Finally got down to "American Strays" in the to-be-watched stack. And I feel as though it should have occupied more space in the stack, because it strikes me as actually being 3 films rather than one.
Before proceeding, I will say that I was impressed by the cinematography/lighting throughout the work. Occasionally self-conscious, but overall creative and effective. The director has a good feel for the relation of camera to subject.
I can also see how the director was able to draw together such a diverse and impressive cast. Each role held some attraction for actors who care more about acting than about money. Eric Roberts is especially noteworthy playing against type.
However, the production itself is schizophrenic, with the ultimate result of distracting one from the finely done details.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
"American Strays" is 3 perfectly decent short films forced together to make a feature-length film. The only relational concept is the theme of guns empowering violence (and feelings of empowerment).
Film 1 involves the travelling vacuum cleaner salesman, Film 2 is the suicidal youth who hires someone to help kill him, and Film 3 is the many-threads-converging-to-a-finale. Films 1 and 2 share only the desert setting with Film 3; neither is otherwise related to the other two.
If Film 1 were filtered out of the rest it would make a charming little oddball 20-30 min. film. (I would encourage the shorter length -- some of the scenes felt stretched and some trimming would add punch.)
Film 2 I personally found meaningless/pointless. But it would have much cleaner effect if it stood alone.
And Film 3 -- if Film 3 were trimmed a bit and played a bit broader, it would be a brilliant memorable satire which answers the question: "What would happen if you brought the genres of Pulp Fiction, gangstas, Natural Born Killers, Reservoir Dogs and average-man-pushed-too-far together?" The sort of film you share with your film-loving friends, so you can congratulate yourselves and each other for recognizing all the references.
As fond as I am of Frankenstein, I still cannot wholeheartedly recommend this assemblage of parts. The sutures show too strongly.
The director is obviously thoughtful and talented; the cinematography/lighting, set dressing, and characterizations are all quite effective.
But I feel each of these films deserved to be seen separately and judged upon their own merits, rather than being forced to share the screen.
Before proceeding, I will say that I was impressed by the cinematography/lighting throughout the work. Occasionally self-conscious, but overall creative and effective. The director has a good feel for the relation of camera to subject.
I can also see how the director was able to draw together such a diverse and impressive cast. Each role held some attraction for actors who care more about acting than about money. Eric Roberts is especially noteworthy playing against type.
However, the production itself is schizophrenic, with the ultimate result of distracting one from the finely done details.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
"American Strays" is 3 perfectly decent short films forced together to make a feature-length film. The only relational concept is the theme of guns empowering violence (and feelings of empowerment).
Film 1 involves the travelling vacuum cleaner salesman, Film 2 is the suicidal youth who hires someone to help kill him, and Film 3 is the many-threads-converging-to-a-finale. Films 1 and 2 share only the desert setting with Film 3; neither is otherwise related to the other two.
If Film 1 were filtered out of the rest it would make a charming little oddball 20-30 min. film. (I would encourage the shorter length -- some of the scenes felt stretched and some trimming would add punch.)
Film 2 I personally found meaningless/pointless. But it would have much cleaner effect if it stood alone.
And Film 3 -- if Film 3 were trimmed a bit and played a bit broader, it would be a brilliant memorable satire which answers the question: "What would happen if you brought the genres of Pulp Fiction, gangstas, Natural Born Killers, Reservoir Dogs and average-man-pushed-too-far together?" The sort of film you share with your film-loving friends, so you can congratulate yourselves and each other for recognizing all the references.
As fond as I am of Frankenstein, I still cannot wholeheartedly recommend this assemblage of parts. The sutures show too strongly.
The director is obviously thoughtful and talented; the cinematography/lighting, set dressing, and characterizations are all quite effective.
But I feel each of these films deserved to be seen separately and judged upon their own merits, rather than being forced to share the screen.