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Welcome to my blog, if you are looking for reviews of the latest releases then I would suggest taking a look at some of the other excellent blogs mentioned to the right of this blog, for I review an eclectic mix of films from any era and any country and have sadly little time for the latest film news.
Enjoy my blog and don't hesitate to comment, I will answer without delay!

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Shooter - 2009

Like many film buffs I do not see many Short Films, it is not that I avoid them purposefully but that I just wouldn't know where to start if I wanted to explore to Short film world.
Yet they are an important part of Cinema, one should not think less of a director for directing a Short rather than a feature length film.So sometimes I regret not seeing more of them.
For sometimes a Short film can put more excellent shots and different emotions into a few minutes than are included in a whole feature length film.
So as I was saying, I don't watch many Short films, but I somehow came about watching this Short, named Shooter and directed by Ronnie Goodwin. I was very impressed.


It tells the tale of a man who desired combat above anything else in his youth, but today he reflects upon the horrors he witnessed and the lives he stole. But thankfully the beauty of Nature is all around him to help him choose the right path. Thus he turns away from the weapons of his youth and moves on to something more interesting.

Such a subject is not knew to Cinema, but Shooter  stands out as it is told with a sensitivity and an obvious admiration for the beauty of Nature, which are only increased by the wonderful cinematography and the fitting music.

The narrative was articulate and poetic and I appreciated it's presence, to often pretentious film makers go without narrative in an attempt to be different and thus cause their own downfall. Thus the film manages to be stylish and interesting from a visual perspective but also thought provoking.

I think Shooter lays some very fine ground work for Goodwin's career, for it won many awards and rightfully so, I'm sure any feature films he might direct in the future would definitely be worth keeping an eye out for.

As an aspiring director myself, I found Goodwin's work here to be very inspiring. Made with practically no money, on his own except for Paul Hunter who stars in the film, and yet it achieved something few big budget films achieve today, uniqueness. That definitely deserves praise.
Much striking imagery is used that succeeds in making the film haunting and yet beautiful in it's portrayal of Nature, and in particular of the Scottish wilderness.
One can tell that every shot has been thought out and carefully executed, this was obviously a very personal project for Ronnie Goodwin to make, for according to this post on flickeringmyth it was based on his own real life experiences. 

Highly recommended for those interested in Independent Cinema and Short Films. This short just goes to show that Cinema is nowhere near it's decline, and despite the torrent of mediocrity that floods many Cinema's these days, there is still place for genuinely talented individuals who aren't necessarily pursuing profit above creativity.

That concludes my review for Shooter, I would have liked to say more but after all it is a Short film so a short review seems fitting. I wouldn't want to over analyse the film anyway, it should be watched rather than read about, consider this review as an introduction of sorts, just to get you interested.

You can see the film and get in touch with Ronnie here:
http://ronniebgoodwin.blogspot.com/

You may also want to check his Youtube channel, it's full of interesting stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Studiorondo

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