Shadows & Lies (2010)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Memorable, crazy movie

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I am going to default to the GradyHarp review that is among theses many reviews. Mostly from disappointed viewers. Grady Harp hits the ball right on all points about this Jay Anania film.This movie is for people who delve into symbolism, contemplative scenes of quiet and delicate colors and the messages humans can project with just expression and few or no words.William Vincent is obviously a person with a disturbing past that he believes he can change with his 'new identity'. Unfortunately he is the same person inside and no amount of paperwork can change that.A film lover will enjoy this movie, it's music, it's colors, it's shadows, and it's story. Great dialog, camera work, and the pacing is perfect for the persons that we see!

Okay, first of all, I gotta say that I don't think the rating of this movie is very fair.The rhythm of the movie is slow, so if you're not the type of person who could sit still for two hours and adore the visualization of a slow film, just let it go.After the ending, I began thinking how the movie had no purpose at all and that it wasn't sending out a message. And then I thought, maybe it wasn't supposed to. Maybe it was just trying to show a small part of a depressed, not-finding-a-meaning-in-life guy's life. And even so, it still lacked something, it was a little lost, like there wasn't much thought behind the story. It wasn't very well figured out, neither were the characters.But the good news is, it gets you thinking. The photography is beautiful, and so is the acting. James Franco does a great job in this one, every expression on his face has a meaning behind it, the tone of his voice, how the characters linger before saying something, that is All very good. Not so many great lines though, it's mostly body language.After all, I think it's worth watching. There are many beautiful scenes that you wouldn't want to miss, regardless of the not-so-good story.

Writer & director Jay Anania's brooding, low-budget, artsy-smartsy crime yarn "Shadows and Lies" could easily have been inspired by the late Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni's film "The Passenger." In the Antonioni epic, Jack Nicholson takes over the identity of a dead gun runner and gallivants all over Europe until the mob catches up with him and kills him. In "Shadows and Lies," James Franco plays a man who steps off a plane because he forgot his book and then decides to ride across country on a bus to his home state of Connecticut. When he reaches New York, he learns that the plane that he had booked passage on has crashed and every single passenger has been incinerated. This sounds rather like the first "Final Destination" franchise movie, too. Anyway, at this point, our protagonist obtains a fake passport in Chinatown and begins a new life as an editor of nature films. When he isn't editing some really cool footage on his Final Cut Pro system, William Vincent--as he has come to call himself--gets his kicks by picking the pockets of strangers. Actually, William is pretty good at it, until he finds himself confronted on the street one day by one of his victims. What the victim doesn't realize is that William has dumped his booty in the trash. When William's victim challenges him about his billfold and cell phone, a crime boss named 'Boss' (Josh Lucas of "Sweet Home Alabama") and his chief henchman Victor (Martin Donovan) intervene on his behalf.Boss wants William on his payroll, and Victor serves as the go-between. Eventually, William meets Anne (Julianne Nicholson) and they hit it off. William gives her a kimono, but Victor hears about their assignation and warns William to keep his hands off Ann. Indeed, Boss uses Ann as a prostitute, and a jealous William walks in on her while she is with a client. William wields a lamp and beat the man to death and then takes it on the lam.Anania confines "Shadows and Lies" to a quartet of characters: William, Ann, Victor, and Boss. The action occurs in flashback as the film opens with William following Ann unobtrusively through the streets of New York and then mailing her a letter after a four year hiatus. No sooner has William mailed the letter than he is attacked by Victor. It seems that Boss is a very jealous individual. Victor has warned William to stay away from Ann, but they ignore these warnings. William handles some unsavory business, including an episode with two women who receive a cocaine shipment. When William rejects their advances, the two girls label him gay.Evidently, from his attitude around Boss, William doesn't need the dough and he has no qualms about assaulting people himself. The dialogue is cryptic and often repetitive. The performances are tight-lipped. Martin Donovan fares the best as Boss' chief henchman, while Josh Lucas wears a Van Dyke beard that gives him a sinister look. Franco is Franco; he looks like a pretty boy. Although he can be violent, Franco's character doesn't seem to care a whit about money or emotional displays. He plays in cool throughout "Shadows and Lies." Composer John Medeski's melancholy music adds to the grim atmosphere, while lenser Danny Vecchione shoots predominantly in medium shots and close-ups.Altogether, Anania has fashioned an urban crime drama that doesn't rely on bullets blazing, careening car chases, or ritual torture. If you prefer pictures with subtlety, "Shadows and Lies" qualifies as a must-see. Unfortunately, none of the characters here are remotely sympathetic. Further, Anania keeps us at arm's length from them. They are all a lot of cold fish. If you like your films with less contrivance, you should skip this opus.

Shadows and Lies came completely under the radar for me. I had never heard of it, heard anyone talking about it or been recommended to watch it. This is one of those films, for me, that leaves you with a profound feeling that something special has just happened. this is the kind of film that immediately after watching had me texting my friends, looking for someone to talk to about it.Its a love story but its not the over sentimental type, at times there are scenes that i found to be the most romantic i have ever seen, but it wouldn't make you smile. its a crime story but it doesn't dwell on the details, there's no foul language, and though there is violence, it is utterly believable and not gratuitous. i found this film to be, in my eyes, perfect in every sense, perfectly balanced. with a lean dialogue stripped of any bravado, shadows and lies is extremely naturalistic. it has just enough information on the characters to help you understand them. enough kept back from view that you have room to think about them wonder after them, like or dislike them, or more importantly, like or dislike aspects of each individual's personality.im tempted to liken this film in tone to biutiful, but thats only in the quality of the acting and the subdued palette. this film is original and stands alone. within this film, every character stands alone. the acting is top drawer. i cant even remember of there was a soundtrack. if there was, i missed it completely. if it was there im sure it did its job properly because i was immersed.ill leave the rest to you to find out. but this is a special film and as such this is my very first IMDb review - i was moved to share my love of this film with the world.ps - the cinematography is beautiful.