Noites de Despertar

The look of the film alone is worth the 90 minutes. The score is a masterpiece (where can I buy it?) Mary Stuart Masterson is a dream to behold. How is it possible I've never heard of this movie before? It's not for everybody, I agree. Slow paced, long silences, but the atmosphere is hypnotic. I bought the tape and sometimes I put it on, just to have it in the background. I can't pinpoint what it is, but there is something magic about this film. Unique. Like a western made by a child of Ingman Bergman. I don't want to spoil it for whoever sees it for the first time but there is a scene, a dinner in silence between the four leads just before the climax when a sudden wind storm comes to hurry the proceedings. It is wonderful!

Not worth watching. Not worth watching. Not worth watching. Complete waste of time. I need more characters to finish this review I have said enough. Still have to add characters to get this review published.

My goodness, great cinematography, costumes and pretty good acting. That's the end of all the good stuff. The fake beard on the monster is pretty bad. Why you folks insist on 600 characters is beyond me. You know dang well one could review this movie with only two words, very bad. A house in the middle of a forty acre field is not a very scary place. All the props were too clean and pretty. Looks like everything had just been painted and all the actors had just came back from the dentist having their teeth whitened. I guess I'm just too old and have watched too many John Ford westerns to appreciate this poor attempt to make a scary movie.

I had it transfer from VHS - very dark copy - to DVD - Wow! Somebody mentioned the word "hypnotic" in a review. Well, yes, hypnotic applies but also moving, strange, gorgeous. Where is Mary Stuart Masterson? My God! She's sublime here. Hart Bochner is mysterious and heartbreaking. And who is Stephen Blake? He's compelling here but looking at his credits on IMDb, he hasn't done much. Great face. The score by Gerald Gouriet is sensational. A lyrical western with dark undertones. The aria at the beginning "La Notte Scotta" an unexpected stroke that takes you somewhere immediately. The ending feels a bit rushed - maybe because I wanted to go on. But I recently found out the film was shot in Simi Valley, California in 18 days for less than a million bucks. I don't know many people who've seen this movie. I sometimes introduce it in after dinner parties, always a success. Thank you.

Firstly, this strange, moody and fascinating film reminded me what an amazing actress Mary Stuart Masterson really is. She grows in front of our eyes without betraying for a moment the romantically lyric aspects of the film. I've noticed a similarity with "Male Di Luna", an episode of "Kaos" a remarkable film from the Taviani brothers, but "Mad at the Moon" explores a universe all of its own and it does it with a score worthy of an Academy Award. The look of the film is also a standout. Hart Bochner, Stephan Blake and Fionnula Flanagan give subtle, moving performances but what I felt as soon as the movie ended was the need to shout: Long Live Mary Stuart.