Cactuses was a very enjoyable watch. At first i was worried where the film was going, but as the plot developed it progressed into a strong story of a lost young man. The actors were brilliant and the characters were very believable. The dialogue is well scripted and the music is very effective in portraying the mood. My only criticism of the film is that sometimes you see the characters are speaking but you cannot hear them over the music which gives the feeling that they could not think of meaningful dialogue. This is seen especially in the final conversation between the protagonist and his girlfriend when he breaks up from her, where she opens with something along the lines of 'ive been looking everywhere for you, whats this about?' and finishes with 'i cant forgive you this time' yet we don't hear what he says to her. Apart from this it is a very strong film that deserves to be seen by a larger audience.
5 Reviews
Amazing work!
paintball_inc15 March 2006
This film was made by a collection of high school students and a handful of college students, but it is by no means a "student caliber" film. When putting together a film so independent from any studio, with very little marketing involved, it is rare to even FIND the movie. Luckily they offer the film for free, on their website...that's right, this movie is FREE...
I had just come home from seeing "Nightwatch" at the Paramount theater in Toronto. Disappointed, I checked what was going on online and I found this film. A movie like "Nightwatch" has no right asking you for your money when there is a film like "Cactuses" available for free.
The film centers around a troubled youth that has issues with his father, his brother and his girlfriend. Even at his worst moments, you can still relate to him, this is a feat that is generated by tight acting and throughly contemplated writing. It takes a relatively frequent plot formula (an older, wiser person takes a troubled youth under their wing and transforms them into some sort of demigod) and instead makes the troubled youth's accomplishments reasonable, respectable and deserving.
I don't want to spoil anything, but watching this film made me feel very good about myself and it really did inspire, something that a lot of films claim to do, while few actually deliver. Do yourself a favor and download this free movie and then write to the makers and let them know you appreciate their work...because you will.
I had just come home from seeing "Nightwatch" at the Paramount theater in Toronto. Disappointed, I checked what was going on online and I found this film. A movie like "Nightwatch" has no right asking you for your money when there is a film like "Cactuses" available for free.
The film centers around a troubled youth that has issues with his father, his brother and his girlfriend. Even at his worst moments, you can still relate to him, this is a feat that is generated by tight acting and throughly contemplated writing. It takes a relatively frequent plot formula (an older, wiser person takes a troubled youth under their wing and transforms them into some sort of demigod) and instead makes the troubled youth's accomplishments reasonable, respectable and deserving.
I don't want to spoil anything, but watching this film made me feel very good about myself and it really did inspire, something that a lot of films claim to do, while few actually deliver. Do yourself a favor and download this free movie and then write to the makers and let them know you appreciate their work...because you will.
brilliant movie
mosaabof9 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
i enjoyed every moment of this well written movie, in fact i have some friends who work in this field for money and i see how their output is, they don't have this great passion i saw in each actor's eyes..
also the fact of being free or licensed under a creative common license made me clap forever as an open source believer.
the actor's eyes were really telling a lot, and the boy made his point clearly, very clear indeed.
i loved the ending a lot, i had two phone calls that i didn't even notice when i reached the end because i was too alert and waiting what will happen next.
the old woman character really made me feel very comfortable
the whole movie inspired me about someone i know and how to deal with hm, you know to read how to deal with such guys or listen from elder is nothing compared to watching a real live example.
guys there you were just brilliant.
also the fact of being free or licensed under a creative common license made me clap forever as an open source believer.
the actor's eyes were really telling a lot, and the boy made his point clearly, very clear indeed.
i loved the ending a lot, i had two phone calls that i didn't even notice when i reached the end because i was too alert and waiting what will happen next.
the old woman character really made me feel very comfortable
the whole movie inspired me about someone i know and how to deal with hm, you know to read how to deal with such guys or listen from elder is nothing compared to watching a real live example.
guys there you were just brilliant.
Works really well
tikras12 May 2007
This movie works really well. In my opinion, it has quite a strong effect with the storyline, which is one of the best that I have seen. The movie concentrates well on the issues in some places, and I appreciate that it made me feel different about myself too.
I give 10/10 because of the storyline and the effect it had on me. But this does not go anywhere to the actual film quality, as it was not good. The movie is really feeling like homemade, there is little editing applied and some noise is also present in the audio. And come on - who films with a shaking hand? The view is shaking all the way through-out and that really does annoy me.
I wish to see more from these authors though, as the story line is really great and just strongly affects anybody watching the movie.
I give 10/10 because of the storyline and the effect it had on me. But this does not go anywhere to the actual film quality, as it was not good. The movie is really feeling like homemade, there is little editing applied and some noise is also present in the audio. And come on - who films with a shaking hand? The view is shaking all the way through-out and that really does annoy me.
I wish to see more from these authors though, as the story line is really great and just strongly affects anybody watching the movie.
This was an incredible film!!
karyl76124 March 2008
I give this movie 10/10 b/c the actors were extremely believable, the script was natural, I actually stayed 'in' the movie after getting sucked in, which is hard for me with some indie films I won't mention here...the cinematography and playlist were also good.
The plot was optimistic and realistic at the same time, which I find a very hard mix to accomplish without being 'goody goody'. I found my heartstrings tugged which is a real plus for me. I found a lot of deeper meanings, and a commonality with the characters and think this movie is going somewhere. If you run across this movie, please...Pass this one along to your friends because there's nothing but Good stuff here.
The plot was optimistic and realistic at the same time, which I find a very hard mix to accomplish without being 'goody goody'. I found my heartstrings tugged which is a real plus for me. I found a lot of deeper meanings, and a commonality with the characters and think this movie is going somewhere. If you run across this movie, please...Pass this one along to your friends because there's nothing but Good stuff here.
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