User reviews

For those of you expecting a great Kevin Smith comedy, this is not it. This is basically a very good student film. The pace of this film is really uneven and the non-Jason Lee characters needed a little more depth. The sound and picture quality is a bit low - the audio almost drops out a couple times.

the good news: if you're a fan of Jason Lee you'll enjoy this one. He pulls an "Atlas" and carries the entire film. There is also some suprisingly good cinematography. I was suprised to see that 90% of the cast of Mallrats is in it.

bottom line: rent first, buy later.

I waited a long time to see this movie, and I was very dissappointed in it. Not at all what I'd expect from ViewAskew. I was never expecting it to be more irreverent, Kevin Smith-like rants. I knew it would be a serious movie. But, in the end, the points that it tries to get across are lost. A few notable perormances (Lee), and some slightly amusing bits. Not really even worth a rental.

As a long-time fan of Kevin Smith's work, I was so excited I was squirming when I heard there was another View Askew film. The day of its release I was at the rental store with it in my hand. With such great anticipation, however, I must say it was met with only mixed feelings.

This is the tale of five people in Vancouver who have been living off welfare checks until one day they are cut off. Stumped as to what they are going to do now (and certainly not inclined to go get a job), they wander the streets aimlessly until Donner (Jason Lee) comes up with a plan to run off to the wilderness for a camping trip. He, however, has ulterior motives as he leads the group deeper into the Canadian wilderness.

Though this film had the feeling of the other View Askew films, it just didn't measure up. Smith only produced this film; he did not write and direct it as was the case with the Jay and Silent Bob series. It is quite clear that it lacks the brilliant dialogue that makes Smith's films the gems that they are. Though the analysis of Scooby-Doo is hilarious and there are the occasional zinger lines, for the most part it is flat and lifeless. As a matter of fact, there are moments when it feels as if the screenplay is non-existent and the actors are merely on camera ad-libbing as best they can. Even Jason Mewes fails to elicit the usual uproarious response and Silent Bob's cameo is expendable.

Still, the film does have its strengths. The overall feel evoked is that of an indie film and the grainy black and white footage is reminiscent of Clerks. By far, however, the biggest plus of the movie is Jason Lee. Whether playing the coarse Brody of Chasing Amy or the delightfully wicked Azrael of Dogman, Lee is always a treat to watch, and this is no exception. He is by far the most under-rated actor on the scene today. Lastly, the final twist of the film is incredible. Though I saw it coming, it was still enough to elicit a laugh from me. What the screenplay loses in the middle, it almost makes up for in the closing sequence.

Overall, this is not a bad film. It's better than the vast majority of crap that the Hollywood studios manufacture for the masses. Perhaps too, my high opinion of Smith's films and my great expectations for this one jaded my opinion a little. However, don't expect another Clerks when you watch this one. I rate it a 6 out of 10.

If you've never heard of 'Drawing Flies', i don't blame you. If you aren't a fan of Kevin Smith, i don't know how you even got ahold of this review. But, anyways, let's focus on the movie. Very interesting indeed. When Kevin Smith was making 'Mallrats' in 1995, two friends, Malcolm Ingram and Matt Gissing, recruited cast members for their own little movie. From the Mallrats cast members, they managed to catch Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Carmen Lee, Renne Humphrey, Ethan Suplee, Joey Lauren Adams, Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith himself. They managed to make this film which dissapeared pretty quickly. It never got a theatrical release and was only shown at small film festivals including Kevin Smith's own View Askew-fest 'Vulgarthon '98' and 'Vulgarthon 2000', festivals which feature films made by him and friends. Since then, it has became interest of all View Askew fans(Including me) who constantly bug Malcolm Ingram about it on Kevin's View Askew WWWBoard. One of the main reasons it was of interest to VA fans was because Kevin appeared as 'Silent Bob', a character he made famous in films like 'Clerks', 'Dogma' and most recently, 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'. On February 26th, it finally got its release on DVD along with a whole bunch of well-deserved extra features. After reading many reviews, it is, as Malcolm says in the commentary, 90 and 10. 90 percent of people don't like it and 10 percent do. I believe that i'm in the 10 percent of the people. The first time i saw it, i wasn't really sure what to think about it but the second time i saw it, i loved it. It's a really good film. The plot follows Donner(Jason Lee), Jake(Martin Brooks), Az(Jason Mewes), Meg(Rennee Humphrey) and Cassidy(Carmen Lee) who all live off welfare in Canada but one fateful day, they are cut off of welfare and have to find a way to survive. Donner suggests to go to his uncle's cabin in the middle of the woods. But what his friends don't know is the fact that he is going crazy and is actually looking for the legendary Bigfoot. Needless to say, chaos ensues as Donner gets more and more crazy. I really thought the comedy was funny, the drama was moving and the film overall was the kind of film Hollywood should be making but if Hollywood did, they would probably butcher it up. I highly recommend seeing 'Drawing Flies', it's the kind of movie that only comes around once in a century(Yes, you heard me. A century!).

9 1/2 out of 10

I suppose one could describe any bad or inept movie as surreal. In many cases you could even build up a solid case.

Here's a start for "Plan 9 From Outer Space" - In dreams the surrounding don't look or feel real. The people talk in strange tones and rhythms that have little resemblance to how people speak. Random images appear and become juxtaposed for no particular reason with other images. Entire scenarios appear out of nowhere and lead to nothing.

The things I said there all could be put to that thesis. All those things are true of both "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and the human dream cycle. Given the time, energy and desire, I could expand that theory into a full blown essay and probably even draw some deep symbolism out of the whole thing.

Does that mean I should start putting my Ed Wood DVDs next to my Luis Buñuel DVDs on the shelf?

I don't think so.

"Drawing Flies" is many things. Genuinely surreal, in any meaningful sense of the word, isn't one of them.

It is confused. It is tedious to sit through.

It's painful to watch the actors put in such a good show with so little material to back them up. Poor Jason Mewes has a part as a pretty non-"Jay" regular guy in this, and does a respectable job with it, all for naught, though, as his character does nothing of note through this piecemeal throwaway.

The cinematography is bland, but could be forgiven considering the budget and inexperience of the directors. Nothing can be said to forgive that editing, though. A monkey with a rusty camping knife and some rubber cement could have done a better job of editing.

As to the story, it switches between misguided sub-soap opera melodrama based around character relationships it never bothers to make clear enough to create empathy for and rather lame attempts to mimic Kevin Smith's humor style. Neither works on its own or as a companion to the other, leaving the movie flailing in the wind with nothing to do.

I wish everyone involved the best, I'm sure they're all groovy cats. I know the cast is. I just don't see any merit to this movie as a work of its own at all. Sloppy.

This is one truly awful film. Poorly shot acted and written. I'd rather be hung upside down and beaten across the feet, then to have to endure this mess again.

Now, I am typically not one to generally insult a film. I realize that when creating artwork there are those that devote their sweat, tears, and blood to the project. While some films are horrendous, there is always the need to take a moment and appreciate the time that the director put into his/her work. Alas, with Drawing Flies that theory doesn't apply. What has happened with this film is simply two directors wanted to have a good time, sold Kevin Smith on the concept (a darn good sales pitch if you ask me), asked him to invite his friends, and they would provide the room and food. It reminded me of those first parties at college where you don't really know anyone, but you still invite upperclassmen so that it won't be a total bust. That is exactly what happened with Drawing Flies. While the directors (yep, sadly there were two) will complain about their lack of budget and film, I believe they got exactly what they wanted. A cheap independent film that can be endorsed by Kevin Smith and stars the now popular Jason Lee. Good or horribly bad, those are some decent names to boast for such a cheap film.

Drawing Flies was a cheaply made film that carried with it a sloppy story. In all attempts to pull in a independent crowd and possibly create a "cult" classic, these directors have done nothing more than provided us with an hour and ten minutes of pure slop. The beginning should have been our tell-tale sign when Jason Lee's voice-over provided the first ten minutes of the film laying what could have been the groundwork for the film, but instead just random dribble. There was no A-B-C logic in this film. There was no defined story. There were no intelligent characters. There was literally no emotion. I could continue this "missing" list for quite some time, but I would need several milk containers. All this film had was Kevin Smith's View Askew production name stamped (very proudly … nearly too proudly) on the front and actor friends that apparently didn't care what a decision like this would do to their career. The entire "Jay & Silent Bob" moments were only included in this film to pull drooling fan-boys to the rental stands. They had no impact on the actual story itself. In fact, the mere seconds that they share aren't even funny, just cliché and completely cheap.

I hate to continue to use the word "cheap" to describe this film, but as I watched the production value of Drawing Flies fall dramatically as the 76 minutes came closer and closer to ending, I kept thinking of those $1 movies found in those bins at your local stores. They may be good movies, but the value is so cheap that you nearly feel like the $1 isn't worth it. That is how I felt with Drawing Flies. One minute we are at a beer guzzling party, the next we are moping about welfare, and the next we are in the woods concerned about Bigfoot. Where was the logic behind these segments? My answer … there was none. This film was a cheap attempt at creativity, mental instability, and those darn Sasquatch. For a View Askew production, the voice dubbing was horrendous, the actual acting was atrocious, and the sets were amazingly poor. Even the outdoor shots just screamed "Blue Light Special". Nothing worked in this film. Nothing of value was created. Nothing could make a mother say, "I am proud of the work my son has done." That is sad.

I am tired of Kevin Smith. While I love Clerks (both the live-action and cartoon) and think Chasing Amy is one of the most brilliant films about modern culture created, Smith has continued to disappoint his die-hard fans time and time again by feeding us cheap cliché moments like that of Jay & Silent Bob in Drawing Flies. It is as if he has found his one character and is not afraid to exploit it to the very end. Jason Mewes should not continue to work. Jason Lee needs to stay focused. He is an exceptionally talented actor, but this film could seriously ruin his resume. Everyone else just did this film because Smith was involved, and Smith was involved only because he likes to think that he still has his hand on the pulse of independent cinema, but alas he does not. Kevin Smith is mainstream, even when Passion of the Clerks is released it just won't have that pizazz it once did. His originality is gone and we can only blame films like Drawing Flies for that change.

Overall, in case you haven't guessed already, this was one of the worst films that I watched this year. As the year begins to close, I thought that good cinema would be pouring in, but if I continue on the Drawing Flies path, I do not see good things in my future. I am tired of clichés, of overused pop culture references, and of Kevin Smith. I am disappointed in this film because it wasted 76 minutes of my day.

I just kept waiting for these lines to pass our character's lips:

"I gave you BACK the map, Heather."

"I gave you the map."

"I gave you BACK... THE MAP."

Grade: * out of *****

Judged on it's own merits, it's a decent movie. When considered as part of the View Askew universe, it is a whole lot of fun. The basic plot is quite clever, Jason Lee's performance is excellent, and its a lot of fun to see most of the Mallrats cast reunited for this film. Its a very talky movie, but is never boring.

Of course, this film has it's share of problems, too. Poor sound, the fact that large sections of the movie seem to be missing ( it is somewhat disjointed and has a running time of less than a hour), plus an ending that I didn't particularly like.

If you're not a fan of View Askew, then there is no real reason to watch this movie. If you are a fan, then by all means buy the DVD. After one initial viewing, be sure to watch it again with the cast commentary.

I gave this movie 7 stars.

In this movie he didn't, surprisingly he was the best of the group in this one. But the one we once called Brodie or even Banky could not save this one. It was not that the film was low budget just that it was not good. I was not expecting a Kevin Smith movie, just only one i could find entertaining, but was horribly let down. This movie has blemished the name of view askew. After seeing this movie i would like 76 minutes of my life back which i could spend frolicking in the street and still have a better time then having to watch this movie ever again. The only satisfaction in the whole movie was the end as it symbolized i would not have to watch a minute more of this scum and would be able to judge it for what it is. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

One of the things I enjoyed most when I began to seriously study films was finding (at art houses, for the most part, or at screenings on college campuses) the early efforts of neophyte filmmakers. DRAWING FLIES reminds me of the feeling of satisfaction one gets after a long, arduous search when one comes away from a new discovery feeling that the running time was time well spent. At no point in the proceedings was I bored. There may be some unevenness (mostly of a technical nature, which is the bane of all no-budget productions), but this is excellent low budget filmmaking; take it from someone who's been there and done that. Would make a good double-bill with Onur Tukel's black and white first film, HOUSE OF PANCAKES.

I can't see why that there are a lot of negative reviews for this film, it's very funny. It might not be as good as the one's directed by Kevin Smith, but so what. The plot is basically Jason Lee taking several friends out in the woods to go to his uncle's cabin, but his friends find out that there is no cabin after all. Jason Lee and the rest do a good job and you can see Kevin Smith in a cameo in the scene at the party.

As a disclaimer, I am a HUGE fan of Jason Lee but I have not liked everything he's done (A Guy Thing -- Wha?!?). "Drawing Flies" is a typical slacker film. Definitely has the Indie feel and look to it. The acting is not very good but gets better later in the film. However, Jason Lee is GREAT in this film. He's funny but not over the top. He even has some dramatic moments that show he can act. Not a great film but definitely a must see for Jason Lee fans! 7 out of 10.

I watched this film the other day not knowing what to expect, only knowing that it was the "lost View Askew film", so I was pretty excited.

The film was, very indie, a lot of poor sound and at times boring and at times decent cinematography. And the Jake character and actor made me laugh/wince.

However, some very decent dialogue, an interesting storyline and an amazing performance by Jason Lee elevated this film.

I am a huge huge huge Jason Lee fan......I kinda wish I was him, and i have always thought he needs to get some deeper peformacnes. I love...LOVE his hilarious trademark characters in the Kevin Smith films, and a few others, but I think he needs some serious dramatic roles....this film provides him with some depth, some drama, and some chances for his hilarious self. Whenever he wasn't on screen i kinda spaced out and got bored. I know it's weird to say he's amazing in a pretty thin film like this, but he really was. I hope to see him get more starring and dramatic roles in the future.

Drawing Flies was made on a low budget. A REALLY low budget. So considering that, its a decent effort. However, it is suppose to be a comedy and you really wont laugh many times during its runtime, be it because of the soundtrack, which is quite hard to hear in some scenes, or the patchy script that wants to be a Kevin Smith movie but doesn't really cut it, or some of the actors poor delivery. It also doesn't help that the film occasionally tries to be funny in a surreal way but really lacks the kind of intelligence and wit to pull off some of the more obscure scenes.

There are only 2 real reasons to view this movie. One is if you're a view askew fan and want to see another movie featuring a lot of players from Smith's directorial projects are like when he's not behind the camera, as many of them are present here. The other is Jason Lee. Lee delivers in this movie, just like he always does. delivering his dialogue to perfection, even if I do feel that the way he chose to play his character wasn't quite the right decision because you sometimes find it hard to like him when it seems like you should. He is still the most enjoyable aspect here by far.

There's actually a scene towards the end of the film's pretty brief 70 odd minute life span where one character reads another's palm. We are told that the straighter a certain line on your hand is, the easier it is to achieve a great career. We can definitely assume then that Lee has a very wonky line on his palm, as it seems whenever he's in a good film he's usually underused or, like in Drawing Flies, he's stuck as the only truly great thing amidst a whole lot of average-ness.

First, I love Canada and Vancouver, it's a gorgeous city often used for filming locations. Finally a film set in Vancouver but we don't see any sights. You can tell it's a Kevin Smith film whether he produced or financed it himself. I see him at the party with his buddy Jason Mawes who played Az. Jason Lee without his famous mustache is quite believable as Donner, the man who seeks to find Bigfoot in British Columbia but cons his friends into going with him on a camping trip until they straighten their messed up empty lives. In the beginning, all of the characters live off the Canadian government with no desire to get jobs or seek a respectable living. Once they are cut off from welfare, Donner convinces the gang to visit his uncle's cabin in the deep woods of British Columbia but Donner has other motives. There is too much cursing or swearing going on here in the film. We never get to know the real characters. While the directors of this film are new, I believe in time that they will rise to better directors. I am donating my DVD to entertain the troops overseas. I have to say that Vancouver is always worth visiting and the directors should spend more time setting and filming in that wonderful mecca.

I had long been looking forward to finally finding the "lost View Askew" film, "Drawing Flies," only to realize what a total waste of my time it was to watch it. I am a fan of Kevin Smith's films, especially "Mallrats," and it seemed encouraging that so much of its cast was in this film, although I'm scratching my head at what I just saw.

I think it was meant to be a comedy, but there was no obvious humor (or subtle, for that matter). I would imagine most viewers would be at least as indifferent to the plot and characters as I was-- and I was inclined to like the film, having been searching for so long. The acting, directing, and writing were all really lousy, although the same actors did a good job in "Mallrats," leading me to believe that the blame is more squarely in the lap of the filmmakers. Some of the intellectual pontification present in Smith's films can be heard here as well, but it just seems laboured and extraneous. My last complaint (although if I had the time I could continue indefinitely) was that although we were often reminded that it was set in British Columbia, there was only one character that sounded remotely Canadian-- in fact, Jason Mewes sounded as New Jersey-esque as always, down to the "youse."

My overall rating: not even for View Askew die-hards. Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier introduce the DVD, which seems like a nice touch, until they ramble on long enough without really saying anything at all (they may have been were drunk or high). Smith says what a fine film this is but I guess you have to listen to the commentary to see why he feels this way because he doesn't elaborate well in the introduction. I don't think I can put myself through another watching to hear the commentary. I'll give it a generous three out of ten.

I was cruizing through Amazon.com and came across this movie, saw it was a View Askew Production and ordered it ASAP. I thought the movie was a little sluggish but the most remarkable thing about it was Jason Lee's performance. It was truly genuine and real. I understand that the other actors have had little experience before but out of all of the supporting cast, the football jock dude was great in his role. I hope to see what these guys produce next and I hope it's in color. It would've been great to see those landscapes in color.

and the reason? it's not very good. the story is somewhat interesting, and yet somewhat lacking. the acting, save above average turns from jason lee and renée humphrey, is piss poor. okay guys, we get it. carmen lee is your pal... it's just a shame she can't act to save her life. well there is some real quality here and there, and even some decent camera work, most of the audio is terrible, and the video is hardly better. this is one of those kinds of movies that should only be dubbed, and given out to the cast, crew, and a few friends. but since it a view askew release, produced by kevin smith (as the cover will insist you are aware), it's on dvd at the local best buy. recommended only for the die hard va fans who need to have the complete collection.

During "Mallrats" shooting, two friends of Kevin Smith, Malcolm Ingram, and Matt Gissing, recruited "Mallrats" cast for their own project. This is extremely low-budget black and white movie, in which, at least as a cameo, appear almost whole cast of "Mallrats". IMDb says it is a comedy, but it's crap. This has almost nothing to do with comedy. It is drama/adventure, with a pretty good story, and Jason Lee carries it beautifully. The rest of the crew is good too, but their characters are not so well developed. Technically, the movie is pretty bad, with an unbalanced sound that almost disappears few times, and all together it leaves an overall impression of an amateur movie, or maybe homework of first-year film student. But there are some great shots too. For some reason, most of the rips on the internet have first 15 minutes missing, but full 76 minutes version can easily be found to watch online. And do not even try to search for subtitles in any language. I warmly recommend using headphones to be able to understand all the lines. If you are not View Askew fan you should probably skip this, but if you like Kevin Smith movies, you are a fan of "Clerks" or even "Blair Witch Project", I think you'll find it worthy of your time.

7/10

Truly one of the greatest road trip movies i ever saw. That group of friends go on a life changing adventure, made me feel like i was part of the group. The kind of film that makes you wanna go on your own crazy adventures. The bond and friendship in the group is amazing. Jason lee acting is on point here, one of his best performances. Jason mewes ( jay from jay and silent bob) acting here is so much fun to watch, any jay and silent bob lover will have a blast watching jays amazing performance here. The film is in black and white and its just perfect for the atmosphere. This movie has it all, friendship, mystery, amazing locations, and a hell of a story, one of the movies that i can see over and over again and never get sick of it.

I finally tracked down a copy of Drawing Flies on DVD - O.K., I had to go on holiday to Canada, but I got it, and that's the main thing! To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, as pretty much all I knew about the film apart from the View Askew connection was that it was very low budget, and in black & white. However, it's got a very `Clerks` style of script (no bad thing), and some sharp and witty lines. Unfortunately, to me, the script seems just a little underdeveloped. Not bad, just, not quite fully rounded. But hey it's low budget, and fun ... perhaps I'm being overcritical. The cameos are fun to spot - mostly under assumed names, too - and the cast seem to be having a whale of a time. One thought - wonder if the makers of The Blair Witch Project ever saw this film? Black and white / Lost in the woods / mysterious monster lurking / injuries / fallings out ....... Hmmmmmmm

I would have to agree with allot of the comments I read on this movie. The sound is a big part of why people may not like it. Although, I must say I was expecting the worst ... so when I saw it the sound actually didn't bother me. You can totally tell the points in the movie where the sound is really bad. Just keep in mind, that this is an independent film and with that I don't think you will be disappointed. I have been a big fan of the Kevin Smith movies. I have all of them on Dvd and decided to see what other movies he was connected to. When I saw "Drawing Flies", I noticed it was PACKED with many of the actors that make up Smith movies. Even smith (himself) makes a debut in this movie. I would have to say if you are a Kevin Smith fan (even though this is NOT a Kevin smith movie) you will enjoy it. Probably because you see many familiar faces. If you are not interested in a low budget Kevin smith type movie, then I suggest you take a pass. I bought this movie through amazon before I watched it. I kind of got nervous when I read the reviews, thinking I wasted my money. I just finished watching it and would have to say it was not a waste. I look forward to seeing the director's cut and sharing this with other K.S. fans. I would recommend adding this to your dvd collection, or at least renting it.