Mitchellville

Saw it at Sundance. We lasted an hour before we walked out. About half of the footage is the actor/director/writer doing push ups in some different view. Thankfully the DP must've told him 'dude, we can't shoot you doing push ups the same way AGAIN!' and at least shot the push ups in an different angle. The over/under on a non-sport movie for 'conditioning scenes' should be 2. This film grossly exceeds that mark.

All the credit for this film should go to the cinematographers. They had some great shots.

Sorry, but this is nothing more than a fluffy vanity piece of work that rambles and really has no point other than to say 'look at me, aren't I cool?' It was pretty funny at the screening that the Actor/Director wore the exact same v-neck sweater that he dons in the film as he becomes a 'hip cat' flute player. Really.

I was very fortunate to watch "Mitchellville" last night on the Sundance film channel.

Let me just say that I thought this film was engaging and thought provoking. At first glance one would think the dialog and the acting to be simple and unremarkable but upon further examination we see the protagonist in a complex environment who is trying to make sense of his surroundings weather it be at work or in his relationship with his wife.

In many ways there are elements of this film that one can identify with. As much as we like to put everything in a black or white box, the reality is that life will not allow us to do so and because of this we have to confront our own "right's and wrong's" and see if we are capable of living with those decision's. John D. Harkrider did a brilliant job of portraying this message. With this in mind, one will see that "Mitchellville" is an incredibly complex story that deserver's full attention.

I do hope Mr. Harkrider's continues to pursue writing/filming.

"Mitchellville" is definitely a must see film!

I'll probably see Mitchellville as many times as I've seen Casablanca. ...and for many of the same reasons. There's a lot to this movie. It's honest as the day is long* and as deep as a man's soul. But since it plays on many levels, you can enjoy it without probing the depths too.

Mitchellville is a town, or is it? He's talking to a company shrink, or...? About a dream, or...? To me the exciting thing about this film besides it's striking beauty and mystery, is the ethereal way it deals with concepts of perception of reality and at the same time quietly but boldly takes on some of life's most provocative issues.

This is a multi-themed well nuanced film, with plenty of symbolism and eerie relationships with time and space. Yet all aspects of it combine to create a sensitive deep statement on love, interwoven with taking on life-purpose issues, the path and fruits of greed (both personal and corporate), power, loss, serious compromise, racism, and the challenges of living in our culture as an artist/ musician (or even just an honest genuine person) with life and death aspects on all levels. What in life is worth dying for.... ?

Often visually stunning... usage of stark sets, lighting, color (and lack there of). Great characterization. These people are so real to me. Beautiful evocative music. All combine to create a straightforward spirituality about the workings of the world, despite it's ills. With all its complexities, I still felt a comforting sense of "just the facts, m'am..." with the message: "you can't stop when you make a mistake, you have to keep going". And that I see illustrated in both the personal and corporate historical sense, as a base line for life and it's challenges. Definitely thought provoking.

* keeping in mind that days dependably lengthen and then shorten throughout the year.

This excellent opus interweaves multiple layers of reality and dreams from onset to ending, bracing against the bulwark of corporate culture, childhood memory and longing, artistic expression in photography and music and the challenges of social justice. Its beauty lies not in the answers provided but in the questions asked: What is fact? Of what is the fantastical composed? How do we separate the two and yet find them inextricably raveled like skeins of brightly-colored threads? From the mercurial and curious to the barbarous, rancorous and inhumane, the tale takes shape, providing characters who wrestle with their foibles and joys; and one is never sure if, in this match of epic proportion, the reality perceived is singular or communal, the dream solitary or conjunctive. The poignancy of the life we desire and the juxtaposition of the one we actually lead is tested in fire, and the ore which emerges remains to be interpreted by each viewer.

A truly outstanding film in conception, writing, casting and acting, staging, lighting and filming. The timing and dialog are fascinating. The approach intriguing and quite original. If it is true that there is nothing new under the sun, at least here the sun shines at a unique angle. The surreal elements appeal greatly. One of the best movies I have seen of this nature. The mingling of personal journey and a broader history adds dimension. Dreams and reality are juxtaposed and intertwined in a stream of consciousness manner that can be allowed to simply flow, and the themes will come together in a poetic manner, lovely, touching and human. The music is well integrated and vital.