Alternately known as Trouble, it is Trim that is the official title (although the end credits say it's Art Of Chaos).
It's a bit of a slog to get through, but the film is not in any way the worst offender in this regard. The picture goes for a high contrast, unnatural color palette look, I guess for artistic reasons. It doesn't add anything - and only takes away all the definition in darker portions of the screen, as well as just looking bad in general. (Lowering the contrast won't bring back lost visual information but it will at least make the whole thing a lot more bearable.)
I was convinced the 'comedy' categorization had been human error by a human who hadn't seen the film. About halfway through I realized it is supposed to be 'comic-tinged' - however the attempt at humor not just falls flat but it can easily go by unnoticed.
I couldn't care for the characters or the story. The story feels aimless while sticking to the protagonist like glue for too a large portion. Let me tell you: there are likable assholes - and if unlikable then at least compelling assholes. He is neither. The second most important character is his brother, who is still quite a bit assholey, but much more sympathetic. (He's also acted better, which unfortunately only serves to emphasize the lead's less-than-stellar acting and unconvincing presence and appearance.) You may be forgiven for thinking Bruce Dern's top billing means his character has some importance to the story. I guess it can be described as such tenuously, but it's so incoherently told a story that in practice it feels much more like just a cameo. By the final act the film has found its feet storytelling-wise... although it's still not a very interesting story.
The only reason I am writing this review is because there seem to be none. To be honest it is not a movie worth being written about. If you watch the trailer you'll be forgiven for thinking the film has more credentials than it actually has. You'll see a Hollywood Fringe Festival stamp proudly advertised in the center of the screen. But this is not to say the film won in any category, nor even that it had been nominated for anything. It just says Official Selection. In other words, "it's an honor just to be selected for this film festival." But with a recognizable actor like Bruce Dern, it'll be hard to reject the submission. (Besides, there's like HUNDREDS of film festivals in America.) Also the trailer makes sure to call him 'Academy Award Nominee Bruce Dern'. But obviously such accolade has absolutely nothing to do with this title.
If you do watch this then I would recommend turning the saturation down to zero to make the picture in black-and-white. Firstly it gets rid of the weird, offputting tinge. Secondly the already-increased contrast will make it look more like it was filmed in black-and-white. Thirdly it will give the film more of a sense of artsy indie cred.
It's a bit of a slog to get through, but the film is not in any way the worst offender in this regard. The picture goes for a high contrast, unnatural color palette look, I guess for artistic reasons. It doesn't add anything - and only takes away all the definition in darker portions of the screen, as well as just looking bad in general. (Lowering the contrast won't bring back lost visual information but it will at least make the whole thing a lot more bearable.)
I was convinced the 'comedy' categorization had been human error by a human who hadn't seen the film. About halfway through I realized it is supposed to be 'comic-tinged' - however the attempt at humor not just falls flat but it can easily go by unnoticed.
I couldn't care for the characters or the story. The story feels aimless while sticking to the protagonist like glue for too a large portion. Let me tell you: there are likable assholes - and if unlikable then at least compelling assholes. He is neither. The second most important character is his brother, who is still quite a bit assholey, but much more sympathetic. (He's also acted better, which unfortunately only serves to emphasize the lead's less-than-stellar acting and unconvincing presence and appearance.) You may be forgiven for thinking Bruce Dern's top billing means his character has some importance to the story. I guess it can be described as such tenuously, but it's so incoherently told a story that in practice it feels much more like just a cameo. By the final act the film has found its feet storytelling-wise... although it's still not a very interesting story.
The only reason I am writing this review is because there seem to be none. To be honest it is not a movie worth being written about. If you watch the trailer you'll be forgiven for thinking the film has more credentials than it actually has. You'll see a Hollywood Fringe Festival stamp proudly advertised in the center of the screen. But this is not to say the film won in any category, nor even that it had been nominated for anything. It just says Official Selection. In other words, "it's an honor just to be selected for this film festival." But with a recognizable actor like Bruce Dern, it'll be hard to reject the submission. (Besides, there's like HUNDREDS of film festivals in America.) Also the trailer makes sure to call him 'Academy Award Nominee Bruce Dern'. But obviously such accolade has absolutely nothing to do with this title.
If you do watch this then I would recommend turning the saturation down to zero to make the picture in black-and-white. Firstly it gets rid of the weird, offputting tinge. Secondly the already-increased contrast will make it look more like it was filmed in black-and-white. Thirdly it will give the film more of a sense of artsy indie cred.
