Whatever Happened to Mason Reese

Being a film student, watching other bigtime director's student films is VERY insightful. Granted, he aint no spielberg, but he's making the big benjamins! It shows where they first started out - and i gotta admit, VERY encouraging! Sure, it wasnt the best film - not even the best student film! BUT, good buddha! if he can do it! so can i! --so all u filmmakers in the making! check it out ~

Like almost everyone else, I came upon this short film from my Rush hour DVD. Yes this Short film is very bad, but the reason why it made Brett Ratner into the business is because the Cinematography is good, he used most types of shots at the right times. He was also very persistent and sent the film to Steven Spielberg's office, ect. Well done Brett on the Rush Hour series and Red dragon.

This "film" was produced while I was a student at NYU, a classmate of Ratner's in fact. Ratner was notorious around campus for his unbridled ambition -- and remarkable lack of talent. The final product is indicative not only of Ratner's blatant disregard for aesthetic (ie total ignorance of basic camera moves, set-ups, etc), but proof that he has succeeded (and quite brilliantly so) merely on the basis of a loud mouth, relentless drive, and an uncanny, almost puppy dog like ability to make friends with everyone.

When this film screened in class, Ratner was laughed out of the room... although it's clear who has the last laugh now. Way to go, Brett. You've affirmed all of our fears about Hollywood -- which is why most of us have stayed on the East Coast to make films of SUBSTANCE.

This is the sort of short film that leaves a creepy emptiness in you after you have seen it, and worryingly it isn't meant to. It follows Mason Reese (an odd child TV advert star in the 70's) as an adult, it is supposed to be funny, showing him (in a terrible condition of health and greatly overweight) with a bunch of models in a Limo, the main plot as such takes place in a sushi bar when an equally runty gentlemen (dancing dwarf from twin peaks) has been waiting all his life to meet Mason in person. But Mason isnt the person he seems and then an utterly dire twist ends the short which is then followed by a real snippet of a show with mason in his youth, which is just about the most depressing minute of footage I have ever seen. We see a child mason bursting into tears of emotion and being comforted by the presenter with the words "I love you Mason" when the horrible child recites an equally depressing poem....arrrghh this film recieved funding from Spielbergs office and I cannot express how badly it was executed. Perhaps if I wasnt afraid of Dwarves I could find some light in it :P...or maybe not.

This film should have been called "Citizen Reese" because Welles has nothing on Ratner. Anyone who doesn't like this film should ask himself, "Have any of my movies ever been financed by Steven Spielberg?" And if the answer is yes, he should ask himself, "Why didn't I instead spend the money on a sense of humor?" . I was going to name my first son Seventy-and-sunny Anderson, but will instead be naming him Mason Reese Brett Ratner Anderson. My second son will still be named Daytime-outdoor-drinking Anderson, though.