television/movies. This story is about his hard work, dedication and loyalty to his dream, regardless of the "monsters" in that small town trying to stop him. Will he make it? Will he and his newfound love, Angevin, leave the town and all the monsters behind?

Excellent movie!

Here we go again... "Lightning Bug" is a noble attempt to inject some innovation into the Teens-Coming-Of-Age subgenre, but remains too grounded in convention to properly solidify its earnest intentions. It drips with sappy sentiment, caricatured characters, and a woefully familiar plot that pits Religious Kook against Independent Thinker. Brett Harrison plays a teenage boy with dreams of becoming a Hollywood makeup man; Laura Prepon is the secretive girl whom he loves; Ashley Laurence (who gives one of the film's worthwhile performances) is his put-upon mother; and Kevin Gage (the other worthwhile performance) is the brutal drunk who dominates over the family. Set in the South, God-fearing zealots come out of the woodwork to derail Harrison's goals, as does Gage's blue-collar drunk. Writer-director Robert Hall infuses the film with some affecting passages (Laurence, from "Hellraiser," invokes genuine sympathy), but too often seems to be putting "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" through a horror Cuisinart, with only moderate success. Worth viewing, but certainly nothing spectacular.

Fantastic performances by all. Prepon moves boldly away from her most famous role (Donna; That 70's Show)with ease. It is sad to know that many families go through this stuff everywhere in the world. Not recommended for families with abusive situations! It was great to see the film show support for a teen with dreams outside of what the adults wanted. The DVD has a ton of extras and I was really surprised by the amount since this is an "Indy" release. I loved the ending since it kept all in their true character form. If you watch the deleted scenes you will get more out of the older brother's character and watched the "Making of" featurette for a good amount of the actors' love for this film.

Lightning Bug is an amazingly honest movie that touched me in more ways than one and I hope everyone gets a chance to see it. The cast is phenomenal and includes talents such as Bret Harrison, Laura Prepon, Kevin Gage, Ashley Laurence, and Hal Sparks just to name a few. Robert Hall brings to life the very real issues of domestic violence and chasing your dreams no matter what people say. It immediately captures the audience's attention and holds it until the end. The music fits in perfectly with each scene and actually adds an extra element. The film allows you to laugh, cry, and cheer throughout pulling from the audience a whole spectrum of emotions. I definitely recommend this movie.

A woman (Ashley Laurence) and her 2 kids leave Detroit to go live in a trailer in a small town. One of her sons, Green (Bret Harrison), aspires to become a special FX artist for horror films as well as the boyfriend of local video rental goth girl (Laura Prepon.) Mom has a bit of a drinking problem and a new boyfriend who likes to beat up on everyone, but the local religious zealots may prove to be an even bigger obstacle standing in the way of Green's dreams. "Lightning Bug" is an intense coming-of-age drama that will stay with you long after you eject it from your player. Ashley Laurence is terrific and almost unrecognizable here, channeling Mary Louise Parker southern gal from "Fried Green Tomatoes." Look for a "wink-wink" to horror fans where Laurence's character is grocery shopping and picks up a Fango with Pinhead on the cover for her kid.

Robert Hall makes his debut as a writer/director with one of the most moving and genuinely entertaining films to hit the big screen this year. This is no Hollywood production, and thank goodness for that. Who needs Hollywood hacks when you have REAL talent. From the semi-autobiographical story of a young man overcoming incredible obstacles to realize his dream, to the amazing ensemble cast, this film will capture your mind and your heart. And don't expect an unrecognizable cast. You'll see many familiar faces here, and performances that may both surprise and amaze you. Bret Harrison, Laura Prepon, and Hal Sparks are just a few of this film's finest attributes. Coming soon (hopefully!) to a film festival near you! And if the sell-out crowds at the Philadelphia Film Fest are any indication, distributors should be lining up to get this film into theaters all over the country.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film twice at the Philadelphia Film Festival where it had the highest attendance of the nearly 300 films featured. It sold out both showings and earned a third showing as one of 15 films selected as the Festival Favorites. Audience comments at the Q & A sessions following the showings were extremely positive. LB was recently featured at the Trenton, NJ festival where it won an award, and can be seen at the upcoming Brooklyn Film Fest & the Boston International Film Fest in June.

I strongly encourage you to get out and see this film! It is a well written, compelling story that draws you in. The juxtaposition of light-hearted, comical scenes with some downright disturbing scenes kept the audience on the edge. Throw in some spectacular performances by the actors ( my favorite - Kevin Gage as the drunken stepfather) and you have a winner!

This is a solid offering from writer/director Robert Hall and it is WELL worth your time to check it out!

Really enjoyed this flick! Wonderfully shot, excellent cast. A bit dark, but plenty of humor and drama mixed in. Green (Brett Harrison) is a great lead character and his acting was fantastic. The whole cast did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. Some were downright hilarious! Uncle Marvin (Don Gibb) had to be my favorite. Totally over the top and outrageous. Really loved the way the story wrapped. Unpredictable and original. Some of the lines were so funny, I laughed out loud. Some moments so heartbreaking, it made me tear up. I love a good independent film and this is one of the best I have seen in a long time!

I had the great pleasure of seeing this movie at its world premiere at the Philadelphia Film Festival on April 9, 2004. It is a movie that will grab hold of you and take you on a ride, incorporating many genres of film. It has many moments of laugh out loud comedy, jump out of your seat horror, thrilling scenes of tension and suspense, and many touching and poignant moments of drama. The development of all the characters is done in such a way that you cannot help to like every single one of them. I swear to God that the character of Billy Martin (played to exception by George Faughnan) went to my high school! And if you don't fall for the Southern homespun witticisms of the character of Mr. Tightwiler (portrayed by Bob Penny) then I feel sorry for you!! And the dramatic range and emotion showed by the two lead characters of Green Graves and Angevin Duvey (Brett Harrison and Laura Prepon) is an insight into these two actors that we have not seen in their previous work. I loved seeing this film so much that I caught the second showing the very next night, and there were many things that I hadn't caught the first time through! I would highly recommend EVERYONE to go and see this movie, you will NOT be sorry.

for relatively novice writer/director Robert Hall and producer Laura Prepon et al., be praised, you have raw creative talent. i saw this film at Philly film festival and was amazed at the depth of plot and level of character development, with only the religious themes being a little cliché or overdone. i recommended the film to all my friends but found the most negative thing working against the film was its limited release, but that's the name of the game in the film business, isn't it, the distribution and how successful one can be in this regard. i have seen the film offered on the Amazon.com website, but only wish more of the general public and laura's fans from T70sS could have seen it. wouldn't that have been nice if Laura could have met Tom Cruise and had him to do the distribution?

For me, a film buff who has seen LOTS of indie films, Lightning Bug truly shows the indepedent spirit. This is a wonderful, heartfelt, semi-autobiographical, story of a young man struggling to find his way in the world and out of the rural south to become a success as a special effects artist.

I have had the chance to see the film twice. Once in a small private screening and then again at the Philly Film Festival with a large audience. While I loved seeing it privately, seeing it with a large audience was incredible. The reactions of the crowd was very telling. The audience reacted with laughter, clapping and quiet reverence throughout the screening. Everyone was truly engaged in the film.

Directed by Robert Hall, with an excellent cast, this very touching film is a must see!!!