I would like to start off by saying I am a fan of Brad Jones and The Cinema Snob. I love his movies Freak Out, Cheap, and Midnight Heat. I think Game Boys is fine, I'm not the biggest fan of Paranoia or Hooker with a Heart of Gold, but we'll get to that later. With that said, I was expecting to love The Cinema Snob Movie, so I bought the DVD, popped it in and was blown away at how bad it was. I feel terrible for saying that because I see the love and the effort put into the making of the movie from the director, actors, writers, etc. but I just felt so let down by this movie. Before I talk about the bad, I'll talk about the things I like: 1) The cast...for the most part. Brad, Orlando, Jillian, Noah, and the array of side actors in the film club all do a great job, there are weak links, but I'll get to that. 2) The writing. While I have some problems, I felt the story was well enough written that I was watching to see what happened next, I may have gotten bored, but I couldn't turn it off. 3)The directing. On the one hand, the point-and-shoot style of filming is a little too bland for my taste, it works for a comedy, and it works as a joke in itself after the characters talk about how their style of filming is such. I felt the movements were naturalistic, the cuts during the murders do well in concealing the effects while letting you see enough to leave an impact.
Now for the bad: 1) Jake and Ryan. I'll be the bad guy and say I hate Jake as an actor and personality. I don't find him funny, I find his delivery stilted and awkward, and I can't stand his voice. I know that last one is an unfair criticism, but it really is a distraction for me in any of Jone's work even Midnight Heat. His delivery is awkward here too and I dreaded anytime he was on screen. As for Ryan, I am a huge fan of him as an actor and personality. He was a stand out in Freak Out despite such a small part and was one of my favorite parts of Cheap. Oddly enough, he lacks the personality he showed in those films, and I know that was intended, but just because it was intended doesn't mean it works. 2) The pacing. This movie is over two hours long. The murder plot doesn't come until the second half. Most of that first half is just telling jokes, which, fair enough it's a comedy, but if you want to have a murder mystery too, shouldn't that be introduced a little sooner? It's just a personal preference. 3) The look and sound. I do not like Paranoia, Hooker with a Heart of Gold, and The Cinema Snob Movie for similar reasons, but the one that connects them all is their look. I'm not talking about how their shot, but how their shots look. It's too clean, but not clean enough. On the one hand I feel this is an unfair statement as it shows Team Snob is growing as filmmakers, but on the other hand I miss the look of his old movies. For some reason, it's easier for me to accept bad audio and bad lighting than it is for me to accept sort of good lighting and OK audio.
