Lonesome Jim?

I was able to attend a screening of this a few weeks ago in Hollywood with director Steve Buscemi and some of the cast. It was a great movie, shot for only $500,000 on Mini DV. The pacing is kind of slow, so those with little patience won't like it, and the story goes in a few dark places. It's an indie film, so those that don't generally like them, won't like this one. However, those with the patience to appreciate low-budget filmmaking may like it. I think it is definitely worth seeing.
 
i saw it las night and I really liked it. It was a bit dark, but they did a great job of bringing comedy to the darkness, so it wasn't all that depressing. The image quality is nt great on the big screen, but the story and acting is good enough that it doesn't matter after a few minutes.
 
There were some nice moments in this movie but i felt it was a little "realistic" for my taste. I like naturalism not realism. This movie was depressing and without payoff. And in that respect quite unremarkable.

I wouldn't rush out to see this one.
 
rook said:
This movie was depressing and without payoff. And in that respect quite unremarkable.
Click to expand...

Why do you say it's without payoff? Jim actually comes around in the end and the movie ends on an upbeat note. And there were quite a few funny moments. It's not a laugh riot, but I certainly didn't leave the theater feeling depressed.
 
i think that humor/depressing combos is one of my favorites in movies right now. especially a movie like Love Liza. and i think lonesom jim did have a payoff. like josh said, they're together in the end. i thought this was a really good movie.

what bothers me is that all the new movies that are being shot on miniDV are done handheld. i want to see somebody make a movie on miniDV with dollies and cranes and actually try to make it look like film.
 
I like darker movies too but I wouldn't characterize this movie as dark.

feel that there was no payoff becasue Jim doesn't really come around. He is essentially the same through out the who movie. I requre a little more cinematic push for my 5 bucks.

SPOILERS******

When Jim is giving his speech to the kids at the end. It's their big game and it's a chance to see the character make the change we all want him to make. Perhaps it would have been a bit cliche but the fact that he didn't make a great speech, that he didn't discover anything new that it was just depressing and realistic and drab, was a let down for me.

He has the final moment where he decides to stay but it felt structurally week to me. I had nothing invested at that point. I just didn't care.

I thought that the performances were nice just not what I want in a story.

-rook
 
Fair enough, rook. I actually had the opposite reaction to the speech at the game. I was so glad it wasn't some epiphany. I guess we just have different takes on it.
 
I really enjoyed Lonesome Jim.
Steve Buscemi is one of the best character actors working today. As far as directing goes, he does do quality work. Originally, he had a much bigger budget, but with $500,000 they shot the film on a Panasonic Dvx100a.
It looks tremendous for what little they had to work with.
 
It was shot not too far from where I grew up (shot in Goshen, IN). My friend did some extra work in it. Not too sure if his scenes hit the cutting room floor, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top