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.

Long story short, this is a pretty compelling, although far from perfect film.

It'll be especially interesting for those who are into the kind of brain-computer interfacing tech at the core here ... that's probably going to eventually destroy or irrevocably alter humanity.

It is let down by some hammy dialogue, some inexplicable character decisions, characters we don't really like, a somewhat contrived and rushed plot, and a cutaway to a Cambodian Buddhist monastery which seems a little "accelerated" to be credible within the timeframe of the overall narrative arc.

Having said all that, it is original and fresh ... and there's otherwise some good stuff in there. At least it is not formulaic trash, like so much other derivative sci-fi out there these days.

I'd say most people, if they give it a chance, will find something of interest to enjoy in there.

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.

The movie is written and directed by the same guy. That usually means that if it's going to be bad, it's going to be really bad. Good news: it's not bad. But it's not that great either.

The story follows two students researching brain communication. Of course the bad guys are interested in this and they are already in trouble as they have been using stolen lab equipment from their university. More than that, there are marital problems as well. This could have been a good idea if not for the paint-by-numbers story, which is obviously written by somebody who went to writing class, but didn't have the time to develop their own style.

The good part about the film is that the actors play well, the direction is reasonable - although I don't know why every damn frame has to have lens flares (another reason to hate J.J., probably) and the story is captivating. The only major problem is the lackluster script. Everything gets revealed way too soon and in the moments where tension was needed, story gets resolved by impossible means.

Bottom line: nothing in this film is great, but it had something, a potential that somehow failed to get realized. Good start, interesting second act, confusing third and a really really bad ending.

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!