The concept is fun, and the whole film feels like we're all Googling Jim Killeen.
If any segment of the film could have been longer, it's the time the men spend together in Killeen. After a series of interviews that illustrates how different the Jim Killeens are from each other, it's both surprising and refreshing to see how smashingly they get along once they're on neutral ground and wearing the same Jim Killeen t-shirts and cowboy hats. As the camera rolls, we hear the very funny quips that each man comes up with as they tease each other, make chili together, tour Fort Hood, watch a rodeo, and learn from the mayor that it was proclaimed Jim Killeen Day in Killeen, Texas, and we wish the cameras would linger more on this group having fun. Bringing people together is what Google is all about, and it would have made for a stronger film had L.A. Jim let this organically develop rather than heavy-handedly relying on a series of stock questions (including, believe it or not, "What is the meaning of life?"), to create a sense of relevance. That's another forced aspect of the film. So is Killeen's insistence trying to sum up every visit and his impressions, rather than trusting viewers to pick up on it. We can tell, for example, that he's not clicking with the ex-cop, or that he's put off by the swinging lifestyle, or made to feel slightly uncomfortable by the wholesomeness of the St. Louis Killeen family life.
But the positives far outweigh the negatives in "Google Me." I don't know how much repeat play it will get, but it's a fascinating and entertaining documentary that shows how people are initially guarded, but are giving once they decide to open up, and have the ability to come together despite some pretty severe philosophical and lifestyle differences and still relate to each other and have a good time together. That's encouraging, and after watching this film more than a few people might be tempted to Google their own name and maybe even email a few of their namesakes. It looks like great fun.
"Google Me" debuted on YouTube.com on Friday, April 25, and the DVD is available through Amazon.com.
Video:
I wish that more movies looked as good as "Google Me." Shot in Hi-Def, even the outtakes look fabulous, with bright, true colors and a startling amount of detail. For a DVD, it looks fabulous. It's presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, probably 1.78:1 stretched to fit the average monitors.
Audio:
The audio is also overkill(een). Most of the film is dialogue, so we probably didn't need a Dolby Digital 5.1, but it sure does sound impeccable. Like the video, it's a pretty flawless presentation--a lively soundtrack that's clear and bright. And Killeen does what I wish more studios would do: he gives you information on the box on the ratio and encoding (MPEG-2) that's right there in front of you.
Extras:
The commentary track featuring Killeen and two co-producers is worth a listen, especially for would-be filmmakers. What's nice for all listeners is that he covers a lot of ground that's different from the voiceover narration.
Also included are four deleted scenes. The longest is really a deleted storyline that's fully edited and goes on for about seven minutes. It was a visit Killeen made to Tucson, Arizona to probe the recent death of a Jim Killeen there. Wisely, he cut the segment, because it tonally inconsistent with the rest of the film and it also was confusing. Throughout the film Killeen had inserted man-on-the-street interviews asking random people if they had Googled themselves, and there's a deleted scene with Jessica Han, who talks about the only other person coming up was the Jessica Hahn. Again, it was a wise cut, which illustrates the promise Killeen shows as a filmmaker. The other two segments, about as short (around two minutes) as this one, are outtakes from two of the "swingers."
Bottom Line:
It's not often that an independent film has the production values of a studio film, but "Google Me" does. The concept is fun, and the whole film feels like we're all Googling Jim Killeen and pulling these video clips onto our screens. It's a nifty bit of filmmaking, and while Killeen gets a little maudlin at the end and talks about "finding himself" (though it was never set up as a journey of self-discovery), when you think about it he really did find out one thing: he's a filmmaker. And being a gambler doesn't hurt one bit.
But the positives far outweigh the negatives in "Google Me." I don't know how much repeat play it will get, but it's a fascinating and entertaining documentary that shows how people are initially guarded, but are giving once they decide to open up, and have the ability to come together despite some pretty severe philosophical and lifestyle differences and still relate to each other and have a good time together. That's encouraging, and after watching this film more than a few people might be tempted to Google their own name and maybe even email a few of their namesakes. It looks like great fun.
"Google Me" debuted on YouTube.com on Friday, April 25, and the DVD is available through Amazon.com.
Video:
I wish that more movies looked as good as "Google Me." Shot in Hi-Def, even the outtakes look fabulous, with bright, true colors and a startling amount of detail. For a DVD, it looks fabulous. It's presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, probably 1.78:1 stretched to fit the average monitors.
Audio:
The audio is also overkill(een). Most of the film is dialogue, so we probably didn't need a Dolby Digital 5.1, but it sure does sound impeccable. Like the video, it's a pretty flawless presentation--a lively soundtrack that's clear and bright. And Killeen does what I wish more studios would do: he gives you information on the box on the ratio and encoding (MPEG-2) that's right there in front of you.
Extras:
The commentary track featuring Killeen and two co-producers is worth a listen, especially for would-be filmmakers. What's nice for all listeners is that he covers a lot of ground that's different from the voiceover narration.
Also included are four deleted scenes. The longest is really a deleted storyline that's fully edited and goes on for about seven minutes. It was a visit Killeen made to Tucson, Arizona to probe the recent death of a Jim Killeen there. Wisely, he cut the segment, because it tonally inconsistent with the rest of the film and it also was confusing. Throughout the film Killeen had inserted man-on-the-street interviews asking random people if they had Googled themselves, and there's a deleted scene with Jessica Han, who talks about the only other person coming up was the Jessica Hahn. Again, it was a wise cut, which illustrates the promise Killeen shows as a filmmaker. The other two segments, about as short (around two minutes) as this one, are outtakes from two of the "swingers."
Bottom Line:
It's not often that an independent film has the production values of a studio film, but "Google Me" does. The concept is fun, and the whole film feels like we're all Googling Jim Killeen and pulling these video clips onto our screens. It's a nifty bit of filmmaking, and while Killeen gets a little maudlin at the end and talks about "finding himself" (though it was never set up as a journey of self-discovery), when you think about it he really did find out one thing: he's a filmmaker. And being a gambler doesn't hurt one bit.
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[release]24163[/release]