Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

thefilmeditor86 Wow, I must say this is probably the best indie film I've seen in years and it has wormed its way into my top 10 movies ever. "Simple Men" is very well written and the dialogue is genius. Plus, anyone doing a dance number to a sonic youth song is a winner in my book.

ellkew This is a beautifully made film that has dialogue that literally sparkles and puts 90% of Hollywood scripts to shame though that is admittedly not too difficult. I adore Hartley's use of language and the way he lets the actors perform in front of his camera. The post-drinking scene where they dance to Sonic Youth's Kool Thing is inspired cinema, also the scene where Donovan lists his decent bands 'the old Who'. The best scene is at the end though. I find it incredibly moving each time that this man who has constantly denied his feelings and fought his past is drawn to rest his head gently on the breast of the woman he has grown to love. Though surrounded by police the camera focuses only on his face as we hear the words 'Don't move' off-camera. Why would he move when he has finally found where he belongs? Immaculate framing, marvellous pace and a genuinely affecting story all combine to make this my second favourite Hartley film after 'Amateur' which is untouchable as far as I am concerned.

kgh-3 The power of the movie camera is its voyeuristic capabilities, peering in at various affairs, public and intimate, of people portrayed by actors. It is undetected by them as they go about their business. Hitchcock brought this metaphor to life in Rear Window as Jimmy Stewart peered into his neighbors' lives with his camera. There is, however, a school of film-making that breaks from this model; let's call it the nudge-nudge, wink-wink school of film-making. In this style the actors are all aware of the camera, behaving not naturally, but rather in a posed way, a way that says, "Look, I'm doing this for you, the viewer." Films in this school often feature stilted dialogue and wooden acting. If this is a style that you enjoy, then Simple Men is for you.

fandangonoir This was the first Hal Hartley film I ever saw. I stumbled upon it at the video store really. Hartley is in many ways a completely original filmmaker. You've rarely seen a film like the ones he makes. His later films have lacked the humor of this one and the wonderful Trust. Its the story of two weird brothers on a quest to find their whacked out father. A Hal Hartley film isn't really complete without Martin Donovan (Matthew) and Adrienne Shelly (Maria) but Hartley gets it half right by putting Martin in here in a small role. It woulda been a better film with Donovan in the lead. But still well worth watching...