Pickings (2018)

Touches You

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

As someone who considers himself a fan of independent films, and genre films in particular, I found a lot to enjoy in this movie. It's a mixture of film noir, spaghetti westerns and comic book genre films like Sin City and 300, all that made behind the mask of a super-stylized independent film. The visuals, editing and acting was all top-notch. The story was gripping, and the main character of Jo was bad-ass! Fans of niche genre films would love this movie.

Okay, so this is a super low-budget indie film from an unknown, first-time filmmaker, made with a group of unknown, first-time cast, I knew going into it that it was going to be a student film of sorts, a bunch of kids with no money making a movie for the first time (like most low budget indie films). But boy was I surprised! This movie is IMPRESSIVE! The cinematography, acting and story were very well crafted, and some of the actors were amazing!!! (looking at you, Elyse Price). Some of them, not so much ("Hollywood" Sam Barone). Overall - this movie is a very well made "low budget indie film", and if you're an indie film fan you should go into it expecting to see a low budget indie film. You are going to be in for a really fun ride! So manage your expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth the watch!

This movie looks and feels like a big budget Hollywood movie. The visuals, cinematography, effects, and sound mix are impressive as hell! The story-line and plot do "feel" indie, and you can tell that the movie was made by a first time director / screenwriter. But the editing makes the whole thing flow smoothly, the movie goes by very quickly and doesn't overstay its welcome. Some plot elements are a bit weak and some of the characters are cheesy, the one element in this film that screams "low budget" is its expositional animated sequence, I don't want to give anything away - but it was my least favorite part of this film, I think the movie would have been better had they found another medium to tell that part of the story. However, for a $350,000 price-tag - I'm amazed that they had the ability to produce 5% of what went on screen. This movie has gunfire, action, comedy, special effects and beautiful visuals that make it look like it came right out of the mind of Quentin Tarantino, especially their use of music. It's violent, but humorous, dark, but FUN! and overall - as a single piece, Pickings works! And it works well. It's not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it! Looking forward to seeing what Usher Morgan, Elyse Price and their rest of their team does next.

When she loses the people she loves-gloves are off. The many emotions which are unfiltered and expressed by Jo Lee played by Elyse Price are on the big screen. Would you seek revenge, hate the people that caused your nightmare, and lose empathy? The settling of scores which takes place is powerful! Her performance is totally believable, from the love of her small children, to the chilling outcome of holding a pistol to someone's head without shaking. The persuasions and methods of retaliation are used by Jo Lee, which Elyse brings to life flawlessly. To root for the good guy is not a bad thing.