Realistic. Funny. Charming. Inspiring!
Disclaimer: I'm not much of a movie "critic" and I won't try compete with the writer & director of the film at summarizing his story - for a plot summary just scroll up a bit and look at what David B. Grelck himself wrote. I am not going to do the "star rating thing" either - I don't rate movies, I either make them or watch them.
What I will do is share my impressions of White Out, as I have been meaning to do for many months now. It's the sole reason that I made an IMDb account - I simply wanted to say: White Out is an outstanding movie (and you should find a way to watch it). The characters are more believable and feel more down to earth than what a whole lot of "big budget" Hollywood productions can offer. The story draws you in by throwing you directly in the action at a radio studio with the witty talk show host, co-host and producer. There is fantastic chemistry between that trio - Nick Watson (Jonathan C. Legat) has the snappy response for anything and everything that comes up from the crazy callers of his radio show. Andy Wolcienski (Eric Lipe) is hilarious in his randomness but that only makes his serious moments later in the film have that much more of an impact. As for their lovely producer Hannah Lorenz (Michelle Higgins) - her ability to keep her host and co-host on the air, on-topic and off-tangent is the top layer of a much deeper character, also revealed as White Out progresses.
Even as I admit that the movie has limited locations I don't feel that this detracts from the experience - if anything, it keeps things as simple as possible so that the audience has a proper chance to absorb and digest the complexly weaved fireball of human emotions as a few serious calls make Nick's radio show "Reality" live up to its title.
Rage, bitterness, spite, regret, sorrow, hope, re-discovered feelings and everything in-between gets experienced by the main actors, and in turn, with the help of their dedicated performances, by the audience. While there's much humor, when things get serious they get really serious and the weird, random and funny callers turn the tension down for brief moments before it skyrockets again, only higher than its previous highest state. As the storm gets worse outside the studio, so does the storm taking place within Nick.
In terms of editing style - the pacing keeps up with the bursts of emotions - it's amazing how exciting a place as simple as a recording studio can be to look at, when provided with tons of vantage points, creative framing and powerful close-ups.
Lastly, I promised to myself that I would keep this "spoiler-free" and I will stick to that - still, there is a glimpse of a love scene in the trailer so I figure it's fair game - I am not giving anything away just by stating that it's more realistic than most love scenes seen in other movies - it serves a very important purpose to the rest of the plot but my challenge to the readers of this "review" and hopefully future watches of the movie is, despite the scene's significance to try and maintain a straight face throughout it's full duration. It will be impossible not to find it highly amusing and a relaxing temporary escape from everything else... Why? What happens? In case I failed to get your attention up until now, did my mention of that do the trick? I hope so. Now you'll have to see White Out to find out!
What I will do is share my impressions of White Out, as I have been meaning to do for many months now. It's the sole reason that I made an IMDb account - I simply wanted to say: White Out is an outstanding movie (and you should find a way to watch it). The characters are more believable and feel more down to earth than what a whole lot of "big budget" Hollywood productions can offer. The story draws you in by throwing you directly in the action at a radio studio with the witty talk show host, co-host and producer. There is fantastic chemistry between that trio - Nick Watson (Jonathan C. Legat) has the snappy response for anything and everything that comes up from the crazy callers of his radio show. Andy Wolcienski (Eric Lipe) is hilarious in his randomness but that only makes his serious moments later in the film have that much more of an impact. As for their lovely producer Hannah Lorenz (Michelle Higgins) - her ability to keep her host and co-host on the air, on-topic and off-tangent is the top layer of a much deeper character, also revealed as White Out progresses.
Even as I admit that the movie has limited locations I don't feel that this detracts from the experience - if anything, it keeps things as simple as possible so that the audience has a proper chance to absorb and digest the complexly weaved fireball of human emotions as a few serious calls make Nick's radio show "Reality" live up to its title.
Rage, bitterness, spite, regret, sorrow, hope, re-discovered feelings and everything in-between gets experienced by the main actors, and in turn, with the help of their dedicated performances, by the audience. While there's much humor, when things get serious they get really serious and the weird, random and funny callers turn the tension down for brief moments before it skyrockets again, only higher than its previous highest state. As the storm gets worse outside the studio, so does the storm taking place within Nick.
In terms of editing style - the pacing keeps up with the bursts of emotions - it's amazing how exciting a place as simple as a recording studio can be to look at, when provided with tons of vantage points, creative framing and powerful close-ups.
Lastly, I promised to myself that I would keep this "spoiler-free" and I will stick to that - still, there is a glimpse of a love scene in the trailer so I figure it's fair game - I am not giving anything away just by stating that it's more realistic than most love scenes seen in other movies - it serves a very important purpose to the rest of the plot but my challenge to the readers of this "review" and hopefully future watches of the movie is, despite the scene's significance to try and maintain a straight face throughout it's full duration. It will be impossible not to find it highly amusing and a relaxing temporary escape from everything else... Why? What happens? In case I failed to get your attention up until now, did my mention of that do the trick? I hope so. Now you'll have to see White Out to find out!
- nickdotvr
- Mar 27, 2009