The Timber

There are a lot of movies coming out that give reflection on the financial crisis that we are going through right now, but nothing does it as uniquely as the Timber. Quentin Tarantino, once said you can always tell the state of American society by the western that comes out in that period, and the Timber is true to this statement.

Two brothers are threaten by foreclosure of their land and the lost their livelihood if they can't track down their father. The Timber acts as a testament on what you need to do in order to survive during hard times.

With Josh Peck playing an unlikely western star. It was his performance most of all the brings it home as he struggles through the wild west completely out of his element, in order to find a way to provide for his wife and young son.

The music seem out of place as well yet fit into the atmosphere and set the tone of the Timber

I'm sure things like this were common in the wild west, but what a perfect time for The Timber to come out. It's the most out of the ordinary western I've seen and that's what makes a brilliant one.

Very different than the norm, normally wouldn't do westerns, or made for video movies. This is probably worth a watch. It shows that a modern day perspective on bankers may not really be too short of what happened in the past but without the violence and the guns and that its easy enough to be shoved into an uncomfortable corner or a place you wouldn't want to be. there's survival in the winter wild outback, the journey, the cold and the hunger too there's also survival in the home, the family and a new born. foreclosure happens in many ways and for many reasons Even in the simplest of these situations lives and relationships are destroyed forever

Though it does not always offer a coherent narrative, I guess it works as what it is--a Western. The stars offer good performances within the narrow range the story allows. The story has some unexpected thrills and has an unhinged quality. It's beautifully filmed. Having spent some time in the Yukon when I was young, I was surprised to find out it was filmed in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. In the end, there is nothing too remarkable, and the plot has too many loose ends that I suspect are the result of working with some capable actors in bit parts, wanting to do more with them. I feel like it could have been improved with some thought and care and that it would have been worthwhile.

Frustratingly incomprehensible. Meh. I don't know why young directors like long, pretentious pauses between phrases in the dialogue. Even more puzzling is why actors of the cell phone & video generation mumble & slur their lines inaudibly with affected Brando- like breathiness. Why is it de rigueur these days to shoot quick unexpected of camera cut sequences of puzzling esoteric views that resemble a Georgia O'Keeffe landscape? After 30 minutes of this kind of desultory visual rambling, one grows catatonic relative to what trickiness will come next...the eyes widen and pinwheel...the mind numbs & wanders off... But it's all damn irritating for those of us who actually expected a good tale, well-told. (All these sophomoric devices seemingly serve to cover up the lack of a good script and the absence of a worthwhile story.) This soporific "western" resembles a film school project more than a work meant for human consumption. Presumptuously pretentious, "The Timber" fails at almost every level that I've come to expect of film, except the yawn quotient.

The Timber is directed by Anthony O'Brien and O'Brien co-writes the screenplay with Steve Allrich and Colin Ossiander. It stars James Ransome, Josh Peck and William Gaunt. Music is by Tim Borquez and cinematography by Phil Parmet.

Two brothers set off on a mission through the snowy wilderness...

The Timber is one of those films that's baffling yet intriguing. One only has to look at some amateur review sites to see that it's reviled and adored in equal measure. Depending on what side of the fence you sit, it's either a misunderstood (and under appreciated) art house Western venture, or a badly edited and incomprehensible mess.

The two brothers played by Ransome and Peck are on a mission to capture their estranged father (Gaunt) who has gone psycho after his Yukon gold well has run dry. This point of reference is not instantly apparent and is quite frankly vague and almost lost in the surreal mix. Upon their journey they encounter problems and weird characters, all this while they also contend with the ghosts of their pasts (for all we know they might actually be ghosts anyway!). The narrative is choppy, punctured by irritatingly long periods of pointless silence, and there seems to be gaps where something else should be formed, thus giving the impression that it was filmed on the fly with mucho improv.

Of course it could well be the intention of the makers was to deliberately make a nightmare/dreamy Apocalypse Now style Oater, and that many of us just don't get it? Or it really is a case of ideas above their station? What isn't in doubt is that it's magnificently photographed, a snowy Western filmed on location in the Carpathian Mountains is a thing to cherish, whilst it is undoubtedly a fascinating production, but conversely it's almost impossible to recommend with confidence. Roll the dice and take your chance... 4/10