Special

at first when the film started i thought it was going to be a long drawn out cheap indie film but i loved it, this film had the same feel to it as darko did but with this film i was not left feeling confused and bewildered, the acting in this film is the same class of such classics like darko and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind that you don't realise that there is no big names in this film but you are sure that they will be in big films to come. so if independent movies are your thing this film is a must see. P.S there is a lot of super hero films coming out at the moment(spiderman 3 fantastic 4.2) but non of them will make you think like this film does

Go out and see this great movie if you can. If this movie is in your neck of the woods, and your searching for something to do on a cheap matinée Monday night, this is your ticket. Your week will be better because of it. Actually, pay full price for this movie because its worth it. And because the directors and actors deserve the extra $5.00 or what have you.

I got the privilege of seeing this film at its opening night in the Zurich Film Festival. A little treat followed after the movie with a Q & A with writer and co-director Jeremy Passmore. This USC grad and his home-e came up on a whim with the idea of this movie, and within 18 months ( 18 days of shooting) made this feature. The movie itself: great storyline with phenomenal acting by one of my favorites M. Rapp. He was undeniably crucial in making this movie seem 'real'. So fabulous was this 'low' budget superhero movie. Fabulous. The characters, the foundation, the storyline, imagination ... the believability and emotional recognition for the characters ... it all was there. Made me want to laugh, made me want to cry and made me want to change the world. Awesome. That is what movies are supposed to make you feel. Hats off to these two directors and their crew with their first film ( which they were going to put on CCards before they got backing from agencies ... among other things) From what Jeremy was saying, everyone was supremely underpaid and overworked, but in the end, all knew that the finished product was worth more than anything. One of my top 10 for 2006.

"Special" as a movie wasn't very. A meter maid named Les (Michael Rappaport) opted into a program to test an experimental drug from the Exiler Research Group called Special. Les believed it gave him super powers when it really was him having an adverse reaction and imagining things. From that point on he was either trying to fight crime or convince others that he had superpowers, and both were a bit cringeworthy and pathetic. The villains (because every superhero needs a villain) were two brothers who were the founders of Exiler. They wanted to stop Les from parading around with their logo on his back while he envisioned them trying to stop him for a more nefarious reason.

It wasn't all bad. Les was a genuinely likeable character. He was a regular guy with regular friends and a desire just to be a little more than he was. Michael Rappaport didn't do a bad job, and I think the movie concept was novel. However, his was like an unfunny version of "Kick-Ass" or "Super." It was like "Kick-Ass" meets "Everything Must Go" with Will Ferrell. It wasn't very empowering or uplifting, it just was.

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Aside from the time I spilled hot coffee on my lap during "Fiddler on the Roof", I'd say this is one of the most powerful experiences I've had while watching a movie.

This quirky gem of a film is 25% comedy, 25% tragedy, 25% feel-good, 25% depressing, and 100% awesome. Starting off with the most preposterous plot (i.e., a lonely metermaid guy develops special abilities and fights crime while running from strange men in suits), it quickly develops into much more than meets the eye. It's essentially the story of the lone, forgotten individual who's trying to make a difference in this world. In that respect, it can be a sad film. But at the same time it can be funny, warm and deeply inspiring.

Thanks largely to an absolutely brilliant performance by Michael Rapaport as the metermaid guy, this movie takes you on a crazy ride through every emotion you've ever had and some you haven't had yet. I laughed, felt sad, felt angry, felt the warm fuzzies, felt pity and felt empowered. I can't remember the last time I cared so much about a movie character. It's funny because I began watching this film not liking him very much (after all, who likes metermaids??), but quickly he became one of the most lovable misfits since "Amélie".

Never have I seen the plight of the superhero so wonderfully presented and fleshed out in human terms. Whether we wear a cape or not, we're all trying to change the world in our own ways. You, yes you sitting there reading this, could be a superhero. This movie presents us with that idea, and (unlike Spiderman, Batman, Catwoman, etc) it does not slip into fantasy territory where we lose touch with our perspective. Instead it remains firmly rooted in reality and thus allows us to see ourselves in the hero's role. That's where this movie draws its power to affect us. It's the story of us all. Watch it and learn about yourself & the people around you.

Other great, obscure movies that this reminded me of: a Michael Keaton film called "The Merry Gentleman" (2008), a must-see Korean movie called "The Foul King" (2000), and a powerful Australian flick called "Noise" (2007).

Honestly, this movie is in no way funny - although it could have been, and although it sometimes really made the impression that it was somehow intended to be funny. But it was just tragic. And what was really annoying, was the soundtrack, which was so entirely depressing and really got me close to turn off the movie at times, because it added such a thoroughly negative atmosphere. I couldn't help thinking "if anyone laughs at this, they have a serious empathy problem". Plus i believe, because of the way the story was told and the emotional bias thats created, this movie really drowned somehow. And it surely could have been, fore-mentioned negatives put aside, a pretty good one.