Since this is my web site, I get to set my own rules, and one of my self-imposed rules is that I only review movies that I see theatrically. Sometimes I'll watch more than three DVDs in one week, so if I were to also write reviews for the movies I watch on DVD, I'd have to quit my job to make the time to write all the reviews. On my home page, I usually write a short little mini review of a DVD, but that's about it. Other than that, I only review movies that I see theatrically. But then I got this E-Mail:
Hi, I was wondering if your site could review the film. Or do I find a writer to review the film and then submit the review for your consideration? Let me know. I appreciate it. Thank
you, |
We E-Mailed back and forth a couple of times, and she agreed to send me a DVD of her movie so I could review it in my web site. I was so flattered! An independent filmmaker E-Mailed me directly to request that I review her film? I know it may not seem like a big deal, but I thought it was very cool. Then when I got the DVD, I started thinking; what if I hated the movie? What if I thought it sucked? I'd feel horrible writing a negative review for a film where one of the producers contacted me directly asking me to review it. When it comes to independent films (REALLY independent films), you never know what you're gonna get. My God, what if it's as bad as "Gore Whore"? I eventually put the DVD in, hoping that I'd like the movie, and I'm happy to say that I did.
Before I go on, I have to say that this movie is not for everybody. It's unusual, and it moves very slowly. However, the movie revolves around some very interesting characters, and I wasn't bored for a second. Then again, at just under an hour and fifteen minutes, it was over pretty quickly.
Although I don't like to delve too deeply into storylines in my reviews, I'll say that the movie consists of three stories set in New York City, and all three have to do with using the Internet to meet new people. Admittedly, that's a very vague description, but this is a movie that's best viewed knowing as little as possible going in.
Probably the most remarkable thing about this movie is that it was made for only $3000. That's amazing to me. It's an extremely low budget movie, but it doesn't look nearly as low budget as the cost would suggest. It was shot on 24fps digital video, which is considerably cheaper than shooting on film, but that doesn't make it any less of an achievement. I'm not saying that "Discover Me" is technical perfection, but for $3000, they made a movie that could stand proudly alongside other independent films that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make. Producers Jennifer Clary and Kevin Haberer (who together founded jenkev productions, Inc., the company that produced the film), along with director Ryan Webb, did a phenomenal job in making sure that "Discover Me" was a professional looking feature film. Did I mention that they did it for $3000?
I should also mention that Kevin Haberer came up with a way to control the focus and the picture of the 24fps digital video camera with interchangeable 35mm lenses as opposed to the non-interchangeable lens that typically comes with digital camcorders. His invention, the jenkev mini 35 shoulder mount, makes this possible. Pretty cool, eh?
This movie was written by Jennifer Clary, Kevin Haberer, Kight Haberer & Ryan Webb, but it wasn't a very detailed script. Apparently the four of them came up with the three stories, and then they handed outlines to the actors giving them a general idea of what they needed to do. This allowed for a lot of improvisation, making the film a true collaboration.
The acting is great, there isn't a weak link the bunch. Mind you, it's a small cast, but all of them are very good. This is especially impressive considering how much improvisation there was. The cast includes Jason Grechanik, Marlene Wallace, and Steven Gottlieb, who are the central figures in one storyline. Evangelos Alexiou, Kelsey Egan, and Michaela Dietz are part of the second storyline. Finally, the two producers, Jennifer Clary and Kevin Haberer, make up the third storyline.
Although I enjoyed this movie, it's not perfect. The ending is a little TOO weird for me, and one of the three stories concluded in a way that didn't satisfy me. Also, though it may have been intentional, the time-lapse photography used as transitions was jerky, as though frames were deleted rather than the footage actually being shot in time-lapse.
This is not your typical boy-meets-girl movie, and that's definitely a good thing. The three stories are unusual, the characters are quirky, and the ending is ambiguous. There's no spoon-feeding, and you have to use your brain. "Discover Me" is a very entertaining film made by people who clearly want to provide an alternative to the formulaic crap that Hollywood cranks out.
I don't know if or when "Discover Me" will be made available to the public, but I DO know that it will be shown during Indiefest Chicago sometime between July 29 and August 7, 2005. If you're interested, check out The Official Discover Me Web Site or jenkev productions, Inc. for updates. Maybe you can convince them to sell you a DVD. I can't guarantee that you'll like it as much as I did, but it's a hell of a lot better than "Gore Whore."
Scale of 1-10: 8