BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Ploydsge just watch it!

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

gengar843 Having seen Time Trap (2017), and loving the premise while also liking the kitschy follow-through, as well as enjoying some vibrance of that cast, I decided to look into his earlier offering, STRINGS. Another intriguing entry! Let's begin with the PLOT: Decided loser Billy happens upon the business card of an "experimental therapist" who promises to completely change Billy's life. Point 1: Billy is fairly likeable from the start so we root for him, even if only moderately. His girlfriend Chavine is also likeable even if demanding, and we discover much about why this is in the character build-up. We learn about their respective family upbringing and parental involvement, Chavine's mother intensely involved in her daughter's welfare while Billy's parents are at best detached. There is also alcoholism. But most salient is the death of their daughter, which causes Billy to emotionally wander aimlessly and fail to grow. This is displayed in a couple of good scenes, particularly when the club owner tells Billy he's essentially washed up as a musician and should consider being a sound and light man. Oof!Point 2: SPOILER: The manner by which Billy finds the business card is quite coincidental. Not a setup, just greatly fatalistic. Destiny. Not bad, but a bit heavy-handed.Point 3: SPOILER! The therapy is essentially to become a part of a rescue team for kidnapped children who are forced into child porn. I'm not sure if this is ALL the team does, because we see essentially one mission, but that one mission is quite the disgusting eye-opener, and forces us to again believe in Billy as a person with a worthwhile life-path. The problem, of course, is that he's also become a vigilante, a murderer, even if in the name of a justice which nearly everyone would or should agree. Not only is this a moral tension of the film (is there justified murder?) but there is the added element that once in the gang of mercenary rescuers, always in the gang, and there's no going back to the old life, that is, no "strings" can get in the way or pull you back. This particular element is done a bit poorly, even if it's the central theme. Why? The gang is small, from what I can gather, less than 10 members, and therefore to kill those who disobey the prime directive, so to speak, that is, to have no strings, not only whittles down your gang but also causes too many questions of self-survival, putting too much pressure on missions. In fact, the ending of the film justifies my complaint - SPOILER ALERT! - that Desky "falls out of a window" and everyone is set free. One might say it's the nature of that "business" that such things are doomed to eventually fall apart, and that's fine. It also climaxes as romantic rather than action, which is again fine, because this film is billed as Drama.One interesting and intelligent oddity of the plot is that Billy gets hurt during the raid (or second part of the raid, if you like) and Desky is convinced that rather than kill Billy for being a liability - SPOILER ALERT! - they will opt for plastic surgery to change his appearance and therefore keep on a quite valuable member (Billy does prove it!). Thus, actor Billy Harvey disappears mid-film for Christ Potter! It can't POSSIBLY be that Billy Harvey was removed from production and the writers merely rewrote the script to accommodate because the plot gets BETTER, much better, once the plastic surgery kicks in. Now it's eight years later and - SPOILER ALERT! - "Jimmy" (the new Billy) goes to visit Chavine secretly. This is the "string" he can't break, but we already know his pal and partner Karl visits HIS son, and not with plastic surgery either(!), so the tension of such visit is pretty broken by knowing Desky doesn't know everything. Which is nice, because I'm quite sick of omniscient leaders like Nick Fury.The remainder of the film requires many suspensions of disbelief, including how he gets a job in Chavine's piano shop, why she should have one, how he becomes close with this family, and especially with ther daughter Lily, who - BIG-TIME SPOILER! - is Billy and Chavine's second daughter!It does all work out in the end, with a few further suspensions of disbelief, including how Jimmy evades the wiping out of Chavine and her family and his own death. It's actually done pretty quietly, all things considered, keeping the melancholy tone of the film intact, which is a nice touch, after all.As for Chavine and Jimmy, I'm happy to report - SPOILER! - they keep it clean and do not engage in adulterous amorous reconstitution, leaving us with them both being worthy adults who have actually grown, and not stupid children who can't keep their hormones in check. Those who read my review and object to this morality, or my view of it - I wrote it especially for you, to teach you something. Not every reconnection of former flames must end with lovemaking, especially when it would destroy the family so carefully built, which is of course the main point of the film - GROW! Strings are not only wonderful things but they also can hold you back, and it's quite better that Jimmy and Chavine remain friends, even if Lily is their daughter.One further piece of trivia: the handsome and dramatic Chris Potter, who also wrote and performed some musical pieces for the film, has never done another film, and I can't find any further info on him! He's disappeared!

rooprect "Strings" gave me a weird experience ranging from utter hatred & disappointment to extreme admiration. First let me explain why I initially hated it. You've probably noticed the 12 fawning IMDb reviews making this film sound like the best thing since "Amadeus". Whether or not that's true, it's sorta funny how 10 of these 12 reviews were written by 1-paragraph, 1-review-only members, all within a month or 2 of the film's release.Hmm... I'll appeal to the mystery lover in you and pose 3 possible explanations: (1) "Strings" is so good it entices Tibetan monks to break their vow of silence to post 1 IMDb review, after which they return to their monkly duties; (2) "Strings" is so awesome it causes people to spontaneously combust, and the shockwaves are so intense it rips the fabric of time, erasing their entire existence prior to seeing the movie; or (3) The director, producer and/or their girlfriends are padding the IMDb ratings with junk accounts.I picked (3). So you can understand the degree of skepticism I had going into it. Right off the bat, it felt rushed, inconsistent and choppy with seemingly vapid characters (most of the characters talking in throaty whispers trying to act cool and saying clichés like "let's rock & roll") who would suddenly turn from cold-hearted killers to weepy softies at the site of a cute kid. The plot seemed preposterous with people pulling off insane heists (like shooting up a billionaire's mansion, then going back an hour later to shoot it up some more, and never was there a trace of police or even the residents' attempt to lock the doors from the invaders). And, apologies to "Face/Off", any movie that hinges on a face transplant immediately loses me. But most of all, it profoundly bothered me that the main character could quickly turn from a depressed, sensitive piano player into a macho, gun-toting criminal within the space of a day or two.After an hour of being subjected to these preposterous scenes, I shut it off and wrote one of the most scathing reviews I've written about any film. But I guess I was too lazy to take the DVD out of the player, so a few hours later I found myself watching the end.It's bizarre. Right around the 1 hour mark, when I had shut it off, the film's tone changes drastically, the characters become much more sober and realistic, the tone and even the cinematography becomes less action oriented and more poetic. And of course the main actor is replaced by another whom I found more interesting to watch.The last 30 minutes of the film is no longer a preposterous crime fantasy Instead it's what I was looking for: a slow but interesting revelation of human nature. The central theme finally emerges: Given the opportunity, can we truly walk away from our past? Or like creatures of habit, slaves of fate, are we destined to revisit the mistakes we once ran away from? The first 60 minutes of "Strings" is about a guy who screws up his life and leaps at the outrageous opportunity to switch to a wild life of crime. As you can see, I wasn't impressed by that part of the story. But to me the real story and the reason why I am now recommending the film is the last 30 minutes where he begins to flirt with going back to his old life. Will history repeat itself? Or will he wrestle free of the karmaic cycle of fate? There's not a lot of action in the last 30 minutes, except of course for a spectacular & surprising finale, but for my money those last 30 minutes are what gave me total satisfaction.NOTE: If they ever release a director's cut, I'll be the first in line to buy it, because I watched the deleted scenes and realized that if these scenes had been included, the first hour wouldn't have seemed so rushed & unbelievable. There are some great scenes showing the main character's reluctant transformation from wuss to wiseguy. And although they would've slowed the pace, they would've made me connect with the main character more, something that didn't happen until the last 30 minutes for me.If you're looking for a straightforward action flick, you might have the opposite reaction that I had. That is, you might be entertained by the first hour and somewhat bored by the last 30 minutes. But if you're looking for deeper meaning (after all, the DVD box compares this to a Christopher Nolan film for gosh sakes), I bet you might feel the way I did: cheated at first, but ultimately rewarded.One way or another, more people should watch this movie and review it so we'll get some HONEST reviews for this flick!

steve-3345 An intense and twisting storyline with a wonderful assembly of talented actors. Strings is about a musician who discovers his therapist is manipulating patients into committing crimes. This movie is in a category of films that you just love to see succeed. It is a first feature film, but with a rich plot line and exceptional cinematography it certainly doesn't look that way. Mark Dennis and Ben Foster bring in some less known talent that you may not have heard of but will certainly see a lot more of. Production is in the micro-budget category, built on the passion and hard work of not only the crew and cast, but all of the family members and friends who help make movies like this happen. Check this one out when it comes around.

Kateali2 I have seen this movie twice with different people and all of us were mesmerized both times. I am always amazed at what comes from writer's minds, but this was an especially interesting idea and it really did make me thinks about the Strings in my life. I can't wait until it is in Theaters across the country. Billy Harvey reminded me of that old line "don't just act, stand there". He conveyed volumes with a look. Very impressive for a newcomer. I, too, would give this movie a Best Ensemble award. I wanted each and every one of them to win their particular fight. I also loved the music, particularly Billy's theme song. It was haunting. I was delighted when he won the award for Best Song. This is a very talented group of actors and I am hoping they get the recognition they deserve.