(If you haven't seen BWP yet and want to, I recommend not reading these posts or for that matter, not letting anyone tell you anything about it. Prior knowledge has a much greater chance of spoiling this movie than most others.)

> Frankly, I didn't like the movie. I DID like the 'found documentary footage' concept, I just wish that the director(s) would have done it slightly differently. If these were real kids out doing this project that they had done extensive research on, they would have been a little more determined to leave the woods before dark. I'll give them the first night. After driving up there, hiking in, and shooting their footage, by the time they get lost it's probably getting late. However, the next day, they have ALL day to simply get out of the woods, yet they spend a huge amount of time sitting around arguing unproductively. It was frustrating as the viewer trying to believe in something scary, yet the only reinforcement from the characters was undermined by their own apathy to actually keep moving. The subsequent days of still being lost only compiled this feeling.

Well, I think the problem here is a problem of suspension of disbelief that is needed to "buy" nearly any movie. Whereas in Star Wars one has to believe that the "Force" exists, in BWP one must believe that either the characters don't know how to use a map/compass at all or that someone/something is acting to misdirect them. (you also must believe that the woods around Burkitsville are somewhat bigger than in real life; neither assumption is too much to ask IMHO)

Once you make the allowance that the characters are rather uncertian about their distance from the car by the second night, no further explanation is needed. (You try finding your way out of the woods when you have no idea where you are going, can't even see where you are going, and have been hiking with a heavy backpack all day) And it wasn't so much apathy that prevented the characters from moving as it was hopelessness. They were terrified, but didn't know whether each step brought them closer to or further from safety, so there was little motivation to move.

As you can tell, I rather enjoyed the movie. Although I thought most of it was rather tedious, the last 5 minutes made the movie well worth it. It was the first time in years a movie actually prevented me from sleeping. (Kept waking up in a cold sweat and the first thing I saw as I opened my eyes was the dark corner of my room *shudder*)

I also found that the mood in the theater had a lot to do with my perception of the movie. The entire audience was scared by the end, and in the last scene in the house, every time the camera turned a corner about a third of the audience would gasp. As if that weren't enough, in the last 5 seconds of the movie, some guy in the back of the theater screamed LOUDLY. (Add to that the fact that I saw it on a Friday the 13th and as I drove home there were silent, eerie flashes in the sky)

An altogether interesting experience.

> If the reviews of Blair Witch that have been submitted to IABBBBM were that coherent, I'd be a lot happier. That's a perfectly valid, logically sound, eloquently stated opinion. (I still wouldn't post it, though -- just because it's not a review that is going to help bad movie lovers seeking hilariously bad movies.)

Yeah, I think the sort of thing some people are submitting would be more likened to Snook Draddots' "Words you can't spell with a calculator" Sort of a list of movies one should not see; movies that have no entertainment value whether one is a fan of good or bad movies. Unfortunately, no matter how bad they are, there are some movies you can't even make fun of. (Never ever ever see "The Last Days of Disco")

"Face Off," on the other hand (IMHO), is a prime candidate for IABBBM. Even though a lot of people liked it (not me), most would probably still agree that parts could be made fun of.

Bal

"Scene to watch for: The movie's title is repeated several billion times.
Best Quote: 'I want to take his face . . . off.' 'You want to take his face . . . off?' 'Yes, I want to take his face . . . off.' 'He wants to take his face . . . off!' (etc, etc)"

anthalus