Coven

OK, Mark? First off, you're a little weird. "I Blow Up"... but anyway, given what you had to work with, this movie didn't really suck that much, which actually is probably the only thing you really need to know.

For the rest of you... "Coven" (that's "KO-ven", not "KUH-ven", if you please) is a _long_ way from Hollywood, so just relax and enjoy(?) it for what it is: a finally-realized personal project of a fascinatingly driven -- and, yes, weird -- man which 99.9% of us would never have known existed (that goes for both the man and the film) if not for "American Movie".

"Northwestern" due in 2004? Hey, let 'er rip... I'm curious to see how it turns out.

As many others have commented after seeing American Movie, this movie was not HALF as bad as you would have expected. Mark comes off as a dufus for most of the documentary (I suppose a lot of us would), but Coven showed me why this guy was so driven. I'm sure when Mark saw some of the shots from this movie, he felt that he was in the zone, that it had all come together. That is probably why it took so long to come out with the rest of the movie, because it would have been difficult artistically to accept a lot of the more mediocre scenes.

I think that Mark should pursue a career in Hollywood or indie film as a journeyman cameraman / cinematographer, and hopefully somebody will help shape his raw talent. Then he can move on to bigger and better productions of his own, as I thought some of the story in Coven was excellent, although it was VERY uneven.

What you don't understand is that Mike and Mark have both been to numerous Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. That is the background and inspiration for "Coven." From what you have seen in "American Movie," you may have realized that Mike Shank is a recovering drug abuser. Borschardt has had his share of spins with the bottle.

The "Coven" meetings are far-fetched, but they are not entirely baseless. AA meetings are one-sided, and AA members have a monopoly on the TRUTH. If an outsider goes to one, then it is taken as a given that he has erred and ruined his life. It is a very grueling process to become involved in AA, and the results are mixed at best. Many people recover better with no attendance at all.

"Coven" is Borschardt's spin on AA.

This movie sucks.

I know how much work goes into a production like this and I feel for Mike and everything he did with this movie, but it's quality is shoddy as hell. And I don't mean the camera and stuff like that. I LOVED clerks and that was shot with the same thing.

First of all, you can't tell when the protagonist is hallucinating and when he's not. The Cinematography doesn't carry those scenes. Now, this could be interesting if the plot was cohesive, but that doesn't happen either. A combination of poor dialogue, awkward transitions, and poor pacing stop that.

Honestly, this movie is just one giant manifestation of how Mark is in denial about his alcoholism.

But god bless him for making it.

After watching American Movie, you have the option on the DVD to view the short film Coven. After watching this, most will come to the conclusion that Mark Borchardt is not an amazing independent film maker. He is in fact just one of many "movie makers" that want to be the next big thing. Mark's 3 year struggle to make this film was a problem of Mark's own doing. Many of the mistakes and unprofessional storytelling made Mark spend months and months correcting his vision. A victim of circumstances and his own Ego, Mark should have waited and saved thousands of dollars by shooting the entire movie on digital. He could have shot the same movie in 1 week and saved 90% of the money he spent. Shooting on 8mm or 16mm doesn't make you a film maker. Coven was Mark's calling card to prove to the world of his talent. Conclusion: Mark is a dime a dozen. Then again, it shows you how much heart one movie maker has to make his / her movie.