Westender | Blake Stadel, Rob Simonsen

Westender | Blake Stadel, Rob Simonsen | A good idea

DVDs:

Westender

	Westender Blake Stadel, Rob Simonsen Lightyear Video, 2004 average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Set in a fictitious medieval world, this Odyssey of one man's personal redemption is an entertaining and thought-provoking tale rife with swordplay, humor, intrigue, and fantasy. Blake Stadel stars as a legendary knight who has mysteriously fallen from grace.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Featurette:The Creation of Westender featurette
Theatrical Trailer

Westender

I can't review this item because I haven't received it. I contacted the seller by e-mail and he has not responded. Very bad business.

A good idea

The concept was great it was the movie itself. It felt like a d- listed Gladiator.

for more information click here

neither as good nor as bad as reviewed here ...

I picked this movie up secondhand. I'm not quite sure I agree with any of the reviewers who gave it 1 or 5 stars. Rather than go into depth, I'll talk about what the movie does well, and what it does not do well.
What is done well:
1. the music. Evocative score that far outdistances the movie.
2. use of Oregon's diverse natural scenery. In fact, this movie should be a travel commercial for hiking through Oregon.
3. Subtlety. There is a lot of personal struggle here, and it is very nicely woven into the script.
What is not done well:
1. dialogue. the dialogue tends to be trite and, for lack of a better word, cheesy. (That's "corny" to anyone younger than Gen X). The dialogue is either way too earnest (falls on its face trying too hard) or does not take itself seriously. Either way, the dialogue adds little to, and detracts much from, the story. The best parts of the movie have no lines!
2. editing. Some of the scenes need to be shortened. Some reviewers claim this entire movie is about walking. While it isn't that bad, there needed to be another round of editing.
3. the acting. Aside from Blake Stadel, few of the cast actually stand out. The jester is an exception: he stands out because he is glaringly bad. Hampered by the worst lines in the film, this character fails to convince. The gypsy woman (played, I think, by Darlene Dadras) is a character that needed a little more screen time--she managed to stand out in spite of her bad lines.

This movie seems to have garnered more than its share of attention, considering its budget and some of its glaring flaws. There is something about the way Westender is put together that grabs hold of an archetypal struggle. It was much easier than I expected to identify with the protagonist.

A look at the film website's project page reveals the goals of the team behind the film. They wanted a story about an inner oddysey that had "mainstream" sensibilities (read: appears to be a plot-driven narrative). Westender suffers from trying to be too many things at once. I wanted more of what was good about this movie, because what was there was seriously hampered by its flaws. I hope that MOB productions learns from its first time out: focus on your strengths.

I will watch this movie several more times because there is truth in the archetypal themes of Asbrey's struggle. But this will not be a fully enjoyable experience for me, as the weaknesses I mentioned above are glaring enough to detract from the story.

In short, this is a good film that only occasionally breaks free from its bad points.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

products you might be interested in