The best Super 8 feature film you may never see.

[Les]

Go to: http://www.piranha-pictures.com/Fifth_C ... h_City.htm and click on "23 Hours" It's a full length feature film shot in super 8 and it looks great!! I don't mean the technical look, actually that suffers, I mean the directing and action. Read the reveiws and download the clips and you'll see what I mean.

WARNING!! Trying to download the clips can be a pain. I couldn't download the trailer at all. All I got was the audio, no video. After several trys I managed to get about 80% of the deleted scene, what I got looked pretty good. " the judge" scene is the one you want and the only one that downloaded good for me. The is the scene that shows you how good this movie is! Ignore the contrast problem and concentrate on the action and how well it's shot and edited ,VERY PROFESSIONAL. This director has a great sense of action and how it should be shot and presented. the music is great too, at least I liked it. Turn the volume of your computer up a bit as it sounds a little better that way. View the Judge scene a couple of times. I found I liked and appreciated it even more after a couple of viewings.

[Andreas Wideroe]

Yeah, I've seen it before. It's pretty cool. Btw: I had no problems downloading the clips.

[Les]

How long ago did you download the clips? I tried again after reading your post and still no luck with the trailer.

I wish this film was available to rent, I'd love to see the whole thing. What did everyone else think? Over 100 views of this thread and only one reply. Did you like what you saw? Hate it?

Here's a bit of trivia about the sound for those of who wondering how to do sound for your own productions. The entire film was dubbed in post. The actors dialogue and all. Dubbing is actually very common in hollywood movies even after all the time and expense of recording the sound during the production. Although it's never the entire film as it was here. I'd like to see this movie and see if it ever drifts into looking like a bad Kung-Fu movie or if they managed good lip sync thru out the whole film.

[Scotness]

I had a quiclk look - the stills looked more like miniDV to me than Super 8 - perhaps this was becuase they were so small I couldn't see the grain etc -- sure it is Super 8 though? -- looks good though - another one to add to the collection!

Scot

[Les]

The stills were taken with a regular still camera, they are not freeze frames from the film. And It's definietly a super 8 movie, I found it talked about on some other site that lead me to that one. You can even see the camera he uses in one of the behind the scenes stills. I can't tell which type it is from the pictures though, and it's been a while since I saw them.

[jukkasil]

The stills were taken with a regular still camera, they are not freeze frames from the film. And It's definietly a super 8 movie, I found it talked about on some other site that lead me to that one. You can even see the camera he uses in one of the behind the scenes stills. I can't tell which type it is from the pictures though, and it's been a while since I saw them.

That camera looks like Braun Nizo 800/801 model.

[David M. Leugers]

Wow! I liked the one scene able to download and play. Loved the look of the "Judge", looks like a real geek who kicks ass! I'd love to see the entire film. The stuff about post dubbing is so common, most may not know it is done at all. I think certain movies actually benefit from it, because it lends a subtle eriness to the film. From what I saw, the steadiness of the image and invisible splices (computer edited) helped a great deal to hide the fact it was shot on S-8mm film.

David M. Leugers

[calgodot]

*Yawn*

[Les]

*Yawn*

You'll have to explain better than that. Did you not like the clips? Do you not care for action films in general?? Did you not like what you read about the plot and storyline? Were you yawning about something else and just wrote it down here? *yawn* by itself is just rude.

[calgodot]

You'll have to explain better than that. Did you not like the clips?

The clips demonstrate the technical competence of the filmmaker, which is not minimal. It is quite an accomplishment to competently produce a movie, and this should not be minimized.

Do you not care for action films in general?

In general, I like action films, and am generally opposed to no genre. (I actually do my best not to even think of films in this manner, i.e. categorically, as it is limiting and hardly descriptive. Is ALIEN an action, horror or science fiction movie?)

Did you not like what you read about the plot and storyline?

Nothing about it moved me enough to like or dislike it. Thus the yawn, a sign of boredom. But allow me to elaborate on my boredom.

I always wonder why people make copies of other films. With all the blood, sweat, tears and money it takes to make even the simplest film, why copy what someone else has done? Do some young filmmakers have a burning desire to tell someone else's story? Do they have no story of their own? Are their lives devoid of anything original and interesting, so they just re-make whatever last thing that interested them?

I often wonder if people know what they are talking about when they say they are "creating an old-style noir thriller." Do they know what "noir" means and why the French critics designated certain films as noir? I don't think these guys know. Do they think the film is "noir" because the character wears a hat?

Sometimes I attend film school screenings. It's more of the same: movies about a bank or jewelry robbery gone bad; bad guys in black trench coats; slow-motion death scenes; dialog that could have been written by any 12-year old with a DVD player and copious rentals (for "inspiration"); and of course guns guns guns. Stuff I could see any weekend at any movie theater (or on TV) in America - the Hollywood spectacles are more polished and prettier, but just as devoid of individuality and personality.

Were you yawning about something else and just wrote it down here?

Well, it was kinda early. But I was mainly yawning out of boredom, not fatigue.

*yawn* by itself is just rude.

Yeah, I guess it is. Mea culpa.

[Les]

O.K. I see what you mean but from what I can tell you missed something here. This isn't a filmmaker trying to copy any specific film or even the film noir style. He's intentionally poking fun at it. I think you missed the fact that this film is meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. The black trench coats, the hat, the Judge character looking like a nerd instead of a tough guy, ar all intentional jabs at film noir, not a filmmaker trying to copy them in order to "look cool".


In the Judge clip,the main character very intentionally puts his hat back on just before going on the run again. This was the filmmaker "winking at the camera". Sort of like asking the audience " do you get it?" I got it and loved it. It was handled great I thought and I had a good laugh at what the filmmaker was doing.

I think you took the film to seriously. View it again with a lighter heart and maybe you'll see the humor.

[calgodot]

I think you took the film to seriously. View it again with a lighter heart and maybe you'll see the humor.

No, I "got it" - nonetheless: *yawn*. I don't find it particularly interesting or clever to make a movie about how bad other movies are. In fact, I'd have more respect for the film if it was a "serious" attempt at a neo-noir action thriller.

This will help: Go here

http://people.bu.edu/rcarney/independentfilm/

and read what this fine teacher wrote about independent film. Especially the "Path of the Artist" series. If you don't like what he says, fine - many people don't. (I don't always agree with him myself.) But it's where I'm coming from, and if you want to understand why a film that excites you does nothing for me, here ya go.

[Les]

and read what this fine teacher wrote about independent film. Especially the "Path of the Artist" series. If you don't like what he says, fine -

Oh, so you're one of those "I'm an artist" types

*yawn*

I couldn't resist. And yes it's how I feel about filmmakers who get self-rightous and pretentious and call themselves "artists" So many of these types like to think of themselves as superior to filmmakers like Spielberg and Lucas because their films actually made money so they're just being commercial and not real "artists". What these people are really saying is that can't make good films that actually entertain people so they decide to have some kind of attitude as to why they are superior to people who can actually make a good film that everyone loves.

My thought has always been- If you want to be an artist, go paint a painting. But don't act superior to those that can actually entertain people.

This isn't meant to be a personal attack on you. It's my general feeling about those who get too much into the "artist" mentality and attack good entertaining films and their filmmakers. All the "artists" out there can only dream that they could ever have half the talent of good filmmakers that make those highly entertaining commercial films that must be bad because they actually made money. :roll:

[Les]

Yeah!!

I give another shot at downloading the trailer and it finally came thru. It's Excellent!! It really shows more this this filmmakers unique style. Perhaps calgodot should be sure to download and view it as it is very "artistic" (yeah that's a shot at you but honestly it really is somewhat artistic)


This film's claim to fame here is that it's one of the few full length feature films shot on super 8, but beyond that it looks like a great film no matter what it was shot on. I'd love to see it.

[rhcvatni]

Hmmm. I would want to see it because it's done on super 8, but that's the only reason. If it was a big hollywood production done on 35mm I wouldn't see it if my life depended on it. Why the hell would I. There's probably been made thousands of movies like this. Don't you ever get tired of it.

Sure, it's on super8, so that's cool. It's made by "kids" for 40 bucks + film, so it's not so bad. Actually alot better than many independent/no budget/film school stuff I've seen lately. But why the hype. Of all the tens of thousands of movies made the last decade, why is this movie worth a second of your time?