Crazy (2008)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Absolutely the worst movie.

A lot of fun.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Apparently Hank Garland was a great guitar player. Perhaps a great musician and not much else. In keeping with that, the music in this film was great as well, but the story was strangely unmoving. If this pic is to be believed, he was bad at marriage. He married a woman but neither one loved the other in the truest sense of that word, that is wanting their happiness more than one's own. Each just wanted some of their needs met. On the positive side, Garland was essentially color-blind when it came to music but again, that may not have been a real virtue in his case as much as just a failure to see anything outside the music. Because of his arrogance and talent he was a problem for those around him. That failing eventually brought about much of the unhappiness in his life. The ending sort of suggested that in the end he was left with little but the songs he'd recorded and strangely that might have been enough. As with many movies, things are simplified to fit in the allotted time and I'm still unclear about many aspects of his life. For example, he's listed as being survived by two daughters and two grandsons named Garland. I'm not clear how that was possible. Given that facts like that have been left out of this film, I wonder what else was left out.BTW... there is another, very different movie C.R.A.Z.Y. that I enjoyed more and it has great music as well.

I recently saw Crazy at the Hoboken Film Festival and was blown away by every aspect of the movie. Not knowing anything about the life of Hank Garland I was captivated from the opening scene to the very end. The movie is extremely well written and well cast. The actors have their characters down pat and give very believable performances, especially Waylon Payne as Hank. Director Rick Bieber's technique of filling the screen with his characters' faces completely draws you in, and Ali Larter has never looked more beautiful. I can't wait to see it on a big theatrical screen. If you like music of any kind you'll find this film fascinating.

"Crazy" held great appeal for me in that it was believable, cast well, had good content and stellar acting. I particularly enjoyed the opening scene, where and how it took the viewers and felt it was an easy movie to follow. I never got lost and or lose interest which happens with today's movies far too often. I was riveted to the screen from beginning to end. I loved the music (all of it), the authenticity of the sound, costumes, sets, colors, cars, instruments - for me, it all worked. I felt as though I was taken on a journey through the characters lives and could empathize with each and every one. I ran the gamut of emotions from joy, pain, frustration, hope, disappointment and ultimately wonder. The music was magnificent, great score. The actors morphed into their characters and were totally believable. I actually lost all track of time and was surprised and disappointed when the movie ended - I wanted more. Not being a huge fan of country music, yet loving music, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it and now listen to the CD frequently, particularly the title song "Crazy" sung by Stacy Earl. I enjoyed the format of the movie and though it was dark, it had other elements that allowed me to forgive the grim ending. As a movie goer, we all want happy endings but realize in real life, and this was real life, that isn't always the case. On the contrary, this was and seems to be typical of celebrity. I'm wondering if there's yet more story to be told about these people. It seemed to me there could be more content about their personal lives that could be revealed without the movie being overworked or overdone. What happened to the characters later on? Who was with whom, who lived, who died, how did they cope? Feeling this way makes me want more and that was what I was experiencing after viewing it. I wanted more. The best compliment I can give any film, concert, play, etc., is to leave wanting more and I rate this movie a 10.

...much is expected". This is the story of Hank Garland, a 1950's Nashville studio musician turned legend by way of his extraordinary guitar picking artistry. Though Garland never quite seems to reach the personal plateau of his own musical genius, his story is woven with the usual highs and lows made famous by others in his peer group, most notably- Elvis Presley. First time movie director, Rick Bieber (who co-wrote the movie with Jason Ehlers) has effectively managed to combine the key elements of movie making that transfuse joy, sadness humor and anger from the screen to the viewer. Additionally, the stellar cast of lead actors (Waylon Payne, Ali Larter,Lane Garrison and Scott Michael Campbell) have all rendered life-like performances with a palpable sense of finesse that had me holding a torch of hope for Garland, almost to the end. Sadly though, history wrote that ending with a different curve. Nonetheless, Bieber has painted a more than realistic canvas necessary for this movie goer to keep from reaching for the "clicker." Not once did I do it...and that my friends, for me, is the sign of decent flick!