Very Cool!!!

So much average

Absolutely the worst movie.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The history is deep and dark, but it's interesting and I like the message it comes with in the end, always stand up for others and tell others what u know.

I don't watch that many 'New-kid in a small town' movies, so the common premise did not eschew me (although I suspect veterans of this may still find this one is different from the lot).Natural Selection is a movie shot with an attention to detail. From the start, every character's nuance and mannerism (e.g drawing attention to how one character empties his pockets - becomes important later on) quickly blossoms into character defining details which becomes relevant to the movie's plot. The cinematography is good. I won't overpraise it by saying I saw Mona Lisas in this, but I enjoyed it enough that the after-images of some frames is still there in my mind's eye.A worthwhile watch, in a kickback-on-a-rainy-Sunday kind of way.

Both the protagonist and antagonist show some decent acting. A similarity of a troubled past and a lack of love and being taken care of, make the characters struggle with their lives. How they cope with this darkness differs strongly, which makes for a great tension between the two. The antagonist shows great acting skills by not being completely demonized, yet a very manipulative and snide boy who can't stop inflicting his bitterness and nihilism onto others. The downside of this movie is that it lays it on too thick. The overwhelming amount of dramatic past incidents is just too much to remain functional in bringing the viewer to sympathize with the characters, or even makes it incredible and unrelatable. Not all the actors are great, but it is certainly decent enough to make it worth the watch.The main topic of interest is what the protagonist will do with the different forces in his life that are pulling him in different directions, but thanks to the good acting of the antagonist this character is also interesting to watch, aside from the unfortunate fact that he is too easy to read because of the frequent references in the script to what he is planning to do. Lighting and screenwork is also suited to the story; not too flashy, but directing focus the right way. Music is okay, but sometimes a bit too standard for my taste, as it sometimes reminded me of those free tunes that come with your computer.

I wasn't at all prepared for this home-grown, strangely moving indie from PA. I found it on DirecTV and these low-budget films are many times a real crap shoot. Two things made me give it a try: 1) An opportunity to see Anthony Michael Hall in more than a cursory walk- on role (a nicely nuanced performance) and 2) The obvious devotion that director Chad Scheifele has to this project. He made a short film of the same title 6 years ago, penned a book, and he's now made a full length feature. As a writer myself, I understand the attachment to something you've poured a lot of yourself into. Scheifele obviously thinks it's been worth the effort. It is.Let's clear the air about a few things first. This isn't a John Hughesy movie, despite Hall's ghostly presence as a security cop on a high school campus. It's not full of a lot of slick airbrushed teen models spouting witty catch phrases (no offense; I love JH). The script is thoughtful, spare, and not afraid to use silence, which I really liked a lot. It also doesn't appear to be (and I may be wrong) one of those Christian Coalition sponsored movies that attempts to push a Christian Message down your throat. Excepting the occasional mentions of God and Jesus, it never really takes that coarse of a path.Tyler (Mason Dye) is the new kid in town and from the start it's obvious that he's the one taking care of his mom (Amy Carlson), an alcoholic, pill-popper who couldn't find her car keys if they were glued to her face. Tyler's only other friend at school besides good- girl Paige (Katherine McNamara) is the enigmatic, hostile Indrid Wardin (nice anagram, BTW). Indrid takes Tyler under his wing in a move that at first seems altruistic, but eventually reveals more sinister undertones. It's obvious Indrid's a man on a mission and it's not one with any sort of happy ending.While this type of plot twist is nothing new, Scheifele doesn't really villainize Indrid the way you'd expect, nor does he wreath Tyler in a golden glow. These are both troubled boys and it doesn't take a PhD to figure out why they're screwed up. Natural Selection's themes are very basic and some might say even over-simplified, but the script and performances are so unadorned that it sells itself in it's genuineness.Ryan Munzert's Indrid is definitely the dark spark here, but Mason Dye's introverted Tyler is in a way just as intriguing, a boiling pot ready to silently explode at any moment. Scheifele's direction and his competent crew's work isn't showy and doesn't draw attention to itself, but it matches the muted mood perfectly.There's a lot to relate to here for most people with the patience to look for it. And it's a relief to know that a labor of love, about love --- love at it's purest, basest level --- can be made and made well.