The Bus Stop

"The Bus Stop" is great! I saw it recently in LA, and it's probabl the best short film I've ever seen. Fun, funny, with a great twist at the end, I would seriously recommend it to any film student thinking about doing a short that will get them attention in Hollywood, because the production quality is outstanding, from the acting to the camera work to the music.

"THE BUS STOP" is a dynamite short film in the vein of Robert Zemeckis or John Hughes. Centered around a little boy trying to find the courage to stand up to bullies, it's a wonderful film full of twists and turns that keeps the audience guessing all the way to a touchingly delightful surprise ending.

I was really impressed with the overall production value of this film. It's beautifully shot, the editing is quick and fun, the score is sublime and the actors all turn in compelling performances--especially noteworthy considering most of the dozen or so actors in the film are young children, and most of the action takes place on a moving school bus.

In summary, this is a dynamic, accomplished work, one of the best short films out there. Kudos to the director, cast and crew.

Congrats to the cast and crew for making a film they should be really proud of. Especially noteworthy is the performance of the young lead actor, Jameson Baltes, who conveys an astonishing range of emotion without uttering even a single word of dialogue!

Also to be commended are the cinematographer, Christopher Tufty, and the composer, Michael Verta, who, respectively, do a sublime job of shooting and scoring this film. "The Bus Stop" is an excellent short film.

This short rocks. It has quality acting, film-making, production, and it kept me entertained from start to finish. Even though it was made a few years ago, obviously pre Sept. 11th (my birthday, alas) the theme of terrorists hijacking a bus is poignant and gripping. Ending is a little down, but that's probably what the director intended. The score and editing keep things moving, and the DP is really talented. I don't know how they filmed some of those shots inside a bus, unless it wasn't a real bus. It's probably not easy working with kid actors but the director gets top performances, especially from the lead, Jameson Baltes. Looking on IMDb I see he's not been doing much lately. Shame because he's really talented. Anyhow, I give THE BUS STOP 9 out of 10 stars and recommend it to anyone who is interested. You won't be disappointed.

Will Hartman's "The Bus Stop" is an exercise in classic filmmaking. The script is a solid, appropriately sentimental expose of the tribulations of a young boy. The script is not laden with dialogue, but rather uses a very pointed sense of action to tell the story, along with a clever bit of Ambrose Bierce-like irony.

The cinematography is quite good. The images are brilliant, and the shot coverage is rock-solid, with several striking crane shots balancing out numerous revealing close-ups. All of this is structured with some very intelligent editing. Quite simply, it achieves what any director strives for: it is a film which can be fully understood with the sound turned off.

But that's not to say the sound in this film can be overlooked. One of the more striking components to the piece is the score. It has all the intensity, and furthermore subtlety, of a much more expensive action film. The score really gives the film a distinguished quality.

The acting is strong, which is a particular testament to Hartman's directorial skill, considering most of the actors are children. Hartman manages to keep the intensity high, without allowing his performers to go over the top.

In short, "The Bus Stop" is a very enjoyable short, professionally shot, and technically sound. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of Will Hartman in the near future.