Use
of Budget
As
this movie was shot on actually 35mm film, it was definitely
not cheap to make. It was shot on a 1:1 ratio with very
few takes, and I think these filmmakers managed to keep
it at a reasonable budget. Even though it was a final project
for film school, I still think that one of the biggest advantages
to making this film is the experience that the cast and
crew will have with actual film. Many of us microfilmmakers
know a lot about the business, but little about the medium
in which it started with, as we are far too poor to be able
to use it in our films. Even though Hollywood is starting
to tap into the world of digital media, it’s still
primarily stuck to 35mm, and this kind of experience will
be invaluable if these filmmakers ever break into the industry.
My one
suggestion, however, would be to try to figure out what
caused all the artifacts in the final DVD and put in as
much effort as possible to correct it.
Lasting
Appeal
Bar
Barons has some great elements – interesting camera
work, good acting, a unique story, and, most impressively,
was shot on 35mm film. It takes a concept that doesn’t
seem too exciting – a bunch of strangers in a group
therapy session – and adds an interesting twist by
showing the characters’ inner thoughts.
Even
though the director listed this film as a comedy, it seemed
a bit too dramatic and heavy – even to be listed as
a dark comedy. Though there were a few moments of humor
within the film – such as Jet’s story of the
accidental death of his wife’s shitzu or the captions
at the end of the movie that explained what happened to
the characters – they still seemed like comic relief
in the midst of a drama rather than the other way around.
Anyone
who’s ever been in group therapy – whether voluntarily
or not – will probably look at this film as more of
a drama, particularly if they had a negative experience.
In fact, anyone who’s ever been in any kind of therapy
might not see the humor in Bar Barons, since most people
today have had at least some exposure to the mental health
field, and some of that exposure was probably less-than-pleasant.
It would
depend on the audience, but each person who watches this
film will probably come away with a very different impression,
and some might even leave feeling confused or possibly depressed.
I’m not sure what the director was intending in this
movie, but this may or may not be a bad thing.
Overall
Comment
This film has some really great elements to it, along with
a nice combination of humor and seriousness. Anyone who
has ever had any sort of therapy experience would probably
find something to identify with in this film, and though
it might disturb certain audience members, I think most
will be able to get a good laugh out of it.
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Content
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8.7
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Visual
Look
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7.5
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Use
of Audio
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8.8
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Use
of Budget
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8.5
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Lasting
Appeal
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7.5
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Overall
Score
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8.2
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The
author of half a dozen screen plays, two novels, and a proficient
camera-woman in her own right, Monika
DeLeeuw-Taylor is Microfilmmaker's lead writing analyst and
one of our top film reviewers. When she's not writing a critique for
Microfilmmaker, she's writing screenplays for Viking Productions.
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