Really Surprised!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

First off let me tell you I worked on this movie in a small capacity. I have worked on quite a few television shows and movies in the North Carolina area over the years. I usually don't comment on these things for obvious reasons. But in this case I feel I should point out a few "behind the scenes" items and let you come to your own conclusions. For an smallish independent movie it was quite well organized and planned out. Usually these things are often disorganized messes due to the lack of experience amongst the producers and crew alike. This was not the case. I could see that this feature was going to turn out quite well. It wasn't going to start any fires, but it should have been a decent little story. But this did not happen. I remember many days and nights on the set were miserably cold and/or wet. I also remember that the "second" director (his first time according to IMDb)was often missing on set for long periods of time. I remember this as it was noticed out by several other members of the crew as well. The bulk of the work was done by the first director and the crew, all of whom were very professional and diligent. Yet the first thing I noticed was that movie title has the "second" director's name prominently displayed above the name Ghost Town. Quite strange. Somewhere along the line what I witnessed on the set was not translated into what I just watched.

Does anyone know how to tell a story anymore? So much of what comes out of Hollywood is filled with so much CGI that the story is often relegated to second place. Unfortunately Ghost Town does not even have this flimsy excuse. What should be a straight forward no nonsense western tale of vengeance becomes a confusing mish mash of bits and parts at the hands of someone known as Dean Teaster. Clearly there is basic lack of understanding about story structure, plot, and character development. It is as if each scene was put together without thought, and then each scene was placed one after another with a similar lack of thought. This is the movie equivalent of throwing everything on the wall to see what sticks. What stuck was a big mess.

To the editor of this movie I offer this: Film editing is the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent whole. Judging by this simple definition is is easy to note the lack of coherency in Ghost Town. Strike one. Deeper definitions of film editing stress pacing, balance and rhythm. They liken editing a movie to creating a musical composition. Again this movie disappoints. Ghost Town stumbles along more like a drunken sailor rather than a beautiful symphony. Strike two. Finally, other definitions note that editing, when done well, is an invisible art. If the editor has done his job well, the story will appear almost seamless. A film that tells a complete story in a logical and consistent manner, using harmony, rhythm, and appropriate pacing. By the comments listed here it is obvious that the editing job is anything but seamless. Instead we have a poorly constructed quilt that is barely held together with fraying thread of clashing colors. Strike three.

About 20 minutes into this movie you begin to wonder just what is going on. What should have been a straightforward western tale of revenge is muddied up by poor storytelling. Too many cuts back to the back story and confusing choices of shot selection constantly nag at the viewer. Just when you think you have an idea about what is going on, the editor throws something totally irrelevant on the screen and you are left wondering what happened? This is incredibly frustrating! I can "see" the story on a basic level. I can sense what the film is trying to do. But it as if the editor is purposely trying to throw a wrench into the works. I am left with a simple question: Why would he do that? Nothing is more straightforward than a western. The good guys and the bad guys are easily distinguishable. And the plot is usually quite linear. Why then would you take a simple story such as this and assemble it in such a dyslexic manner?