There was one scene that had a really nice post effect: when Josiah is doing his "kung-fu" role, the screen changes to the old sepia-colored filter while he's acting. It's a nice touch that brings attention to the fact that Josiah feels like he's getting stuck with the corny one-dimensional roles of old films. It would have been nice to see maybe at least one other part stand out visually like that. The benefit to having a basic visual style is that you can quickly draw the audience's attention to important parts and/or people by using filters or camera angles creatively.

Use of Audio
Similar to the visuals, the audio was good as well. Again, this can be a two-edged sword, because while there weren't major problems with it, there wasn't a whole lot that made it stand out, either. The dialogue was clear and understandable. There was a little bit of that annoying echo-y sound you sometimes get when shooting indoors, but a basic audio cleanup would fix that. Background noise and sound effects were audible, but not overwhelming. Music fit the scenes appropriately and didn't clash with other audio (e.g. dialogue, action, etc.).

	His caucasion girlfriend is more into asian arts than Josiah... ...yet he constantly gets cast as the kung fu master.

Use of Budget
Considering the budget and that this is Kitania Kavey's first film, I'd say they did a great job. The film covers a variety of locations with different challenges (especially for light and audio), and it looks like the budget was evenly distributed throughout the various aspects of the movie. This is very important, because there's nothing more frustrating than watching a film with cool visual effects but really crappy audio; you look at something like that and say, "Well, we know where most of that money went!" It's good that these guys used their budget evenly.

Lasting Appeal
While there are a few things about this movie that could be tweaked, I would definitely show this to my friends. It brings up several good points not only about how we treat people that are different than us, but also when "cultural awareness and sensitivity" crosses the line into stereotyping.

Overall Comment
The storyline and writing are very good, although a more definitive ending would have made the story stronger. While secondary characters' acting tended to be a little over-the-top, Josiah's acting was effective. The visual and audio aspects were even and well done. The film's quality reflected equal distribution of budget and attention. Overall, a great project for a debut. Now that Kavey's gotten her feet wet, I can't wait to see what else she has planned!

	Content                   8.0          Visual Look                   7.0          Use of Audio             7.0          Use of Budget             8.0                     Lasting Appeal                        8.0          Overall Score              7.6         Click Here to Find Out How We Critique Films

Mission | Tips & Tricks | Equipment & Software Reviews | Film Critiques
Groups & Community | Links & Savings | Home