The Ballerina

For a low budget movie this one definitely was put together well. It kept my attention throughout the movie and the acting was very well done. Definitely worth watching.

But I did, and I might even change it to a 9, but probably only because I am so tired of big budget movies that try to be horrific or funny or thrilling and fail to deliver, and I am really tired of indie films that have more to do with disposable income than independent vision.

The story blends several tropes into something fresher, and becomes a haunting dystopia that lingers long after the movie is over, due to the engaging characters played by engaging unknowns, a central mystery that moves along quickly and never cheats or manipulates, and direction, photography and editing found in more expensive productions while still managing to feel intimate and atmospheric.

If you can find this film, give it a look, as it deserves attention.

With advancements in technology, it has become easier for the "every man" to make movies. In some ways, it has become like one of those talent reality shows with the audience as the judges: everyone thinks they have talent, not everyone does, but some have potential and once in a while you find a real star.

Mr. Pullen shows some real potential here. This isn't the best of it's type I've seen, but it is FAR from the worst. And it is worth a watch, particularly if you are interested in filmmaking. It was as fun seeing what he got wrong as it was seeing what he got right. It would make a great film for a film class to study.

And visually, it was a great. Heck, James Cameron has made a fortune making really stupid yet gorgeous movies. Beautiful is worth a lot.

This film has its plusses and its minuses.

ACTING: Like most indie films it is a grab-bag. Steve Pullen himself is probably better off staying behind the camera, but he doesn't make you wince (although he does chew the scenery a bit). Little Isabella as Sophia is a stand-out, though. She has a future in acting.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Actually pretty good. Whomever was handling the camera is decent. Some of the scenery is gorgeous and shots were well-framed.

WRITING: Mixed bag. The dialogue isn't terrible (not great either) and the story concept is interesting, but the story itself was a little too complicated and a little too contrived. For a long time it appeared there were two disparate stories happening here, and while I see what he was going for as far as the parallels and inferences, it really got muddled up. The opening made certain promises to the viewer, and I found a lot of that middle ground to be frustrating as I was waiting for it to play out the way I suspected it might (it didn't, by the way). It was like being taken out of the story and put into another one. I found myself not caring about any of the tension in "that" part of the story because it felt like an interruption to the original narrative. iI also think a few too many liberties were taken with the story (as we saw it) to justify that ending, but it was an admirable attempt. However, if you're going to go in that direction you need a little more foreshadowing. Nobody should be left at the big reveal saying "huh... wha?" And the denouement was just a bit too much. I want to avoid making this a spoiler review so I'll skip making the obvious comment about that. When you see the film, though, you'll see what I mean. It was a twist too far. And it stretched on WAAAY too long, explaining and explaining and explaining until we realize the filmmaker was not confident in how he had presented his story. If you feel the need to spell out everything you just showed your audience, you already know you didn't get it right.

EDITING: Well done. Good editing is invisible; bad editing will destroy a movie.

MAKEUP: Normally I wouldn't even talk about make-up in a review, but this was so horrific it had to be mentioned. It was like make-up in a children's theatrical production : it looked like it was slopped onto faces by a stage-mom volunteer who had a few too many chardonnays before showing up at the theater. Just really, really bad, to the point of distraction.

Another rare mention is the TITLE SEQUENCE: Whoever did this has some artistic vision and talent with a computer. It looked very professionally done and fit the tone of the film.

Despite my criticisms, I think Mr. Pullen should continue to make films. I can see some really good movies in his future as he hones is craft. He is one of the reasons that I am loving the rise in indie filmmaking as the means to make movies becomes more accessible. This may not be a total winner, but the raw material is there, and some of it was really, really good (and talent is rare).

PS: If you're going to have family members make fake reviews, tell them to avoid superlatives and hyperbole. The stink of fake was all over some of these reviews and it was an embarrassment to the film. Reviews aren't just something to make people want to watch your film, they are your honest feedback. Requesting fake reviews is narcissistic and not helpful. I almost skipped this film because those reviews were so ridiculous. I'm glad I didn't.

... since the IMDB rating kinda showed otherwise. I was gambling by watching this, and I was honestly surprised because it paid off. I was already aware that this is a low-budget movie so I did not expect much. But the story is honestly appealing - this reminds me of the horror concepts when they would mix emotions and feelings instead of giving one jumpscare and gory makeup after another. I give this a seven because after all, the director could improve some of the aspects. Such as ... they already implied that it was a desolated camping site, why would anyone be able to pull out a laptop WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION, since the place is already described as desolated?? The script still needs workarounds on those. I am always a fan of horror movies with background stories and somehow this satisfies me enough and jumpscares already bored me to death. This is the kind of horror where the revelation of the "truth" gives you the kind of emotional scare and "ouch ... now it makes sense!" feelings.

Disclaimer: this is my first review after stalking IMDB for years - no, I am not getting paid for this, I just want to give the reader a fair considerations since I know that there are so many trashy movies out there these days. Those who fell asleep watching this may be into a more action-packed horror (and I don't blame them because horrors are after all meant to scare the crap outta you), but for those who can concentrate on dramas and conflict, I'd say this movie is worth considering.

The plot is very disorientating. The acting is so terrible with predictable story and outcome.