Westender

I watched this last night with my family. While I appreciated the fact that most of the acting was pretty good, the setting was beautiful and the cinematography was nice, I did not enjoy watching a movie with half of the movie being a silent film watching a down-n-out knight wander about the desert. A lot of the scenes could have been considerably shorter, and on one of the sideways shots, when they rotated it up to right-side-up, they didn't get it all the way. :D It needed a prequel and a sequel to really explain the storyline, the story just was really lacking.

I liked Glim, but the kind of cut him out in the middle of the movie with no real explanation.

This movie was not up to par, get a new screenwriter, and it would be considerable better.

The swordplay choreography, costumes, and weapons I thought were very good, except for the fact that all the girls were practically losing their shirts. :D

Filmed entirely in Oregon, on some amazingly atmospheric locations, this film was reportedly made on a budget that probably wouldn't provide the perks for one of today's overpaid Hollywood super-stars.

Its evocation of a medieval world has quite a bit more flavor than many of the big studio efforts of, say, fifty years ago, and its flaws are not terribly distracting or disappointing.

It is true that the editing could be considerably tightened and that some plot points are not elucidated too well, especially since flashbacks are used, though not to any true advancement of the linear storyline.

Blake Stadel, as the questing knight of the title, while not a very expressive actor, nevertheless contributes a stalwart presence (and makes the abuse he suffers look convincingly real, by the way).

The cinematography is the real star of this show and the music score is blessedly free of the droning and the bombast that afflicts too many big budget films these days.

All in all a very worthy effort and one that certainly makes a viewer look forward to future efforts from its makers.

Westender is, if nothing else, a showcase for some of the nicer scenery of the state of Oregon. As an Oregonian I can appreciate that. We've got some nice rain forests and some breathtaking deserts. It's a nice state to visit, but for God's sake don't come here to make a movie. Seriously, we're the kiss of death for just about any movie that is filmed here. I wish I could be more supportive of my state and say otherwise, but the evidence is piled too high so I've got to be honest about it. Movies made in Oregon, even in part, face some serious problems. Westender is a good example of that. It has some great location shots and the director has a talent for framing a pretty scene, but the film just cannot manage to rise above feeling like an end-of-term film school project. The story is pretty straight forward: a downtrodden warrior named Asbrey thoughtlessly gambles away a ring that belonged to a lost love. When he comes to his senses he pursues the man who won it and in the process gets caught up chasing a band of slavers. Simple enough, except that the protagonist is also prone to hallucinations, bizarre dreams, and fits of madness. Don't get the idea that this is an action movie, by any means, but it's more a journey through the protagonist's soul. And since the story is told from his perspective it is all too easily led astray, wandering off on tangents that hint at his past and his motivations, but never tells you enough to make much sense. Supporting characters occasionally show up, hoping to help ground Asbrey and help to provide some means by which he could be better understood, but they are all to easily discarded. And so without any anchor, Asbrey spends way too much time wandering about in a stupor, taking the audience on a journey that makes sense in the end but is too long and too dull in the process.

Having quite an extensive collection of medieval and quasi-medieval movies, i was awed that a movie this good has escaped my attention. No, it is not a great movie but, it is what it is, a really, really good fantasy movie. The costumes were above average, compared to most of the drek that Hollywood has put out. (some of which were purported to be historical epics.) I was very impressed with the armor. The chainmail was real, as opposed to the "chainmail-ish fabric" that is so popular with most big budget movies. HEY Hollywood: if you have a "big budget", spend less on stars and their egos and more on costuming and voice coaching for actors that think just because they are Huge mega-stars that they can speak the way they do normally. This is fine if you are playing yourself, guys but, at least try to help me suspend disbelief.

I would say that if you enjoy fantasy/medieval movies, and do not care whether or not it has a "big name star" in it, you will enjoy this movie.

Considering the film was done with a very small budget by a first time film-maker, "Westender" is a noble effort and has many quality bits. There are a few snags here and there, but most of these will fade with experience.

The story follows a down on his luck knight in a medieval fantasy world. After a night of hard drinking and gambling, Sir Asbrey of Westend bets and loses a precious ring. The movie follows his journey to reclaim his ring, and of course along the way rediscover himself and what truly matters.

To get the negatives out of the way, "Westender" felt much longer than the hour and forty-five minutes it was. Many scenes, while beautifully shot, could be tightened. There are simply too many long environment shots that do not movie the story forward. A few of the actors, mostly first timers themselves I imagine, that are a bit wooden in acting and line delivery -- some less than stellar dialog surely contributes to this. As long as the movie felt, it left several plot lines dangling without closure.

On a more positive note, as I mentioned earlier, the film is visually beautiful. It proves that a quality director goes further than a big budget. Scene composition, lighting and movement are all handled really well. The score to the film really helps to compliment the wonderful shots.

Overall, a strong premiere for a new director. There is certainly room for improvement, but many of the fundamentals are here and very strong. I look forward to future films.