The Controller (2008)

Touches You

Load of rubbish!!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I am watching this now and all I can say is lol! It sorta looks like a group of friends got together in a small town and decided to make a "film". The main character's acting is just terrible. Most of the supporting casts' acting is "OK", at best, but still better than the main character. Fragmaster is pretty funny tho. The film quality is professional looking but the acting IS NOT.Kind of makes me want to grab some of my friends and make a "film"! I think younger kids (younger than 15 or 16) would enjoy this movie. Overall, good movie for kids and pre-teens. I guess OK to watch if there is nothing else on t.v. (like I'm doing now). I will never watch again tho if there is nothing else on t.v. I will just turn it off lol.

I spent a fair amount of time on Playstation and Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 in the late 90's and on X-Box in early 2003 or so, so I might be considered part of the target audience for this film. It's not as if I don't understand the conventions of computer games and the way they approach story telling.But let's be honest here - "The Controller" is a horrible misfire. I happened across it one night on a cable channel and was transfixed by the amazingly bad graphics and the awful dialog the actors were forced to mouth.I can't judge whether the actors were actually any good or not because the dialog they had to work with was impossible for any live human being to deliver. Seriously, if you were a writer and tried to pass this for dialog in a cut scene from "Net/Hack" or "Metal Gear Solid" or any other video or computer game from 2008 (or 1998), the game producers would have had you beaten to a pulp.Maybe it's my imagination, but I swear I can see the actors dying inside and hating themselves and each other as they try to make these wretched scenes work.Supposedly this was an independent venture. I tend to believe that, because no real experienced producer would have allowed this thing to be released.

I was recently visiting friends in Kona, Hawaii and we ran into The Controller showing at a local film festival. My son and I really enjoyed it. It was very ambitious for an independent film, but it was fun and entertaining throughout. And unlike most indie films, I could enjoy it with my son. He especially liked PappaPooh. This character was trying to play this online video game and take care of his two young children at the same time. Needless to say that caused many funny moments. Also, there was a lot of CG in the movie, and although it was not to "Hollywood standards", it seemed to fit into the framework of the movie and created some good action moments. Overall, we were really impressed. I'm glad someone finally made a movie about a hobby that millions of people enjoy, including myself.

This is a remarkable effort for an indie film. One and half hours of HD live drama spliced with gaming animation and a unique sound track. Being kid friendly with a little risqué comedy (Benny Hill would have been proud). There were some standout performances, notably Fragmaster and the ever irrepressible Knarf37. Masterchief deserves a special mention, his comedy timing and screen interaction with Mrs Masterchief proved to be first class entertainment. I would love to see more of them acting together in a romantic comedy - bravo!! The HD camera work showed artistry,clearly combined with a considerable amount of experience. Great scene angles, lighting and sound. The sound track alone is worth the price of the DVD.