Film Reviews25: falling flatMay 7, 2015 Anchorage Press
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Making a good movie is easier said than done. A great movie is storytelling at its best, delicately weaving visual and audio elements to deliver a compelling script through expert acting. There a number of elements used to determine the success of a movie, for Hollywood one of the primary measures of success is measured by the box office receipts. For the viewer, the measure of success is ultimately the experience that a movie creates. Can the movie transport the viewer outside of his or her daily life into a new or different reality? Can the work be a catalyst for an emotional, cultural, and intellectual experience? If the film can provide these elements in combination and to varying degrees, then it may be considered successful. Unfortunately, the movie 25, written by Jody Brion and directed by Brian Ireland, falls flat.
The premise of the story is interesting but underdeveloped. Bret Jones, played by Brion, is haunted by a childhood experience in which he and his friend Joey (Cyrus Ireland) are lured into the home of a man who sexually abuses and kills Joey. Bret escapes and represses the memory until adulthood when he goes on a killing spree, with the goal of killing 25 sex offenders, one for every year that Joey has been dead. The detective and others in the story keep referring to Bret's character as a serial killer, which is inaccurate since it's clear that Bret has remorse, a code of honor, and a plan to only kill sex offenders. As it turns out, other characters in the movie are also vigilantes, as a matter of fact, there are so many that they may as well form a vigilantes anonymous support group.
The film is a completely homegrown production and took more than two years and the involvement of about 75 people in Anchorage-kudos to the team for seeing it through. However, in addition to being a friends and family project, 25 is painfully amateurish. The acting is substandard and mechanical, actors stumble when delivering lines and the character development is nonexistent. There are some nice camera angles, but even these are compromised by poor lighting that at times causes the main character to perspire profusely. There is an unusual amount of product placement for no good reason, with the exception of KWHL radio hosts Bob and Mark's contribution to the storyline, even if they just spout shallow pop-psychology.
The overwhelming limitations of 25 could be overlooked for the sake of supporting a local effort at a feature-length production that addresses an important topic, but cringe-worthy elements make it hard to give the movie a pass. For starters-technical failures aside-25 bombs the Bechdel test when referring to the women Bret lets live as bitches over and over. The women in the film do play prominent roles but they're prescribed and stereotypical. The other unforgivable detail is that in an effort to protect the vigilante by giving the police a false description of him, he goes from being a middle-aged, white male to an Alaska Native man, dark and with tattoos-Really? 25 plays in Anchorage on May 9. Miss it if you can.
25 shows on May 9 at 5 p.m. at UAA's Wendy Williamson Auditorium. (2533 Providence Dr.)
The premise of the story is interesting but underdeveloped. Bret Jones, played by Brion, is haunted by a childhood experience in which he and his friend Joey (Cyrus Ireland) are lured into the home of a man who sexually abuses and kills Joey. Bret escapes and represses the memory until adulthood when he goes on a killing spree, with the goal of killing 25 sex offenders, one for every year that Joey has been dead. The detective and others in the story keep referring to Bret's character as a serial killer, which is inaccurate since it's clear that Bret has remorse, a code of honor, and a plan to only kill sex offenders. As it turns out, other characters in the movie are also vigilantes, as a matter of fact, there are so many that they may as well form a vigilantes anonymous support group.
The film is a completely homegrown production and took more than two years and the involvement of about 75 people in Anchorage-kudos to the team for seeing it through. However, in addition to being a friends and family project, 25 is painfully amateurish. The acting is substandard and mechanical, actors stumble when delivering lines and the character development is nonexistent. There are some nice camera angles, but even these are compromised by poor lighting that at times causes the main character to perspire profusely. There is an unusual amount of product placement for no good reason, with the exception of KWHL radio hosts Bob and Mark's contribution to the storyline, even if they just spout shallow pop-psychology.
The overwhelming limitations of 25 could be overlooked for the sake of supporting a local effort at a feature-length production that addresses an important topic, but cringe-worthy elements make it hard to give the movie a pass. For starters-technical failures aside-25 bombs the Bechdel test when referring to the women Bret lets live as bitches over and over. The women in the film do play prominent roles but they're prescribed and stereotypical. The other unforgivable detail is that in an effort to protect the vigilante by giving the police a false description of him, he goes from being a middle-aged, white male to an Alaska Native man, dark and with tattoos-Really? 25 plays in Anchorage on May 9. Miss it if you can.
25 shows on May 9 at 5 p.m. at UAA's Wendy Williamson Auditorium. (2533 Providence Dr.)