Out of Season (2004)

Thanks for the memories!

Admirable film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

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

Wow, having just watched the movie and then read the comments, I'm struck by the differences of opinion on this one. Some hate it, some love it. I'll put myself in the "I love it" column. It's a dark and gritty film with generally unsympathetic characters and maybe a tad too many off-kilter viewing angles but I couldn't take my eyes off this film.Yes, there's violence, but that's not uncommon these days. There's a mixture of accents, which seems to bother some people more than others. It didn't bother me; people move around and it's unreasonable to expect all people to sound alike.It's a mysterious type of film; even after watching it, you'll likely wonder what such-and-such was all about. That's OK: it means you're still living through the action. It didn't all stop when the credits started to roll.Ignore the negative comments and give this one a go. I give it a TEN.

*****MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS***** I bought this movie for a dollar at a pawn shoppe along with twenty other movies, so I didn't get a chance to view this for a while. My roommate watched it and said it was garbage, filled with senseless violence and bad acting and directing. I finally sat down and watched it, and I was left speechless. The directing was incredible, it reminded me of Roger Avary's 'Killing Zoe'. It was just a great neo-noir flick. Depressing, dark, and utterly incredible. Acting is well done, especially David Murray as Simeon. The lighting effects were spectacular and Avary's fast-paced angle-switching was breath-taking. And the symbolism...oh, the symbolism...just one thing to say about that...that clown is amazing! Anyway, if you're looking for a good neo-noir drama with well done acting, great symbolism, and directing that will leave you speechless, then go pick this up.It was certainly worth a dollar.

"Out of Season" is not an unambitious or uninteresting movie. It tries to present six different characters, and two parallel plot lines that eventually cross each other's paths. But this is another one of those movies where the director tries to impose his "style" (tilted camera angles, slow-motion, strange close-ups, etc.) on almost every shot - this is obtrusive and distracting. And he really overreaches when he tries to turn this story of human greed into some kind of "religious" tragedy. Ultimately, it's an unpleasant and (in Dennis Hopper's case) degrading film. Most of the actors do what they have to do to collect their paycheck, nothing more. The standout is David Murray, who plays a convincingly hateful scumbag. Dominique Swain has one or two sexy moments (no nudity though). (**)

I had the honor to see this movie at its debut at the Hollywood Film Festival. Ironically the big studio premiere that week was The Ten Commandments. Ironic in that this dark and compelling movie also portrays the Commandments .... or more accurately the consequences of breaking them.The intense and occasionally unnerving action is played out in a run down seaside town with its decrepit roller coaster as the lasting motif. Writer & director Jevon O'Neill's fertile imagination (fired perhaps by his Blackpool roots) is complimented by excellent performances from an eclectic cast : notably a rejuvenated Dennis Hopper as Harry the old time crook who craves one last chance at redemption; a hot Gina Gershon as Eileen the perfectly manicured femme fatale; and 'a butter wouldn't melt' Dominique Swain as Kelly the ingénue.But it is the next in line of Hollywood star quality eccentric Irish actors - David Murray – whose performance as Simeon is the most memorable. Simeon's downhill slide from petty theft, blackmail and ultimately to murder seem to flaunt gratuitously all of those Commandments. He exudes power, terrorizes all around him … He is the hate figure. And yet his vulnerability and neuroses also evoke our sympathy … there but for the grace of god ?The superb system at the Arclight Theater also brought out the movie's excellent sound track – the haunting choral piece over the movie's dramatic dénouement is particularly effective. Congratulations to all involved with Out of Season and good luck with promoting the movie