Re: [Spoiler Alert] Struck by Lightning POST-WATCHING Discussion and Reviews Thread

[Glorfindel]

^There are no spoilers in the video, I think. It's mostly about the writing process, and a lot of gushing over Chris. I think it's safe to watch.

[arina]

I cannot tell because I did not understand everything but if there were spoilers I think there weren't too much spoilers. And it's amazing video, he seems so happy, laughs, cries, is given flowers and some of the questions are new and kind of interesting.

[brisallie]

I've downloaded this video clip but couldn't quite bring myself to watch it, for fear of too much spoilers.
...

Can you tell me how you download the video? I'm having problems trying to do it from youtube

BTW I like that moment when that woman gave him the flowers because he seems so emotional and grateful by that gesture :D Also there's a moment he made the joke about her mom saying people will think he's writing about her, for me is weird listen him call himself by his full name "Christopher", probably because I get used to "Chris".

[fountain]

Hey, I just wanted to post this in both SBL forums

http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/heineken/

apparently SBL is in fourth place

[Delight]

Can you tell me how you download the video? I'm having problems trying to do it from youtube

BTW I like that moment when that woman gave him the flowers because he seems so emotional and grateful by that gesture :D Also there's a moment he made the joke about her mom saying people will think he's writing about her, for me is weird listen him call himself by his full name "Christopher", probably because I get used to "Chris".

The way I did it: I copied the url of the youtube video, then went to http://youtubesnips.com and pasted the url in the box to get the download links. You can download them as flv or mp4 files of various qualities.

Chris's voice imitations of his mom always cracks me up. “Christopher they’re gonna think that’s me! I’m not going to be able to go to the grocery store!”

[fantastica]

ok this is a fan who went to SBL premiere and she has a blog that talks about the movie. I am not going to copy it because there are several articles there: link to her blog

Thanks to Carrie always knows where to dig things from the internet.

[arina]

for those who saw it: What about Adam Kolkin in the movie, did he talk? :-)

[arina]

From fan

24TH APRIL 2012POST
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING REVIEW

As a preface I want to say it’s late, I’m not a writer (this is my first time writing a review in over 4 years), and it’s a bit vague as I was trying to avoid the spoilers territory. However if anyone has spoilery questions, or any further comments, my ask box is open, just keep in mind that I’m just some college kid, so be nice!
If we are judging by the fact that Stuck By Lightning is the first feature film written by a 21 year old kid: it was amazing. The comedic bits were truly sharp and witty, I laughed at every single one (the situational, the ironic, the verbal comedy…he nailed it all). And as my non Gleek/Colfer-stan friend said after the credits, the film as a whole was “very sincere.” If I were to group this film into the category of other teen comedies- as the producers seem to want to do- then it was incredibly imaginative and refreshing, 4.5/5 (because there’s always room for improvement).
You can really tell as you watch the film that Chris Colfer knows his character inside and out and has been traveling around with Carson in his head for quite some time. Alison Janney’s portrayal of Carson’s alcoholic, depressed mother was raw, honest and amazingly done. It’s hard to believe as you watch the film that this character came from Colfer’s head, but despite my being a Colfer-stan, it’s truly Janney’s performance that brings so much depth and life to it. Without her, it had the possibility of becoming an unsympathetic, blank character.
Now here are the criticisms; while his film is an AMAZING start, no doubt, and though compared to other teen flicks it truly shines, in comparison to the other films at Tribeca that were up for the Audience Narrative award, it is not deserving of a 5/5.
The same friend who called the film sincere, also noted that Colfer does seem to have taken a page out of the Glee writers’ book. Though he attempts to create deeper characters, he falls flat in regards to Carson’s classmates. He seemed to be heading in the right direction with his brief exploration of Sarah Hyland’s character but, perhaps due to lack of time, it did not do enough for me to establish them as three dimensional, true characters. Carson and his mother were by far the most established and true characters (and Malorie was genius), which is understandable, as they are the primary focus…however, it bothered me when people said the others defied stereotypes, because they really didn’t. Now this is probably my own personal venting, because I do understand that when told from Carson’s point of view the lack of depth makes sense, since he did not have the time nor desire to explore his classmates any further…but I just wanted to state my belief that they do play into stereotypes quite a bit.
At times throughout the film, Chris’ attempts to inspire teens to strive for their goals and his metaphor of lightning as life seemed a bit heavy handed, but with good intent. I also wished he’d explored certain aspects of the story a little further. But overall it was a lovely film, a great mix of humor and tragedy which for the most part was explored beautifully.
I know for a fact watching this movie that Chris will go far. Not because of Glee, not because of his fanbase, not because of his influence in the gay community, but because he is incredibly talented, driven and imaginative. Struck by Lightning was a fantastic start, and though he still has a ways to go, I’m confident that he will get better and better every time and I can’t wait to watch it happen.

Sourcehttp://gleefulpigfarts.tumblr.com/post/21701334535/struck-by-lightning-review

[fantastica]

for those who saw it: What about Adam Kolkin in the movie, did he talk? :-)

I believe he has one line. he doesn't have a deep voice yet - it's a different timbre than chris' and he's going to be a lot deeper than chris but at the time of the shooting he still had a teen's voice.

[fantastica]

about the classmates being stereotypical - yes they are quite a bit but they are not there as individual characters, but as a mere representation of those who are against him in school - sure he can explore each if it's a long, multi episode tv show, but it's not. the students and teachers and the people of that small towns are the ones carson tries to get away from. they are not written as individuals, but as a group. it's THEM against him. can he give them a bit more individuality? yes, but it will probably take more time and focus away from the main story which is all about Carlson. the focus of hte movie is about his struggle. remember the movie is Carlson's naration from the grave. he makes certain remarks about the students and teachers. it wouldnt work right if he makes them too 3-D, because we are seeing things from his perspective.

[arina]

about the classmates being stereotypical - yes they are quite a bit but they are not there as individual characters, but as a mere representation of those who are against him in school - sure he can explore each if it's a long, multi episode tv show, but it's not. the students and teachers and the people of that small towns are the ones carson tries to get away from. they are not written as individuals, but as a group. it's THEM against him. can he give them a bit more individuality? yes, but it will probably take more time and focus away from the main story which is all about Carlson. the focus of hte movie is about his struggle. remember the movie is Carlson's naration from the grave. he makes certain remarks about the students and teachers. it wouldnt work right if he makes them too 3-D, because we are seeing things from his perspective.

And what do you think about this "Chris’ attempts to inspire teens to strive for their goals and his metaphor of lightning as life seemed a bit heavy handed", did you feel that too?

[fantastica]

I dont feel it's heavy handed. having a "lesson" or morals in a story isn't such a bad thing. I often dislike movies that are simply brainless and just for the laughs - something you forget as soon as you leave the theater. I myself talk to my sons a lot about meaning of life and future plans and all these "heavy handed" subjects not because i like to preach but they often bring up the subject matter first, because they are at an age where they are stepping into adulthood and gaining freedom as well as responsibilities, and they do want to talk about these issues. Note that my children are about chris' age and the youngest is 18. It's perfectly normal for kids this age to think about what they want to do and I think this is a great movie for them.

personally I don't find the movie overly preachy or emotionally manipulative, something that I clearly noticed in Glee all the time.

[arina]

Thank you for responses, I really want to see it, can't wait what I will feel about the movie. :-)

[brisallie]

The way I did it: I copied the url of the youtube video, then went to http://youtubesnips.com and pasted the url in the box to get the download links. You can download them as flv or mp4 files of various qualities.

Chris's voice imitations of his mom always cracks me up. “Christopher they’re gonna think that’s me! I’m not going to be able to go to the grocery store!”

I don't know that site so I'll try again. Thanks Delight

You know once I heard a radio interview of her mom- she was talking about Chris's sister- and she doesn't have that kind of voice that Chris did so I bursted out laughing like everybody there hahahaha.

[Emile]

A not so positive review:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Struck by Lightning

The snappy opening scenes of Brian Dannelly’s Struck by Lighting are so fast and funny, they might lull you into thinking the entire movie is going to run at that speed. It opens with the title event, as Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) is zapped with a lightning bolt in the high school parking lot; he then narrates own funeral, which includes an acoustic guitar rendition of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” (“Aaaaand my funeral sucks”). He walks us back to his childhood as a know-it-all kid, raised after his father’s abandonment by his harried single mom, played to perfection by Allison Janney. (Failing to assemble the plastic Christmas tree during their first solo holiday, she tosses the pieces and announces, “Screw it—if anybody asks, we’re Jewish.”)

So far, so good. We join Carson in his senior year, where he is the editor of the under-staffed and unread school paper; he’s also wildly unpopular himself. He doesn’t care—he can’t wait to get out of his small town, and is eagerly awaiting his acceptance letter from Northwestern. His guidance counselor points out that his school paper work might not be enough to crack that tough school, so she suggests he start a literary magazine. He decides to crack the staffing and circulation problem by using the dirt he and his friend Malerie (Rebel Wilson) have accumulated to blackmail the popular kids into contributing.

Struck by Lightning was written by star (and Glee cast member) Chris Colfer, who is 21 now and was presumably at least a couple of years younger than that when he penned it. Simply put, it plays like a movie written by a teenager. Most of the adults have precious little dimension—they get a tic or affectation and pretty much ride it out—and just about everyone in it, of any age, speaks in shopworn clichés. (“I’d soon learn that when it rains, it pours” is an example; there are many others.)

Most importantly, and most damagingly, Colfer’s youth wrecks havoc on the film’s sense of perspective. I’m not talking about details, though there are some shocking inaccuracies; I’m 99% sure that a school paper requires a teacher and/or faculty advisor, but the film acts as though Carson runs the whole show, while the giant plot point hinging on a college acceptance later willfully ignores the fact that it’s 2012 and major universities tend to also email.

No, what’s more problematic is how the film feels about Carson himself. He’s a smart kid, sure, but he’s also smug and mildly insufferable. Is the screenwriter (and, more importantly, the director) aware? Will there be some sort of awakening or turnabout wherein he sees that his tantrums and self-righteousness cause more trouble than they’re worth—as in, for example, the (far superior, and strangely similar) 2009 Tribeca high school newspaper comedy Beware the Gonzo? This viewer, for one, kept waiting for the acknowledgment that Carson was actually a giant pain in the ass, that his superiority complex was, at the very least, less than awesome to be around.

That moment never arrives. Colfer gone so far in his presumption of Carson-as-hero, he even goes and martyrs him at the beginning/end. What he doesn’t seem to know—either because of age or maturity, which are two very different things—is that his hero is, through much of the film, an unlikable blowhard, and that disconnect undoes the picture. (Also worth noting: Carson’s sneering at the gay kids he’s blackmailing is pretty off-putting, especially considering that the movie presumably got made because of his association with a “family”-friendly TV show.)

If Struck by Lighting flails as a smart-ass comedy, it sinks when it tries to get serious in the third act, with lines like “Thank you for being the perfect example of something I refuse to become!”, soulful shots of Carson sitting on a beach as the sun sets to a Coldplay knockoff, and poor Janney being forced to deliver a “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge” speech that’s a long way from Sorkin. She gives that speech to Christina Hendricks, who manages to find some subtext in her thin role and give it some depth; Janney, it should be noted, gets a raw breakdown at the end that’s mighty powerful, even if the movie hasn’t earned it. Oh, and Rebel Wilson (the roommate in Bridesmaids) pretty much steals every scene she’s in. But that’s not always that tough to do. Struck by Lightning clearly fancies itself a snazzy high school comedy in the mold of Clueless or Heathers or director Dannelly’s Saved, but those films are way out of its reach; instead, it’s mostly just snide and unfunny and forgettable.

| 24 April, - DVD Talk

[tanita_mors]

Well, that is his view of the movie. Some of the things the reviewer says are in complete contradiction to what we read so far, but that is how he experienced it. Different expectations and tastes I guess.

I was beginning to wonder when the first truly negative comment on the movie will come out and here it is. Took it long enough. Lets face it, no film is universally loved and praised.

I said it before, if it gets decent reviews as a whole, number of viewers and breaks even on the box office, it's a complete success for me.

[Emile]

^Oh yep, totally. Everyone experienced it and are going to experience it not at the same way, and it's normal. Even the negative reviews are great and useful about a film when, of course, are not the majority!

I put the "a not so positive review" as a, let's say, warning. Because I was all excited about a new review, but when I reached the end I was not so excited about that review anymore, haha.

[fantastica]

honest this movie is not everybody's cup of tea. if he didn't produce it independantly it will not be produced by big studios, because it lacks a certain essential element that attracts mass audience:
- it does NOT have a romantic subplot! look back at every single block buster movie and the majority of them, if not at all, have a romantic subplot. if chris submitted his script to a big studio and they produced it, it would be rewritten like crazy and I am sure there will be romance involved.

this movie is created as a voice of Chris. It's as individual as he is. Chris is not everybody's favorite poster boy and neither will this film tickle everybody's soft spot. the big studio films are so formulaic and predictable because they are created from the bottom up to appeal to a wide audience, thus any questionable or contravercial elements are either severely watered down or completely missing.

what I like about this movie is that it speak his mind. but not everyone will see things from his perspective and everybody's perspective is heavily influenced by their own life story. someone who grows up as an underdog/outcast like Chris will relate to this movie a lot more than those who grow up priviledged. people whose only goal is life is "get laid" and be popular may not get his message at all and will diss his ambition as something foreign and uncomprehensible. Because this movie is so devoid of common block buster elements such as fancy graphics/special effects, steaming sexual situations and non-stop heart-pumping actions, and its production quality is limited due to its ultra-low budget, it rely soley on viewers own perspective and experience to inteprete the characters and their interactions. We know how different people are and how wide-ranging their opinions can be!

what makes this movie very dear to me is that Chris poured his heart and soul into it, and it makes it genuine and authentic. It has a very positive message for teens and anyone who contemplates what about what they want for their life, something that's rare in an industry that's highly focused on profiting on making audiences numb and sedated w/ snazzy new technologies.

It's actually a good thing for the film to get some negative reviews. this is chris' first movie/writing project and like every first time effort it will be raw and imperfect. constructive criticism is always helpful, and they keep him firmly grounded as a young writer/film maker. and as time goes on and more projects under his belt he will undoubly improve - just listen to how great he sounds on the upcoming episode! he probably wouldn't have pull this off in early S1, but now he can.

[paulopf]

Ah! The negative review. Well, I can't say much, cause I haven't seen the movie yet and, who knows, perhaps the reviewer has some valid points. But it didn't speak very well of him, as an objective reviewer, his observation about the snides at the gay couple. As far as I know, Carson is an ambitious and kinda naïve teenager who perceives himself as better than everyone else. Of course he's gonna be mean and use other people's "vulnerabilities" (and being gay in a homophobic society can be considered one), as a weapon. Chris Colfer wouldn't, but Chris Colfer is not a character in the movie.

[fantastica]

carson is created as a flawed character. he's not the "hero" by any means. chris never intended him to be the perfect poster boy of some sort. he's just one ordinary kid whose ambition is too big for his environment. As someone coming from conservative small town environment it is totally realistic for him to hold certain views against gays.

[arina]

Review: Struck by Lightning
WARNING: May contain spoilers. But so does the movie's description, so keep that in mind.


Last night, I had the pleasure to see Struck by Lightning, the first feature film for "Glee" star Chris Colfer (for which he also penned the screenplay), at the TriBeCa Film Festival. I shivered in a ridiculously long line for approximately half an hour just waiting to get inside the theater, because I already had tickets to the sold-out screening. The line of ticket-holders stretched down the block, and another, smaller line stood next to us, eagerly hoping that someone wouldn't show up and they could get seats. No doubt Colfer, who was unable to attend this screening due to filming commitments for "Glee", would have been pleased to see the turnout.

I wrote most of this review on the subway on the way home, running on very little food and slightly less sleep (having worked 4-12 the night before), so please forgive me if it sounds rambling and incoherent. My handwriting got steadily more atrocious.

When you hear about all Chris Colfer has done at such a young age, it kind of makes you want to hate him. To be so talented and accomplished before you've even reached your quarter-life crisis makes those of us who have already passed ours feel as though we're wasting our potential. But that's what's amazing about Struck by Lightning -- it makes you think that maybe you can still achieve something. As Colfer's Carson tells his mother, "It's never too late to change your life."

Struck by Lightning is a well-written, well-acted dark comedy. After all, any movie where the main character is killed (he is, in fact, struck by lightning) in the opening moments isn't going to be all light-hearted and fluffy. Carson narrates the film from beyond the grave, which would normally annoy me because I hate voice overs, but in this case I enjoyed his snarky asides, especially when viewing his own funeral. Which sucks. Overall, it had an old school vibe for me, like one of the offbeat comedies from the 80s. When Carson and his friend Malerie decide to blackmail their classmates into writing for the newly-formed school literary magazine, it reminded me very strongly of Heathers.

Colfer has written an extremely relatable cast of characters that, while admittedly cliches, are still flawed and human enough to have been plucked from any high school in America. It may especially resonate with someone who, like me, grew up in a small town and devoted my life to getting out, yet lived in constant fear that I never would. These people are all trying to fit into the mold of who they think they should be rather than who they are, and Carson, outspoken and different, doesn't understand why. In a scene with head cheerleader Claire (Sarah Hyland), he asks why she gave up her first grade dream of being a ballerina. She says, "Everyone laughed at me," and he says, "I didn't." Carson's school is peppered with stereotypes, but they all acknowledge that's what they are, and by the end of the film you get the sense that they are trying to change.

The script is laugh-out-loud funny, a mixture of straight reads as well as improvisation (Rebel Wilson's famous line, "spread that shit like Nutella", was improvised), as well as heart-breakingly poignant. I was genuinely moved to tears, though I confess it isn't all that difficult to make me cry. As much credit for this must go to the fabulous cast. Allison Janney's breakdown when she learns of Carson's death is gut-wrenching, but the scenes with Carson's Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother (Polly Bergen) affected me the most. This was a great cast with incredible chemistry, and it comes across as a fun movie to film.

I appreciated all the subtle references to the title, to the metaphor of being struck by lightning (which is not as much of a metaphor as I originally thought). That's how Carson explains inspiration to Malerie, how you get an idea and it goes through your body and needs to come out. When Carson's mother's doctor tries to convince her to put him on anti-depressants in order to ground him, I may or may not have snorted.

What is most refreshing is that this is, essentially, a teen movie, yet with a main character who has ambitions and goals outside of the immediateness of high school life. Carson doesn't have the obligatory love interest, nor does he seem at all interested in having one. Colfer told E! Online that he worried kids wouldn't focus on the message if they were too busy worrying about Carson's sexuality, so he just didn't focus on it. And the message I got out of it was that, while you should have goals, you should also live for the present, that you need to take the bad memories with the good, because at any moment you could be struck by lightning.

I believe that Struck by Lightning would be a success without Colfer's avid "Glee" fanbase. It's fun and witty and different -- a teen movie that falls just outside the realm of typical, a film to which all sorts of people can relate. Four for you, Chris Colfer. You go, Chris Colfer.

Sourcehttp://jamieisanerd.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-struck-by-lightning.html

[kac]

Sigh, I am indulging in an argument with the well known troll about this movie, I don't know why I bother, but I guess I feel that a person who has not seen it should not trash it.

It's a fool's errand, but I cannot help myself.

[Emile]

^No please, ignore her.

She really needs to find a new hobby.

[kac]

You are right, I will stop now, but it is so frustrating that she does it without any repercussions.

[fantastica]

that troll loves attention. ignoring her is the best weapon. remember, she cannot affect the fate of this movie. she cannot touch chris. the most she can do is irritate us.

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