The Crimson Mask

I'm not really sure what movie iacon6 thought he was reviewing, but this was definitely not the disaster he's made it out to be. (I suspect cinemafreek's assessment of why he would write a review not far off the mark) I saw this movie several weeks ago at the film festival in Philadelphia. What I saw was an excellent independent film featuring a plot that managed to be complex without being complicated, excellent performances (especially Clohessy) and a satisfying conclusion that features a great action scene and a relatable moral. For a relatively new filmmaker, I think this was a very ambitious film that succeeded quite well in its mission, and I look forward to seeing what else Elias Plagianos can come up with in the future.

Taking into consideration different aspects, before you trash this film, keep in mind that it was clearly done on a budget! The thing that strikes me most about this film is how fresh it is, the plot is different, the performances are different, the presentation of certain scenes and elements is also different. The two stories get together revealing another amazing aspect in the movie, through combining the two stories and knitting it all together. The fantasy factor is handled very carefully in this film, added to strengthen the scenes without taking from the reality of the stories. For creativity this movie definitely stands out for me. The acting was kind of tricky because as a character you'd have to maintain your personality and balance between your realistic and imaginative features. Excellent.

I saw Crimson Mask opening night last year in Downtown Disney. All I can say is what a complete boring disaster of an independent film! Watching the carpet was so much more exciting than this film. I would have to agree with iacon6 as I also share in his opinions about this film. A lot of people go to film school for a good reason, and my guess is that the film maker and writer of this film should have stayed in school for at least a few more years. You must learn to have appealing story lines for your audience, and not once was there a fragment of intellectual story telling. As an editor, I found this film offensive to the arts of film making. As it goes to show that I guess if this film can make it on a big screen, anything can make it.

The film had an interesting look. Modern noir with moments of pulp cinema to accent key moments. You can definitely see it was done on a budget but they were very clever making it look professional. The movie takes some bizarre turns but nothing is out of place. It takes a while for the viewer to realize this isn't our world, but this Twilight Zone-y world, that's close to reality but strange forces are at work. Note the color red throughout the movie that symbolizes this. My only real problem is the connection of various money men that manipulated Thomas. It came off disjointed. You didn't spend time with any of them long enough to hate the guy and root for Thomas. On the other side, Parker's nemesis Jeffries (played perfectly by Lee Sellers) stole any scene he was in. His charisma is what you want in this Faustian tale. The basic message of the movie really resonates. It was a smart choice to replay the lesson in the end credits for people who didn't pay attention when it was first shown.

Saw this at Indiefest with a couple of other filmmakers from the festival. We walked in a little late, but were drawn in right away.

This is not your typical festival film. It's a cerebral fantasy. It challenges the audience to follow a fractured storyline that gets wrapped up in a great and unexpected way at the end.

As a short filmmaker myself, I'm interested in graduating to features and Crimson Mask is something every short filmmaker should see. These guys were able to make an epic film on a really tight budget using creative lighting, editing, and some really great actors.

This was an ambitious film by a first time filmmaker, and unlike the other reviewer ( who I suspect might have been angry his film did not win any festival awards) , I really enjoyed it on a number of levels.

This film is not for everyone though. It has some strong language and can wander at times. Be prepared for a bathroom break in the middle of the film. Also, the lead up to the confrontation could have been done much better.

If I saw this film on cable I would rate it a 6.5/10 but taking into the consideration the budget, and in comparison the the other festival films I've seen... I'm giving it a 10 .