Reach Me (2014)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Awesome Movie

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

When a cast of stars come together, interest is, inevitably, garnered. Most people do a double take at the poster anticipating the possibilities that a powerful ensemble can bring, much like the excitement basketball fans feel when all-stars join together in the off-season to create a superteam.However, this excitement is not without trepidation: many times have ensemble films, and for that matter superteams, failed to reach the level of success anticipated at their conception. There are times when everything goes right--when the cast on screen makes everything better and is not fighting over the proverbial ball.Reach me is a film that gets it right. Films like Crash and Two Days in the Valley (the later of which was written and directed by John Herzfeld) are good representations of the quality of Reach Me, and thus any film lover should be able to appreciate what Reach Me will bring to them. Namely, inspiration, understanding, and a look behind the curtain at real people, who struggle and persevere like anybody else. The story: without spoiling anything, Reach Me is about self help book written by a mysterious author, which, through its strong message brings an unlikely cast of characters together, their stories interweaving and building a wonderfully moving narrative. These people are all rich characters who learn to and desire to better themselves. The effect wad not only felt by the characters but also by me, as I left the theater feeling nourished. I found that I couldn't stop smiling after seeing this movie, and I really felt like I had gained something after this film, I don't know what, but I do know that this movie was inportant.I want to stress the quality of writing and filmmaking in Reach Me. Director John Herzfeld has masterfully woven a tapestry through this film. He has created a movie that is thought- provoking, emotional, inspirational, and at the same time witty and entertaining. Very few filmmakers can marry art and entertainment so harmoniously, and yet Herzfeld does just that. This film is hilarious and clever and it's also inportant, from an existential point of view. I highly recommend Reach Me to everyone, although I believe those who have experienced real life would be more receptive to this movie. If you're on the fence, hop off and go see Reach Me, you'll be better for it.

The latest addition to the genre known as hyperlink cinema concerns a collection of people connected by their interest in a self-help book. I'd say that the main thing that I took from "Reach Me" is that I now know about the song "Denise". For the most part the movie didn't, well, reach me. I've seen most of the cast members in other movies, most of them better than this ("Rocky", "Idiocracy" and "Machete", to name just a few). Hyperlink cinema, meanwhile, has better movies to its name ("Syriana" and "Fast Food Nation", to name just two).In the end, "Reach Me" will be of interest if you want to learn about "Denise". Not much else otherwise. I think that I'll try to find "Denise" in its entirety.

A hare-brained comedy about a self-help book that actually cures an oddball variety of people of either their fears or their conditions, "Reach Me" manages to amuse occasionally but amounts to overwrought nonsense. A variety of celebrity performers, some of whom are around briefly and others who wander through this 92-minute idiocy, makes you think there is more here than meets the eye. Tom Berenger stars as the reclusive author, while bespectacled media owner Sylvester Stallone wants to know about the book. Kyra Sedgwick is an ex-con who designs clothes. Tom Sizemore is a golf-club wielding mobster. Thomas Jane is a trigger-happy cop who has blown away 44 suspects, and Danny Trejo appears as a pistol-packing thug. Writer & director John Herzfeld, best known for "15 Minutes" and "2 Days in the Valley," creates an array of eccentric characters and struggles to shoehorn everybody in for their respective two minutes. Eventually, the reluctant author screws up the nerve to appear in public and he addresses his fans.

When it comes to ensemble cast films, it has been proved time and again, that even with star power, not every film is great. A successful example of a movie like this is Think Like a Man (2012). An exact opposite of this would be Movie 43 (2013), a film with an ensemble cast so large, it surprised everyone when it turned out to be one of the worst and most despised movies of the year according to many for several reasons. What's interesting is that according to some, this is one of those movies that could ruin someone's career. Is that really so? I do understand that this particular production is having a limited public release and was released digitally the same day of its public release (which isn't a good sign). This film though isn't by any means spectacular entertainment, but it does maintain a level of decent quality that should be acknowledged. Even with its flaws it is not the worst movie of the year, by far.The story is when a popular book called "Reach Me" of an anonymous writer under the guise as Teddy Raymond (Tom Berenger) takes the public by storm for its inspirational and self-motivating words. The audience will then be introduced to numerous other story threads revolving around other characters that are connected to the book in some way. Unfortunately, the writing, which is the most essential element, is the weakest. A probable reason why the writing wasn't great was due to the running time. With only about an hour and half of time and more than three character threads, a lot of things have to be condensed. The problem being is that the separate story lines themselves have a few flaws. One flaw being that they are quick. Some scenes pertaining to a certain character thread last all of a minute and then transition over to another story line. It's a bit disorienting when trying to focus on a character. For films like these, it's understood that the focus cannot stay too long on a particular scenario but for only a minute feels slightly too quick to have it even register what just happened. Perhaps director John Herzfeld (who isn't new to the job), should have consulted with editor Steven Cohen so that there was more time for these stories to breathe.Another issue that arises is that not every subplot in each segment is properly concluded. This feels a like a waste in some cases. There's no point in adding it to the story if it will not be concluded. On top of that, several character motivations are left unclear and for those who want an explanation, will feel frustrated, I know I did. With that, some of the actions characters make can feel and look cliché, which doesn't help of course. However, matching these flaws is a number of good points. For one, the ensemble cast is quite diverse. There are several actors from different genres combined into one, under this title. To name some is Kevin Connolly, Sylvester Stallone, Thomas Jane, Lauren Cohan, Kyra Sedgwick, Danny Aiello, David O'Hara, Nelly, Terry Crews and Omari Hardwick. Surprisingly, they all work well off each other. Many of the characters portrayed have charm and acceptable chemistry with their co-stars. This does lead to some believable dramatic and comedic moments through the film. It's not always effective but at times it is.Coinciding with these "dramedy" elements is the score provided by Tree Adams. The score, which is sadly, unreleased, sounds very similar to that of Christopher Lennertz style of composition. This is good because the music appropriately matches the scenes, whether its organ, piano, sax and occasionally strings. There is no main theme and that's also because it isn't really a franchise to begin with. The cinematography provided by Vern Nobles is good too. There's no particular style that Nobles heads for but he does get some very wide panning shots of various scenery and that gives a better idea to the audience of their location. However, the best aspect to this movie, is the message it wants to convey to its audience. That message is gathering the courage to move on no matter what your fear is. It's this kind of life lesson that many people strive to hear from motivation speakers and it is important to understand. This is what the individual story lines work into the development of each character- reaching out to others. Unfortunately, with its negative responses and limited release its not going to be truly recognized. Again, it's not fantastic but it is worth the time to see at least once. Its writing gets cliché at times with unclear character motivations, a few unfinished subplots and choppy editing but its not awful. The actors give charming performances with occasional laughs and heartfelt moments along with good-looking camera work, and appropriate music. Its best element is the "dream big philosophy" that it is based on to help inspire others.