Sins of Our Youth

I just had the opportunity of seeing this film at the Hollywood Film Festival, and first, good job for tackling a very tough subject. As someone who has a personal friend whose sibling committed suicide on a shooting range, and another friend who accidentally shot and killed his young brother, this resonates with me.

As much as I liked the film, I couldn't help but feel like it needed some tightening in terms of the pacing and execution of the dialog. I felt some of the dialog was little forced. A little after school special. I found myself saying "would someone really say something like that?"

Lucas Till is certainly growing as an actor. It's always great to see someone mature in their craft. This young man's star has just begun to shine, and I hope that he makes career choices that don't always stereotype him as the blond hunk du jour.. The rest of the cast was great as well, and I hope that we see these actors work together again sometime.

I think this whole movie was just so bizarre and badly written

All politics aside, I liked the movie a lot. It was very tense, and all four of the lead actors did a great job. They made the movie feel real, scary, and tragic. I had no clue how the story was going to end, which kept the tension level high. I was feeling the same panic that the characters were feeling. The soundtrack really stood out as well, and fit the movie perfectly. Everything felt very 'real life.'

There was only one thing that really brought down the movie for me, and that was the whole subplot involving Tyler's girlfriend. Ultimately, it did set up the climax, but most of it felt unnecessary. Some of the most intense scenes were directly followed by a scene with her planning a party with her friends. It's like the movie suddenly changed genres. That's not to say anything against the actress, since she did a good job. It just felt like they tried to force in another story where it wasn't needed.

I'd talk about the politics of the movie, but I don't feel that's needed. The movie itself didn't feel very political, there were only a couple scenes that had obvious political statements.

This one even starts out with a popular Christian hymn, for no apparent reason at all, and then the scene changes to ... this purported movie. Evangelicals are filling the airwaves to win converts to Jesus and this is another of their (sick) attempts at playing on people's emotions to "steer them to Christ". as they put it. Where are the kids parents? This is not a gun control film. This is a "raising your children decently" film. The irony here as we sit watching the church service at the end with all the happy Christians signing happy evangelical songs -- is that the parents are there -- in church. They have been too afraid and too uninterested in talking to their children about life and its problems. Sex? Oh my god, no. Only the heathen talk about that. Guns are to be worshipped in their proper place (not as a means to killing children). Kids' problems are insignificant and can be ignored. This is the evangelical mantra. All you have to do is take them to church three times a week and they'll turn out to be fine spiritual warriors for Christ. (I am the son of evangelical parents and can identify with this movie.) Not that the kids, however deprived they are of parental attention would act in such a manner. The movie is truly in the twilight zone when it comes to any of this. The police would be called, the parents would cry, they would ask god why they were being punished, and then they would blame their children in some way. So, rather than presenting a holy look at the wonderful world of the evangelical, we see them for what they really are -- and we see their children -- alone, bereft of attention and advice at a time in their life when it is needed most. This is a sick, sad movie, unrealistic in most parts, but resonantly true when it comes to others.

Foolish youth and guns. Just because they are there doesn't mean you have to play with them. This movie does well in setting up the careless, carefree situation that many find themselves in that leads to a night of trouble. I wish this movie could be shown to teens and young adults alike so that they can see what could happen when guns for fun is a bad choice. It is a movie about friendships, suspicion. guilt and consequences. Surprisingly good! Well cast and acted. It was good to see Ally Sheedy in it as well