"When I Find Bin Laden Review
2006-May-12 by Laughcalvin
Phigment Philms and Outsiders Productions have put together their version of a small-town boy trying to make things right. The film was written by Mark Walling, directed by James Bridges and produced Todd Kinnamon. It stars Adam Hampton, Layton "Bo" Cannon, and Kevin Worden. “When I Find Bin Laden”
(rev. by Peter Durant,
They say that when you are in the “zone”, time seems to speed up. Hours fly by like minutes and the task is so absorbing you feel as though nothing else exists. It is just you and the object of your focus and attention. Generally, it is a pleasant experience.
When a task or activity fails to bring you into this state, one hour can feel like three and the task or activity becomes a test of one’s tolerance for boredom and frustration.
Watching “When I Find Bin Laden” on a sunny, pleasant Sunday afternoon demanded every ounce of endurance I could muster. Sure, there were so many other things I could have been doing, but here was a movie with a plausible story line (drug pusher gets released from prison and returns to his hometown where he tries to start a new life—trouble ensues) Not bad. Sounds a bit formulaic, but, still, it sounded at least like it might provide some decent entertainment for a Sunday afternoon.
But it wasn’t long before I regretted not having gone out to Costco or some other out-of-the-house activity where my tolerance for boredom would not have been so severely tested.
The hour and a half film felt at times that it might possibly never end, an endless loop of film which seemed to run on forever. I began to think that it would have made an effective interrogation tool with the inmates at Guantanamo Bay. One viewing was torture; imagine making them watch it twice. It would have made Abu Graib look like child’s play.
It wasn’t so much the story that made the film difficult to sit through. It was the driving vehicle for the story, the protagonist, which stalled from the outset and left the film without any engine to drive it forward.
Whether or not it was by design or simply a demonstration of how not to cast a leading role, the film’s lead played by Adam Hampton sleepwalked through most of the 90 minutes of film. We can understand why one would be so sullen and given to brooding after spending time locked up in prison, but enough is enough. Snap out of it. A movie is being made here. We need to see some acting, some life on the screen.
It was as though his character was in a constant state of torpor, unable to exhibit any traits of a human personality. Was it possible he had been born without one? Lost it during a botched operation? Perhaps this was what the movie was really about, an invisible man of sorts. You could see him physically, he did exist on the screen in human form, but there was no distinguishable personality.
With the exception of a believable performance by Layton Bo Cannon who plays the stoner friend arrested during a drug raid, this film lacked the screen presence of a charismatic actor. Casting such an actor in the lead role may have made all the difference.
2006-May-15 - Response to the bashing session Posted by James Bridges
A bad critique is one thing, a bashing session is another. When filmmakers like myself spend so many hours working on a project they can go 2 ways in my opinion. 1. Be so wrapped up in their own aspirations that all they want is praise and for people to pay attention to the project only because they are playing filmmaker and want credits. 2. Would like to have someone with an understanding of the process take a look at it and help them by being honest about problem areas so that filmmaker may learn and progress to become productive at what they have a passion for doing. I like to imagine myself as the second of those.
Your opinion counts as does anyone else's, but that is all it was. Was it helpful? No. Was it constructive? Not even close. Did it show the true character of a person that is so upset with the fact that they would rather go to costco than be part of the process? Yes.
The difference between your person or critic or whatever this costco going non productive pen pusher of yours is that I can actually say that I am part of the process. Instead of putting on my coaches shorts (presumably) and hopping into my mini van (also presumably) with flashbacks of lost hopes and dreams of becoming something great and making my way to my favorite shopping center where I can gaze at wonderful beautiful bulk packages of mayonnaise, I get out on the weekends and apply myself to the craft. My films are probably horrible to a lot of people, that's fine. But to post a bashing session on your website rather than a critique, which you claim to do is simply discrediting.
Again, if it were a bad critique then I would be very much receiving and astute. I'm sorry for your stringer's bad day, but I think any film deserves something to work off of to progress in a positive manner.
When I was introduced to your website I thought you were a professional entity. Turns out some of your reviewers are a bunch of lost has beens wanting to take their problems out on other people therefore discrediting your entire little blogging project.
Take care and best of luck.
Oh, and tell Laughcalvin or whatever his name is I said hi and I hope he has a nice time at costco.
James Bridges
Phigment Philms
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2006-May-15 - "When I Find Bin Laden" Review
Posted by Peter Durant
Peter Durant responds:
I will not respond in kind to James Bridge's personal attack on me in his response to my review. I wanted, however, to clarify a few points that may have been lost on his reading of my review.
My review was not intended to disparage the entirety of his work. The focus of my review was on only one element of the film--the lead-- which I found to be a poor choice.
This choice overshadowed, in my opinion, everything else about the film. In a character-driven story the film succeeds or fails on the lead actor's ability to carry the story forward. I simply felt he failed to do so.
I made no mention of the script or dialog which was sound. I made no mention of cinematography which did a fine job of capturing the bleak landscape and mood of a small Southern town. I made brief mention of the supporting cast which gave the film a dash of realism and texture.
Perhaps I may have included more of these points in my review, but I did not set out to write a comprehensive analysis of all elements of the film, only my main impression of it.
I ended my review making clear that the focus of my criticism was solely the choice of the lead. I even suggested that casting a different actor in this role "may have made all the difference."
I did not intend to "bash" Mr. Bridges or question his ability as a director. I certainly did not expect him to question my character or disparage Costco shoppers. I simply felt much of his hard work was lost on a lead which was unable to command my attention.
