Elephant

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Okay, we rented this movie this weekend and it was the worst movie I've ever seen.

 

It was about one hour of kids walking around a high school. Then they all get killed.

 

Sorry, spoilers.

 

Did anyone else see this festering turd of a movie?

[BorneAgain 0]

Some will think the pace is shit, but I liked it and the last third or so makes up for the walking.

[Hawk 34 0]

They couldn't directly say it was the "Columbine Story" but that's what it was. It was a idiotic re-telling of the event from that view. The pace was interesting as it felt like real time but the wooden acting and the complete failure of conveying much emotion really killed something that could have been good.

 

Problem is, they have done the "Columbine" story on tv teen dramas better then this movie did.

[Ravenbomb 0]

not even bottom 10

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Not the worst but pretty fucking awful.

[strummer 0]

I remember watching this movie with my brother last year and him responding "What the hell is this?" "Is this even a movie?"

 

 

This is an awful, AWFUL movie, a total masturbatory vehicle for Gus Van Sandt.

 

The acting was embarrassing (expected considering the kids weren't even actors). Total amateur hour with some of the kids clearly looking off camera for direction or prompting. Both of the shooters basically mumble incoherently through the film, sounding more like Beavis and Butthead than professionals.

 

Just awful

[RepoMan 0]

The movie had heavy flaws, like the killers being gay and being big Doom player, otherwise I thought it was very good.

 

But hey I liked Death to Smootchy so what do I know.

[Black Lushus 0]

I watched it on On Demand and fast forwarded through half of it...stupidest character had to be the black dude. Rather than escaping, he opts to take a look around, see what's going on. Rather than taking out the one kid when he had a chance, he just kinda casually strolls up to him AFTER WATCHING HIM GUN DOWN THE PRINCIPAL, only to get shot himself...stupid stupid stupid. I did get a kick out of the main kid turning on the other one, though.

[dubq 0]

Surprisingly bad for a Gus Van Sant film..

[Ravenbomb 0]

well I kinda liked it

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I'm sure if it had been an hour and a half of shooting, more people would have liked it. God forbid anyone try something different.

[Wyld Cannon 0]

I liked it.

 

On another note, has anyone seen Van Sant's "Gerry"? I've always wanted to but never got around to it. Its supposed to be Matt Damon and Casey Affleck lost in the desert for the whole movie. And I dig that.

[Black Lushus 0]

I'm sure if it had been an hour and a half of shooting, more people would have liked it. God forbid anyone try something different.

 

the overabundance of walking and the lack of character development was the problem...they throw random characters out there and you just sit there going "okay, what's the point to this person being around?"

[dubq 0]

I'm sure if it had been an hour and a half of shooting, more people would have liked it. God forbid anyone try something different.

 

 

Well, I don't watch action movies and I still thought it blew. Very boring. Horrible acting and camera work. Plus, loaded with ridiculous cliches.

Oh, I know, let's make the gunmen all trenchcoat insdustrial... and for no reason at all, they're gay too. Ooookay, Gus.

[Gary Floyd 0]

You think that's bad, wait until you see "Last Days." You will hate yourself for seeing such a pretentious piece of shit.

[Guest NYankees]

The acting was embarrassing (expected considering the kids weren't even actors

Just awful

 

 

Thats not entirely true. The one kid who was outside of the school the whole time played Stacey Peralta in Lords of Dogtown.

[razazteca 0]

So did Larry Clark turn this down or what? Elephant makes Larry Clark look like Kevin Smith by comparison.

[Hawk 34 0]

I liked it.

 

On another note, has anyone seen Van Sant's "Gerry"? I've always wanted to but never got around to it. Its supposed to be Matt Damon and Casey Affleck lost in the desert for the whole movie. And I dig that.

 

I saw this and it was just walking and long periods of silence, weather changes and two boring characters that you won't care about past the first 10 minutes.

[BorneAgain 0]

I liked it.

 

On another note, has anyone seen Van Sant's "Gerry"? I've always wanted to but never got around to it. Its supposed to be Matt Damon and Casey Affleck lost in the desert for the whole movie. And I dig that.

 

I saw this and it was just walking and long periods of silence, weather changes and two boring characters that you won't care about past the first 10 minutes.

Supposedly the FPS shooter the kids are playing in Elephant refrences that, with them killing characters resembling Damon and Affleck's.

[Epic Reine 0]

You know, I really hate Gus Van Zant (ever since that god awful "Psycho" remake with Vince fuckin' Vaughn of all people playing Norman Bates) but I actually liked this movie and is the only movie I like of his other than Good Will Hutning.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The whole idea of this is that up until the shooting goes down, it's just another typical, uneventful day. Yeah, that's not going to appease the masses, but that's what the long tracking shots of so many characters, some minor, others not, were there for.

 

But yeah, anyone who doesn't like this will want to stay away from both Gerry and Last Days, since both have minimal dialogue and extended shots.

[strummer 0]

Yes, the idea of the movie is that it is a "slice of life" with realistic mundane events occurring in a stream of consciousness type way. It's supposed to show us how random life is that a huge massacre can occur unexpectedly like that in the middle of the daily grind. That's great and interesting, but the acting is so bad in this movie that the audience is not able to emotionally connect with the story. I applaud the idea but the execution was weak.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

So everyone you went to school with was capable of being an actor?

[Black Lushus 0]

I don't think he means so much the acting skills themselves as opposed to choosing regular kids for the roles rather than actual actors.

[strummer 0]

yes that was my point. Yes I understand that Gus hired non-actors to give it a realistic feel, but it didn't work IMO

[Twisted Intestine 0]

No, it didn't. There was 0 character development. It was a bunch of random non-actors walking through the entire school in long, drawn out, shots. If I want to see that, I'll go follow people around all day. Plus, shots like the one in the gym, where you watch the girl walk accross it. I thought "No way I'm going to have to watch her walk accross this whole gym." Sure enough, I did. The point was to try to make it look amateur? Mission accomplished! It really looks like a movie that any film student could have put together with a crew of 6 people, and no budget.

 

I would have turned it off half way, if it wasn't hinted that the two guys were going to shoot up the school near the start. I kept watching to see what would happen with that.

 

Oh yeah, and when they were taking practice shots, that was some bad final cut pro effects. Some of the flames didn't even fall in line with the gun.

[Guest Vitamin X]

It wasn't that great, but I remember killing time with it. But by far, the worst movie I've ever seen (and it even has R. Lee Ermey in it as the President!) is Megiddo: The Omega Code 2. You'd think a movie with the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket and dealing with the apocalypse might be cool, but this was just about the worst shit EVER. I have yet to see a movie that tops M:TOC2 in overall shittiness. Awful, AWFUL movie.

[Jingus 0]

Aside from Good Will Hunting, which was okay but not exceptional, has Van Zant ever made anything that was any good at all? I actually bought a ticket to his Psycho, and I feel to this day that he owes me eight bucks.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Aside from Bustah Rhymszes untalented-ass, Finding Forrester was pretty good. And I've heard good things about Drugstore Cowboy.

[Jingus 0]

Finding Forrester

Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Although, the plot: a closed-off older man acts as a mentor to a streetwise young genius... yeah... maybe Gus only has one basic story he can tell worth a shit.