Listening

The movie reminds me a lot of Primer, but Listening tries to take it up one more level. While the concept in Primer seems mostly talk, this movie movies around with you a lot more.

A group of broke college students sacrifice everything for their experiment to harness the power of the mind. In a lot of ways the story works like the social network. Two kids who come up with a great idea, and everything is cool until they figure out they changed the world, and in that moment they change (Although the movie attempts to put morals behind the change) The philosophy of the movie is pretty cool, but at times feels like it's going all over the place which makes the movie seem longer than it really is. I actually love very low budget Hard Sci-Fi films like this one that fully draw the fiction from actual fact, but there are moments where the movie bites off more than it can chew, Ironically, not with the Science part, but with the social commentary about young genius who create something they loose control of.

I did love the story and the characters in the story, no matter what, everyone was likable and you want to root for them throughout, but I would wait to stream this online one a day when you have nothing better to do.

This director's debut film exceeded my expectations. LISTENING is a suspense-filled sci-fi film that's fast-paced, entertaining and did live up to its award-winning status! It never had down-time and kept entertaining right up till the end. The story-line had multiple levels with lots of twists, turns and intrigue. The moral implications of the movie's subject matter technology (mind reading) makes for a very interesting premise too. The acting was great and several hit it out of the ball park. You'll find yourself routing for the actors as their struggle unfolds, and the actress who turns out to be the home-wrecker is an attractive addition to the cast. One of the main actors (David) did a good job, but had a couple of scenes that I wished were redone to make him more believable, but I'm splitting hairs, he did a great job over-all. The cinematography was very good, interesting and intriguing. The use of lens flares at times made you feel like you were seeing the film through ones own eyes, live! Very well done! I expect more great things from this young director, and look forward to his future efforts. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes a good suspense-filled flick, and very thought-provoking in its delivery. See the movie, you'll be happy you did!

This is an excellent film which tackles some very interesting moral questions in an understandable and entertaining way. It's rare to see such a strong narrative which holds your interest for the entire film. With surprisingly good production values and some great casting choices, this really is a 'Diamond in the Rough'. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot, which deals with basic human freedoms and ethics - even though it can seem a little slow at the start. If you stick with this movie and give it a chance, you'll find yourself drawn into a world of secrets, espionage and brain-computer interfacing. If you enjoy films that pose interesting moral dilemmas and aren't just full of action, stunts and CGI effects, this title is one of the best I've seen in quite a while and I'd recommend it highly.

Not a bad premise for a movie, and it's production value is pretty good. However it's not highly rated for a reason. Where this movie falls part is not so much in the concept per say, but in the expression of it. The script writing is not B rated, but it surely isn't driving the story. There are parts where you wonder, if it had better acting would the script have come off better. As it stands there are some parts where it seems amateurish both in the writing and the acting. There are some movies where bad actors can be uplifted by a good script (matrix) and rarely good actors can pump up a bad script (think Ray Harryhausen or any martial arts movie). This film is neither and they both seem to sink each other equally. As the writing degrades so goes the acting, as none of the actors were good enough to hold it up. Yet in the instances where the script is good the bad acting isn't so apparent. What makes the movie watchable is the concept. The concept of what they are trying to discuss and it's moral implications draw your interest. It helps set a frame work that at least makes the movie watchable. It would be interesting to know the total budget of this movie. It surely isn't block buster...but it also does not appear on the low end like a Primer. Although I think the movie would have been better suited to have more of a primer set up, disusing things cryptically and leaving in some mystery till you get into the movie. IF you like sci fi movies it's a decent sci fi watch on a boring night with nothing else to do. However, I wouldn't go dropping $7 on a ticket for it.

Film is decent. Strong points are interesting concept, good pacing, and strong acting. Weak points include pretty bad dialogue and some key unbelievable plot points, weird choices in aesthetic.

The movie is worth it, but its not perfect. Constantly struck by how weird everything looks in the like yellow-green tint. Added nothing to the movie. The dialogue is also pretty unimpressive. Not a memorable or striking exchange in the movie because of the awkward word choice. However this is all made passable by the strong concept and moral questions that are brought into the scope of the film. It touches on the concept of sacrifice and freedom as we brave a new age where technology entangles with the human brain. A lot to take away as any good scifi should.