A Measure of the Sin

Well, this had two reviews when I looked it up; a two-star and a ten-star. So which would it really be? Bear in mind, I love off-beat movies and B movies and even some pretty terribly produced movies if the writing and plotting is clever. And I like or even love some movies that other people hate (to each his own). But this movie was awful. Just abysmal and utterly boring. How I crawled through to the end is beyond me, but even further beyond me is why anyone would give this 10 stars.

My chief complaint is the endless narration of the story, which in THIS case is a terrible replacement for well-written dialog. The acting was pretty bad...I've seen worse, but this is near the bottom. All of the characters were unlikable, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case I just couldn't get engaged with any aspect of the insipid story. For a movie that's only 10 years old it feels awfully dated as well.

But hey, to each his (or her) own! I never tell people not to waste an hour and a half of their life watching a bad movie, because I think that's very presumptuous and pretentious. But I know I won't waste another minute on this piece of crap.

As seen on pay-per-view, $10, three attempts - that isn't good.

The direction, the camera work, editing, story, score, and acting all contribute seamlessly and equally to this awful delirium of a movie. It's a plodding, empty landscape of mediocrity trying to be artistic, which would have bombed even in the heyday of low-budget '60s experimental films.

This great delirium, moved along (if that's possible) by monotone and endless narration (presumably by the writer/screenwriter Kristy Nielsen) is invariably monotone and so poorly recorded as to be almost painful to make the effort to increase the volume and listen to the bland delivery of an uninspired story.

Then of course the score gets louder as well. It's a segment of a mediocre suspense score dragged out from end to end. Numbingly monotonous.

The direction? Well, Jeff Wedding directed, edited, helped write, and did a bang-up job of botching each assignment. Why, for instance are we looking up the nose of "The Man" each time he graces the protagonist, Meredith, with another drab line of dialog? He's not more scary with the annoying close-ups. In fact he had a face that could have been used for a more ambiguous and subtle character, lost by the closeness (which could be a statement of his domineering and controlling - albeit empty - persona. But we GET it already.)

Forget all that, though, there is no chance for ambiguity in these characters. The only thing that will keep young men watching is the sporadic nudity. The only thing that will keep young women watching is the aura of 'women's issues' that offers nothing new or interesting on any level. Older movie vets will wisely cut their losses and leave, unlike me.

A sophomoric attempt at a film and story-telling, at best.

Hauntingly beautiful, nightmarishly perfect. You ever go into one of those movies that linger on your mind and seem to cause many mixed emotions within you? Have you seen a movie that builds on the likeness of reality as if the camera doesn't exist and the story doesn't exist because it feels so real, so hauntingly real.

A Measure of the Sin is a surreal, brutal and stunning piece of film. Directed flawless. I can not say enough on how this film comes together in a clarity of emotions and action that becomes a whole part of the person watching. The photography and filming was extraordinarily vivid, vibrant, dark and touching. This movie knows what it wanted to do and it owned and created a piece of cinema that becomes a real inner part of the soul.

Your main female lead is Meredith played by the beautiful and stunning Katie Groshong. She adds such a flare to the part. She gives Meredith life. She owns her life on screen and makes the viewer become apart of her journey.

This film has many genres. It's hard to pinpoint which one. It has the reality of a horror and most of all the aspects of dramatic drama mixing in the art-house beauty of independent film making. Jeff Wedding has created something so unique and original that its in a class of its own.

To truly understand this movie you have to see it. It's something that's hard to put your understanding on as it tends to control your mind. It makes you think. It sends you into a spiral twist and turns. Its like a dream state. It's as if flipping the pages of an art book and it suddenly comes to life and bleeds in your hands. It's like reading a fairy-tale, a dark fairy-tale. A fairy-tale that has hidden meanings. A fairy -tale that has secrets and lies. A fairy-tale that's unrelenting as the truth comes out.

Truly a mesmerizing film with an enthralling journey of a plot. The narration, voice over, narrative of the story, as Meredith tells you her journey, her darkness her dreams, her misunderstandings make this film standout. The written script is flawless. The words weave together with action in perfection.

This is based on a set of short stories by a master story teller, author Kristy Nielsen. Jeff adapted to film. He collaborated with the author and got her approval to bring his vision of her story to the screen. Jeff created something amazingly bizarre. The story is truly haunting yet interestingly beautiful at the same time.

What I like so much about this film is not only is it flawlessly directed and acted and truly a unique story, but it clearly is a perfect, beautiful example of independent film. If you know me I support independent film. I support directors, producers, actors, that go this route. There was a struggle in creating and finishing this film. Jeff and his partner in crime the star and producer of this film Katie Groshong did a spectacular job in forming a memorable piece of cinema.

I can see in Katie Groshong a shining brilliant and extraordinary actress. I feel she has the talent and acting nature of an old classic soul of cinema given to us in modern day. I see a bright future for her. Her beauty and talent at words and emotions play with the camera and the viewer. She creates a perfect persona as Meredith. Meredith is an exploring child yet imprisoned and seasoned in pain.

If this is what Jeff Wedding has to offer the world of cinema, then cinema is safe and protected. His talent is extreme and vivid. His beauty of the lens is breathtaking. He captures what needs to be said and shown so that the viewer can grasp this deep and dark and dream like Never Never Land yet saturated with the clouds of living confusion and psychosis. Kristy Nielsen created a tale of a gritty underbelly of society or culture. A hidden world of secrets. Kristy and Jeff pieced together something that needs attention.

All the cast members shine in their characters, each one, each persona gives a visually interesting, unique stunning art-house brilliance. They act through actions, emotions and superb technique as if veteran actors and actress'. Perfectly cast. Stephen Jackson as The Man, is deep, mysterious and crafted as a perfect thick shadowy type persona. He aced the part. His character was like living strychnine and woman was the swallower. I really loved Cody Cheyenne. She played young Meredith and gave a child like wonder and love for her mother. Allyce Wix as Mother was shinning in her pain, struggle and caged bird reality.

A Dominant, domineering darkness of religious control and mastery. A locked cage burning the desire of the concept of free. Imprisoned and dormant. This is like nothing I've ever seen before, probably will never see again. This is art-house horror poetry.

Finish the review here:

http://www.abucketofcorn.com/2014/06/a-measure-of-sin-2013.html