2007-Jul-5 - Never Say MacBeth... in a theatre... or bad things might happen... maybe
The challenge of an indie film in my mind is to make the final product not look like an indie film- or better- an ultra low-budget one. As a reviewer you can, however, give the low budgeteds a free pass when it comes to such technical items as special effects, locations, and music, knowing that with a respectable pool of dough all of these could be immensely improved.
Really, the main area of film where the shoestring budget can go toe to toe with a BIG studio pic is in the story department (and to a lesser extent the acting, as there are multitudes of competent actors who will work for peanuts- oh the competition...).
Having said this, Never Say MacBeth is a blithely witty romp, which succeeds in what it is: a romantic comedy about the curse of "MacBeth" (which for those of you who are not theatre geeks, is the widely held belief in the acting community that simply uttering the word in a theatre can cause calamity or at least really bad karma).
Storywise Joe Tyler Gold (a triple threat who produces and stars) has concocted a cute tale that is mostly enjoyable. Yes, I said "cute" and "mostly". There are some moments of sappiness (of course this is a romantic comedy) and a plot which goes along its merry and expected way. But, I did find myself laughing quite a bit at a number of the lines and rooting for the leads.
The acting, all in all, is solid- the vast majority of the cast hailing from area L.A. theatre companies. Joe Tyler Gold (Danny) is winsome as a Science teacher turned thespian struggling to let go of an old flame. Tania Getty (Tamara) delivers a charming, effervescent performance as danny's liason into the oddities of the theatre world and eventual love interest. As the crazed though highly believable director (for anyone who's done much of any work in a theatre company he is believable), Alexander Enberg (Jason) is fun to watch.
Where the film suffers a bit is in its execution. Heavily relying on special effects is not the best route to go if you're lacking in the cashflow department. Yes, I realize I'm being hypocritical here having made the point that as viewers we know things would be better if better resources were to be had. But, the fact is that the film utilizes these effects to such a great degree and in so many scenes that it does become a bit distracting.
Overall, Never Say MacBeth is a gratifying effort. And we applaud the cast and crew for their work.
BEER RATING: Newcastle- a decent English brew. (6.5 out of 10).
|
|
Post A Comment!
|
2007-Jul-6 - Theater Geek |
| Posted by Cathy |
having worked in theater since I moved to LA , I totally dig the premise. I'm going to contact Goldcap Films for a copy of the film and maybe a job!
Thanks,
Cathy |
| Permanent Link |
2007-Aug-3 - thanks |
| Posted by KYJoe |
cathy-
it really is something that needed to be done (the actors' macbeth superstition shit). don't think i mentioned that in the review. if you ever stop by here again...
-thanks |
| Permanent Link |
2007-Aug-29 - It was shot very nicely. |
| Posted by Anonymous |
| The Cinematography was great. But the editing and dialog tended to drag. The acting was good. The lead tended to annoy me but I think that was suppose to be on purpose. The rest of the main cast was solid and I really enjoyed the guy who played the director. All and all it's an entertaining film and kudos for making it happen and finishing. |
| Permanent Link |
2007-Aug-29 - It was shot very nicely. |
| Posted by Anonymous |
| The Cinematography was great. But the editing and dialog tended to drag. The acting was good. The lead tended to annoy me but I think that was suppose to be on purpose. The rest of the main cast was solid and I really enjoyed the guy who played the director. All and all it's an entertaining film and kudos for making it happen and finishing. |
| Permanent Link |
|
About Me
For all of you pencil pushers, cubicle clerks, dock workers, and govt. employees out there, HIT has combined 2 of your favorite things: beer and movies! We will review movies and grade them with beer! Now, some of you may disagree with our ranking system. For example, you might consider Miller Lite to be the best beer. And you may also feel that "Independence Day" is one of the best films ever. Not coincidentally on our scale, "Independence Day" receives a Miller Lite (or 3). So as you see films made in bad taste receive a bad tasting beer for their score. Fun, no?
Links
• Home
• View my profile
• Archives
• Email Me
• My Blog's RSS
• HIT Working Stiffs' Movie Guide: Studio Pics
• KYJoe
|
