PodBill Just what I expected

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

internetlifer It is likely that the majority of Americans who see this film will quickly label the people profiled within "losers", quickly denying any self-recognition. It is unfortunate that the current American psyche does not seem to find true value in love, friendship, camaraderie, non-commercial creativity of any kind, whether it be music, art, authorship, fashion design, hobbies, because it is quite obvious to me, at this stage in my life, that the "ol' mighty dollar" is not the only thing of value in it. The people featured in this film are multi-faceted, fascinating, and basically tender, loving and LOVABLE. Watching it made me wish for inner peace for them, as well as all Americans, so that they have the emotional freedom to appreciate the "treasures" they have all around them every day of their lives.

billy-217 I stumbled across this movie while channel surfing late one night last week on one of the Sundance Channels. I was taken with the hope, as misplaced as it seems to be, demonstrated by the residents of the trailer park. All of them seem to believe that they are only one short step shy of being discovered as talented writers, musicians and/or actors. What is wrong with that? They all may be delusional to think that they are really talented enough to make it as professional entertainers, but that kind of dream seems to keep them going. More power to them. Drugs and alcohol may blur their dreams, but allow them to keep pretending as well. On the other hand, if you really believe it, are you pretending? I know a lot of people not unlike these folks. Here in Southern Appalachia, there are plenty of characters who need to believe that they will rise above the grinding poverty of their lives and become rich, famous or celebrated for their art. These are real people, existing on the underbelly of society, one short step away from abject poverty. Yet they continue to believe that something really good will happen to them in the long run. It may be sad, but it is also touching. This movie made me feel something for the subjects of the documentary. We are surrounded by these characters. Just look around sometime.

studiobfilm I saw this movie at cinemavillage in New York and this is a great film about never giving up on your dreams and trying to put your personal mark on life. The characters in the film are at first funny and you laugh about the way they talk about becoming entertainers while they are surely not the most brilliant talents that ever lived.But then their drive to keep going, even when the odds are against them captured me. That sure touched me as a struggling filmmaker who is also not that talented, but I know that if I keep trying maybe I will get some recognition. The film is also a very on-documentary kind of film because it uses all kinds of feature film elements like stylized interviews and dream sequences. The filmmakers clearly wanted to escape from the old fashioned institute that makes most docs so boring that you can't manipulate any thing in "reality". That's bull**** ofcourse because the minute you turn on a camera and decide to point it in a certain direction you are manipulating.

jmarco68 After viewing Mule Skinner Blues I came away realizing that it was not like many documentaries that I have seen before. I found it to be highly stylized and incorporated many elements from fiction films. Like fiction films it had an actual soundtrack. It wasn't the usual no frills soundtrack that one finds in a documentary film. The director used fantasy sequences to help us get inside the minds of the characters. There was one particular sequence when Steve Walker was describing Vietnam and the director spliced in footage of explosions and combat sounds to help paint a picture for the viewer. I liked the whole approach to the film and the idea in that it showed a slice of Americana that is not familiar to all of us. The movie shows a different slant on the American dream by showing that these people living in a trailer park have dreams and aspirations to become famous although their situation seems hopeless. The film also acts as a film about a community group. It shows how these former alcoholics and eccentrics band together as a community to help Beanie make his film. Another thing that contributed to my liking this film is the way the director kept the film somewhat fast-paced. He did not allow the editing to lag and become boring. He edited the sequences in such a way that it switched between characters, keeping your interest going and not staying on one character for too long. The director himself said "For me, the greatest sin a filmmaker can make is to create monotony, so it's my goal to make a documentary film that's every bit as thrilling, engaging, and visually stimulating as the fiction genre allows." I also think that the director did an important thing by allowing us to see some of the footage that Beanie filmed with his camera. This helps to show that this is how Beanie really is. That footage was not shot by the director so we know that it is not influenced by his ideas; it is from the real authentic point of view of the character. All in all I enjoyed Mule Skinner Blues - I feel that it has the potential to change the documentary film genre because of the way it used elements of fiction filmmaking.