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DanielHill
Reviews
Reality of Life (2002)
A good film with promise.
Reality of Life is a good independent film and is a surprisingly well-done directorial debut. The film is heavy on dialog and that is one of the main problems. The title suggests a realism that is felt in the film; however the repetition we have in actual life doesn't translate as well on a screen. Although realism was a goal, an audience expects and needs a little more to keep them interested. Howard's writing keeps us in the moment but it misses opportunities to make those moments more special and it's a shame.
The leads Layten and Jindra are very good in their roles but it's hard for us to be involved in their characters' personalities as much. We want them to be more interesting and their love story to really pull us in. Unfortunately the two characters seeing something in each other isn't always enough for us as an audience to be engrossed in the relationship too. We need something to invest us into them as well so we know exactly who they are, what they're feeling, and why it's so important to them. It's the second half of the film (and especially near the end) that this starts to happen more but by that time we're just getting warmed up, it's almost over. They play the parts very well though and the end scenes are their greatest. The supporting role Howard plays is the most complicated and I can see why Howard would want it for himself. He plays the humor very well and we start to care for his character more as we see the struggle that slowly builds throughout and his jokes no longer hide the fact that he's a sensitive person. It's a nice arc and Howard plays the drama greatly and is very impressive. Bousquet and Porter are also very good but have very little screen time. Some of the other actors are where the quality of the film is lost a little.
The cinematography is wonderful and Bull really makes moments shine. The editing is fairly unobtrusive and adds a realistic element to the film. The music works for the most part with the orchestral score being a high point. The ending and even the main plot is something I will not reveal here as it's better to let it unfold, but there were several places I thought I could tell what was going to happen, and I was wrong each time. The last 20 minutes of the film is worth the price of admission alone. Unfortunately, the beginning and middle are slower paced and it takes us a while to get more into it. The idea is great; the execution just needed a little more oomph. There are some very powerful scenes throughout and if the whole film held us like those did, it would be much better.
Though this film is flawed in places and could use some writing editing, it's a nice effort and leaves us with a touching film that makes you think a little bit. I hope that his film is something he can expand his talent on and really impress us with his future work. I think there can be some great things ahead.
Lost (2003)
Amazing and powerful
I saw this short film on the directors website after viewing a feature he had previously made. I really wish I had seen in on a big screen. It's a scary, powerful, and shaking film about the choice of living or dying and how that may alter when one is chosen but later realized it may not have been the best choice. To reveal the ending would be a disservice to the beauty of this film and take away from the power it grips you with throughout. In Howard's feature, Reality of Life, I spoke about how he was a little too wordy with his dialog and how I had hoped it would be a stepping stone to bigger films. This is a much shorter film, by 1/6 of the run time, but is a much bigger film in many ways. Howard went the opposite with this film and dialog is pretty non-existent save for an opening shot of a young woman speaking that echoes in the young mans head throughout the film. And that's it. The rest is music and expression. At a run time of almost 20 minutes, that seems like a boring description of a film but Howard is so captivating and the idea of this film is so original, that you don't even notice how long it goes on for. You are in it. And it's a hard thing to be in: Howard shows an absolutely terrifying scene involving suicide and the way it unfolds is extraordinary. Whether the young man succeeds in his suicide is to be seen in the film. Whether it matters or not is another question all together: this film is about the journey he takes during it. The moments leading up to the scene are intense and jump ten-fold when the suicide progresses and the young man suddenly realizes he has something to live for after all. The horror of the moment is huge when you really don't know if it's past the point of no return for this young man who has made the biggest mistake he may ever make. We feel for him. We root for him. And we think of life in a way we may never have thought of before. And that has to be Howard's point. The chosen Beethoven song is haunting as it plays in it's entirety and the other score is beautiful and compliments the film perfectly. I never imagined a short film could do so much to emotions in such a short amount of time. I highly suggest it to everyone though I will warn you that it is disturbing: however its not graphic and is handled in a very creative, original way. It's powerful in a way that films should be and when the credits finally role, you expel the breath you've been holding and simply think "wow."