Black Cloud

This movie is definitely worth seeing. It is a very interesting mix of "Rocky" meets a "Western". A friend of mine saw the film in Montana last week and told me the crowd was blown away as well. I heard they made it for a million bucks. WOW. Tim McGraw is very good as the sheriff. Rick Schroder has ton's of talent as a writer and a big future directing. He was just nominated for a CMA award for best country music video. The girl is hot in the movie. I give it a big thumbs up. Peter Greene is the best I have ever seen him. He was the guy in the mask. Wayne Knight plays a creepy part as a pervert and is totally believable. The cinematography is incredible and the boxing scenes the most realistic I have ever seen.

I just returned home after seeing this movie at the Boston Film Festival. I really like movies from Independent to blockbusters. I like all types of genres. I really wanted to like this before I saw it, but it really fell short in my mind.

This movie is about a young Native American from the Navajo tribe who fights in and out of the ring. He has a short fuse and struggles with the fact that he has "white" man blood in him. He really hated the white man for what they did to his people and felt like he had tainted blood. He is on a road of destruction if he lets these fears engulf his life. The question is will he build on the good of his life and grow or let these fears destroy him? I guess you will have to check it out if you really want to know.

I didn't mind the movie, but it really wasn't something I was interested in.

There was plenty of pour acting. There were parts of the film that received laughs from the audience even when laughs weren't what they were going for. You see Wayne Knight (Seinfeld's Newman) as a scumbag. I was like, "It's Newman! Man did he loose weight."

Like I stated it's a low budget movie and with that comes many problems. I have a lot of low budget movies in my DVD collection. I just couldn't connect to this one. There were some funny parts. Black Cloud's father and friend (Jimmy) were funny at times. I just think the movie fell short. It was written by, directed by, and starred Ricky Schroder. I hope he does better the next time. This is not a knock to the people who liked the film; I personally did not find it a good one. The small crowd that attended tonight's showing didn't seem to like it much either.

It was great to see a film with such a beautiful backdrop...it seems all I've seen lately are office buildings in dirty cities, so this was literally a breath of fresh air, and I sort of hated to leave the theater and realize, oops, you're back in the big city now... Rick Schroeder has grown up on film, and we all expect a lot from him. I thought he did a good job with the character, and while the film suffered a bit in pace and editing, it more than made up for that by good performances, cinematography, and a nice score. Hope to see better distribution in the future. This one just didn't seem to have time to catch on with audiences. It made me wish for the old days when you'd see two films at a time, and end up liking the second one better. I guess financial gain for theater owners has taken those days away. Too bad, as some of these smaller films could really benefit from such a system. Anybody listening? Perhaps it will be sold in a two-pack DVD that can benefit another movie at the same time.

I saw Black Cloud in Phoenix and liked it very much. Although some people have said the movie contains "stereotypes," I have worked with Indian people over the years and many of them have seen this movie and like it for its fair representation of Indian people in transition from one way of life to another. I heard Russell Means, one of the older Indian actors in the movie, say that he chose to do the script (apparently for not very much money!) because he felt it was an honest depiction of Indian people and the challenges they face. If Indian people are OK with it, I don't know why anybody else should have a problem. I especially liked seeing talented young Indian actors have a chance to show their stuff. I think both Eddie Spears and Julia Jones have great potential, and I hope to see more of them in future. I was impressed with the technical values of the movie--photography and editing, plus the music. For a first-time director, I think Rick Schroder did a terrific job.

I loved the visual beauty of the film. The Navajo country in northern Arizona where this film was made is indeed spectacular. I have never seen a photographic work presented with more drama. However, it is not just a "pretty film". It is an honest film. Even the ugliness and poverty is stunning. It is truth telling. Equally impressive is the soundtrack. The two work together to create a piece of art of which Ricky Schroeder can be justly proud. The story is a kind of "Rocky" that will appeal to young and old alike. It is not only inspirational but also rewarding insofar as the protagonist resolves personal issues and matures. I saw this film in my hometown of Payson, Arizona, where it premiered last week. I also happened to be in the theater when the cast arrived for that premier. If I had known then what I know now, I would have given them all a "thumbs up" for a terrific entertainment.