No Place in This World (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Two girls are stuck in a bad home situation, and bullies at school only make matters worse. However, tragedy strikes when school officials and those close to the girls fail to act in time. Will the community be able to come together and prevent future crises?

Production Quality (1.5 points)

Although this production has fine video quality, the audio leaves much to be desired. Background sounds and cheap sound special effects are annoying, and the soundtrack sometimes overpowers other sounds. Camera work is okay at times, but there are also some tight shots and odd camera angles. Sets, locations, and props are not quite up to par. Further, the editing contains a lot of quick cuts and transitions. Nonetheless, there is some slight improvement throughout the film’s sequence, which is enough to warrant an average rating for this section.

Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)

Despite a choppy introduction sequence and initial dialogue that pushes issues rather than developing characters, there’s a surprising amount of potential in this plot. At first, many of the characters seem to only represent social concerns rather than people even though most of the highlighted problems are definitely realistic and worthwhile to look at in movie form. However, the conversations between characters do improve as the narrative proceeds, and the family issues that are presented are unfortunately believable and could exist anywhere. Connecting these negative elements to school struggles was a very good aspect of this storyline despite the fact that it’s a very sobering exploration of everyday pain that many experience. It’s also a hard look at the problem of evil and the church’s response to this concept. In the end, the plot has a very meaningful conclusion even if it’s quite sad. In conjunction with the first half being improved, it would have been better for this narrative to end on a better note of hope and redemption. As it is, many audiences will be isolated by the ending, and this blunts any impact the story would have otherwise had.

Acting Quality (1.5 points)

Despite a bit too much screaming, most of the cast members are okay in this screenplay. Child acting is not bad, and emotions outside of the yelling are acceptable. Some line delivery is a bit quick while other parts are fine. Overall, these factors contribute to an average score for this section, which rounds out a respectable effort.

Conclusion

No Place in This World is another film in need of a remake or adaptation. It’s an example of all we ask entertainment creators to do: put your best foot forward and see what God does. Though there were some definite areas in need to improvement, it’s clear that the team behind this movie were really trying to make something quality, so it will be interesting to see what they do next.

Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points

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September 3, 2020 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, Psychological, SuspenseTags: 2017, Alicia C. Del Aguila, Angela Winiewicz, Ashley Sperrazza, Ashlyn Jade Lopez, Bailey Gavulic, Beatrice McClure, Blayze Hippensteel, Bouncy Boxer Media, Brad Castillo, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, Chelsea Wolf, CVI Productions, Dawn Horton, Drama, Elizabeth Corbett, Elle Gabriel, Emma Burke, Essex O'Brien, Hunter Wayne Pratt, Inspirational, Isabel Myers, Jackson Tessmer, Jennifer Rosario, Jeremy Kaminsky, John Hardy, Kathy Patterson, Kinley Rice, Liz M. Day, Megan Brown, Melanie Scott, Melony Daemer, Michael A. Blank, Molly E. Smith, Orlando Casiano, Psychological, Shannon Scott, Stefanie Davis, Suspense, Tiffini Holtsberg Gothard, Tracy Decresie, Tyler Huth Leave a comment

Epiphany [2019] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Ever since Luka’s mother died, she’s been raised by her uncle while her father seeks to drown away his emotional pain with gambling and other illicit ventures. Luka steals from people to get attention, but she really just wants to help her father and her uncle with their struggling sea sponge business. However, her community service assignment that’s intended to make restitution for her indiscretions sends her down a path she never anticipated that will help her reconnect with her Cyprian heritage.

Production Quality (2 points)

Despite being a small-time production, Epiphany possesses a mostly professional production, as evidenced by good video quality, adequate audio quality, and a mostly engaging soundtrack that’s culturally authentic. The sets, locations, and props are also well-utilized while the lighting is consistently on par. The only major concerns to highlight here are some editing issues and some odd camera angles, but on the whole, this is respectable for a first-time effort.

Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)

Unfortunately, it’s very difficult for the audience to follow Epiphany‘s storyline or to grasp what its actual purpose is. In between random sequences of narration, the plot is a scattering of many loose ends that never logically come together or demonstrate realistic connections with each other. Haphazard scenes come off as being patched together to create a long string of vague ideas that never come to anything significant. The inconsistent story presentation also harms character development by making conversations between them very abstract and unpredictable. While this could have been a more interesting exploration of broken family systems and the generational effects of ethnic prejudice, there’s too much edgy content to make things palatable, and there are too many aspects of the narrative that are difficult to grasp, such as the dreamscape elements and what seems to be historical flashbacks portrayed as visions (?). This short-circuits the viewer’s ability to properly connect with the characters, and the film’s overall feel is just too conjectured to have any real impact.

Acting Quality (2 points)

On the whole, the acting of Epiphany is mostly average with only a few concerns, such as some forced emotions and some slightly overdone line delivery at important moments. However, there are also some bright spots, such as the culturally authentic casting. Other aspects are basically pedestrian. In the end, this is an above-average section to round out a film that otherwise underachieved.

Conclusion

It’s great to explore little-referenced cultures and aspects of international Christianity that many audiences never think about, but this just isn’t the way. When the viewer can’t follow where the story is going to or coming from, even the best messages are lost in translation. Narratives have to possess core purposes that are clearly communicated and properly presented, and sometimes, this can only be effectively accomplished through collaboration.

Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points

March 1, 2020 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Movie ReviewsTags: 2019, 4 points, Alex Dimitriades, Alexi Stavrou, Andrew Heller, Anna Hinsley, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, Burt Young, Caitlin Carmichael, Chelsey Neders, David Velez, Drama, George Georgiou, Hunter Wayne Pratt, Jaimi McPeek, Jane Kelly Kosek, Katina Sossiadis, Koula Sossiadis Kazista, Liam Tomasiello, Meritage Pictures, Nuno Malo, Penny Edmiston, Rasneet Kaur, Scottie Thompson, Seth Michaels, Vernon Beckstrom, Vickie Daignault Leave a comment