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Reviews
Drawing Down the Moon (1997)
Difficult film to rate
Drawing Down the Moon is a difficult film to place a rating on, because it reaches people in very different spaces. For those who practice Wicca or any other form of Paganism, it will be seen as either a triumph, or an utter failure. It's one of the very few films that offers anything resembling an accurate portrayal of any Wiccan ritual. But the person performing these rituals is what many Pagans would call "fluffy".
Gwynyth, in this film, is something of a plastic character, seeming, at once, to display confidence and naivete. In the words of Dion Fortune, "Ignorance is, at times, an excellent substitute for courage".
I would have enjoyed this film much more if the situations were a bit closer to reality. Where the portrayals of Wiccan practice were at once partially accurate and partially cartoonish, so were the situations that Gwynyth found herself embroiled in.
Koenig, playing the part of Joe Merchant is an unrealistic character seeking an unrealistic goal - as is "The corporation" he is working for - as is the local police department. The characters and situations are lacking in depth.
Obviously, the film is something of a limited budget amateur attempt, and as such, as a first work, and as something targeted for a small community, it is remarkable - certainly in a league with "Spirit of Albion". But for a larger audience, it would not have popular appeal. It doesn't compete with films like "The Craft" - but then again, The Craft was much more about the special effects and satisfying a horror audience.
As a Pagan, I enjoyed this film - because there is very little material available that is produced for a Pagan audience. Hopefully this film, and "Spirit of Albion" will somehow push writers and producers to create more.
Time Changer (2002)
Why can't evangelicals produce good films?
I know that if you're not Hollywood, that producing a film is expensive, and recruiting talent, hiring coaches, and all the rest that goes into producing a top-notch film requires serious resources.
But here is the thing - if you want to win people over to your point of view by using media such as film, it's important to reach - rather than to turn off - your intended audience. And you accomplish this by striving for perfection, and settling for little less.
It's likely that with a film based on the premise of time-travel, the producers were hoping to reach a group of people who were at least interested in science fiction. But for time-travel themed science fiction to be effective, the time-traveler must be able to convince the audience that he or she is truly from the time they claim.
Unfortunately, all the characters from the past seem incapable of speaking as if they were truly from the later 19th century. The dialog from these people seems to be more of an affected 21st century people attempting to make us believe they are from the 18th century. For me, this was the weakest link in the film. The main characters were anachronistic in any age - they belonged nowhere.
I'm not a Christian, but I don't mind spiritual film - so the message of this film does little to inform my critique. This is simply a bad film with poor acting and a thrown-together plot.
Also, the dramatic ploy to build urgency at the end - seems a bit childish.
Earth's Final Hours (2011)
Science fiction needs some science to work.
As an author myself, I have a rule - I don't write about things that I don't understand because when I do, I lose credibility. When someone is writing science fiction, it is important to remain true to the known science - otherwise the actual fiction components lose credibility, which, ultimately, does a disservice to the viewer. In any work of fiction, the suspension of disbelief must not be made more difficult by suggesting things that are just plain wrong. The idea that the Earth's rotation is controlled by its magnetic fields is false. The idea that two satellites could generate enough energy to cause the Earth to begin revolving after it had stopped is absurd. And the idea that a child and a scientist who know nothing about such satellites could properly program them to facilitate such actions is ridiculous. A good story is one which at least attempts to be believable. For $1.8 Million, it should have been possible to find someone with at least a cursory knowledge of science to at least come up with a believable plot. I can only recommend this film to those who truly enjoy really bad films.