The Timber

This movie was pretty interesting and well-shot in some very scenic, snow-covered mountain locations; however, some of the scenes were a little too vague and unclear as to what actually happened. Perhaps the director wanted to "challenge" the audience in an artistic manner...or maybe the producer told the director to cut the time of the film by about thirty minutes; whatever the reason, the end result was a lot of scenes that didn't really make sense. There was a scene in a cave where it looked like someone got killed...but I'm not really sure who or why. There were several scenes that stopped just before the action started, only to show the aftermath later on, leaving the viewer to piece together what had happened. Overall, I still liked the film; it had a talented cast and an interesting plot.

Frustratingly incomprehensible. Meh. I don't know why young directors like long, pretentious pauses between phrases in the dialogue. Even more puzzling is why actors of the cell phone & video generation mumble & slur their lines inaudibly with affected Brando- like breathiness. Why is it de rigueur these days to shoot quick unexpected of camera cut sequences of puzzling esoteric views that resemble a Georgia O'Keeffe landscape? After 30 minutes of this kind of desultory visual rambling, one grows catatonic relative to what trickiness will come next...the eyes widen and pinwheel...the mind numbs & wanders off... But it's all damn irritating for those of us who actually expected a good tale, well-told. (All these sophomoric devices seemingly serve to cover up the lack of a good script and the absence of a worthwhile story.) This soporific "western" resembles a film school project more than a work meant for human consumption. Presumptuously pretentious, "The Timber" fails at almost every level that I've come to expect of film, except the yawn quotient.

The Timber is directed by Anthony O'Brien and O'Brien co-writes the screenplay with Steve Allrich and Colin Ossiander. It stars James Ransome, Josh Peck and William Gaunt. Music is by Tim Borquez and cinematography by Phil Parmet.

Two brothers set off on a mission through the snowy wilderness...

The Timber is one of those films that's baffling yet intriguing. One only has to look at some amateur review sites to see that it's reviled and adored in equal measure. Depending on what side of the fence you sit, it's either a misunderstood (and under appreciated) art house Western venture, or a badly edited and incomprehensible mess.

The two brothers played by Ransome and Peck are on a mission to capture their estranged father (Gaunt) who has gone psycho after his Yukon gold well has run dry. This point of reference is not instantly apparent and is quite frankly vague and almost lost in the surreal mix. Upon their journey they encounter problems and weird characters, all this while they also contend with the ghosts of their pasts (for all we know they might actually be ghosts anyway!). The narrative is choppy, punctured by irritatingly long periods of pointless silence, and there seems to be gaps where something else should be formed, thus giving the impression that it was filmed on the fly with mucho improv.

Of course it could well be the intention of the makers was to deliberately make a nightmare/dreamy Apocalypse Now style Oater, and that many of us just don't get it? Or it really is a case of ideas above their station? What isn't in doubt is that it's magnificently photographed, a snowy Western filmed on location in the Carpathian Mountains is a thing to cherish, whilst it is undoubtedly a fascinating production, but conversely it's almost impossible to recommend with confidence. Roll the dice and take your chance... 4/10

-The Timber (2015) movie review: -The Timber is an indie flick that takes place in the North-west during the eighteen-hundreds. It follows two brothers who are sent to collect a dangerous bounty in exchange for keeping their family's home.

-This should have been, and could have been, really good. Unfortunately, it was not so.

-The story was unique, but the film had so much trouble focusing on the actual story instead of little side-stories all throughout.

-The pace was the worth thing about it, because it was excruciating. Nothing happens for most of the film. And when stuff actually happens, the editing is really bad, so yeah. It feels very unsatisfactory.

-The acting is fine. It stars James Ransone and Josh Peck, who I thought did a good job, but not a great job.

-The main characters are worth rooting for, but there is not much to anyone else in the film.

-I don't remember the music that much, but it was slow.

-There were some cool sequences in the film. Some good effects and a few gun fights I enjoyed.

-Even with a few cool moments and other elements that are not too bad, the pace of this movie just kills the entertainment factor. Unfortunately, The Timber is not really worth the time.

-It has some violence throughout, so probably R, but I do not remember much else in the film. I could be wrong, but I was not really paying attention too much. Because I was bored.

The photography was wonderful and this must have been a difficult film to film for cast and crew in all that snow and ice. But unfortunately for me it was all rather a big disappointment. This is a real shame as there are not enough westerns being made at this time, but this one just did not hit the mark. It was original for sure in its location but rather lost its way. Sorry! For westerns to survive they have to be original and have a good mix of action and dialogue. After all youngsters seem to prefer programmes and films like Game of Thrones. Westworld has captured the imagination of a lot of people and has a lot of fans due to its style and content. Refreshing, to say the least!