So much average

Must See Movie...

Absolutely Fantastic

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

In Europe during World War II, Losey and Deming are deserters. One of the MPs calls Losey "Airborne" because he doesn't think much of the 82nd Airborne, or of "men who jump out of perfectly good airplanes." An explosion knocks the jeep off the road and at least one of the MPs is dead. A couple of others die after they encounter mines trying to get back to civilization. Deming swaps dog tags with one of the dead men, declares himself to be free, and orders Losey to come along.Deming has no compassion and constantly yells "Quit squawking and start walking." He also uses a lot of other language that didn't make it to broadcast TV. Losey does show compassion to others, though. Soon the men encounter a church that is mostly destroyed, and a priest who was driven mad. It appears the priest will come with them, but at some point he is no longer around. The men also find a horse which helps them reach a better destination.Every now and then we see what are either flashbacks of a better life in the United States, or visions of the war. One vision takes place in what is left of what appears to be a school. We see a teacher and happy children, whose lives are devastated by the war.Most of the movie takes place in a large industrial looking building, the type preservationists want to save in today's world. This one is in pretty bad shape, but the men see no real value to it for the Germans. Then two civilians show up. We have seen the woman before. Maybe it's the hair, but she looks like Susan Sarandon. Looking at the cast list and the actors' photos, I think she is Maria, played by Linda Thorson. A man is with her, and he is tough and a leader. His voice sounds like the man who used to introduce Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, but beyond that, I don't know which one he is. What is important that these two are taking care of a group of children, some of whom don't understand this isn't a game. One boy has no legs but has a lot of determination and gets around well. A girl, who Losey realizes was once beautiful when he sees a painting of her, wears a mask.Deming points a gun at the woman and demands to see everything, but declares her to be no Betty Grable. Later, everyone has to work together when a German unit shows up. And what happens then is pretty amazing.This appears to be a good movie, for those who like this sort of thing. There's not a lot of happiness here, but we see people get things done and stand tall despite obstacles, even though the two stars are nothing more than cowards at the beginning.The main adult actors all give good performances. I would also add the German officer to that list. He is not evil but just doing his job. At one point he states that he feels like a father to his men.The children do a great job, and I would single out the boy with no legs and the girl with no mask, even though neither says a word. You can just see their determination and courage.A few years ago a TV detective lost either his wife or his son in a car accident. When the son was alive everything appeared blue. That's how much of the movie is. Colors are much more vivid in the flashbacks and visions, though in one case Losey is having a nightmare and everything quickly turns blue, followed by bright orange when there are explosions. It's quite an effective technique. I do wish the brightly colored flashbacks had lasted longer and had more character development, because we really needed positive images.It's quite good if you like this sort of thing.

This movie is such a mesmerizing and impressive experience that you won't regret to do. Beautifully shot on Romania with strong acting by a cast that includes Ryan Francis, Scott McDonald (JACK FROST!), Linda Thorson and David Warner. Probably, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS is Jeff Burr's masterpiece. It have flaws, like some obvious dubbing for the German characters, played by romanian actors. But none of them diminishes the valour of this great movie, that also benefits from a original and powerful script, not to mention the haunting, beautiful musical score. STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS have a sincere, thought provoking anti-war message and manages to be more than just a movie. Knowing that the kids casted on it were real life orphans only made the experience more human and emotional. War and general movie fans, be sure to don't miss!

"Straight into Darkness" is ,in a word, "mesmerizing".One is uniquely transported to an eerie , nightmarish, -FICTIONAL- tale set against the backdrop Western European WWII.It's brilliantly done on a modest budget. We follow a pair of, in custody for deserting, G.I.s(one a creepy socio-path type,the other a younger guy sick of the war and pining for his girl and the USA.) are set free by a landmine meets jeep wreck and make their escape on foot across the winter white back country, setting them on a course into a strange and otherworldly wasteland of a demented cannibalistic(?),holy man, a hanging wedding party, a stallion from nowhere and lastly- a desolate building(that holds a secret), where fate allies the two with an incredible band of rag-tag,physically war scarred orphans and the adult couple that ran their since destroyed school.The G.I.s thought they could run from the War. No. The directer-"Bravo! my good man." To the writer-"Thank you ,sir".The actors are fantastic-every man woman and child. Wonderful cinematography and settings(the ghostly forest wedding scene ). The music score was exceptional.This is a very fine small film that involves the viewer and this viewer is very grateful for the obvious thought and effort put forth by the cast and crew.Thank you.Yes.The summary line was a slam at the the negative reviewers. "Thick as a whale omelet".

STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS (2006) *** Ryan Francis, Scott MacDonald, David Warner, Linda Thorson, Daniel Roebuck, James Le Gros, Nelu dinu, Liliana Perepelicinic. (Dir: Jeff Burr) The WWII melodrama has been done to death ever since V-E day and of late it appears a newfound appreciation for the subgenre has been unleashed ever since Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. I must admit when I was given the task to view yet another struggle-against-all-odds military pic I wasn't crazy about the idea, let alone by an indie director who I never even heard of. However I was pleasantly surprised that my expectations would be overlooked for this well-executed and smartly produced low-budget pic is better than anticipated. Namely filmmaker Jeff Burr (who wrote & directed) and his by-the-seat-of-his-pants smarts manages to make the familiar fresh and the limited funds not necessarily a risk but an obstacle overcome. The story begins when two grunts Losey (Ryan Francis, who resembles a cross- pollination of Ben Affleck, Ed Burns and Paul Rudd) and Deming (Scott MacDonald, a low-rent Tom Sizemore) who desert their platoon (including James LeGros and Daniel Roebuck in cameos) after being shelled in a snowy minefield. Losey is plagued by nightmarish flashbacks to the horrors he's inflicted via his Army-issued flamethrower and the thoughts of his gal back home Donna, (Brittny Lane Stewart). Deming is half-crazed and has violent tendencies as the two trek across the frost-bitten no-man's land of the unnamed European terrain (shot in Romania with affective eeriness) and come across a lunatic priest (Gabriel Spahiu), a forest full of a wedding party dangling from nooses and a horse with no name until the tired duo come across an abandoned mill where they discover they are not alone.Here they find two school instructors (veteran character actor David Warner and Linda Thorson, best known from TV's "AVENGERS" as Diana Riggs' replacement) holed up with their orphan charges, a brigade of unwanted, developmentally challenged children who have been taught basic training in military weaponry in defense against the Nazi horde that have been through their wooded terrain and unbeknownst to the new strangers making tracks to overtake the edifice for a hidden secret that is housed there.Overall the production values are very good indeed, particularly the ethereal blue/black color schemes of cinematographer Viorel Sergovici; the kinetic editing of Lawrence A. Maddox and the elegiac musical score by Michael Convenrtino underscoring the dream-like quality Burr maintains in his sparse combination of Sam Pekinpah/Don Siegel/Robert Aldrich/Sam Fuller composition with different film stocks (Super 8 & 16mm for the flashbacks); various speeds of action (slo-mo and jarring sped-up nightmarish imagery to full tilt); skewed camera angles and quick scatter-shots interlaced make for a nerve wracking and compelling viewer ship. What Burr lacks in narrative dialogue (co-written by co-exec.prod. Mark Hannah) he makes up for in his visuals (and audio) skills in competent display.The acting is solid for the most part although it would've been nice if he allowed LeGros & Roebuck to be in a few more scenes (even if they were flashbacks) and one major hole in the plot (what the hell happened to the lunatic priest?) but the children do a fine job too, particularly the leg-less Nelu Dinu and the haunting Liliana Perepelicinic whose Anna wears an unnerving yet beautiful mask echoing "Eyes Without A Face". The film has an unspoken supernatural air about it too also recalling "The Beguiled", the Clint Eastwood Civil War Gothic thriller when an AWOL soldier finds himself at the mercy of a young girls' homestead. Burr could've used a bit more of that if that was his intention in the long run.