Hunting Dragonflies (2005) User Reviews

C'mon it's not meant to be art

[reynalupe · 7/10 · 23 October 2005]

Hunting Dragonflies is not a film meant to be taken seriously nor do I think this was the filmmaker's intention. It's not Hollywood and it's not an all star cast. Take the film for what it is: It's about 2 guys wasting a day away drinking beer... five convicts, an angry girlfriend, lengthy car chases across open fields and throwing water on passing Mormons just happens to be a part of it. Utilizing Maryland's country side to creative ends was a nice touch and made me connect more personally to the film as a resident.

Now the acting isn't great but it's not bad either. Some of the chase scenes could have had a little more to them. There were areas in which things lagged a bit and there were some things that are never explained (like why that guy kept getting dizzy).

However these things aside, Hunting Dragonflies (named after the imaginary beer the boys are drinking throughout the film) is just a bit of local fun in the form of a film. I for one enjoyed the nice touches of the men prioritizing beer over their lives and the outrageous cliché of the convicts finding everything they need i.e. weapons and change of clothes all in one spot right after escaping. I will also never look at duct tape the same way again because of this film. Apparently it's an endless commodity no one can afford to be without! If you happen to have a taste for low budget fare and live in Frederick, Maryland, I'd recommend this film for sheer campiness. It's not Manos: Hands of Fate for god's sake! :) I'd say for a solo effort at film-making, it's pretty darn good.

The Backwash of a Slacker Generation

[HeathenClerk · 3/10 · 24 August 2006]

Some people make movies. Other people pretend to.

This is the story of the latter.

Right now I'm watching a feature length 'indie' film called Hunting Dragonflies. Set in Maryland, it tells the story about five escaped convicts and their attempt to flee on a plane to Mexico sometime the following day, and who take a number of local yokel residents hostage in the process, to the typical complicated results.

That's at least what I garner the movie is thus far, as I decided I just don't need to wait until the end to write about it. In re-reading the above plot outline, I would have to say that about the clearest part of all that is that it is set in Maryland. Everything following that is ehhh how you say not so much concrete. The main thing missing in the execution, as far as I can see, is the lack of really any believable character motivation outside of the empty hackneyed shell of the whole "escaped cons who abduct people while waiting to flee country" story, which, taken on its own could use about 5 minutes to tell in its entirety.

What makes this lovely little gem of a film unique, however, is the awesome sense one gets that the filmmaker(s) seemed to think that they could make a movie in what I'm assuming is the whole early 90s Kevin Smith/Slacker (talking about the film now) ideals. The main difference is that THOSE MOVIES WERE WRITTEN OR AT LEAST STORYBOARDED AND PLANNED OUT. This film reflects what can only be assumed as a retarded twenty-something's post high school farting and alcoholism induced memory of an introduction to film lesson he took sometime during his freshman year before he dropped out of community college (which isn't ever bad in the context of funny videos for your and your friends, just don't offer it for me to watch if you don't want to be disappointed).

What takes place in our movie is little better than Uncle Clark's vacation movies, whereby characters meander without any real meaning, nothing new is really exposed, no audience is engaged, no popcorn is sold or consumed, and no real empathy is gained. To top it all off, we get to sit through seemingly endless generic rock songs from bands that can be assumed as being provincial to Maryland, or from some hapless non-local f**k who responded to a post the moviemaker put on Craigslist seeking free music for his film.

Add to all of that the other easily forgettable facts that a lot of closeup shots are too tight, framing is sometimes off, other parts are too dark, not enough setups were used for coverage (and those shot didn't explain or advance the beats of the story much), the ADR dubbing is obvious as it wasn't always recorded or mixed properly, a lot of the character's lines are difficult to hear either because the actor ate his words or the damn music was endlessly playing though the scene (to no emotional benefit of the audience), and the acting, most likely due to the unfortunate cardboard character writing, is usually stiff.

Anyone even considering slapping the title 'independent' on here is doing a great disservice to the numerous other filmmakers who do their homework and at least advance the medium in some way here and there, through interesting characters, engaging stories and smart editing. In all, the three good points I can see from this film are a) it was exposed properly most of the time, b) it evoked an accurate sense of Maryland, as both times I've been there I've been bored, and c) it eventually ends.

In conclusion, I salute the filmmakers and the film, Hunting Dragonflies, for following every clichéd post 90s film student magic bag of crappy tricks (alcohol + cursing + guns + angry girlfriends + unemotionally involving music on repeat + numerous "in" jokes + etc) and achieving a spot on my growing collection of local films that I like to use as lessons of what not to do (hey, it's cheaper than grad school).

Oh look! The movie just ended, concluding with what was supposed to be a twist to tie up the subplot of the bitchy girlfriend. HAHAHAHAHAA no. Next time don't ask for $20 of my money to watch your movie, instead, offer it for free and considering it a learning experience/experiment to better yourself for the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

And don't f**king cry to me that you did most of the work on the movie, and it was hard shooting and editing and getting up at 7AM all those days - been there, done that, still there, still doing that. To that I say WAAAAA! I SHOULD GET AN 'A' FOR EFFORT! WAAAAA! YOU SHOULD SUPPORT ME EVEN IF I SUCK! WAAAA! Well no, no I f**king don't, and it's a shame that such a way of thinking has ever entered the creative arts. If you take my money to entertain me and you suck, then f**k you, here's a tomato in your eye. I wouldn't want anyone to treat me any differently - spare the rod, spoil the child.

FOR A GOOD INDIE MOVIE TO WATCH: Watch Pi (1998) by Darren Aronofsky. It'll blow your mind. And he didn't need color OR 35mm, neither.