Having served seven years in prison following a failed heist, Gregg Garland is hell-bent on tracking down the man responsible for his downfall.Having served seven years in prison following a failed heist, Gregg Garland is hell-bent on tracking down the man responsible for his downfall.Having served seven years in prison following a failed heist, Gregg Garland is hell-bent on tracking down the man responsible for his downfall.
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- TriviaThe entire film was shot without sound, with every line of dialogue being done via ADR. The director also did Foley for all sounds made by the characters including each footstep, movement of clothing, sip of beer, etc. This process took over 6 months to recreate all sounds in the movie.
Featured review
Just how much ass can a man kick in one shirt?
Does anyone have high hopes for a film when it doesn't have a major production label attached to it? In my experience not really. I didn't know what to expect from a fellow no budget filmmaker. But after following along with Morgan Howard and the Grind Out of Focus crew for a while on IG, I knew I had to check it out. I watched it twice, once as a receptive fan, and once critically and this is what I have to say about the film.
First off, the choice to shoot with the ARRI 16mm without prior experience is crazy for a first time filmmaker. That took some balls (but I hear everything's bigger in TX so...). I looked into their camera and the thing is older than I am. I have to say after watching the film and hearing how much of a learning curve they had to overcome through listening to The Caliche Tapes... I am completely blown away by the result. It looks and feels like its from a different time of filmmaking. In a time where post production rules all It's refreshing to see a film that isn't afraid of its imperfections and instead rides them through till the end. Pair that old school camera with the choice to dubb in the sound and you have an instant taste of spaghetti western.
The number one strength of this film is its writing. I believe the characters were carefully thought out and fit the dark world that Howard has created perfectly. The storyline isn't presented in a linear fashion, which could have easily sentenced the indie film along with so many other needlessly confusing films of its weight class. However, due to multiple cleverly placed hints along the way, the perceptive viewer is rewarded with a map to guide them along the way. Could the pacing have been sped up a little in either the directors execution or in the editing room? In my opinion yes, but seeing as the director and editor are the same person, it must have been an aesthetic choice and I can respect the decision to stick with a clear vision.
I am a fan of the subtle guitar work as the score, thought it was a nice touch, and the foley work was very good considering everything was done after the fact in a makeshift studio. What a monumental task of recreating every boot scuff and beer gulp. Also, if Lone Star beer isn't paying you, they should be. The main criticism of the film that I have is while the writing is done well and the acting on screen looks good too, there is something lost in translation in the voiceover work. At times the soundbites are laking the passion needed for the scene, or they don't quite match with the characters on screen mood. Does the added campy feel somehow still work? Maybe... so I suppose thats up to each viewer to decide.
The locations were on point. So many times low budget films neglect the backdrop that reflects the narrative almost as much as the clothes on their characters backs. It was immediately apparent that the filmmakers exhausted every opportunity available to them to make sure the shooting locations were fresh and made the most of them. The opening scene in particular sets up the tone as an eerily beautiful landscape and left you feeling like anything could go down at any moment... and it sure did. Lets talk the little dirty details. The incessant flies buzzing around the characters, the filthy clothes and even filthier people just makes the viewer uncomfortable and lifts them out of the real world for a second and into the story. Well done. Also speaking on the little details of the movie, I didn't know how many dick jokes you could fit on a business card until after watching CR. That made for a good chuckle.
Above all else, what really comes through on this film is the filmmakers love for the process. It takes a lot of it to put together a finished feature length product. And where there are faults to the film, I think they can be ironed out with practice and repetition. They have a great foundation in their writing skill and they have the one thing you cannot teach to fuel them along the way: pure filmmaking passion.
Good luck guys, looking forward to following along further.
First off, the choice to shoot with the ARRI 16mm without prior experience is crazy for a first time filmmaker. That took some balls (but I hear everything's bigger in TX so...). I looked into their camera and the thing is older than I am. I have to say after watching the film and hearing how much of a learning curve they had to overcome through listening to The Caliche Tapes... I am completely blown away by the result. It looks and feels like its from a different time of filmmaking. In a time where post production rules all It's refreshing to see a film that isn't afraid of its imperfections and instead rides them through till the end. Pair that old school camera with the choice to dubb in the sound and you have an instant taste of spaghetti western.
The number one strength of this film is its writing. I believe the characters were carefully thought out and fit the dark world that Howard has created perfectly. The storyline isn't presented in a linear fashion, which could have easily sentenced the indie film along with so many other needlessly confusing films of its weight class. However, due to multiple cleverly placed hints along the way, the perceptive viewer is rewarded with a map to guide them along the way. Could the pacing have been sped up a little in either the directors execution or in the editing room? In my opinion yes, but seeing as the director and editor are the same person, it must have been an aesthetic choice and I can respect the decision to stick with a clear vision.
I am a fan of the subtle guitar work as the score, thought it was a nice touch, and the foley work was very good considering everything was done after the fact in a makeshift studio. What a monumental task of recreating every boot scuff and beer gulp. Also, if Lone Star beer isn't paying you, they should be. The main criticism of the film that I have is while the writing is done well and the acting on screen looks good too, there is something lost in translation in the voiceover work. At times the soundbites are laking the passion needed for the scene, or they don't quite match with the characters on screen mood. Does the added campy feel somehow still work? Maybe... so I suppose thats up to each viewer to decide.
The locations were on point. So many times low budget films neglect the backdrop that reflects the narrative almost as much as the clothes on their characters backs. It was immediately apparent that the filmmakers exhausted every opportunity available to them to make sure the shooting locations were fresh and made the most of them. The opening scene in particular sets up the tone as an eerily beautiful landscape and left you feeling like anything could go down at any moment... and it sure did. Lets talk the little dirty details. The incessant flies buzzing around the characters, the filthy clothes and even filthier people just makes the viewer uncomfortable and lifts them out of the real world for a second and into the story. Well done. Also speaking on the little details of the movie, I didn't know how many dick jokes you could fit on a business card until after watching CR. That made for a good chuckle.
Above all else, what really comes through on this film is the filmmakers love for the process. It takes a lot of it to put together a finished feature length product. And where there are faults to the film, I think they can be ironed out with practice and repetition. They have a great foundation in their writing skill and they have the one thing you cannot teach to fuel them along the way: pure filmmaking passion.
Good luck guys, looking forward to following along further.
helpful•10
- SteveDrakeII
- Jan 10, 2020
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- Budget
- $12,000 (estimated)
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