Wake Before I Die

I went to Wake Before I Die with very high hopes. There are very few Portland films that acquire a budget, so I was curious to see how this feature turned out. Sadly the whole experience was a major let down. For a film with a budget, it looks very cheap. No attention to lighting, simple camera set ups, mediocre editing. Luckily there were several solid performances turned in by Prosser, McKeehen and a few others. My main problem with Wake was how dull it was. Portland seems to have an obsession with slow dramatic pieces. Dramas can be dramatic and still entertaining. This was not. Entertainment value seems to be something lost on the film world of Portland. Pieces like the clever Forge, the entertaining One Foot in the Gutter or the impressive feat James vs Reality sit on the sidelines while budgets are handed out to films like this one which have no mass appeal beyond the local film crowd.