Burning Cane

A very slow moving movie, the hand held camera shots gave it a home-made feel but this style was delivered at the expense of any substance. With a drunk pastor, lots of drinking and smoking, you wondered just what message it was aiming to deliver. Fortunately the Blues backing soundtrack and the gospel singing was great. Not enough to save the movie that was in the end, just a little dull.

I watched this film because I'm a big fan of Wendell Pierce. I think he's an incredible actor who's talent is underutilized. Whereas Mr. Pierce's talent shone through in this film, the film itself was murky. It was slow; the film was poorly lit; the message too be conveyed, if there was a message, was absent from the film; and the writing seemed unsteady. I feel like I wasted my 78 minutes on characters who were not likeable and who were extremely detached from each other and from the film. This film was over-hyped and a waste of time, and I can't help but think that the critics raved over the film because it presented yet another set of black folks who were downtrodden, addicted to a substance, and self-pitying.

Great movie! It was slow but it did hold my attention. This movie is very realistic and powerful. There is the struggle between religion and coping with demons in movie, which some people deal with in this world. Kudos to the young director who put this movie together. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

Slow-burn wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't repetitive - there's barely any narrative and slice of life portrayal of depressing squalor quickly grows thin. Smoking, drinking and monotonous sermons are atmospheric and naturalistic, which would be a welcome addition to some story, but there is none. Hopefully the young director will build upon this achievement and not get stuck in more of the same.

Slow and boring...dark and depressing...cynical and on the nose...style over substance...sleep inducing