Garrison (2008)

Just what I expected

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I picked this film out of a bin at a store. I wasn't sure exactly what it was about. I loved it. So intense. I'm very much into Military films and this one was awesome. Kerry Valderamma did a GREAT job directing this film and I would love to see more films like this that deal with the real issues that our soldier suffer from after going through war experiences.

Garrison is principally the story of two army officers, Sergeant Daniel McManus (Kerry Valderrama, also the film's writer and director) and Staff Sergeant Nathan Cross (James Barnes), two soldiers facing different but no less difficult issues in readjusting to life back home.Sgt. McManus has faced trauma whilst stationed in the war zone, but is doing his best to move forward. However, his work in training the garrison's new recruits and existing soldiers is placing strain on his marriage to wife Andrea (Elizabeth Ingalls). Meanwhile, Ssg. Cross is showing erratic behaviour and having disturbing accusations made towards him about his rapidly disintegrating marriage. When Ssg. Cross goes AWOL from the garrison, Sgt. McManus faces a race against time to find the increasingly unstable officer before the Military Police do, as arrest would mean the end of Ssg. Cross' military career.Garrison sets out with an intriguing premise, but ultimately fails to overcome it's underwritten script and very low budget. The film's presentation will undoubtedly put many viewers off, with it's drab locations, poor lighting and off-kilter camera-work dragging down many of the scenes. Although the script fails to create any real tension or drama, it does at least attempt to portray the damaged psyches of soldiers returning home from war without being too preachy or overbearing. The supporting characters are also fairly engaging, with Ssg. Xavier 'The Machine' Rivera (Jason Cox) being a standout. However, the characters are given very little to do throughout the movie, with only the dramatic final act letting them (and indeed the actors) spring into life.However, Garrison is by no means a bad film. It has an earnest quality and it is apparent that the filmmakers and cast were trying hard to make a good movie, it's just that not everyone involved had the required skills to overcome it's low budget. In it's favour, Garrison is at least decently acted by a cast of virtual unknowns and the basic story line is a strong one. Unfortunately, although Valderrama is not without some talent, his writing and directing skills in Garrison are not quite strong enough to raise this movie from the annals of mediocrity.

I hardly ever review movies but I cant believe how bad this movie was. I just moved to a new apartment and don't have internet yet so I went to blockbuster to rent some movies. This was one of them. I love movies about the military, and war flicks so I thought this one would be promising. What a waste of time. It was very painful to watch this, but I kept on at it to give the film the benefit of the doubt.Felt like shooting myself in the head by the time I turned it off. What a waste! There are a lot of garbage films out there but nothing made me cringe as much as this one did. The music they used was absolutely horrible as well! Here we have a a group of soldiers doing their workouts and in the background they have this emo/screemo song playing that sounds like a twelve year old girl screaming her little teenage heart out! Who in gods name chose the music for this film? This has to be the gayest attempt at making a military related film. I take offense to that crap!

A friend of mine recommended that I watch this movie. I wasn't expecting too much going in to it since there was nobody that I recognized in the cast and it seemed to be a very independent made film. After watching it however I was pretty surprised and can honestly say that I don't hate it. The cover was very misleading, making it seem much more than what it was. The movie was pretty straight forward two guys MacManus and Cain have to find there missing superior Cross and uncover the reason for why he went missing, there is a pretty cool twist at the end but that is pretty much it. If you have a couple hours to kill then take a look you probably won't end up killing yourself after it's over.