bkitchin-2

Reading the article in the Memphis paper (see Reviews section of IMDb), explains a lot. One point in the article is that the movie had 12 characters not 4 in the original cut. During test screenings they realized it was too busy. I suspect editing the film shot into a 4 character version simply did not improve the situation but increased its choppiness. Also the original 12 character layout probably contributed to the incoherence and lack of focused in the script. Trying to do too much is often a formula for failure. The article says there was a two month acting workshop. If more time had been spent on doing a good script they might have made a better film. The acting was mixed. Some of the actors did better than one might expect from untrained actors but others were not very good.

I too noticed the excessive video effects which while sometimes neat were often distracting.

In comparison to Blue Citrus Hearts which overcame its shortcomings by great, nuanced acting and a good focus, this was a great disappointment.

This movie is definitely *not* for everyone. As another comment says, it is both raw and brutal. Unlike too many movies that portray prostitution, this one is not wearing tinted glasses. But it is not all negative either. There are moments of tenderness and friendship. I'm glad that someone recommended this to me as it is not something that would have attracted me by its description. However, I rather like strong drama and this is definitely that. I thought the acting was quite good. I'm not familiar with these actors but they ought to go pretty far. The characters are portrayed as real people with individual personalities and quirks rather than stereotypes. You find yourself rooting for some of the main characters even as you recognize that there is not a lot of hope for them. However, you realize that not a lot of hope is not the same as no hope. Highly recommended if you like drama and are not repulsed by the, at times, rather brutal portrayal.

I have been astounded by the hyperbole expressed on this board for this movie. A movie could not possibly be that good and it isn't. I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I went. As one person put it, there was more character development than special effects. That is very good.

But the degree of hype given here is excessive. When you use so many superlatives together you take away from the effect that such strong words are meant to convey. What will you have left to say when something as good or better comes out. I doubt that ten years from now this movie will still rate so high.

Don't get me wrong, it is a good movie and I recommend it. If I had read the comments before going to the movie, I would have been terribly disappointed. My expectations would have been set too high and it would have fallen flat.

One caution for those, like me, did not see the TV series. Be prepared for some time getting the picture of what is happening. There is not a lot of up front explanation to put you in the know. Basically that is a good thing since that can be pretty boring even for those who need to hear it much less for those who already know it. Be ready to be a little confused until the picture begins to fit together. In this I think Whedon did a good job of providing the background without taking time out of the story to do this.

Expect a good movie and you will probably not be disappointed and you might even be pleasantly surprised