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Drift

Drift

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice concept from a green filmmaker
Review: Don't get me wrong -- this was a good movie. On paper. The concepts, ideas, and character development all promised a deep, thought-provoking film. But the execution felt more like a film school project. My only issue with the script was the overabundance of the phrase "visceral connection." Otherwise, dialogue was quite realistic, and the storyline was believable, albeit a bit abrupt at the first "branch." With a mostly unexperienced cast, this film is indie at its most -- dare I say -- visceral? Acting is somewhere between "cheesy porn" and "good B-movie," but this is not a reflection on the actors' abilities -- only their experience and that of their director. All in all, give Quentin Lee another few years and few films, and expect greatness from him. This is a filmmaker to keep your eye on. Until then, he's simply paying his dues.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent
Review: I almost didn't write a review of this movie because it appears anyone who doesn't give it '5' stars or criticizes it receives a number of negative reviews..

This movie was OK. It has a "Sliding Doors" premise - how will my life be different if I do or don't make the choice to end my relationship? The premise is interesting, and given a small budget, the film is passable.

The acting, aside from brief and rare moments of talent, is as wooden as I've ever seen. I'd have given my eye teeth for a decent drama queen to say or do something that showed some emotion or feeling behind the dialogue. Speaking of dialogue - it seemed to be forcing itself to some sort of gay intellectualism - but by re-using the words 'visceral connection' about 10 times (and not during the 'repeated' scenes) it came across as monotonous and boring.

I applaud anyone who has the ability to get an indie film made, and this one wasn't necessarily BAD, but I don't think it offered any new perspectives or thoughts on the issue of relationships or compatibility, it just rehashed old ones in a completely unemotional way. But the acting - jeez. Rent if possible, don't buy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Depends on what you like....
Review: If you are looking for a consistant storyline that flows, then look elsewhere. The characters are extremely realistic and believable, but the story line could use some work. The flashbacks from different perspectives were interesting at first, but then became rather distracting. After a while, I started wondering if the lead character was going to turn into "Sybil." So, if you like "art" films, then you will find it interesting. Otherwise, find something else.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pick your favorite ending.....
Review: The best feature of this movie is the fact that you get three separate endings. I liked the way this was handled. I liked the second ending best.

This film shows all the different possibilities. It lets the viewers see what is motivating each situation and how subtle changes can make such a difference.

I liked Joel the best of all characters. I found Leo to be whiney and thought they could have made a better casting decision there. Ryan was a good choice.

This definitely has the feel of a film school project. Written, Directed and Produced by the same person.

Worth a rental for the split-triple ending.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: This film tries hard to be "really romantic"
Review: Words are not actions. Talking about your feelings is fine for a book or a conversation, but I spent the time I watched "Drift" waiting for someone to do something. Instead they all sat around in a kind of emotional paralysis. All the while they kept talking about things being "really romantic." Child molesters are "really romantic." Serial killers are "really romantic." This movie is the only thing it seems that isn't "really romantic."

Yes, the characters are conflicted and confused about life and love -- who isn't? But the film answers this malaise and angst with cliches and contrived dialogue.

NO explanation is given for the pseudo-post-modern "multiple possibilities" presented in the film (ala "Run Lola Run" or "Sliding Doors") If this is all just a series of fantasies, that makes even less sense...

It isn't an aweful, it's just disappointing and in the end, boring.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: utter and complete drivel
Review: The automatic rating system forces me to give this awful film a rating of one star when, in truth, it deserves a minus five.
.... ....Shot with what would appear to be cheap hand-helds and suffering from some of the worst lighting imaginable and not aided in any way by make-up,hair,wardrobe or art direction,it is proof positive that film cameras should never be given to amateurs.
The only person in the entire film who can actually act is amusingly enough the "straight character" Otherwise to a man there is not a professional actor in the bunch.Their only instruction from the director seems to have been not to look directly into the camera.
There is not a single arresting or even engaging moment in this thin and superficial story of one man's inability to discover who it is that he is actually in love with.
The problems with the trite and angst driven script are further mitigated by the odd editing which left us thinking at one point that our DVD player was malfunctioning.


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay, I Guess
Review: Something about this movie didn't sit well with me. I can't put my finger on it. At times I found myself loving the characters. Then, out of nowhere I felt that I couldn't care less. I didn't feel a consistency in the characters and the story.

I did really like the concept of what if, what if, and what if. I just think that it sounds better in theory than it looked here.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too much skin in cover art
Review: I really like this movie and feel that it explores the intricacies of gay relationships, and the inherent choices, very well. My only beef is with the cover art; why can't a gay movie be marketed without looking like porn? Are we so shallow that the only way to market a sensitive, intelligent gay film is to put naked men on the cover?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Self-Loathing Racism
Review: I have never been able to understand why gay asian men are so completely obsessed with capturing a white man. In this film, the lead asian male is in the exclusive company of white males and absolutely never makes mention of his own ethnicity and how it relates to being with only white men. This unrealtic and fantastic approach made this film very unsettling. Racism is a very real force in the gay world and gay asian men in particular seem to support the notion that happiness and sexual pleasure is only found amongst white men. If this film really wanted to be thought-provoking the asian lead male would have been in love with an african-american or EVEN a member of his own race. But I suppose that until gay asian men begin to fully appreciate who they are, films like this will continue to be a tired reality.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A mixed bag.
Review: On balance this is a good film, with gay characters who are actually believable and not ridiculous caricatures. However, the dialog is a little ponderous, with people stating their emotions and thoughts in perfectly formed, almost academic paragraphs. Instead of hearing the thoughts and concerns of several people, the audience hears the scriptwriter feeding deft platitudes into his characters' mouths. The characters are so uniformly articulate and monochromatic in their emotions that all commuication seems stilted.

Nonetheless, exploring the protagonist's choices and the three different romantic outcomes that might result from the choices works as a dramatic premise. I definitely wanted to see the entire film even while I was wincing from the dialog at some points.


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