If the 'dust factory' portion made more sense, this would be a wonderful film.
The visual metaphor is confusing on another level. It almost suggests, with the success implied by "making the leap," that death is success and life is failure. While it's admirable that Small would try to make a film that would help young people deal with death, I'm not sure that it serves them well by all but glamorizing "making the leap" for an age group that already has one of the highest suicide rates.
But the confusion doesn't stop there. Something else happens when Melanie kicks at the dust pile of a "failure" and suddenly finds herself sinking into the floor of the big top, pulled under by writing black tendrils or tentacles (umm, animal, vegetable, or mineral?). Smitten by her, Ryan follows, and finds her held a prisoner of sorts by the menacing ringmaster who functions as a clownish sort of grim reaper. But if any of you can figure out this metaphor, I invite you to submit comments. In this sub-big top room (which has a Labyrinthine feel to it, sans David Bowie) Ryan, a hockey player, finds the ringmaster in front of a goal. He's supposed to go one-on-one with the evil-looking fellow, and after a gazillion tries he finally puts a shot past him and the two teens are able to get back to the surface world again, where Melanie (who's been in limbo for quite some time) is afraid to try to make the leap, and Grandpa encourages Ryan to do so. And there are more crazy performance moments, with the evil ringmaster inexplicably coming after Ryan when he's not doing so for anyone else. There's even a ball in his honor, where Ryan is the only one to wear a nametag. And why is a big top tent with performances called a "factory"?
Carnys.
But there were enough positive things going on for the Parents Television Council to give this PG film (for thematic elements and some scary images) their Seal of Approval.
Video: The picture is crystal clear, with colors so vibrant that you'd swear some of the outdoor scenes were shot with green screen. And the clarity? You can see strands on Panettiere's hair and see each blade of grass on the hill that the two teens climb. "The Dust Factory" is presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1 ratio).
Audio: The audio is in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles. As with the video, the audio is excellent—with crisp sound and a nice, natural balance between the bass and treble.
Extras: The extras are scant. There's a "making of" featurette that's really nothing more than an extended trailer, plus two short deleted scenes that make it obvious why they were cut. The only other features are a music video ("Someone Like You") that's performed by Panettiere and Watt White, and the original theatrical trailer for "The Dust Factory."
Bottom Line: If the "dust factory" portion made more sense, this would be a wonderful film. Kelley is full of the appropriate warmth and naivete, his best friend the kind of friend every troubled youth would love to have, and Panettiere manages what we suspect isn't a great acting leap into flirtatious and teasing behavior—creating the image of the perfect girl for a young boy's first kiss. I won't give away whether any of the three main characters ever make the leap, but if you can get past the film's attempts to "shake hands with God" and be cosmic and not try too hard to figure things out, "The Dust Factory" has some enjoyable moments. The only thing is, the truly "magical" part comes not from that freaky alternate reality, but from the story of a troubled boy who's lucky enough to have friends and family to help him make the leap into happiness.
But the confusion doesn't stop there. Something else happens when Melanie kicks at the dust pile of a "failure" and suddenly finds herself sinking into the floor of the big top, pulled under by writing black tendrils or tentacles (umm, animal, vegetable, or mineral?). Smitten by her, Ryan follows, and finds her held a prisoner of sorts by the menacing ringmaster who functions as a clownish sort of grim reaper. But if any of you can figure out this metaphor, I invite you to submit comments. In this sub-big top room (which has a Labyrinthine feel to it, sans David Bowie) Ryan, a hockey player, finds the ringmaster in front of a goal. He's supposed to go one-on-one with the evil-looking fellow, and after a gazillion tries he finally puts a shot past him and the two teens are able to get back to the surface world again, where Melanie (who's been in limbo for quite some time) is afraid to try to make the leap, and Grandpa encourages Ryan to do so. And there are more crazy performance moments, with the evil ringmaster inexplicably coming after Ryan when he's not doing so for anyone else. There's even a ball in his honor, where Ryan is the only one to wear a nametag. And why is a big top tent with performances called a "factory"?
Carnys.
But there were enough positive things going on for the Parents Television Council to give this PG film (for thematic elements and some scary images) their Seal of Approval.
Video: The picture is crystal clear, with colors so vibrant that you'd swear some of the outdoor scenes were shot with green screen. And the clarity? You can see strands on Panettiere's hair and see each blade of grass on the hill that the two teens climb. "The Dust Factory" is presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1 ratio).
Audio: The audio is in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles. As with the video, the audio is excellent—with crisp sound and a nice, natural balance between the bass and treble.
Extras: The extras are scant. There's a "making of" featurette that's really nothing more than an extended trailer, plus two short deleted scenes that make it obvious why they were cut. The only other features are a music video ("Someone Like You") that's performed by Panettiere and Watt White, and the original theatrical trailer for "The Dust Factory."
Bottom Line: If the "dust factory" portion made more sense, this would be a wonderful film. Kelley is full of the appropriate warmth and naivete, his best friend the kind of friend every troubled youth would love to have, and Panettiere manages what we suspect isn't a great acting leap into flirtatious and teasing behavior—creating the image of the perfect girl for a young boy's first kiss. I won't give away whether any of the three main characters ever make the leap, but if you can get past the film's attempts to "shake hands with God" and be cosmic and not try too hard to figure things out, "The Dust Factory" has some enjoyable moments. The only thing is, the truly "magical" part comes not from that freaky alternate reality, but from the story of a troubled boy who's lucky enough to have friends and family to help him make the leap into happiness.
![Lost [TV Series]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=23770&sizew=70&cat=3)
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]15703[/release]