This
controversial film from Director Gus Van Sant was inspired by the
Columbine school shootings. Most of the movie shows an ordinary day in
the lives of several students, and teachers. We see one person’s point
of view right up to the moment the shootings will begin, then reverse in
time and follow another person to the same moment. Van Sant uses the
technique well to create tension, and the actors do a good job creating
believable characters. When the violence finally takes place, it
definitely makes an impact.
Unfortunately, while a great deal about ‘Elephant’
impressed me, at the end I didn’t really feel like I had “gotten”
anything out of it. The movie just half heartedly trots out the usual
suspects like violent video games, easy access to guns, school bullies,
and absentee parents without showing much enthusiasm for any of these
explanations. I guess I was hoping that an exceptional filmmaker like
Van Sant might have a little more to say on the issue. Still, I have to
say I’d recommend watching this movie if you’re not turned off by the
subject matter. The performances are excellent, and the movie has
several good scenes. I only wish it had added up to more in the end.
(Bob Ignizio)
Life
is a strange little thing. As we get older, we find we sometimes know even
less about things than we did before. Sometimes, we need some help in
finding knowledge. This is what Eric Saperston decided, and so he set out to
find that knowledge. This trip became the movie, "The Journey", which is a
pretty good documentary that will leave you feeling pretty good when it's
over. The film takes you through the trials and tribulations of trying to
get that knowledge, and the hardships of making a documentary film. He takes
some friends along too, which add to the plot. You'll be surprised at some
of the big names who offer support, like Billy Crystal and Henry Winkler;
the latter becomes a big part of the film. This is a movie that will uplift
you and open your eyes, and your brain, to the questions life brings us.
(Eddie Fleisher)
This
doesn't get released into theatres until August, but I am going to
review it anyway because it is really good and I like hyping things up
that I enjoy. Also, it would be a shame if this movie fails, because it
has more scares and suspense than almost any horror movie I have seen in
the last two years. So when it comes out, please go see it. ‘Open
Water’ is about a couple, Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel
Travis). They are having some troubles in their relationship, so in an
attempt to fix things, they take a vacation. They decide to go on a
scuba diving trip, but after their guide miscounts all the people on his
boat, they are left behind, in the middle of the ocean, to fend for
themselves. The rest of the movie shows them trying to survive.
This movie was shot on digital video and, even
though it has been transferred to 35mm film, it is still quite obvious
it was shot on video. That is not a bad thing, just that it is
noticeable and I hope it does not scare away the nerds who are used to
$100 million Hollywood crap fests. I do not think the fact that it was
shot on digital video hurts it at all. In fact, I think it makes the
whole thing seem more real. The only other bad point I can think of is
that the dialogue between the characters, before they get stranded, is
just plain bad. It's hard to tell whether or not it is just badly
written or badly acted because, as a whole, it sucks. Don't worry
though, because once they do become stranded, the acting and dialogue is
perfect. Some of the conversations they have while stranded are
fantastic actually, which is good, since I was afraid that it was going
to be 90 minutes of, "Oh my god! Help us! We don't want to die!"
There is some of that, but the movie does not focus on that, and that is
a good thing.
The best thing about this movie is, much like the
film ‘Session 9’, the whole thing carries this great sense of dread
throughout. And it gets worse and worse as the movie goes along. The
tension is fantastic while you wait for something new to pop out or
something else bad to happen. You watch this movie knowing that scary
things are going to happen, and it is really nerve racking waiting for
those things to happen. I'm not lying when I say that there are some
top notch scares in this movie. Also, I would like to say that the
ending is nothing like I expected it would be, and the director gets
extra stars for that. Like I said before, it will be a shame if this
fails in the theatres, because it is a really good scare movie. It does
start out pretty weak, but stick it out until they get stranded and I
promise that you will not be disappointed. (Edward Black)
You’ve heard of
books on tape? This is a book on film. No, I don’t mean an
adaptation. This feels like everything, right down to the "voice of the
author" third person narration, is taken word for word directly from the
original short stories written by director Rebecca Miller. I don’t need
that omniscient voice constantly blathering on about the action when I’m
watching a movie. Film is a visual medium. Show me, don’t tell me.
The pretentious pronouncements uttered by the narrator probably come
across less so on the printed page, where the reader can use all the
vivid description he or she can get. Here, the lines just feel
ridiculous, constantly pulling the viewer out of the film.
That’s too bad, because the stories are
interesting. Parker Posey, Kyra Sedgwick, and Fairuza Balk each take a
turn at center stage in three thematically linked segments in which
their characters examine their pasts while struggling with the present.
The actresses do a good job, at least when director/writer Rebecca
Miller relaxes long enough to let them. But it’s only a matter of time
until the next annoying voice over comes along giving play-by-play.
Other than that, Miller shows promise as a director, giving her film a
distinctive look and capturing some nice imagery. If only she would
have trusted more in her visual techniques to carry the story, this
would have been a better film. (Bob Ignizio)
This
controversial film from Director Gus Van Sant was inspired by the
Columbine school shootings. Most of the movie shows an ordinary day in
the lives of several students, and teachers. We see one person’s point
of view right up to the moment the shootings will begin, then reverse in
time and follow another person to the same moment. Van Sant uses the
technique well to create tension, and the actors do a good job creating
believable characters. When the violence finally takes place, it
definitely makes an impact. 
Life
is a strange little thing. As we get older, we find we sometimes know even
less about things than we did before. Sometimes, we need some help in
finding knowledge. This is what Eric Saperston decided, and so he set out to
find that knowledge. This trip became the movie, "The Journey", which is a
pretty good documentary that will leave you feeling pretty good when it's
over. The film takes you through the trials and tribulations of trying to
get that knowledge, and the hardships of making a documentary film. He takes
some friends along too, which add to the plot. You'll be surprised at some
of the big names who offer support, like Billy Crystal and Henry Winkler;
the latter becomes a big part of the film. This is a movie that will uplift
you and open your eyes, and your brain, to the questions life brings us.
(Eddie Fleisher)
This
doesn't get released into theatres until August, but I am going to
review it anyway because it is really good and I like hyping things up
that I enjoy. Also, it would be a shame if this movie fails, because it
has more scares and suspense than almost any horror movie I have seen in
the last two years. So when it comes out, please go see it. ‘Open
Water’ is about a couple, Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel
Travis). They are having some troubles in their relationship, so in an
attempt to fix things, they take a vacation. They decide to go on a
scuba diving trip, but after their guide miscounts all the people on his
boat, they are left behind, in the middle of the ocean, to fend for
themselves. The rest of the movie shows them trying to survive. 
You’ve heard of
books on tape? This is a book on film. No, I don’t mean an
adaptation. This feels like everything, right down to the "voice of the
author" third person narration, is taken word for word directly from the
original short stories written by director Rebecca Miller. I don’t need
that omniscient voice constantly blathering on about the action when I’m
watching a movie. Film is a visual medium. Show me, don’t tell me.
The pretentious pronouncements uttered by the narrator probably come
across less so on the printed page, where the reader can use all the
vivid description he or she can get. Here, the lines just feel
ridiculous, constantly pulling the viewer out of the film. 