abmcwilliams

A review of Last Visit-revision

by abmcwilliams on 05/09/2009

Production quality on this film was really good, acting was natural and convincing, editing was good (yep, the cut from the attic/dream to the morning wake-up made me jump..just a little) and the soundtrack was appropriate without being overbearing - I really enjoyed watching this. The plot was a little worn - the "dying/dead relative makes impossible appearance" story is one... read

Hilarious

A review of Real True History: Why the British Lost the American Revolution

by abmcwilliams on 05/09/2009

I loved this film, it was delivered in such a deadpan, sincere fashion that it would have sat well on Discovery Channel. Everything, from the semi-formal framing of the historian, through to the animation of the paintings sliding across the screen were perfect detailing of genuine documentaries, and the more outrageous the claims regarding cell phones and SDI became, the harder... read

Predictable, but a great little film

A review of Out of Context

by abmcwilliams on 05/09/2009

I'll do the negatives first: I found the pacing to be a little slow in places - too many long pauses and repeated dialogue. The soundtrack was a little overdone, a bit like someone repeatedly telling you that "this is a really scary story..." when all they're doing is making it less scary- ya gotta let the story tell itself... The positives... It's well shot, nicely constructed,... read

Great idea, but needs more work

A review of Echopraxia

by abmcwilliams on 05/09/2009

I liked the initial idea to this; cross cut two film sources and over-dub new dialogue. It's not an original approach, it's been done a thousand times, but the choice of materials can often lead to some really good results. In this instance, the limit of two visual sources is too restrictive, and the heavy reliance on the "Symptoms of Schizophrenia" is quite tiresome. It... read

Compare and Contrast

A review of A Psychos Path

by abmcwilliams on 11/11/2008

The opening sequence was highly stylised - well shot, well cut (no pun -honest) and the audio track was perfect...it was up there with some of the scenes from Saw and 7even. The main body of the film, however, was classically framed and shot in a very traditional manner.... I would have preferred it to have the film stick with the first mode. It's not that the traditional... The opening sequence was highly stylised - well shot, well cut (no pun -honest) and the audio track was perfect...it was up there with some of the scenes from Saw and 7even. The main body of the film, however, was classically framed and shot in a very traditional manner.... I would have preferred it to have the film stick with the first mode.

It's not that the traditional framing lacked anything; it was well executed (again, no pun) and in any other context would have been a real plus. However,in this context, and this genre, it felt like the film simply slumped back. Perhaps re-editing the car scene and playing with some of the shots to fit more with the opening sequence would improve the viewing- though it'd have to be done carefully so as not to tip on the payoff of the killers identity.

Likewise the voiceover didn't add too much. I was left expecting to hear something from Mad Max. I think it was just trying too hard to be ominous and dark... re-voicing with something a little more "ordinary" might actually add to the tension.

The final payoff was a little cliched, but nicely played out; my only quibble would be the actual knife shot - I wasn't convinced, and would have been more engaged if that shot was removed and a little more attention payed to the killer and the victim.

Compression killed the audio and video quality somewhat, but it was evident that a lot of care had been taken with the production quality, and I get the feeling it would play well on a larger platform.

All in all:

Plot was simple, but nicely played.
Technical quality was impossible to properly assess, but it looked promising.
Production was good; the scenes were well presented, and in the case of the opening sequence and payoff scene, were excellent.
Monologue was a little stilted and didn't convince, though this may have been down to the voiceover.

This is another example of really good filmmaking that suffers only from a lack of resource.
It's not life changing, nor challenging, but it is damn good viewing. read

Family photo album

A review of hillel 13

by abmcwilliams on 06/19/2007

I have to say, I liked the start of this. Opening scene of a kid playing a recorder, then heading off to school and going through the rituals of his morning prayers...I was really hoping for something that explored his faith a little deeper...what is it like being a young teenager with a strong religious identity? Instead, it drifted into a rather 2 dimensional video profile... read

good execution, poor plot

A review of Drenched In Melancholy

by abmcwilliams on 03/18/2007

This is an unusual situation...it's common to see a good plot ruined by poor execution...but here we have good execution on a somewhat weaker plot. The acting was fine, in as much as it was as convincing as it could be (given the plot). Dialogue was a bit stretched at times, but the scene where the roommate talked about the lead was bitchy enough to be totally convincing... read

torn....

A review of Road to No-where

by abmcwilliams on 03/10/2007

On the one hand, I really enjoyed reading this. I can just see David Tennant as Steven and Steve O'Donnell as Les. The scenes really came to life and I genuinely cared for all the characters. I can't help feeling, however, that the life idyll of the transient (as portrayed in the script) was a little too unrealistic. I know Les ends up injured, but the health issues faced... read

Utterly fascinating

A review of BANNED IN BOSTON

by abmcwilliams on 03/10/2007

I loved this...it was fascinating to hear the stories from the narrator, and to see the photographs of her younger days. I find it difficult to critique documentaries like this when the subject is natural and comfortable with the camera, and the director is so embedded with the topic...but here goes. Technically, no major flaws...the contrast between the narrator and the... read

make your mind up....

A review of ART FILM

by abmcwilliams on 03/10/2007

Please decide which film style you're going to pastiche or spoof. I honestly had difficulty watching this. If I hadn't accepted it as an assignment i would just have hit the "back" button on my browser and picked something else. The entire film showed a complete ignorance of it's own target. To say simply "I'm mocking Art Films" is like saying "I'm mocking TV"...without... read

TriggerStreet

Member Participation Level:

Recent Activity

Bio

Submissions by abmcwilliams

Reviews by abmcwilliams 25

Write a Comment

Submissions by abmcwilliams

Reviews by abmcwilliams 25

Write a Comment

Stay Connected!

Browse: