Altered Minds

I really enjoyed this movie, which was much better than I thought for a very low budget film. I was curious to read reviews and then caught the one entitled "Beware the hype for a morbid failure" that will probably be above mine that tears up the film - and incorrectly. I felt like it deserved a response from someone who did some acting but didn't take it the full route but has an educated eye.

1) Genre: There is nothing wrong with the genre. Without ruining the film, there is nothing wrong with not being sadly predictable from the moment the reel is in motion.

2) Technique: Shot with the wrong camera. This clown evidently didn't see the budget and the overwhelming majority of people - especially the average movie goer - will never be able to tell the difference. He then says "this monetary decision..." - as if a film is not worth doing at all unless it has a huge budget to be able to get the alleged camera of choice. What a snob, probably a frustrated director.

3) Acting: The clown can't decide whether ONE of the actors was somehow "incompetently played" but fails to say how. What happened was probably intentional because it makes sense in how the film plays out.

4) Deus Ex Machina: Makes you wonder whether this clown was ever truly competent in film. Doesn't know what this is and there is nothing that is pulled out of a Roman Deity's buttocks to save the day. Perhaps he shouldn't be lecturing about film school 101 because you don't need to be a director to understand the term.

5) Pretentious: Seems like someone has a serious bug up his bum, talking about how something may have been subliminally inserted into the credits. And then he rambles on about the film's showing at festivals... well... if you don't have HUGE money to pay for all those fancy cameras then you have to work very hard to get people to see the film, especially the right people. Could this LOR from New York, NY be a bigger turd? Sounds like it's par for the course in the entertainment industry.

6) Signs of the Amateur: This clown had to try to belittle the director even more. My guess... a former employee who was terminated. His complaint is that there were lots of thank yous in the film. Well... when you're a small time film maker on a small budget who is grateful for all the people who contributed to making this tiny budget look MUCH larger than it is, you MUST include them in the credits. That's business and relationships 101.

Overall I really enjoyed the film and didn't look at my watch once. For a low budget film that looks like it was only 6 figures and MAYBE just into 7 figures, it was great. It is SO MUCH better than the shlock I see on Cinemax, Showtime and other cable channels that get rerun over and over. And the bottom line is that it did have an interesting story line and believable ending. And the fact that this impish film student or former employee didn't even bother to discuss the film and just went for unrelated issues that a movie goer couldn't care less about tells you that there really weren't any significant complaints with the movie itself to warrant criticism!

So on that note I enjoyed it. I saw just a handful of things I might have done differently but I thought it was miles better than the shlock you see on low budget films and shaky cam reality movies. Worth the look and no regrets.

I have to wonder if people who give 10s so gratuitously have any idea what a movie would have to be like to be given a 10/10. The acting in this one is superb, but a slow pace should not be confused with suspense. My wife and I both have backgrounds in mental health care and it held our attention to see how it would play out. however, it's not a film we'd watch again or really recommend as it's just another one of those pieces, that you watch and throw out.

I had the chance to see this at a special preview screening and really enjoyed it. Without giving too much away, the concept is really ingenious and the plot twists kept it exciting throughout as it very cleverly peels back the layers on this deeply f***ed-up family. It was shot very well with a great long tracking shot to open and some very solid work throughout — and the production design was excellent too. The actors did some wonderful work creating an authentic family vibe that feels real where they know each other's back–story (with some notable details excepted). It's a really ambitious project and though it doesn't have a lot of star power it clearly deserves to get wide distribution. I love films that break the rules of genre to create something more original. Red Robin interestingly straddles the space between a serious indie drama -- almost an art-house film -- and a psychological thriller, without sacrificing too much on either end. The score lays it on a little thick at certain points but is generally very good. I just wish there were more movies like this getting made, and I'm curious to see what this filmmaker does next.

As producer and curator of The NY Film Critics Series I chose to screen TRR for our groups due to its mysterious vibe of the unmanifested. What I mean by that is that it appeared that the filmmaker(s) approached this project with a vision in mind and that the film ended up with exponential layers. It is a known fact that at some point every movie takes on a life of its own, but in this case, it is entirely clear that the director was keenly aware of when to get out of the way.

I strongly recommend that when viewing this film, that one should experience it in the same spirit. When watching it, clear your head with no expectations. Do not try to draw your own conclusions or predict what may happen next. Allow the work to wash over you as a willing vessel, placing your human on vacation for 90 minutes or so.

mark ehrenkranz NYFCS series producer http://nyfilmcriticsseries.com/

I was able to see a preview of the final cut of this film before it went out to theaters. I didn't have many expectations. Judd Hirsch is a name I recognize and didn't really know anyone else. I figured that it could be interesting with the usual amateurish bits that come with low budget films. Well, this one must have spent a ton of time in editing because each time I was expecting a lull, the film kept you moving and engaged.

Without saying too much, the premise is a birthday party for the dying father, afflicted with terminal cancer. His family consists of his devoted wife, his biological son and three adopted children. His oldest adopted child is acting strangely and complains of nightmares and has become obsessed with finding a buried urn. He's convinced that his adoptive father, a world renowned psychologist, has kept some secrets from the family. And it is about time that Dad confessed to the whole family the real truth about what kind of psychological work he performed with patients - birthday or not.

I half expected the film to become a bit sloppy towards the ending, as most do in this genre, but I was very pleasantly surprised that it is tied up quite neatly and in satisfactory fashion. There shouldn't be any groans from the audience. In fact, I found it an interesting piece on the subject of the human mind. In a world filled with mediocre Hollywood films and independent films that try to hard, this is a hidden sleeper that will keep you engaged.