The Falcone
New member
Ah, you want critique on cinematography..Not here. I loved the work. Looked great and sound was excelent. Congrats on a good piece.
Taking Advantage - Blue Light Pictures
- Thread starter vnguyen972
- Start date
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
No problem at all. You might be able to flip a shot in post and make them work a little better together.
I thought you did a really great job.
MAH
Chris_Keaton
ScriptFEST Mod
You're just too savvy Charli, can't pull nothing over on you.
I think somehow people got the idea that the girl planned this instead of just taking advantage of the opportunity and doing in a bad guy while she was at it. Not sure where I went wrong with that. I do think the full version will give viewers a little more about the girl and her life, so she's more of a good guy.
P.s. What was that guy thinking? I mean really how could he kill them, I'm sure they could've come up with some time sharing agreement
if they put their heads together. 
Dick Campbell
Veteran
Stayed with this one, good acting. The ending scene caught me off guard, good work.
vnguyen972
Well-known member
Thank you everyone that had seen and took time to comment and review so far... I really appreciate it... This kind of fest is great and it really helps to be a better filmmaker. So thank you!
I'd also like to take a moment to call out the excellent work of the following key individuals that helped and worked with me on this, I'm so proud of them:
Chris Keaton (writer), Kevin Keller (dp), Damian Sanchez (music), Marc Palet (post sound/mix), Tony Diep (location sound), Erica Rincon (make up), Daniel Baumgartner (ac)
Thank you for your dedication and hard working and best of all... putting up and being patient with me!
I'd also like to take a moment to call out the excellent work of the following key individuals that helped and worked with me on this, I'm so proud of them:
Chris Keaton (writer), Kevin Keller (dp), Damian Sanchez (music), Marc Palet (post sound/mix), Tony Diep (location sound), Erica Rincon (make up), Daniel Baumgartner (ac)
Thank you for your dedication and hard working and best of all... putting up and being patient with me!
dougspice
Veteran
Haha, yeah, the credits made me laugh a little – probably not the intended outcome at the end of the movie.
This is one of those films where I think maybe you bit off more than you needed to, and that meant the fundamentals had to suffer. The basic story is simple enough, and was performed believably enough, that it could have been solid drama if there had been more character development. For instance, I really didn't need the scene with the lawyer at the end, and I think it distracted from building your other relationships. I guess that lawyer is the reason that he shoots his mistress, but at the time I was just dumbfounded. Everything I thought I understood about this character went out the window when that happened: he lost his humanity and became just a guy moving the plot along.
I will say, though, that I didn't really see the daughter's reappearance coming, so her delivery of the comeuppance was very effective. I just wish I felt like it was truly motivated. Yeah, her dad just killed two people – but he's still her dad. I gather that she's an unhappy teen – but we never get a glimpse into why that is. To be fair, I think that actress does an excellent job conveying that despair and confusion in the moments of screentime that she has (she has the best performance in the film) – but that ain't much.
So my overall note is this: I really, really want to know why these characters are doing what they're doing, and you haven't given me that at more than a surface level. That would be the difference between a good movie and a great movie, when the meat of it is human drama. Show me more humanity.
One thing that would have helped in that respect would be the casting. While your performers ranged from fine to very good, they all had a similar look to them that I can only describe as "soap opera" – a collection of unusually attractive people plotting against each other. I already sort of felt this way... and then the total sexbot lawyer appeared at the end and it was just too much.
All of the visual aspects were strong. The shooting style suited the film, it was well edited... basically everything worked on this level. The music was well done but again reinforced the soap opera style somewhat.
Of course, I'm not sure if that was your intent. I've never been a fan of soap opera, but some people are.
This is one of those films where I think maybe you bit off more than you needed to, and that meant the fundamentals had to suffer. The basic story is simple enough, and was performed believably enough, that it could have been solid drama if there had been more character development. For instance, I really didn't need the scene with the lawyer at the end, and I think it distracted from building your other relationships. I guess that lawyer is the reason that he shoots his mistress, but at the time I was just dumbfounded. Everything I thought I understood about this character went out the window when that happened: he lost his humanity and became just a guy moving the plot along.
I will say, though, that I didn't really see the daughter's reappearance coming, so her delivery of the comeuppance was very effective. I just wish I felt like it was truly motivated. Yeah, her dad just killed two people – but he's still her dad. I gather that she's an unhappy teen – but we never get a glimpse into why that is. To be fair, I think that actress does an excellent job conveying that despair and confusion in the moments of screentime that she has (she has the best performance in the film) – but that ain't much.
So my overall note is this: I really, really want to know why these characters are doing what they're doing, and you haven't given me that at more than a surface level. That would be the difference between a good movie and a great movie, when the meat of it is human drama. Show me more humanity.
One thing that would have helped in that respect would be the casting. While your performers ranged from fine to very good, they all had a similar look to them that I can only describe as "soap opera" – a collection of unusually attractive people plotting against each other. I already sort of felt this way... and then the total sexbot lawyer appeared at the end and it was just too much.
All of the visual aspects were strong. The shooting style suited the film, it was well edited... basically everything worked on this level. The music was well done but again reinforced the soap opera style somewhat.
Of course, I'm not sure if that was your intent. I've never been a fan of soap opera, but some people are.
vnguyen972
Well-known member
Thanks dougspice for the feedback... that's very interesting. I changed the scene at the last moment as I took the advantage of the scene trying to explain his action...Originally, it was just her at the law office to receive the inheritance paperwork from the company lawyer and that's it... I discussed with Chris and was kinda wanting to try this idea out with the picture so that audience won't be left with the question of why he did it so yeah if it didn't work, it is my fault... Thanks for the thought... I really appreciate it!
ghennek
Member
Thanks for your reviews on the Score !!!
Aaron Marshall
Well-known member
I was thoroughly entertained by this film. I thought it was going to be a mundane lifetime movie network plot, but it took a turn. The man, the mistress did a believable job. The true star here was the drunken mom. The first scene where she is fighting the daughter was kind of funny. I kept thinking, "This looks like Jennifer Aniston, but it can't be, this isn't a romantic comedy.".
The "invasion" scene that followed... oh my, I have not laughed that hard in so long. You really nailed it! The performance of drunken Aniston, the rhythm of the edit, the sound design, the music, and all of it coming together. It's classic! I don't know if you meant for it to be funny, but whether you know it or not you are a genius.
I love it when drunken Aniston says, "Who the hell are you? Get the poo poo outta my house! I said....BAM" Wow! I have seriously watched that part 30 times. It's one of the best 10 seconds of the entire fest that I've watched so far. I love drunken Aniston's intonation. It's so full of character. Great find. I want to work with her.
If you were trying to be serious with this movie then you still did a great job. If you were trying to inject humor in a very subtle way, you are a genius. If you did it by accident you're still a genius, but perhaps you don't have the proper control over it yet.
The parts I liked the least were the muzzle flashes and blood spatter. They looked very fake. Oh so did the law office sign. The daughter's performance was pretty decent. She grounded drunken Aniston in the first segment, but I wasn't too hip on her by the end. Especially the delivery of the last line. It was too forced.
Great job. Your movie was way better than your poster. I kept avoiding your movie for the longest time because I didn't like your poster.
The "invasion" scene that followed... oh my, I have not laughed that hard in so long. You really nailed it! The performance of drunken Aniston, the rhythm of the edit, the sound design, the music, and all of it coming together. It's classic! I don't know if you meant for it to be funny, but whether you know it or not you are a genius.
I love it when drunken Aniston says, "Who the hell are you? Get the poo poo outta my house! I said....BAM" Wow! I have seriously watched that part 30 times. It's one of the best 10 seconds of the entire fest that I've watched so far. I love drunken Aniston's intonation. It's so full of character. Great find. I want to work with her.
If you were trying to be serious with this movie then you still did a great job. If you were trying to inject humor in a very subtle way, you are a genius. If you did it by accident you're still a genius, but perhaps you don't have the proper control over it yet.
The parts I liked the least were the muzzle flashes and blood spatter. They looked very fake. Oh so did the law office sign. The daughter's performance was pretty decent. She grounded drunken Aniston in the first segment, but I wasn't too hip on her by the end. Especially the delivery of the last line. It was too forced.
Great job. Your movie was way better than your poster. I kept avoiding your movie for the longest time because I didn't like your poster.
pauldavidanthony
Member
Very soap opera-esque.
Nicely done.
Nicely done.
ZazaCast
Major Contributor
For me this was an entertaining film. Well shot with really good acting and a great score that really helped
keep this moving right along. It did feel a bit "Dallas" or "made for TV" to me and had
twists-o-plenty. (I think everyone betrayed everyone in it)
So, he killed them both... then shot himself in the chest? That part of the story felt a little weak to me.
My only other question is, doesn't anybody get naked when making love anymore or is
that just how we do it up here in the Northeast? :happy:
All in all, very good work on this one in my book! High grades all around.
Cheers!
keep this moving right along. It did feel a bit "Dallas" or "made for TV" to me and had
twists-o-plenty. (I think everyone betrayed everyone in it)
So, he killed them both... then shot himself in the chest? That part of the story felt a little weak to me.
My only other question is, doesn't anybody get naked when making love anymore or is
that just how we do it up here in the Northeast? :happy:
All in all, very good work on this one in my book! High grades all around.
Cheers!
The police in this town are pretty inept.
Very well done !
Sound was good, sound design was good, music was good...
But.... because only positive criticism is not good :-Dum(DBG)::
- the VFX of the shotgun was less
- the hitting was also less
- the girl shooting... the vfx of blood, the "ghjugdrghr" sound of the men...was little "onlogical" sync. The vfx of bloo d was less here also
- maybe at the end the blond girl... could have been cutted later, just when she start to smile and say "Hello Suzan..."
- J&D Law office...maybe it was better to give the text a background (like a metal plate or wooden thing stuff thing...)
Sound was good, sound design was good, music was good...
But.... because only positive criticism is not good :-Dum(DBG)::
- the VFX of the shotgun was less
- the hitting was also less
- the girl shooting... the vfx of blood, the "ghjugdrghr" sound of the men...was little "onlogical" sync. The vfx of bloo d was less here also
- maybe at the end the blond girl... could have been cutted later, just when she start to smile and say "Hello Suzan..."
- J&D Law office...maybe it was better to give the text a background (like a metal plate or wooden thing stuff thing...)