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Summary: Funniest thing I've seen in a while, and I'm from Arkansas
Review: It's all riiiiiight! It's okaaaaaay! There's something to liiiiive foooor! Jesus tooooold meeee sooooo!I literally almost died laughing at this movie, and it's also somewhat moving. A great documentary.
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Summary: A glimpse of America we ALL should see and understand!
Review: This film was very riveting, insofar as I wanted to see what Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank were going to do next to achieve their dreams, or for that matter, to prevent them from coming true. I was under the impression that even if these guys ever win a powerball lottery, they would still wear the same clothes (gotta love Mike in his Sabbath, Zeppelin, and Rush T-shirts... classics!) and live in the same run down homes and trailers! They are an ultimate glimpse into 'white trailer trash' low-income blue-collar displaced factory worker Dodge Dart driving Americana. Even when they had Uncle Bill reciting that line about Jesus, I thought it was great! I couldn't tell whether they were embracing or mocking Christianity .... In any case, this film is very raw, real, unadulterated, and addicting. We need more like it!
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Summary: American Movie? or Once is too many!
Review: If you loved Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, this movie was made in the style of both. However, bad acting and silly lines will having you wondering who thought this was funny. Save your money and check out a Christopher Guest film instead. Two thumbs down!
Rating: 
Summary: A must see for filmmakers!
Review: This movie is both funny and tragic in a strange way. However, it feels like the characters overact and I think the proper genre for this film would be a "Mockumentary" not a documentary. The film starts of really well but the other half is a little weaker. The disc is real good and this is a must see for everyone interested in film making.
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Summary: Instant CLASSIC !!!!
Review: Fantastically Hilarious!
I couldn't believe this was for real! I thought it was a Mock-u-mentary...BUT I WAS WRONG!!! Coven is Genius!!! I'm very glad it was an included extra on the DVD version. COVEN is actually the sort of Indy Film that I like to see at Indy Festivals. Raw and Low Budget with Dark Overtones.
BRILLIANT!!!! MUST OWN THIS DISK!!!!
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Summary: Citizen Coven
Review: Mark Borchardt wants to live the American Dream. He is a filmmaker of the greatest caliber with control of one of the most important American films, NORTHWESTERN. While watching the documentary AMERICAN MOVIE we see that Borchardt believes all of that but the reality is he is a Wisconsin-based Cemetery Security Guard with an interest in slasher/horror films. We also see someone so focused on his dream that he is able to convince just enough people to keep it moving forward bit by bit. Just to show how much he is working by the seat of his pants, the subtitle of the documentary is THE MAKING OF NORTHWESTERN. Ironically enough, it actually follows the making of an earlier film of his called Coven. Borchardt has problems with his ex and current girlfriend. He loves his three children so much that even by 9 yars old they have all seen APOCOLYPSE NOW. His best friend is a charming former drug abuser with little left in his cranium, Mike Schank. Mike trusts Mark and is a constant voice for support. Mark seeks financing to finish coven from his miserly old Uncle Bill who reluctantly goes along with Marks dream but would rather sit in his trailer, waiting to pass on. Even though the characters seem extreme enough to be in mock-umentaries like SPINAL TAP and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, this is a film documenting a real quest. AMERICAN MOVIE is a well-made documentary and somehow the vulgar Borchardt becomes a hero of sorts by the end. The DVD offers a commentary by the films creators and its subject, Borchardt. It also offers some cut scenes and best of all, the complete final cut of COVEN.
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Summary: What if Don Quixote lived in Wisconsin and drank schnapps?
Review: As I watched Mark Borchardt stumble through the filming of 'Coven', I kept thinking of the Austrian court composer Solieri's line in Milos Forman's Amadeus: "All I ever wanted was to sing to God", laments Solieri, "He gave me that longing, and then made me mute". What do you do with your life when you want to sing, but you are tone deaf? What if you spend far more time dreaming than making your dreams come true? That is the subject of this surprisingly touching and moving documentary. Mark Borchardt is not mute. His muse has whispered in his ear since he was 12 years old, telling him to make movies. Problems with drinking and a stint in the Army have kept him from his love. As the documentary opens, Mark is doing pre-production for a feature-length movie, 'Northwestern'. As you watch Mark meet with production staff and potential actors, you quickly realize that he is hopelessly over his head. Mark is given to long, rambling monologues, where you feel he is trying to throw a net of words over his problems. Eventually Mark sees the handwriting on the wall. He realizes that he cannot start this movie, and decides instead to complete a short film he started several years earlier, 'Coven'. (Mark pronounces it KO-ven, rather than KUH-ven). As the documentary progresses, you are brought into the well intentioned but dysfunctional world of Mark's friends and family. You find yourself wondering about the line between loyalty and co-dependency. What is the difference between supporting a dream and enabling a friend to live in a fantasy world? You see the inhabitants of Mark's world struggle with these questions. Through it all, Mark may stumble, but he holds true to quest of completing Coven. If Mark is quixotic, then his good friend Mike Shank is definitely his Pancho. Mike has been sober for a couple of years, but you can tell he was dinged up a bit in the drug wars. He is so totally without guile, and so completely loyal to Mark, as to be utterly disarming. It is tempting to smirk at these people at the beginning of the film, much less easy to do so by the end. Whatever you think of Mark as a filmmaker, you are moved by his struggle to see his vision completed. Chris Smith could have created a patronizing look at an Auteur with less talent than himself, but he has accomplished much more than that. This story makes you wonder about the dreams of people who are not famous, or glamorous, but still listen to their muse. The touching conclusion of this movie is that there is real nobility in their quixotic quest.
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Summary: "What do you REALLY think??"
Review: This movie is one of my favorite. It's great for two reasons. First, Chris Smith and company have done another excellent job of capturing something uniquely American. The scenes document how Mark Borchardt and friends, although fraught with every obstacle imaginable, still manage to achieve their goal. The movie is well made and develops the character of Mark, Mike and the others at exactly the right pace to keep you interested. But the best thing about the movie is definitely the content. You can't make up anything this funny. From a bothced violent scene where an actor's head is pummelled over and over to a drunken Thanksgiving party at Mark's uncle Bill's to picking up their friend and fellow movie producer, Ken, at the local jail - everything in this movie is just extraordinary. At some parts, I laughed so hard I almost when into cardiac arrest. At others, I was tremendously touched, especially by the amount of loyalty that these friends had despite their eccentricities and character flaws. Seeing this definitely inspired me to buy "Coven" and I'll probably buy anything else that Borchardt produces, just to see what his out-of-control creativity has come up with next. Of course, his next movie might not be ready for another 6 years....
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Summary: Unique documentary about an eccentric filmmaker's obsession
Review: If you ever believed you knew even a little about what it takes to make a movie, this movie will change your views - or will it? Focusing on the very eccentric, unique world of one determined movie director, this movie won't be to everyone's taste. It isn't conventional, it isn't even logical or orderly - but you may feel still find yourself fascinated by the skewed guy (genius in hiding?) at the heart of this one. He's got a vision he wants to put down on film, centering on a movie called Coven and somehow he's able to round up an equally strange mix of characters to do his bidding (well, most of the time). If you like documentaries about people and events outside the norm, this one is for you.
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Summary: REAL entertainment
Review: I don't know where to begin. This movie rocked me. I laughed so hard and some parts and felt such pity at others. The main character is a projectionist(If that is a word). He projects his dreams and ambitions on to other people. Then he tries to motivate them by telling them their dreams will come true if they help him but they are his dreams not theirs. He has motivation at points but a total lack of preparation so he always loses his cool. You have to buy this flick and watch it with a room full of buddies getting drunk.
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