TheRealZam
Joined Feb 2017
Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Ratings6
TheRealZam's rating
Reviews3
TheRealZam's rating
I saw the premiere of this film at the HRIFF & it was an incredible experience. Breen continues to blossom as a filmmaker. Three months later, I am still thinking about it.
Describing this film is hard to do beyond saying that it is the Breeniest of Breen films. Some might categorize it as "so bad it's good", but that really doesn't quite fit. Yes, his films are bad on a technical level (and on almost every level for that matter), but there's something about them that really transcends the SBIG genre. In this film, his unique take on SBIG has truly reached its Zenith and I think his art may finally be ready for a larger audience.
Various filmmakers and production houses have reacted differently to either intentionally making bad films or learning their films are bad. The most common reaction to learning you made a bad movie is like that of Fragasso, anger and sadness. Others sell out and attempt to repeat their success, like a Wiseau or Nguyen. Then there is the Asylum model where they attempt to make bad movies .
Breen is at a whole other level and with this movie, his secret sauce should really be made clear to audiences. Breen is to SBIG as Tarantino is to violence and gore. He knows he has an extremely limited budget and simply cannot make a movie that's traditionally good, so he just rolls with it. When he cannot afford someone more experienced to fulfill a particular role, he pulls a Thanos and does it himself. Whether that means he is the star, the DP, or the caterer; it doesn't matter. In this particular film, he really manages to weave this into his film with a mastery that should make Quinten as happy as the day he filmed the shoe scene in Inglorious Basterds (or at least crack a smile).
The master class of SBIG that is a Breen film is really only the most obvious trait that sets his films apart. No film would be complete without having something to say. He generally tells a varied version of a similar story. This is not "The Hero With a Thousand Faces", but a more like "The Thousand Messiahs With 1 Face". But this story is only what you see on the surface. Every film's take on this story, the SBIG elements, and the various twists and turns combine shed a light into the depths of a strange and beautiful world hidden just beneath the surface. Breen delightfully invites his audience to dip their toes into the deep and imagine what shapes the shadows dancing on the currents form. It is in this aspect that his films seem the most Lynchian. In this film, Breen takes us deep into these waters and pulls us up just before we suffocate from marveling at the beauty of their madness. It is absolutely masterful.
The final, and most important, element to Breen's films is the heart. Breen really puts his heart and soul into these movies. This is most evident in what he gets right, and the obvious time and effort it takes for HIM to that almost entirely on his own. Sometimes it's in the lighting, sometimes it's in the cinematography, sometimes it's the audio, sometimes it's the big new element that he was able to add to the film. When you watch a Breen film, you always know that he, like the characters he portrays, pours everything he can into his movies.
When I saw this film, I laughed, I cried, I danced, I clapped, I gave multiple standing ovations. I can't wait to see it again.
Every time I revisit his films, I discover something new.
Describing this film is hard to do beyond saying that it is the Breeniest of Breen films. Some might categorize it as "so bad it's good", but that really doesn't quite fit. Yes, his films are bad on a technical level (and on almost every level for that matter), but there's something about them that really transcends the SBIG genre. In this film, his unique take on SBIG has truly reached its Zenith and I think his art may finally be ready for a larger audience.
Various filmmakers and production houses have reacted differently to either intentionally making bad films or learning their films are bad. The most common reaction to learning you made a bad movie is like that of Fragasso, anger and sadness. Others sell out and attempt to repeat their success, like a Wiseau or Nguyen. Then there is the Asylum model where they attempt to make bad movies .
Breen is at a whole other level and with this movie, his secret sauce should really be made clear to audiences. Breen is to SBIG as Tarantino is to violence and gore. He knows he has an extremely limited budget and simply cannot make a movie that's traditionally good, so he just rolls with it. When he cannot afford someone more experienced to fulfill a particular role, he pulls a Thanos and does it himself. Whether that means he is the star, the DP, or the caterer; it doesn't matter. In this particular film, he really manages to weave this into his film with a mastery that should make Quinten as happy as the day he filmed the shoe scene in Inglorious Basterds (or at least crack a smile).
The master class of SBIG that is a Breen film is really only the most obvious trait that sets his films apart. No film would be complete without having something to say. He generally tells a varied version of a similar story. This is not "The Hero With a Thousand Faces", but a more like "The Thousand Messiahs With 1 Face". But this story is only what you see on the surface. Every film's take on this story, the SBIG elements, and the various twists and turns combine shed a light into the depths of a strange and beautiful world hidden just beneath the surface. Breen delightfully invites his audience to dip their toes into the deep and imagine what shapes the shadows dancing on the currents form. It is in this aspect that his films seem the most Lynchian. In this film, Breen takes us deep into these waters and pulls us up just before we suffocate from marveling at the beauty of their madness. It is absolutely masterful.
The final, and most important, element to Breen's films is the heart. Breen really puts his heart and soul into these movies. This is most evident in what he gets right, and the obvious time and effort it takes for HIM to that almost entirely on his own. Sometimes it's in the lighting, sometimes it's in the cinematography, sometimes it's the audio, sometimes it's the big new element that he was able to add to the film. When you watch a Breen film, you always know that he, like the characters he portrays, pours everything he can into his movies.
When I saw this film, I laughed, I cried, I danced, I clapped, I gave multiple standing ovations. I can't wait to see it again.
Every time I revisit his films, I discover something new.
Not sure if I am worthy to even submit a review, but I can try... You will spend 85 minutes on the edge of your seat. You will laugh. You will cry. You will avert your eyes at the gruesome depiction of real life injuries. You will never look at a baseball cap the same way again. You will think twice about getting within 50 ft of another human being again. You will cheer for these heroes in blue. But most of all, you will not regret watching a single second of this masterpiece.
This documentary makes me wish I was a 6 yo cop in Milwaukee in 1988. I can dream, but be weary, as it may contain an edged weapon!
This documentary makes me wish I was a 6 yo cop in Milwaukee in 1988. I can dream, but be weary, as it may contain an edged weapon!
In his latest and greatest film, we are graced with the presence of not one but two Breens! Two for the price of one! Expect the quality and wisdom that only our true profit can provide. All hail the great Breen. We are unworthy of your great wisdom.