Fake Dane

Hints of Larry Clark, Harmony Korine, and Donnie Darko (I would use the director's name, but really that's the only good thing he's done). Reading the synopsis, I thought this film was going to be a mess. I mean, when you read a lot of spec screenplays, you realize that a lot of people who write these things are literally crazy. I was surprised to see this won an award, so I read it. Okay -- this film is not for most people--honestly, even a little too R for my tastes, but, if you like independent cinema, you'll probably like this movie. A stunningly VISUAL film -- it's gonna look great. The synopsis may seem a bit scatter-brained, but the movie didn't ramble. It took a bit to really get into the conflict, but it was interesting enough that I didn't mind. Fairly sound structurally. Nice job. My favorite AS piece so far. REWRITE THE SYNOPSIS--it's your weak link (keep it simple, stupid -- no need even to mention minor characters like Hannah).

Just watched the animatic. Nice job on the movie. I would maybe change 2 things. When he's at his lowest, and he's trying to leave a message on her machine, I think it'd be just a bit more funny (and pathetic) if the machine kept cutting him off, so he'd have to call back and pick up where he left off, just to get cut off again. Also, when Jack comes with his friends and gives him a swirlie, I feel like Jack should be drunk -- with a beer in hand.

This was a pretty good popcorn movie. Dialogue was nice and snappy, though it did sometimes get a little exposition-y (rarely do women EVER say precisely what they mean... to be fair, I guess the same can be said of men too). The story progressed logically, and was structurally sound. The idea itself is a really good one. Nice job!

An interesting time and place for a standard zombie type movie. It hit all the beats, but... it hit all the beats. There just didn't seem to be anything different about this movie -- we're already familiar with its twists and turns. On the positive side, I like the Mister character. I like his gun. Merrin starts to feel a little too 'True Grit' for me, but to each his own. The visual details were well-fleshed, but felt a little too dense at times. The story (and the genre) gets a little convoluted, especially with the introduction of another bad guy and plot right at the end.