The END _ A Marlon Ladd film

Marlon:

This is a real kick-ass entry.

At the beginning, I was wondering to myself, "another hitman movie, this might be a little banal." What really drew me into this movie was the editing, which was in my opinion nothing short of amazing. All throughout I was yearning to see more and more, to the point that I basically lost interest in the story because I was focusing on what shot/effects were going to be next.

I especially liked the overhead of the subway train pulling in and stopping, and then the time-shift as the people get off. Excellent! There are a hundred interesting eye-candy moments to savor in this movie, and I liked them all!

Thanks for putting this together, I found it very inspiring!

John
 
I really liked this one. Everything seems to flow nicely The twist was one of the best ones in the fest. This was the only entry that I thought, ok, ok, ok, this is pretty decent but then at the end the integrity of the plot came through completely. The sum of the whole was far greater than all of its parts. Some other entries had great looking, sounding, feeling parts but at the end the sum wasn't as great as all the different parts separately. Your film nailed the theme of betrayal while holding onto a thread of loyalty. The title isn't just some pretentious BS. It really makes sense with the plot.

I didn't like the fake anamorphic flaring or whatever was going on. That's pretty much my only complaint. I usually don't like ostentatious editing styles like you had going on, but it really worked in this entry. It seemed to be under an expert hand.

Great job guys!
 
Marion -

I was very much looking forward to your film and you didn't disappoint. I am guessing you shot on one of the new DSLR cameras? If so, it shows how sneaky those little cameras are for "stealing shots" - I love it! It was fun seeing a short that was able to expand its scope by getting out into the world. Again, your choice of leads was great (same guy right?). The story was just a little jumpy when the girl entered the story in a way I thought was a bit abrupt. Overall I liked the style, the editing and the sound design. The VO fit as well.
 
Another killer film buddy! Man, your editing and styling choices are getting really slick. I'm thinking there's some very subtle things going on in post/After Effects that are bringing stunning looks to this, aside from the obvious colorized and stylized shots that jump out. While I'm not sure where the ending left me as far as story, the whole ride was very enjoyable. Where Lawless was strong on story, this one was strong on visuals. The song selection, the writing, all killer too. Loved the scene where he said something like, "Hips, Legs Eye.." etc. And then the look on his face as he new he was doomed to fall for her and he licked his lips and dived on in! That was soooo well done, it was visceral. Still can't believe you pulled off two films. BRAVO!
 
P.S., the camera looked great in several available light/low light situations. Which one did you use?
 
I had to watch it twice to completely get the story, but the second time I got it. I think one of the things that threw me is that Jarrell has more facial hair in his first shot, the B&W one.

It's been said, but it really ups your production value to shoot in NYC. Awesome locations.

My favorite section was the Jarrell one, especially the part where he's narrating in time with the music. That section was edited excellently, with the subway car arriving being the standout moment. The sound design for the subway car is great as well.

I think sound in general was a very strong element in this entry. Very creative.

I'm not sure how I feel about the gradient that seems applied to a lot of the shots, with the image looking different on the top and the bottom. I'm also not a huge fan of being able to see vignetting.

For me the very last shot was a little bit of a letdown. Seems anticlimactic that they get up and leave right after sitting down. I'd rather they'd stay seated, and maybe just have a tilt up to the lights of Times Square.

Really creative, dynamic flick here. Makes me want to bring my K-X to NYC when I go in a couple months, and steal myself a film.
 
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