All That I Need

There's something pretty fun about watching a bunch of people get together and do a bunch of stupid things, then yell at each other, blaming each other for whatever trouble they find themselves in. Watching All That I Need was pretty much like that. I just kept laughing because I noticed that most of the people in the movie had no idea how stupid they actually looked. They just kept saying and doing stupid things, over and over and over. On top of this, all the greed and money just adds to the rancor in the film. (My English teacher would be proud that I used the word rancor!)

I definitely recommend this movie. If nothing else, you get to see how money, sex, greed and gossip causes people to act crazy. Kinda like real life, only better.

Let me start out by saying that I did a little post-movie interweb research on "All That I Need" and found several different numbers for the films budget, but found one page that the filmmaker himself said $40k. This statistic alone, and the fact that it was picked up by major theaters, should be enough to indicate its quality.

Don't go into viewing "All That I Need" expecting Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron with Ang Lee action, that isn't what it's all about. It's about capturing the raw emotions of individual people as they see the worst come out in their fellow man and their dreams collapse in front of them. I'm not going to ruin it, but it's shot in a documentary style of which the name escapes me at the moment. The subjects of the film are caught off-guard often and sometimes almost seem to be holding back in front of the camera. This is a good thing, as the pure feel of the situation is captured and the authenticity of emotion is conveyed with ease.

I saw it several weeks ago in L.A. I don't know if it's still in theaters, but I'm sure it will be coming out on DVD in a couple of months. "All That I Need" is a fun flick and one that you should check out.

I really enjoyed the film. Having fallen into a similar situation once, I recognized many personalities. Instead of a judge touting the legalities, a lawyer stood up and spouted his assurances. Well done James - you captured our natures very well. My only complaint was the lighting and erratic camera moves. I understand the lighting was poor because it was being radio broadcast (?) - But really, my home videos have smoother pans! I like the fact that most of the actors were working without scripted lines. While some of the dialog was trite -it was a neat and unusual experience to witness their abilities or lack thereof. I would like to know how your actors enjoyed doing their parts.

Let me just state for the record that I was not involved in the making of this movie (for the gentleman that thought all comments were from those involved). Now to give my honest assessment of the movie...

Although the filming at times was very dark and the camera work a little dizzying, I still felt compelled to watch the movie.

Haven't most of us at sometime in our lives wanted to be involved in a "get rich scheme which happens overnight"? Most of us however, have the good sense to know that you "can't get something for nothing". The "mastermind" (as another commentator called the main character), is like so many others who come to "Hollywood / CA" to become rich and famous. He's just a tad naive! That being said, I found myself rooting for him to get the hot babe, the hot car and make all his "champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true". It turned out to be a "cautionary tale".

At times I also questioned if I was watching something staged or a real event (almost like reality TV). I've since found out that the actors ad lib.

I can't wait to see what Mr. Hergott comes up with next!

It was a little dark when I saw it, but I hear that's because the first run was digitally broadcast. If it was shown on HD or film it would have been brighter. But its the story that got me. It was a little slow at first, but then interesting and exciting, until the last minute. I think everyone knows somebody who has been duped by a pyramid or get rich quick scheme. The characters are intriguing and seemed to be so real. Everyone I was with was wondering if it was real. But if it was real, how could they have captured the love scene and the one at the gym? These are questions that make you think maybe it wasn't real. All That I Need gets an "A" from me.