If you are someone who wishes to one day make movies, watch Failure. I first saw Failure on IFC I was instantly drawn to it because I am also an aspiring film maker. This is one of the most real documentaries that I have ever seen. There is no Hollywood ending to this film, the actors don't magically come through at the end, his goof ball best friends don't pull it together and take it seriously, he looses equipment, and UV the dog does anything but help. The documentary is commentated by Chris. His sarcasm and dry humor is great. It makes you laugh but also shows his frustration with the movie. I haven't gotten to the DVD commentary but it is done by Chris and his two goof ball friends, I can only imagine how funny that'll be. All the footage is either home video, previous films that Chris made in college, and cuts from the failed movie. This film a great for anyone who has a good half hour on their hands, I highly suggest you go out and see Failure.
3 Reviews
Very Good, but it could have been Great with Better Editing
TimeNTide19 July 2008
I've seen this short film on IFC a couple of times.
Chris Suchorsky, amateur filmmaker and self-proclaimed "dumbass", attempts to make a shoestring budget feature film which turns into a comedy of errors. Three years after shooting, he reads an article about the film "Lost in La Mancha" and decides to finally abandon editing his original film and to make this short film about his failure to make the original film.
The first six minutes of the film and the last four minutes of the film are very interesting, insightful and funny. This includes the clever opening credits, his statement of failure, and his amusing biography on the front end, and includes his sporadic editing of his original film, his "genius" decision to "turn crap into gold" by making this film, and the very funny closing credits on the back end.
The middle 20 minutes of the film details all that went wrong on a day by day account of the six day shooting schedule. The problems include renting equipment that he doesn't know how to use, getting drunk one night and leaving the equipment at a friend's house (who happens to be out of town the next day), having no crew, actors/actresses who don't keep their scheduled shooting commitments, and many others. But the biggest single problem was attempting to use his "idiot friends" as actors, and invariably ending up with footage of them drinking beer, goofing off in front of the camera and cracking up every time they try to deliver a line.
The only problem I had with this otherwise fine short film was the editing of the middle 20 minutes. The day by day account got a bit tedious, especially when we started seeing the same stuff over and over. There were way too many clips of his annoying "idiot friends" cutting up in front of the camera, and it quickly became painful and lasted long after we got the point. It was like watching stoners who crack up and giggle at everything... even though nothing funny is happening. And then, there were repeats of the same stuff. I'm mean... c'mon... how many times do we need to see the footage of UV the dog humping a blanket, or that one guy squeal "You had sex with my momma!".
Overall... a very good 30 minute short film, but with some better editing, it could have been an excellent 20-22 minute short film. And read the small print closing credits carefully... some funny stuff there.
Chris Suchorsky, amateur filmmaker and self-proclaimed "dumbass", attempts to make a shoestring budget feature film which turns into a comedy of errors. Three years after shooting, he reads an article about the film "Lost in La Mancha" and decides to finally abandon editing his original film and to make this short film about his failure to make the original film.
The first six minutes of the film and the last four minutes of the film are very interesting, insightful and funny. This includes the clever opening credits, his statement of failure, and his amusing biography on the front end, and includes his sporadic editing of his original film, his "genius" decision to "turn crap into gold" by making this film, and the very funny closing credits on the back end.
The middle 20 minutes of the film details all that went wrong on a day by day account of the six day shooting schedule. The problems include renting equipment that he doesn't know how to use, getting drunk one night and leaving the equipment at a friend's house (who happens to be out of town the next day), having no crew, actors/actresses who don't keep their scheduled shooting commitments, and many others. But the biggest single problem was attempting to use his "idiot friends" as actors, and invariably ending up with footage of them drinking beer, goofing off in front of the camera and cracking up every time they try to deliver a line.
The only problem I had with this otherwise fine short film was the editing of the middle 20 minutes. The day by day account got a bit tedious, especially when we started seeing the same stuff over and over. There were way too many clips of his annoying "idiot friends" cutting up in front of the camera, and it quickly became painful and lasted long after we got the point. It was like watching stoners who crack up and giggle at everything... even though nothing funny is happening. And then, there were repeats of the same stuff. I'm mean... c'mon... how many times do we need to see the footage of UV the dog humping a blanket, or that one guy squeal "You had sex with my momma!".
Overall... a very good 30 minute short film, but with some better editing, it could have been an excellent 20-22 minute short film. And read the small print closing credits carefully... some funny stuff there.
What a refreshing piece of material!
bigapplechickNYC14 June 2006
This overly honest portrayal of a hopeful filmmaker's journey is not only hilarious but touching and entertaining on so many levels. It's excellent for those couch potato's waiting for life to start, and just might make you get off your a$$ and start living the life you should. This director is talented, whether he realizes it or not while making this film, it's irrelevant - he has the audience interested and on his side from the beginning. We all want him to finish his movie and you can't help but to root for him! The hurdles he faces are ones we all can relate to and the friends and actors he works with are all personalities we all know too well (including the humping dog). This director is the next Kevin Smith/Zach Braff, no question. A must see for aspiring actors, filmmakers, or those who just can't get their a$$ off the couch to finish anything! WATCH IT!!!
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