ridiculous rating

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

War veteran Nick Boxer (a fine and credible performance by Michael Guy Allen) returns home with post-traumatic stress disorder. After finding his girlfriend Kayla M. (a sweet and appealing portrayal by Meg Braden) dead in the bathtub from an apparent suicide, Nick tries to follow suit. But when's he's resuscitated from his abortive suicide attempt, Nick learns that Kayla might have been murdered. So now Nick must die again and again until he discovers the killer's identity.Director Shawn Holmes, who also co-wrote the compelling script with Hari Sathappan and did the dynamic widescreen cinematography, keeps the absorbing and intricate story hurtling along at a brisk pace, relates the fantastic premise on a laudably moving and intimate human level, and does an expert job of crafting a supremely gloomy atmosphere. Moreover, Holmes warrants extra praise for putting a welcome and refreshing emphasis on mood and characters over empty flashy pyrotechnics. The excellent acting by the able cast holds the film together: Allen and especially the radiant Braden shine in the leads, with sturdy support from Julian Curi as the concerned Elliot White, Zac Snyder as loyal friend Ben Haven, David D'Andrea as smarmy jerk Mitch Harper, and Anna Szyszkiewicz as Nick's worried sister Hannah. Lastyly, and mostly important, Nick's obsessive need for closure gives this picture a substantial amount of wrenching poignancy. A real sleeper.

The title of this user comment would make a pretty cool name for a punk rock band, but it's primarily an apt two-word summary of the plot for "Memory Lane". This lowest budgeted Sci-Fi thriller in the history of cinema (I don't think I've ever seen a $300 movie before) may perhaps not be the most overwhelming genre debut ever, but it's definitely an admirable effort and the least you can say about Shawn Holmes is that he's a persistent, courageous, ambitious and respectable newcomer. He did pretty much everything by himself, including the catering service for his friends and acquaintances that are starring in the cast. The plot is reminiscent to the 90's classic "Flatliners" and equally borrows elements from other genre highlights, such as "Memento" and "TimeCrimes", but the film shows enough personality to stand on its own as a worthwhile outing. Shortly after his return from Afghanistan, the introvert soldier Nick Boxer falls head over heels in love with a mysterious girl named Kayla, whom he met on a bridge and prevented her from jumping… or so it seemed. Without really knowing anything about her, Nick asks her to marry him, but his world falls apart again a few days later when he finds her body in the bathtub with her wrists slit open. Nick undertakes a suicide attempt himself and his friends just narrowly manage to rescue him, but whilst floating between life and death he has a vision of the first encounter with Kayla that amplify some interesting details. He becomes obsessed with figuring out the true reason of her death, but this requires some more near-death experiences. It wouldn't be fair to simply label "Memory Lane" as a low-cost amateur effort, since Shawn Holmes clearly knows how to put together a good film. Knowing he didn't dispose of any budget for hi-tech special effects, he fully focused on a tight and intellectual screenplay with unpredictable plot twists and profound character drawings. Successfully, I may add, as "Memory Lane" remains compelling until the climax. The concept might be somewhat far-fetched, but the film never becomes overly grotesque or ridiculous, and – most importantly – the lack of funds never forms an obstacle. The acting performances are more than adequate, particularly since none of the cast members has any real experience, and everything else (editing, photography, post production…) indicates that this bunch has great potential to deliver future cult classics.

Memory Lane is a no-budget film directed by Shawn Holmes about an intense young man who visits the afterlife in order to avenge his girlfriend's death. I don't want to give anything away so I will just say that it's a solid story.The possible problem is that there is no budget. However, don't confuse "no-budget film" with "amateurish film" because Memory Lane is highly stylized and has good pacing. Memory Lane shows that Holmes is a highly resourceful filmmaker. This film is the embodiment of Buckminster Fuller's concept of ephemeralization: the science and art of doing more with less. Memory Lane is the result of the DIY ethic at work. I imagine one of the benefits of having a budget of $300 is that the focus was on telling a good story in a cinematic way; the filmmakers succeeded.Watching the film, I couldn't help but notice the similarity to films by Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg. Memory Lane kicks butt and takes names. I would like to see what his team could do with a little more money.

This movie was a really enjoyable take on finding one's self while drowning in the middle of chaos. Considering the low cost to make this film, I found it was very enjoyable to watch, with superb acting and the cinematography was just absolutely stunning. I do not want to give anything away but I will say that It builds slowly and develops fully into something that will keep you asking questions long after the credits have rolled. Overall this was something that I felt in my heart to be worth the time spent watching it,and can't wait to recommend it to others. It weaves an intricate plot with believable yet mind bending fantasy.