Ashes of Eden

There are so many things wrong with this movie it is hard to know where to begin. A poorly written script, bad casting choices, and sub-par acting are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes the crappy things about this movie. But being a still photographer and a DP as well, I will key in on, what was for me, the worst part of Ashes of Eden. To begin with, the scenes are set up like a sitcom. We are often given the stock shot of the building, just to reinforce to the viewer where the scene will take place, which is incredibly cheesy and just plain awful. Granted, they felt that they needed to do this in certain cases, because the main scene was clearly not filmed where it was supposed to take place. Case in point, early on there is a scene in a church. The scene is not filmed in a church. It doesn't even look anything like a church. It looks more like a meeting room at a local hotel. So we get the obligatory opening shot of the exterior of some random church. Opening exterior shots of a church or a school do not add anything to the story and often point out, rather blatantly, that this is a very cheaply done movie. However much the stock shots detract from the movie, they are eclipsed by the horrendous camera work and lighting. The choice of camera shots shows little regard for the development of the story. The camera is often set up in the most bland and uninspired way. The cuts between shots are usually harsh and arbitrary, and they highlight the poor editing choices that comprise a scene. But by far the worst aspect of all of this is the lighting. Everything is lit completely flat. The scenes lack depth or any sort of understanding about the use of darkness and light to enhance the story. This gives the movie a sitcom or commercial look, in which everything in the scene is evenly lit. It would not surprise me to find that the DP has been primarily working in the commercial field. Couple these camera problems to a weak story and actors who are not age appropriate, you have to recipe for a extremely lackluster movie

I noticed a lot of bad reviews on this film. What's more interesting to me is that all of the authors of the one and two star reviews have blank profiles. Also, all of those IMDb profiles were created in July of 2014 and all the poor reviews seem to say the same thing, just written slightly different to give the appearance of a new and independent review. I'm not saying that, without a doubt, this is the work of one person (who claims in one of his reviews to be a still photographer and DP). I am saying it's possible that there is a hater out there who's simply doing his best to discredit his competition by writing false reviews. Don't be fooled by phony profiles and inaccurate information. I've worked on a couple of projects with the folks from Collective Development and they have always exceeded my expectations with the quality of films they produce. I recommend everyone watch Ashes of Eden and 40 Nights (soon to be released) and make your own decision. Much like ourselves in Yuma, AZ, the Ashes of Eden production team are local people who are doing everything they can to produce high quality films on a very small budget. They're doing it for the love of filmmaking and arts, not to get rich. Please take a few moments and watch these movies and give them your own honest review.

I was pleasantly more surprised with the quality of this film than the apparent one person Sybil posting over and over in prior reviews. If you're going to sabotage someone's hard work, maybe you should go back to Yelp Mr./Mrs "Cheaply Done". Or, you should increase your vocabulary past having to use the same phraseology in different reviews so you don't leave the idiot signature of restaurant reviewing chef's ex-girlfriend.

The reason you hate Ashes is because it is about everything you have lost...faith...love...hope. But you can still be renewed, my friend.

Personally, and I am obviously biased, I was actually surprised by the production value and acting. Does the film have flaws, sure, but do these flaws leave the thinking person without plenty to contemplate, oh hell no.

I suggest this film to everyone whom I discuss films with. Please don't allow some too much time having jealous narcissist deter you from enjoying not only this movie, but it's message.

The tone of the film was consistent, the story was something I followed to the very end. It wasn't all over the place, it was focused. I felt emotion while watching it. You know? It makes the viewer feel something, even if at first they don't understand what. Perhaps its the underlined naivete of your lead character and the mother's love and predicament as an officer of the law. This wasn't shabby or forced in it's conception. I also appreciate your eye for camera shots. It works. I watched it to the very end. Very good scene work with Melissa Anschutz and Bello Pizzimenti. For one person to have written, co-produced, directed and edited this film its a testament to the human spirit of determination. That as well as the film, deserves applause.

This movie was well written and directed. It depicts how someone with good intentions, can get into a bad situation. It will make you think about the choices you make in life or the choices that others make in their life to try to better themselves. This is a must see movie that older children could learn some valuable life lessons from.