Blue Caprice
0.5/4
Starring: Tequan Richmond, Isaiah Richmond, Tim Blake Nelson, Joey Lauren Adams
Rated R for Disturbing Violent Content, Language and Brief Drug Use
If I have to sit through another film that is artsy for the sake of being artsy, I'm going to scream. I swear to God, I am so sick of them. Movies are meant to tell stories and to allow audiences to get to know interesting characters. But things ("Blue Caprice" doesn't earn the right to be called a film) like this just make me ready to throw my Blu Ray player (or Xbox 360, in this case) in the garbage.
Normally, one would think that a movie about the Beltway Sniper attacks would be next to impossible to screw up. But first time feature director Alexandre Moors (who's background is in shorts, and you guessed it, special effects) manages it. In fact, it's unbelievable how far he misses the mark. Something this atrocious could only have been produced by one of three types of people: someone who is stroking his own ego, someone who is trying to impress the avant garde crowd (it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of its "Official Selections," if that gives you any idea), or someone who is trying to make the worst movie of all time. No one who knows how to utilize a simple camera's basic functions could make something this shitty.
During the month of October 2002, the D.C./Baltimore area was paralyzed with fear as two men shot and killed people at random. The perpetrators were John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. Of course, their spree started earlier that year and covered eight other states (not including Maryland and the District of Columbia). "Blue Caprice" attempts, with next to no success, to tell the killer's story.
All but abandoned by his mother, Lee (Richmond) tries to drown himself, but is saved by his neighbor John (Washington). The two head to Washington where they shack up with Ray (Nelson) and Jamie (Adams), two of John's friends. Then they begin their murder spree.
This is one of those movies where instead of listing the ways the film goes wrong, it would be easier, and less time consuming, for me to list the two things that it does right: the film is atmospheric (although in the wrong way...it feels like a jungle rather than a cold New England that has a terrifying pair of serial killers) and the violence is shocking. Everything else is awful.
Okay, fine, the performances are good. But that's little consolation when one considers how little they have to do. Instead of diving deep into the two lead characters's heads (which would be a fascinating, if terrifying, journey), we know next to nothing about them. All we know about them is that John has his kids taken away from him and has a grudge against the world (he all but quotes from The Joker in "The Dark Knight") and Lee is a quiet kid who is from Antigua. We don't know why John would resort to murder or why Lee would go along with it (eventually). Instead, we have a bizarre soundtrack and images of characters doing something.
Look, Alexandre Moors is a young, handsome guy who has made his first feature film. I'd be a little more lenient if the film wasn't so offensive to its viewers. It's not a movie, it's an ego trip. And that's what makes the film so sickening. Using such a devastating story to make an impression to the indie crowd is morally reprehensible. Just avoid this movie. Please? And make Moors go back to film school or switch careers to flipping burgers.
Starring: Tequan Richmond, Isaiah Richmond, Tim Blake Nelson, Joey Lauren Adams
Rated R for Disturbing Violent Content, Language and Brief Drug Use
If I have to sit through another film that is artsy for the sake of being artsy, I'm going to scream. I swear to God, I am so sick of them. Movies are meant to tell stories and to allow audiences to get to know interesting characters. But things ("Blue Caprice" doesn't earn the right to be called a film) like this just make me ready to throw my Blu Ray player (or Xbox 360, in this case) in the garbage.
Normally, one would think that a movie about the Beltway Sniper attacks would be next to impossible to screw up. But first time feature director Alexandre Moors (who's background is in shorts, and you guessed it, special effects) manages it. In fact, it's unbelievable how far he misses the mark. Something this atrocious could only have been produced by one of three types of people: someone who is stroking his own ego, someone who is trying to impress the avant garde crowd (it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of its "Official Selections," if that gives you any idea), or someone who is trying to make the worst movie of all time. No one who knows how to utilize a simple camera's basic functions could make something this shitty.
During the month of October 2002, the D.C./Baltimore area was paralyzed with fear as two men shot and killed people at random. The perpetrators were John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. Of course, their spree started earlier that year and covered eight other states (not including Maryland and the District of Columbia). "Blue Caprice" attempts, with next to no success, to tell the killer's story.
All but abandoned by his mother, Lee (Richmond) tries to drown himself, but is saved by his neighbor John (Washington). The two head to Washington where they shack up with Ray (Nelson) and Jamie (Adams), two of John's friends. Then they begin their murder spree.
This is one of those movies where instead of listing the ways the film goes wrong, it would be easier, and less time consuming, for me to list the two things that it does right: the film is atmospheric (although in the wrong way...it feels like a jungle rather than a cold New England that has a terrifying pair of serial killers) and the violence is shocking. Everything else is awful.
Okay, fine, the performances are good. But that's little consolation when one considers how little they have to do. Instead of diving deep into the two lead characters's heads (which would be a fascinating, if terrifying, journey), we know next to nothing about them. All we know about them is that John has his kids taken away from him and has a grudge against the world (he all but quotes from The Joker in "The Dark Knight") and Lee is a quiet kid who is from Antigua. We don't know why John would resort to murder or why Lee would go along with it (eventually). Instead, we have a bizarre soundtrack and images of characters doing something.
Look, Alexandre Moors is a young, handsome guy who has made his first feature film. I'd be a little more lenient if the film wasn't so offensive to its viewers. It's not a movie, it's an ego trip. And that's what makes the film so sickening. Using such a devastating story to make an impression to the indie crowd is morally reprehensible. Just avoid this movie. Please? And make Moors go back to film school or switch careers to flipping burgers.
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