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The Love Witch


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Hello all,

I watched this movie  in its entirety for the first time unfortunately. My 2 cents for what its worth...

Cinematography was great which was the ONLY reason I sat through this film.

Plot does not exist  really or so thin that you can see right through it.

Acting was wow... are these real actors or just friends and such? Delivering lines one "actor" at a time. I mean it was horrendous to say the least. I am being nice here...

Production design was cheap to say the least as in cardboard box cut outs. My eyes were quite literally searching for pieces of  tape or something to be holding the cardboard box pieces together. Everything is done by the director.. ugh. Maybe next time she should consider actual department heads to do the job.

It is supposed to be set in the 60s or the early 70s but with modern cars and smart phones everywhere, did not work. So I really don't get the intention here.

To sum the "message" very briefly: all men are bad and deserve to die or to be killed. Or maybe I am just not sharp enough to see the message.

This is the problem with current movies. Every movie - more or less but not all of course - relies heavily on shot on X camera/technology or homage to whatever era but really stories really do suck terribly. I mean, even when I watch some B detective thriller movie from the 90's - straight to video kind - I don't find myself looking at the time. Today's  movies mostly I keep checking the time. Either trying to hard to be PC that it really gets annoying and in the way of the story or just plain pointless.

I'm sorry to be harsh here but I had to say something about this self indulgent piece...

To conclude, aside from the cinematography there really is no reason to watch this "movie."

P.s. the editing was like wow... they should show this film in editing classes at film schools as what not to do.

Regardless, photography was amazing, so many hats goes to Mr. Mullen. The rest was garbage, if I have to put it mildly and nicely...

 

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The only actor that was tolerable was the British real estate agent. The director, well, no offense but i hope they have some openings in a film school of any kind. I understand Mr. Mullen goes way back to film school days with the director but.... sorry.

The costumes look cheap too. The costumes and production  design made me feel like I'm watching a grade school play where the "set pieces" are glued or taped together on a stage. 

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It could be that because the film was made deliberate to recreate a style and era, that you don’t appreciate what it is. Modern audiences are used to a certain visual language. 
 

period pieces done in a modern style are different to a contemporary piece done in a period style. 

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Style over substance. I love that era movies but here I mean wow... Sorry it's my opinion of it. I didn't realize smart phones etc existed in the 60s or the 70s... how about all the modern cars? 

It is 2020 where if you blow on someone's heart hard enough, it will shatter to pieces but I call it as is - or at least my opinion of it. Mr. Mullen's work was wonderful but the rest was I mean... it is sort of like defending the movie The Room - calling it all intentional and a masterpiece. 

Edited by Giray Izcan
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I just paid my union dues last week so I am not an amateur person.  I guess the movie didn't do it for me aside from its photography. Funny, I guess if one has an unpopular view, that must be a sign of being an amateur.  All good... I hardly write on this forum anyhow.

I love the cinematography of it for sure. I find it very inspirational and refreshing.

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Now I am reading what I wrote this morning and I have to admit I could have modified the tone of it. I sincerely apologize for being offensive. In other words, I was an a... and messed up big time with the tone of my messages earlier so I owe everyone here an apology. 

Edited by Giray Izcan
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as a newb to filmmaking, i find films like this absolutely inspiring.  the most essential ingredient is someone with drive & focus and you can actually make a feature with your friends as talent and sets made out of cardboard.   it was def stylized but one sign that it worked is that some people go out of their way to criticize it.  a lot of classics (film, art, etc) received a lot of negative feedback.  not that i would argue that this one is a classic but it remains to be seen.

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I actually enjoyed Anna Biller’s short films on Vimeo, it reminds me of the Grindhouse  films of the late 60s, early 70s. I know people who can’t stand watching something like a Grindhouse horror movie or they just don’t understand something like “Cannibal Holocaust” or Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie”, but directors like Tarantino and Eli Roth have breathed life into some of these forgotten films that have become cult classics.

When I saw Anna’s short films she was from the same bloodline, and maybe those type of films are not in “style”, but they’re still effective and interesting. I actually haven’t seen many movies lately, so I haven’t had the chance to see “The Love Witch”, but referring to a film as “garbage” is taking it a little too far, but I guess that’s the price you pay as an artist, some people will just hate the work, because it’s different or it doesn’t fall into their expectations.
I just keep remembering the movie “Ed Wood” by Tim Burton, being an artist doesn’t mean that you’re the greatest or the most popular, but it’s about the commitment and passion, I’d be lucky if I became the next Ed Wood, but I think it’s better to be hated and disliked than to be ignored and be nothing at all.

I know that I don’t base what I like on account of what critics have to say or look up some tomato meter, critics can be wrong, and being recognized by The Academy doesn’t guarantee that a film will be remembered forever. Kubrick was never recognized by the Academy and even Stephen King hated The Shining, but his films have overshadowed most of those “award-winning” films. Who knew the guy who made FEAR AND DESIRE would become one of the most celebrated directors of the century. I never write someone off, some filmmakers will surprise you with stuff you never thought they had in them.

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  • 5 weeks later...
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......perhaps you have to be of a certain age and with countless hours of cinema-going (when that was the only entertainment within reach for most of us) to truly 'get' how cool and 'spot on' this film is in style and look for example......once I saw how this was being lit and the colour and texture thanks in part to Kodak film......Hollywood stage 'brightly lit' reminding me of Adam West's 60s 'Batman' series and Russ Meyer's 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls' 70s......I was like wow....this is special....I was also mesmerised by the lead actress and the rest of the cast......10/10 for me.....

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Screenshot 2020-11-09 at 13.18.53.png

 

Screenshot 2020-11-09 at 13.26.12.png

Edited by Stephen Perera
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12 hours ago, Giray Izcan said:

Stephen, I love the cinemarography of the Love Witch. I will watch it again as a movie as it may be an acquired taste and would like to keep an open mind. 

as i said I really think you have to be in late 40s early 50s at least to REALLY appreciate how spot on it all is in everything with what was being produced back in the day.......the colour palettes on screen of Star Trek original series which I am watching for the first time again in COLOUR (Netflix USA) as opposed to how I saw it....on Black and white television.......

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