★ 10 / 10
Perhaps I'm biased - but I think it's
Monty W
Perhaps I'm biased - but I think it's the best movie since Jeanne Dielman. The layered subtext of making sense of life or finding control in life through…
Perhaps I'm biased - but I think it's the best movie since Jeanne Dielman. The layered subtext of making sense of life or finding control in life through puppetry and likewise understanding that as puppets (of God or the Universe), we have no real control and that there is a freedom in that is pure existential gold.
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★ 10 / 10
An honest review
montywolfe
As writer, producer, co-director, and editor (also visual effects, props, costumes, you name it), I think of this film as my child. It can do no wrong. But…
As writer, producer, co-director, and editor (also visual effects, props, costumes, you name it), I think of this film as my child. It can do no wrong. But just like a real child, it has problems - and the parents are definitely to blame.The film suffers from audio issues. That's front and center. It's filmmaking 101 and it's harped on over and over - get good audio on-set. But we had some issues and ended up with poor dialogue audio in multiple places. I've heard worse (in blockbuster films, no less) but it still gets points taken away. On the plus, the sound design of the ambient sound and sound effects can be fun to listen to. There's a whole story in the audio alone.It doesn't have a great look. It's true - it lacks that cinematic quality. We are terrible at lighting a set - and we were doing things at breakneck speeds. But I watched a doc years ago that said "if you have a story, don't worry about your camera or the look of the movie, just get it on camera." And I've taken that to heart. It's DIY. It's punk rock.The story is simple, sweet, hopeful, and fun. And that's exactly what we set out to create. It's not complicated. It's not mind-blowing. It's a simple story about people changing their lives for the better.The actors are lovely and fun (and were always game for whatever we threw at them). They're the real draw of this film - their believability, their relatability, their chemistry, their charms.All in all, The Exploding Boy is a tender and funny romp that merely exists to bring a little light and happiness into the world. It's a movie about improving oneself, it's a movie about love and friendship, and it's a movie about kindness. I think everyone should check it out.
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★ 9 / 10
Great coming of age story
mgrn-15419
A great coming of story where the main character finds himself, comes out of his shell, and learns to trust another eventually while improving the lot of…
A great coming of story where the main character finds himself, comes out of his shell, and learns to trust another eventually while improving the lot of others around him. It is gratifying to see how a youth who is pain of growth can help those around him such as his mother find growth as well. A study of how people cover feelings try not to show them by feigning disinterest. Oh to be a teen again. Great to have a supportive mom, the dad, well that is another story. The counselor is a surprising and nice twist to the story. A twist from the past, currently, and a force in the future. A great story how one person finding themselves can have so many positive changes on others including themselves. A fun and happy movie as well moments to enrage with some characters.
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Just a really bad movie.