Hey guys, I know I previously made this announcement months ago, but I had to take everything down off social media until I was given the okay to announce things publicly...

My 2nd produced feature film (it only took 5 fucking years after the first one), an awesome indie crime-thriller/mystery called "Rage" hits VOD on February 23rd. Gravitas Ventures bought the film and will be distributing it worldwide. So it should be available pretty much everywhere...

Though, if you're in Australia, the rights were retained for that territory by the filmmakers, who are Australian. The good news, however, is that they'll be making the film available to rent on Vimeo On Demand (only in Australia), though it will only be for a limited time.

You can check out the announcement here:

https://www.if.com.au/indie-thiller-rage-sells-to-gravitas-ventures-for-north-america/?fbclid=IwAR1d6SbtdREkhfCUoFzNqYQZL1DNY2HreiIAUw6JplORqg481NT3yUIbOK4

"Rage" is part mystery, part police procedural, part home-invasion thriller, part marriage drama.

The story follows a violent home invasion that leaves a mild-mannered husband Noah (Matt Theo) in a coma and his wife Madeline (Hayley Beveridge) deeply traumatized. As Noah and his nearly-despondent wife, Madeline, try to move on with their lives, Madeline spots the attacker, who's still on the loose, opening up a twisted tale of brutal revenge. Along the way, a scarred and seasoned Detective John Bennett (martial arts legend, Richard Norton) fights his own inner demons whilst trying to solve the crime.

Deadline and Variety will be launching our new trailer along with a press release announcement next week, so I'll be posting that here when the time comes.

Can't wait for you guys to see it!

-- Michael

Deadline press release: https://deadline.com/2021/01/oz-thriller-gets-north-america-deal-channel-5-acorn-tv-team-on-series-hat-trick-cardiff-productions-pact-global-briefs-1234676873/

FilmInk press release (more detailed): https://www.filmink.com.au/public-notice/rage-acquired-by-gravitas-for-digital-release-in-north-america-february-23/

Wow! Can only begin to imagine what this must feel like.

Congrats,. Michael!

Thanks, Libby!

It feels good, especially because of how long these indie films take to make and then get released. I'm hoping to get some really high quality indies under my belt, add to my CV, but I really want to take the next step to bigger movies soon, hopefully. Got another low budget indie feature scheduled to shoot January 2022 (due to Covid - we already have locations locked and are now doing casting calls) and a found-footage horror feature scheduled for some time this year, only finished a 1st draft though. But they are low budget and I really want to take it up a few levels soon. Had some minor success with my 1st film, getting a theater release, Netflix, etc, so this is kinda/sorta familiar ground. This time around though, I'm gonna try and enjoy it a little more. My expectations are a little more realistic now than they were then.

That being said, "Rage" is really well made and well acted and I'm extremely proud of it.

New trailer dropping next week!

-- Michael

Huge congrats, Dude! It's been a long time coming. :) I'll be checking this out very soon.

Wow. Congrats,  man. Well deserved!

Congrats, Michael. Keep us posted on the Oz release, will definitely check it out.

Very cool, Michael. It's movie night!

Awesome work!! The mix of genres sounds really intriguing. We'll check it out 'opening night' for sure.

Quoted from Warren Congrats, Michael. Keep us posted on the Oz release, will definitely check it out.

Thanks, Warren! It will actually be available to rent on Vimeo On Demand in Oz on February 23rd, same day as it's North American release. But it will only be available for a limited time. They're still shopping for Aussie distribution.

-- Michael

Awesome dude. Will watch.

Any idea which VOD service in Australia? Sory if someone already asked,

PS - Do you have particularly close links with the Aus film industry or something? Both your featres have ended up here and Astralia makes like less than ten movies a year (all of them have at least one Secret Life of Us cast member in them too).

PPS - I can't remember if I already told you this, but I once found someone streaming Suicide Theory illegally on YT (I reported it),

Quoted from AlsoBen Awesome dude. Will watch. Any idea which VOD service in Australia? Sory if someone already asked, PS - Do you have particularly close links with the Aus film industry or something? Both your featres have ended up here and Astralia makes like less than ten movies a year (all of them have at least one Secret Life of Us cast member in them too). PPS - I can't remember if I already told you this, but I once found someone streaming Suicide Theory illegally on YT (I reported it),

Thanks, dude. It will be available to rent on "Vimeo" (not video) On Demand on February 23rd. While the film picked up "worldwide" distribution, the filmmakers retained the rights in Australia. But they're actively seeking Aussie distribution, so it will only be on Vimeo On Demand for a limited time.

I do have close links to the Aussie film industry -- both features were produced there, though completely different camps. My best short film, "The Dead Guy in the Trunk" was also produced there (by different filmmakers). They seem to like my work there, though my next three features will be US productions (finally). I'm also working with the director of "Rage" on another feature script they're keen on filming.

RE: The Suicide Theory. Thanks man, I appreciate that. But there's like hundreds of channels that have the film illegally streaming, some in different languages, etc. I also saw it on illegal streaming sites like Putlocker. No wonder I haven't seen any resids yet lol. But hey, I'm just glad people are watching it at all.

-- Michael

Re: illegal streaming - your director (maybe not you) can issue a DCMA takedown and YouTube will remove it immediately.

Sparking of Vimeo, I'm going to start name-drooping, and say I've met the lead actress in Australian viral short film Curve.

Good horror short, you'd like it.

Quoted from AlsoBen Re: illegal streaming - your director (maybe not you) can issue a DCMA takedown and YouTube will remove it immediately. Sparking of Vimeo, I'm going to start name-drooping, and say I've met the lead actress in Australian viral short film Curve. Good horror short, you'd like it.

Nice, will definitely check it out!

-- Michael

Pia put me onto Curve. It's so simple yet so terrifying.
I always wondered how she got in that spot of bother  ;D in the first place.

Congrats, Michael. I was a big fan of Suicide Theory. I'll be checking this out as well.

James

We just won Best Feature Length Thriller of the year at Queen Palm International Film Festival!

We won for the month of December (they have monthly awards) which made us eligible for the yearly awards. This is pretty cool!

Well, Congratulations to you!

What a way to start the year, Michael.
Will be keeping an eye out for its Aussie release.

Google sucks sometimes, tried to search this movie typing "Rage 2020" and "Rage 2020 thriller" - kept coming up with that movie Unhinged with Russel Crowe. Bizarre

Quoted Text Congrats, Michael. I was a big fan of Suicide Theory. I'll be checking this out as well. James

Thanks, man, I'm chuffed you remember that movie. It was a special one for me since it was a spec, but I'm very pleased with the way this next one turned out. Different movie for sure, more grounded in reality and MUCH longer, too. Can't wait to read comments online about the movie being too long lol (2 hrs 23 minutes).

Quoted Text Well, Congratulations to you! What a way to start the year, Michael. Will be keeping an eye out for its Aussie release.

Thanks, Libby. Even though I'm an NYC'er, I feel like I'm sort of Australian. They seem to like my shit more over there lol.

Quoted Text Google sucks sometimes, tried to search this movie typing "Rage 2020" and "Rage 2020 thriller" - kept coming up with that movie Unhinged with Russel Crowe. Bizarre

Lol, I actually enjoyed "Unhinged" even though it was one of the dumbest fucking movies ever.

I did not choose the title for the movie, that was the one thing I kinda disagreed on since there's already a few films called "Rage", most notably that terrible, terrible Nic Cage flick from 5 years ago. I think this movie, however, is the best film with the title "Rage". I just Google "Rage Michael Kospiah film" or "Rage Gravitas Ventures" to see if anything new came up that I didn't know about lol.

--- Michael

Quoted from spesh2k We just won Best Feature Length Thriller of the year at Queen Palm International Film Festival! We won for the month of December (they have monthly awards) which made us eligible for the yearly awards. This is pretty cool!

Congrats! - You're killing it.

Quoted from eldave1 Congrats! - You're killing it.

Thanks, man. Exciting times! Will be plenty of more promotional stuff over the next week or so.

In the meantime, some early reviews of the movie. All pretty positive so far!

https://filmthreat.com/reviews/rage-2020/

https://www.romeprismafilmawards.com/2020/10/21/rage-by-john-balazs/?fbclid=IwAR3EZl0DaJH__86biURBwY05vsoQ-JS0uK7ifBg80t_6ij6SHgKQ4D_VAqA

https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/rage-review-a-raw-chilling-essay-in-penance-and-forgiveness/

https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/post/rage-indie-film-review

Of course, I listed the least favorable review last -- I do disagree with some of what they said. They still gave it four stars, though, so overall, pretty damn awesome. Despite the 79% Rotten Tomatoes score for my first flick, "The Suicide Theory", the critics that didn't like it HATED it and kinda destroyed the movie... so I've learned to numb up a little bit and not take negative reviews or comments so personally.

-- Michael

Quoted from spesh2k Thanks, man. Exciting times! Will be plenty of more promotional stuff over the next week or so. In the meantime, some early reviews of the movie. All pretty positive so far! https://filmthreat.com/reviews/rage-2020/ https://www.romeprismafilmawards.com/2020/10/21/rage-by-john-balazs/?fbclid=IwAR3EZl0DaJH__86biURBwY05vsoQ-JS0uK7ifBg80t_6ij6SHgKQ4D_VAqA https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/rage-review-a-raw-chilling-essay-in-penance-and-forgiveness/ https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/post/rage-indie-film-review Of course, I listed the least favorable review last -- I do disagree with some of what they said. They still gave it four stars, though, so overall, pretty damn awesome. Despite the 79% Rotten Tomatoes score for my first flick, "The Suicide Theory", the critics that didn't like it HATED it and kinda destroyed the movie... so I've learned to numb up a little bit and not take negative reviews or comments so personally. -- Michael

Yes - even the last review had many positive things to say.  Me thinks you are well on your way!

This is awesome, congratulations! Can't wait to see it.

I can't even imagine how exciting and nerve-racking it must be to have s feature released to the public.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor This is awesome, congratulations! Can't wait to see it. I can't even imagine how exciting and nerve-racking it must be to have s feature released to the public.

Thanks, man!

Just excitement this time around, no nerves. The first movie was nerve-racking, my expectations were really high and when it didn't really propel my career, the disappointment was super heartbreaking. My expectations are more realistic this time around, just enjoying the moment and working on as many projects as possible.


-- Michael

Huge congrats!

Looking forward to finally seeing Rage!

Quoted from AnthonyCawood Huge congrats! Looking forward to finally seeing Rage!

Thanks, man, looking forward to it, too!

-- Michael

You can pre-order "Rage" now on Itunes and Apple TV.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/rage-2021/id1548169227?ls=1&fbclid=IwAR3PGFATrvZots6zgpKz8LKyUTqWQrH3Q6lM3D9WdoAxKob47FNGx_EkNMM

It'll also be available to rent through most major cable outlets that offer VOD as well as Amazon Prime, etc.

Check out the new trailer!

Can't wait!

Quoted from MarkItZero Can't wait!

Thanks, man... me neither!

Okay, this is strictly for anyone who lives in Australia:

While Gravitas Ventures is releasing the film in North America February 23rd, the filmmakers retained the rights in Australia and will be releasing the film on Vimeo On Demand on the same day -- but it's only for a limited time. You can pre-order now following this link: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ragemovie

Anyone who's not in Australia, you can pre-order on Itunes & Apple TV now. Of course, you can just wait until the 23rd -- it will also be available on VOD through most major cable outlets and Amazon (along w/ Itunes and Apple TV).

We appreciate your support!

-- Michael

Quoted from spesh2k Okay, this is strictly for anyone who lives in Australia: While Gravitas Ventures is releasing the film in North America February 23rd, the filmmakers retained the rights in Australia and will be releasing the film on Vimeo On Demand on the same day -- but it's only for a limited time. You can pre-order now following this link: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ragemovie Anyone who's not in Australia, you can pre-order on Itunes & Apple TV now. Of course, you can just wait until the 23rd -- it will also be available on VOD through most major cable outlets and Amazon (along w/ Itunes and Apple TV). We appreciate your support! -- Michael

Will be checking it out on the 23rd.

Jeez, how did I ever miss this one. :)  It looks amazing Michael! Congratulations! We'll be sure and check it out. :)-A

oh, nice, Michael. I'll try to find it in this thread. I'm late to everything these days.

Awesome Michael!!

I'll have to check it out when it comes out..

Congrats bro

Quoted from khamanna oh, nice, Michael. I'll try to find it in this thread. I'm late to everything these days.

Doesn't come out until Feb. 23rd, will be VOD on most platforms -- rent via whatever cable provider you have, Itunes, Apple TV or you can rent through Amazon and/or Vudu.

As someone who's guilty pleasure is watching Youtube reaction videos, I was pretty thrilled to see this. There are a few other reactions to the trailer, but I liked this one the best, thought it was cute.



Kinda wish the fucking movie would come out already!!!

Quoted from spesh2k Doesn't come out until Feb. 23rd, will be VOD on most platforms -- rent via whatever cable provider you have, Itunes, Apple TV or you can rent through Amazon and/or Vudu.

Oh, ok, thanks. I'll look for it

Quoted from spesh2k As someone who's guilty pleasure is watching Youtube reaction videos, I was pretty thrilled to see this. There are a few other reactions to the trailer, but I liked this one the best, thought it was cute. Kinda wish the fucking movie would come out already!!!

What a delightful couple.

Do they do movie reviews or just trailers?

Quoted from eldave1 What a delightful couple. Do they do movie reviews or just trailers?

Yes, they're very cute. Not sure if they do movie reviews, haven't explored their channel. Hopefully they do, would be cool to hear their thoughts on the movie.

Just saw this thread. Congrats, man. You deserve all the success.

Cool interview with the director/producer and lead actor/executive producer of "Rage".

Of course, my favorite part is when they talk about me, but it's actually a very insightful interview about some of the potential obstacles that come with making a low-budget, independent feature film. They talk about a few things that I didn't even know about the film. Very interesting stuff.




Hitting VOD on February 23rd (Apple TV, Itunes, most cable providers, etc).

I'm watching this movie as soon as it hits VOD on the 23rd.

I am genuinely excited to see this movie, thanks for sharing the interview.

"tremendously talented writer" - There's a boost to the old ego lol

Not to sound too corny or too much like a suck-up but seeing things like this and the success you are having is really inspirational for someone in my position still waiting to make the next step. SO thanks for sharing.

That was very interesting. Loved the speed at which they got this from conception to film.  Congrats again.

Pease post one more time on the date when the VOD is available as a reminder to us all.

Quoted Text I'm watching this movie as soon as it hits VOD on the 23rd.

Yay! It is a slow burn, hopefully you have the patience. Overall, the reviews have been great! Except for one review from critic Roger Moore, who called the movie boring. Fuck that guy lol.

Quoted Text I am genuinely excited to see this movie, thanks for sharing the interview. "tremendously talented writer" - There's a boost to the old ego lol

Yeah, me and the director, Johnny, continue to work pretty close together, including our next film, "Dancer", an action thriller we're aiming to shoot at the end of the year. He's a good dude, always keeps me informed, keeps in constant contact and always gives me more credit than I deserve.

Quoted Text Not to sound too corny or too much like a suck-up but seeing things like this and the success you are having is really inspirational for someone in my position still waiting to make the next step. SO thanks for sharing.

Aw, shucks, thanks man, you're too kind. Not really trying to be inspirational, kinda just shamelessly plugging away, but it's always nice to get support from my peers, especially peers of your writing caliber. Always good to hear about a hardworking, talented writer keeping at it. One of the best qualities a writer can have is perseverance.

Quoted Text That was very interesting. Loved the speed at which they got this from conception to film.  Congrats again.

Yeah, tell me about. Especially when one of their investors pulled out, amazed that they were able to find another investor so quickly as to not interrupt the shooting schedule too much.

Quoted Text Pease post one more time on the date when the VOD is available as a reminder to us all.

February 23rd. Will be available on most cable outlets to rent as well as Itunes, Apple TV and other outlets and streaming platforms. In Australia specifically, it will available for a limited time on Vimeo On Demand (also the 23rd).

-- Michael

I know it's only 2 reviews so far... but technically, "Rage" is still 100% on Rotten Tomatoes :)

There are actually 7 more reviews that weren't Rotten Tomatoes verified critics or just didn't post yet. Five of the reviews are good while one was a C+ (though they did go on to insult the movie a lot and said my dialogue was clunky -- which I disagree with, except for some of the dialogue they changed on set, which isn't much). And then there was one that just eviscerated the film by critic Roger Moore. But fuck that guy lol. He should change his name.

If you're in Australia, it's officially February 23rd! Which means, for a limited time, you can rent "Rage" on Vimeo On Demand -- https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ragemovie

For those in North American, the 23rd is tomorrow and you can catch "Rage" on Itunes or Apple TV here -- https://apple.co/3ogC2jd

It will also be able to rent on VOD via your cable provider, Amazon Prime and other VOD platforms.

I know it wasn't a script I had posted on here, but if it weren't for other scripts I've posted on here (specifically The Suicide Theory), I wouldn't have gotten the writing gig.

It's a long movie and a slow burner (probably closer to a drama than a thriller) at 2 hours 23 minutes long. Now, the script WAS probably the longest script I've ever written at 127 pages... which, if 1 page = 1 minute, would be closer to 2 hours and 10 minutes. But they cut out my final scene and three other scenes, so with those scenes cut out, they used about 116 of the pages I wrote -- so there's some long shots here and there -- I take pride in my ability to truly make 1 page = 1 minutes. But I personally had no issues with the longer shots/prolonged scenes. There's one scene of dialogue at the end that I didn't write that they really wanted to force in there but I didn't think it worked, so they ended up putting in there themselves. And I think I was right, but it's not TOO noticeable -- I probably notice it more than the casual viewer.

Anyway, if you do check it out, would love to hear your thoughts, good or bad. Thanks!

-- Michael

Quoted from spesh2k If you're in Australia, it's officially February 23rd! Which means, for a limited time, you can rent "Rage" on Vimeo On Demand -- https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ragemovie For those in North American, the 23rd is tomorrow and you can catch "Rage" on Itunes or Apple TV here -- https://apple.co/3ogC2jd It will also be able to rent on VOD via your cable provider, Amazon Prime and other VOD platforms. I know it wasn't a script I had posted on here, but if it weren't for other scripts I've posted on here (specifically The Suicide Theory), I wouldn't have gotten the writing gig. It's a long movie and a slow burner (probably closer to a drama than a thriller) at 2 hours 23 minutes long. Now, the script WAS probably the longest script I've ever written at 127 pages... which, if 1 page = 1 minute, would be closer to 2 hours and 10 minutes. But they cut out my final scene and three other scenes, so with those scenes cut out, they used about 116 of the pages I wrote -- so there's some long shots here and there -- I take pride in my ability to truly make 1 page = 1 minutes. But I personally had no issues with the longer shots/prolonged scenes. There's one scene of dialogue at the end that I didn't write that they really wanted to force in there but I didn't think it worked, so they ended up putting in there themselves. And I think I was right, but it's not TOO noticeable -- I probably notice it more than the casual viewer. Anyway, if you do check it out, would love to hear your thoughts, good or bad. Thanks! -- Michael

Already got it in the calendar for today. Watching tonight when I get home.

Quoted from Warren Already got it in the calendar for today. Watching tonight when I get home.

Sweeeeet!

Done, I'm going to let it simmer over night and give you my thoughts in the morning.

Congrats, second feature to your name, it's a hell of a thing to be proud of.

Are you happy for me to talk about spoilers with a spoiler warning as I have some questions or would you prefer I didn't go there?

"Rage" is also available to rent ($4.99) or purchase ($12.99) on Amazon Prime.

https://www.amazon.com/Rage-Matt-Theo/dp/B08SPXSXHS/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8#customer-review-section

Don't mind the one star rating some guy left -- they left the review a month ago before it was even possible to see the movie.

Quoted from spesh2k Anyway, if you do check it out, would love to hear your thoughts, good or bad. Thanks! -- Michael

With this statement in mind I give you my honest thoughts...

SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS -If you plan to watch the movie just don't read this at all!!!

I took some quick notes on my phone before bed and forgot to save them :-/ So I will hopefully not leave anything out.

Straight off the bat, this is a professional production. It both looks and sounds like it was made by a team of people who knew what they were doing. There were a couple of shots where it got a bit derailed (The sister getting shot in the head for example) but the vast majority of this looks and feels like a pro film. Another scene that threw me early on was the rape scene. I wasn't sure if he was raping her or simply trying to detain her for some reason. I can't remember seeing the perp unbuckle his belt or slide his pants down or slide a zipper, there are also no visible thrusts, that all might seem obvious I suppose but to me it just looked like he was pinning her down. It was a while into the attack before I realized it was a rape.

The opening is intense, super intense and really has you wanting to know where it's going but for me personally the next two thirds of the film are very slow and unnecessarily long. I know you've called this a slow burn a few times and I kinda disagree. With a slow burn you are still moving towards something, there were many times where scenes felt unnecessarily long or just completely unnecessary at all.

Some examples: seeing Noah propose and watching him watch the home video, basically everything that happens during that song is not needed and, in my opinion, adds nothing to the story.

Regarding the detective's interactions with his own wife. The first one is basically an exposition dump of information we already know. I also feel the wife could be completely written out without affecting the film. It's like she is there just to take the phone call in the middle of the night then make a massive breath of confidentially to tell her husband what Maddy said which ultimately leads nowhere.

I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of this film should have been left on the cutting room floor and I believe it would only have made it stronger.

There are also quite a few shots that just go on for way too long, I almost had the sense that the editor just loved all the shots and couldn't convince himself to let them go.

There are more than a few times where we have big exposition dumps with information we already know which also all could have been cut. As discussed, the detective and his wife's interactions, Noah talking to the 'perp' in the basement about what he did, sure it's not him, but Noah doesn't know that. Quiet a few of the discussions between the cops were pretty big data dumps as well.

I struggled to really understand where Noah and Madeline's complete distrust of the system and police came from that they felt it necessary to personally apprehend and murder the 'perp', sure I get that Maddy thinks he was the killer but that's an outlier, it felt completely out of place for them not to just go to the detective with the information.

I'm also not sure how much real value the PI added to the story.

For the most part the performances where pretty good, but some were very wooden, for example, the mistress, Maddy's parents, the male nurse/doctor and the detective on occasion. At points it moved away from watching people act to watching people trying to act if that makes sense.

Speaking of the male nurse, that also felt very unnatural, you have a guy who's just woken up from a 39 day coma but the nurse, or maybe it was a doctor, either way, all that information he dumps on Noah straight after he wakes up felt out of place and quite unnecessary as well. If the resulting issues of a bullet to the brain played some part in the story going forward, then maybe, but none of them do.

Regarding that bullet to the brain, when we last see Noah before the coma he is quite out of it with the killer pointing a weapon dead center at his head. this feels like a fatal shot. We do see the scar on the side of Noah's face but I couldn't find a decent explanation for that. I don't believe Noah was in a state to quickly move his head out of the way and I cant believe the killer missed from inches away, so what it leaves you with are questions you shouldn't need to ask. It also messes with the believeability of the situation. I thought maybe Maddy may have struck the killer as he took the shot and that's why the shot missed, but that clearly isn't the case.

One thing that really threw me, maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me they had the real attacker on DNA evidence but they let him walk because of a lineup where both witnesses are heavily traumatized. I didn't get this at all.

The final scene where Noah and Maddy are talking outside the station could have been plucked straight out of an Australian soap called Neighbors (not sure if you're familiar with it), it really felt unnatural.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was 30 to 45 minutes shorter. The middle part of the film is very slow.

I can't say I loved it, which I know isn't what you want to hear, I wouldn't want to hear it either, sorry  :-/ Because of the long run time and the very slow middle it's also not a film I could revisit. I don't have an issue with long movies, I'm actually someone who loves long movies, they just need to ensure that they constantly have my attention.

Again, the overall production value is stellar, if this was mine I'd be incredibly proud regardless of what anyone else thought.

I'm very interested to see what others think, hopefully the issues raised are mine alone, and who am I anyway  :P

I very much enjoyed the BTS stuff, great to see how passionate everyone is about the project.

Quoted from spesh2k "Rage" is also available to rent ($4.99) or purchase ($12.99) on Amazon Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Rage-Matt-Theo/dp/B08SPXSXHS/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8#customer-review-section Don't mind the one star rating some guy left -- they left the review a month ago before it was even possible to see the movie.

Wonder why someone would leave a bad review for a film they haven�t seen or even been released... maybe they have a personal grudge against the filmmakers. Anyway...

Is it coming to Amazon in UK? Had a look and can�t see it yet

Quoted from Warren With this statement in mind I give you my honest thoughts... SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS -If you plan to watch the movie just don't read this at all!!! I took some quick notes on my phone before bed and forgot to save them :-/ So I will hopefully not leave anything out. Straight off the bat, this is a professional production. It both looks and sounds like it was made by a team of people who knew what they were doing. There were a couple of shots where it got a bit derailed (The sister getting shot in the head for example) but the vast majority of this looks and feels like a pro film. Another scene that threw me early on was the rape scene. I wasn't sure if he was raping her or simply trying to detain her for some reason. I can't remember seeing the perp unbuckle his belt or slide his pants down or slide a zipper, there are also no visible thrusts, that all might seem obvious I suppose but to me it just looked like he was pinning her down. It was a while into the attack before I realized it was a rape. The opening is intense, super intense and really has you wanting to know where it's going but for me personally the next two thirds of the film are very slow and unnecessarily long. I know you've called this a slow burn a few times and I kinda disagree. With a slow burn you are still moving towards something, there were many times where scenes felt unnecessarily long or just completely unnecessary at all. Some examples: seeing Noah propose and watching him watch the home video, basically everything that happens during that song is not needed and, in my opinion, adds nothing to the story. Regarding the detective's interactions with his own wife. The first one is basically an exposition dump of information we already know. I also feel the wife could be completely written out without affecting the film. It's like she is there just to take the phone call in the middle of the night then make a massive breath of confidentially to tell her husband what Maddy said which ultimately leads nowhere. I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of this film should have been left on the cutting room floor and I believe it would only have made it stronger. There are also quite a few shots that just go on for way too long, I almost had the sense that the editor just loved all the shots and couldn't convince himself to let them go. There are more than a few times where we have big exposition dumps with information we already know which also all could have been cut. As discussed, the detective and his wife's interactions, Noah talking to the 'perp' in the basement about what he did, sure it's not him, but Noah doesn't know that. Quiet a few of the discussions between the cops were pretty big data dumps as well. I struggled to really understand where Noah and Madeline's complete distrust of the system and police came from that they felt it necessary to personally apprehend and murder the 'perp', sure I get that Maddy thinks he was the killer but that's an outlier, it felt completely out of place for them not to just go to the detective with the information. I'm also not sure how much real value the PI added to the story. For the most part the performances where pretty good, but some were very wooden, for example, the mistress, Maddy's parents, the male nurse/doctor and the detective on occasion. At points it moved away from watching people act to watching people trying to act if that makes sense. Speaking of the male nurse, that also felt very unnatural, you have a guy who's just woken up from a 39 day coma but the nurse, or maybe it was a doctor, either way, all that information he dumps on Noah straight after he wakes up felt out of place and quite unnecessary as well. If the resulting issues of a bullet to the brain played some part in the story going forward, then maybe, but none of them do. Regarding that bullet to the brain, when we last see Noah before the coma he is quite out of it with the killer pointing a weapon dead center at his head. this feels like a fatal shot. We do see the scar on the side of Noah's face but I couldn't find a decent explanation for that. I don't believe Noah was in a state to quickly move his head out of the way and I cant believe the killer missed from inches away, so what it leaves you with are questions you shouldn't need to ask. It also messes with the believeability of the situation. I thought maybe Maddy may have struck the killer as he took the shot and that's why the shot missed, but that clearly isn't the case. One thing that really threw me, maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me they had the real attacker on DNA evidence but they let him walk because of a lineup where both witnesses are heavily traumatized. I didn't get this at all. The final scene where Noah and Maddy are talking outside the station could have been plucked straight out of an Australian soap called Neighbors (not sure if you're familiar with it), it really felt unnatural. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was 30 to 45 minutes shorter. The middle part of the film is very slow. I can't say I loved it, which I know isn't what you want to hear, I wouldn't want to hear it either, sorry  :-/ Because of the long run time and the very slow middle it's also not a film I could revisit. I don't have an issue with long movies, I'm actually someone who loves long movies, they just need to ensure that they constantly have my attention. Again, the overall production value is stellar, if this was mine I'd be incredibly proud regardless of what anyone else thought. I'm very interested to see what others think, hopefully the issues raised are mine alone, and who am I anyway  :P

Thanks for watching, Warren!

Yeah, the issues you bring up have been brought up by critics -- the reviews are mixed (50% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.1 rating on IMDB so far). I really think the director had certain bits of dialogue in mind before I even wrote it -- I tried pushing back as hard as I could on the wishy-washy monologues but the director insisted on it. I didn't want to spoon-feed the themes to the audience, but after speaking to the director today, he did say he was afraid that things would go over people's heads, to which I warned him during the scripting process that audiences are smarter than that. And he really insisted on really hammering home the backstories in order to make the characters three-dimensional -- I didn't really think it was necessary for the detective to have a wife and all that stuff. You don't really need every character in the film to have a massive backstory.

As for the long scenes -- again, the script was 127 pages and they cut out my ending and other scenes, using 115 of my pages. So I can't imagine how long it would've been if they kept my scenes in -- a lot of long takes, repeated information, etc. They ended up using my 2nd to last scene as the ending, which I kinda disagreed with but not too much -- it is more provocative than my ending, I guess, though mine had more of a satisfying conclusion (more on that in a bit). What I DID disagree with in that last scene is that they completely threw my dialogue out, which was way more subtle, and went full-on explaining their feelings -- there was a bit of dialogue the director wrote before I even started writing that he wanted forced in at the end of the story -- I pushed against it because it was unnatural and was forcing the theme to the audience. And it was just bad dialogue. But, me and the director are doing a fast-paced action thriller, which he's more experienced with as a filmmaker and he's trusting me with the dialogue and the way information is conveyed this time.

Some of the realistic stuff -- in the original script, the recovery time from a gunshot in the head was longer. There were montages of rehab, etc. Kinda glad that got cut from the script. But he did seem on the up and up pretty quickly after a gunshot to the head. Again, the director already had an image of what he wanted the character to look like in the film and he didn't want any facial damage -- in the script, I had him shot in the jaw (similar to Russell Crowe's character in LA Confidential). Now, he'd still suffered a severe concussion, but I had the bullet bouncing off another bone in his jaw and exiting. There's was still a long recovery time from the wound. But the director didn't want the actor's face deformed.

RE: The male nurse -- I always thought that if a patient is conscious or waking up from consciousness, it was mandatory to provide them with information. Especially when he's screaming questions about his wife, wondering what happened.

As for the DNA evidence -- DNA often isn't enough to convict somebody or exonerate somebody. But, in the original script, the guy doesn't walk immediately after the police line-up. Maddy ends up walking out of the lineup. Then we see Maddy and Noah in an Uber. She decides to get out of the car after Noah keeps bugging her -- in the original script, she still isn't sure if the guy in the lineup was the real man or not. It's Noah who's certain that it was the man by recognizing his voice and those eyes. But, again, they changed that part and made her just flat out say that it was the guy.

The scene after that takes place days after with the detective being informed that his suspect was released on bail.

Then, the after that, we go to the sleazy private eye in his office -- he gets a call from Madeline who's asking for information on the man from the lineup. And then, the final scene, which I really loved, was that same man stalking another girl in his car -- there's a car behind him. He looks in his rearview and we see Noah and Maddy following him on their car.

THE END

I was watching with my Dad and I told him there's no way there letting the guy go right after a police lineup. Another thing I disagreed with was the use of silencers for their guns during the home invasion -- felt too professional. But they were so concerned about the gun shots being heard by neighbors, which I felt would've been more believable than using silencers to muffle the shots.

So, yeah, my main issue was the wishy-washy parts. I didn't entirely mind some of the longer shots -- I was actually entertained by the movie, overall. Of course, I wrote it, but I know what I like and what I don't. I'm the type that'll binge 4-5 episodes of a slow burn crime series on Netflix, and that's kind of what the pacing was in this movie, which some liked, some did while even some of the positive reviews liked it DESPITE the longer, slower takes and some of the lengthy, melodramatic dialogue.

All that being said -- and me and the director have been chatting all week about it -- I'm very proud of the movie, picking up some awards, getting worldwide distribution and, despite the mixed reviews, there are more positive reviews than negative from the critics overall. But, yeah, me and the director have a very violent, fast-paced action thriller that XYZ Films is waiting on -- it's based on the short action film he directed a few years back that XYZ liked and this is going to be the feature length version -- his bread and butter is violent action movies w/ hand-to-hand combat and great choreography, so we're going back to his element. And, especially with the critics echoing a lot of my concerns during scripting, he'll be trusting me more with delivering the theme subtly and handling the dialogue the way I like to handle it.

I knew, based on the length and based on the premise that it wouldn't do as well as The Suicide Theory, which is darker but has a more hooky premise -- and is 45 minutes short lol.

But it's still a complex plot that I'm proud to have worked on and put together. I can now cross "police procedural" off my "to-do" list. I have a found-footage horror feature that goes into production early this summer, so crossing that one off. Then another more fast-paced feature thriller in pre-production (locations locked, still casting) scheduled to shoot in January 2022 in Mexico and then, the action thriller with a considerably bigger budget HOPEFULLY at the end of this year -- even if XYZ isn't on board, we do have other investors interested based on the quality of "Rage". I do consider "Rage" an achievement of mine and the crew ($170k budget), but it's also a stepping stone towards bigger films in the very near future.

Thanks again for taking out the time -- and I know it took a chunk out of your day lol -- to watch the movie and then comment on it, really appreciate it, Warren!

-- Michael

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Wonder why someone would leave a bad review for a film they haven�t seen or even been released... maybe they have a personal grudge against the filmmakers. Anyway... Is it coming to Amazon in UK? Had a look and can�t see it yet

It's a bot I think, that account comments the same exact thing for a bunch of movies, most of which haven't even been released yet, like he did w/ "Rage".

I reported his comment.

Quoted from spesh2k Thanks for watching, Warren!

No problem at all!

Quoted from spesh2k Yeah, the issues you bring up have been brought up by critics -- the reviews are mixed (50% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.1 rating on IMDB so far). I really think the director had certain bits of dialogue in mind before I even wrote it -- I tried pushing back as hard as I could on the wishy-washy monologues but the director insisted on it. I didn't want to spoon-feed the themes to the audience, but after speaking to the director today, he did say he was afraid that things would go over people's heads, to which I warned him during the scripting process that audiences are smarter than that. And he really insisted on really hammering home the backstories in order to make the characters three-dimensional -- I didn't really think it was necessary for the detective to have a wife and all that stuff. You don't really need every character in the film to have a massive backstory.

Yes, that's something I didn't mention, some of Noah's monologues could definitely be cut. You make some very good points, it's a shame he didn't listen to you more.

Quoted from spesh2k As for the long scenes -- again, the script was 127 pages and they cut out my ending and other scenes, using 115 of my pages. So I can't imagine how long it would've been if they kept my scenes in -- a lot of long takes, repeated information, etc. They ended up using my 2nd to last scene as the ending, which I kinda disagreed with but not too much -- it is more provocative than my ending, I guess, though mine had more of a satisfying conclusion (more on that in a bit). What I DID disagree with in that last scene is that they completely threw my dialogue out, which was way more subtle, and went full-on explaining their feelings -- there was a bit of dialogue the director wrote before I even started writing that he wanted forced in at the end of the story -- I pushed against it because it was unnatural and was forcing the theme to the audience. And it was just bad dialogue. But, me and the director are doing a fast-paced action thriller, which he's more experienced with as a filmmaker and he's trusting me with the dialogue and the way information is conveyed this time.

Again, I feel he should have listened to you a bit more. I know that's not really how it works, but still.

Quoted from spesh2k Some of the realistic stuff -- in the original script, the recovery time from a gunshot in the head was longer. There were montages of rehab, etc. Kinda glad that got cut from the script. But he did seem on the up and up pretty quickly after a gunshot to the head. Again, the director already had an image of what he wanted the character to look like in the film and he didn't want any facial damage -- in the script, I had him shot in the jaw (similar to Russell Crowe's character in LA Confidential). Now, he'd still suffered a severe concussion, but I had the bullet bouncing off another bone in his jaw and exiting. There's was still a long recovery time from the wound. But the director didn't want the actor's face deformed.

A jaw shot would have made a lot more sense, but I understand the reasons not to do that.

Quoted from spesh2k RE: The male nurse -- I always thought that if a patient is conscious or waking up from consciousness, it was mandatory to provide them with information. Especially when he's screaming questions about his wife, wondering what happened.

I'm no expert here, but thought that because of the level of distress he was in the information was really more for us than him.

Quoted from spesh2k As for the DNA evidence -- DNA often isn't enough to convict somebody or exonerate somebody. But, in the original script, the guy doesn't walk immediately after the police line-up. Maddy ends up walking out of the lineup. Then we see Maddy and Noah in an Uber. She decides to get out of the car after Noah keeps bugging her -- in the original script, she still isn't sure if the guy in the lineup was the real man or not. It's Noah who's certain that it was the man by recognizing his voice and those eyes. But, again, they changed that part and made her just flat out say that it was the guy. The scene after that takes place days after with the detective being informed that his suspect was released on bail. Then, the after that, we go to the sleazy private eye in his office -- he gets a call from Madeline who's asking for information on the man from the lineup. And then, the final scene, which I really loved, was that same man stalking another girl in his car -- there's a car behind him. He looks in his rearview and we see Noah and Maddy following him on their car. THE END

This is a much better film in my opinion.

Quoted from spesh2k I was watching with my Dad and I told him there's no way there letting the guy go right after a police lineup. Another thing I disagreed with was the use of silencers for their guns during the home invasion -- felt too professional. But they were so concerned about the gun shots being heard by neighbors, which I felt would've been more believable than using silencers to muffle the shots.

Another thing I forgot to mention, I didn't like the silencers either. I also didn't understand how Noah could fire an unsilenced weapon in their home and there be no repercussions.

Quoted from spesh2k All that being said -- and me and the director have been chatting all week about it -- I'm very proud of the movie, picking up some awards, getting worldwide distribution and, despite the mixed reviews, there are more positive reviews than negative from the critics overall. But, yeah, me and the director have a very violent, fast-paced action thriller that XYZ Films is waiting on -- it's based on the short action film he directed a few years back that XYZ liked and this is going to be the feature length version -- his bread and butter is violent action movies w/ hand-to-hand combat and great choreography, so we're going back to his element. And, especially with the critics echoing a lot of my concerns during scripting, he'll be trusting me more with delivering the theme subtly and handling the dialogue the way I like to handle it.

There is a lot to be proud of. Looking forward to whatever else you guys put out in the future.

Quoted from spesh2k But it's still a complex plot that I'm proud to have worked on and put together. I can now cross "police procedural" off my "to-do" list. I have a found-footage horror feature that goes into production early this summer, so crossing that one off. Then another more fast-paced feature thriller in pre-production (locations locked, still casting) scheduled to shoot in January 2022 in Mexico and then, the action thriller with a considerably bigger budget HOPEFULLY at the end of this year -- even if XYZ isn't on board, we do have other investors interested based on the quality of "Rage". I do consider "Rage" an achievement of mine and the crew ($170k budget), but it's also a stepping stone towards bigger films in the very near future.

So much in the pipeline, awesome to hear.

Quoted from spesh2k Thanks again for taking out the time -- and I know it took a chunk out of your day lol -- to watch the movie and then comment on it, really appreciate it, Warren! -- Michael

Still always happy to support an SSer. I hope you get many more views from the community.

Just turned it on

Okay, watched it last night.

First - super congrats on having your second feature film produced. That is such a great accomplishment. You should be proud.

Admittedly,  this is difficult to review in terms of screenwriting because it is impossible to tell how much was added or deleted from the original script. Anyway:

SPOILERS

The overall premise/plot points are solid. I very much like the idea of a couple mistakenly taking vengeance on the wrong man for this heinous crime. I think it is debatable how much screen time should be dedicated to this couple pre-vengeance versus post vengeance. Long winded way of saying I was interested in seeing what eventually happened to them (i.e., in the following months/years) from this vigilante act. That may just be a matter of taste/interest rather than storytelling.

The production value was really decent IMO, especially for a small operation. It looked and sounded like a real movie. Special credit for the audio editing. I often watched movies with the CC on because the dialogue is not clear - i.e., you miss lines. Not in this case.

Acting was a bit uneven - across the board. Everyone had good and bad moments. The lead Detective for example - I thought that he was poor in the opening scene where he walked through the crime scene the first time and much better in later scenes. The girl that Noah had the affair with - a bit you could tell she was acting in the first scene with Noah - but thought she did a real nice on in the confrontation scene at the back end of the film.

Editing - I thought this was the Achilles heel of the film. It was if the Director felt the need to include every piece of film he shot. The most obvious indication of this is what I call camera lingering.

It's like this - a writer may write a line - Dave gazes off in the distance. A director may film this and we all know to satisfy the plot point it should only take a sec or so - but here, in far too many places we are lingering there for well beyond that. i.e. the camera lingers well beyond the point where the point is made. Couple that with other scenes that were just too long for their purpose - e.g., the scene where Noah is watching old movies of him and his wife - that really should have had half the screen time that it did - and you start to mess with pace.

To me, efficient editing is especially important in slow-burn movies because you are already asking your audience to bear with you on the pace - nothing wrong with that - it just means that the Director better be real efficient in editing the film - I did not think that was the case here. I think 20 minutes could have been knocked off even with the same scenes.

Storywise - as I said - I really liked the core of the story. There were some elements that I did not think enhanced the core though. The Detective's wife as an example. If all those scenes with her (except one) were removed the film really isn't affected and you same a lot of running time. Now I suspect one reason she is here is that she ultimately does the reveal of the wife's statement that she saw the rapists face. That is important - but that could have been easily put in someone else's hands (e.g., the therapist could have been best friends with the female cop working with the Detective). Anyway - all of the Detective home scenes not really needed IMO.

There were a WTF moments for me:

Noah waking up from multiple gunshot wounds looking like a male model. Yes - I know that is 39 days later - it was still a jarring omission. And speaking of that scene - I did not understand it's placement in the story at all. Why not just show him post gunshot in a coma?? Injuries and all - show us the scars. We want to see them. It is part of the rage isn't it?

The Line-up at the station. That would never fly in the US - you need at least 5 (often 6) in the line-up and they have to look somewhat similar. Here there were only 3 and our villain was about 1/2 foot shorter than the other two fellas. It made the scene look like the budget was running out.  Also in the US - the dude with the DNA and print match that this villian has is not walking from the station immediately after a line-up. I mean - if our victims were dead and there was no ID even possible - would they let the guy who matches the DNA and prints walk??

The 2nd visit to the restaurant - it seemed to both me and the wife that Noah took his wife to the very same restaurant where the girl he was having an affair with worked. Who would do that?

Last add - obviously too late - but I think that the title and the trailer may create false expectations for viewers. This is really more about the Creation of Rage then it is Rage. 95% of the movie is not dedicated to the pot boiling - it's dedicated to the pot simmering - it is a movie about how over a long period of time given the exact ingredients of tragic events rage can make one to something they otherwise would never think about doing.  "Rage" and the trailer sets expectations for 90 minutes of carnage.  Hope that makes sense.

All in all, it was certainly worth renting and I a nice job given what I am sure was a limited budget.  And - kudos - fucking - kudos, man. Two features under your belt!! Looks like you're going to have a career in this biz.

Hey Dave, thanks for checking out the movie! I always appreciate your support!

Quoted Text The overall premise/plot points are solid. I very much like the idea of a couple mistakenly taking vengeance on the wrong man for this heinous crime. I think it is debatable how much screen time should be dedicated to this couple pre-vengeance versus post vengeance. Long winded way of saying I was interested in seeing what eventually happened to them (i.e., in the following months/years) from this vigilante act. That may just be a matter of taste/interest rather than storytelling.

Yeah, I thought the overall premise was kind of a weak point -- at least in terms of marketing and drawing an audience in. It's the premise that usually sells the movie -- and, especially with spec scripts, it's the premise that draws producers. But this was independently funded.

While writing this, the director really hammered home the point to me that he wanted the trauma to be a main focus... while also making this an ensemble piece. So, there were a lot of moving parts. And before I even started the script (I had a rough treatment ready at the time), he already cast Richard Norton to be the detective -- he was the most experienced actor, albeit in action movies. I do admit, it does meander -- and the long, quiet takes didn't really help with the pacing. But, nevertheless, there was probably too much screen time dedicated to the "C" story, that of the detective.

Quoted Text The production value was really decent IMO, especially for a small operation. It looked and sounded like a real movie. Special credit for the audio editing. I often watched movies with the CC on because the dialogue is not clear - i.e., you miss lines. Not in this case.

It really is a good looking and well put together film, definitely it's high point.

Quoted Text Acting was a bit uneven - across the board. Everyone had good and bad moments. The lead Detective for example - I thought that he was poor in the opening scene where he walked through the crime scene the first time and much better in later scenes. The girl that Noah had the affair with - a bit you could tell she was acting in the first scene with Noah - but thought she did a real nice on in the confrontation scene at the back end of the film.

Yeah, that crime scene -- it really gets a lot of flack. I think it's like 5 minutes long. And, yeah, the detective does repeat things we've already seen. But I think this wouldn't have been such a hated scene (by critics and audiences) if they just stuck to the script -- that scene was about a half a page long.

And the script itself, some of the dialogue, didn't help the actors. Perhaps the long, wishy-washy monologues could've been stronger w/ stronger acting -- but I really pushed hard against those blocks of dialogue, offering more subtle resolutions, but the director really wanted a lot of things explained, such as character thoughts. Subtly clearly wasn't the director's strong suit, here. And some of the dialogue I pushed against, especially the end dialogue in the final scene -- I felt simply one line and character expressions would've sufficed and been stronger. That final scene in particular, they did away with my dialogue to have this big explanation of the character's feelings for each other, which was frustrating. There was no structure to that dialogue trade off, it was so all over the place and poorly written -- and then they ended the movie on that rather than using MY ending, which would've offered more resolution and a more rewarding ending, especially after sitting through the movie for 2 hours 20 minutes.

Quoted Text Editing - I thought this was the Achilles heel of the film. It was if the Director felt the need to include every piece of film he shot. The most obvious indication of this is what I call camera lingering.

Yeah. I think the editing of transitions and flashbacks was really great, but all that footage was unnecessary. The script was long at 127 pages -- but they cut out a lot of scenes that completed character arcs and brought a more satisfying conclusion to the film. With the script parts they cut out, the movie should've been an hour and 45 minutes. And if they kept some of the stuff that I really thought were necessary, it still would've been under 2 hours long... if it weren't for all the unnecessarily long takes.

Quoted Text It's like this - a writer may write a line - Dave gazes off in the distance. A director may film this and we all know to satisfy the plot point it should only take a sec or so - but here, in far too many places we are lingering there for well beyond that. i.e. the camera lingers well beyond the point where the point is made. Couple that with other scenes that were just too long for their purpose - e.g., the scene where Noah is watching old movies of him and his wife - that really should have had half the screen time that it did - and you start to mess with pace.

Yeah, that montage was less than a page long -- and it wasn't written as a montage.

Quoted Text To me, efficient editing is especially important in slow-burn movies because you are already asking your audience to bear with you on the pace - nothing wrong with that - it just means that the Director better be real efficient in editing the film - I did not think that was the case here. I think 20 minutes could have been knocked off even with the same scenes.

Yeah, I think a lot of the negative reviews really brought the director down to Earth a little bit. He did admit that he went too big and too soap-opera on it, too melodramatic w/ some of the music, etc. With this this next film, which is much different and more fun, both he and the producer will be trusting me a little bit more w/ decisions.

Quoted Text Storywise - as I said - I really liked the core of the story. There were some elements that I did not think enhanced the core though. The Detective's wife as an example. If all those scenes with her (except one) were removed the film really isn't affected and you same a lot of running time. Now I suspect one reason she is here is that she ultimately does the reveal of the wife's statement that she saw the rapists face. That is important - but that could have been easily put in someone else's hands (e.g., the therapist could have been best friends with the female cop working with the Detective). Anyway - all of the Detective home scenes not really needed IMO.

Yeah, again, I pushed against this a little, but kinda just did what they wanted. Now, I did have the wife/psychologist in there, but they wanted me to write a big monologue on how the trauma affects people differently -- I prefer subtlety, but they really, really felt the need to hammer home the point. And in the script, there were more fun, subtle parts in there that they did take out in favor of exposition.

Quoted Text There were a WTF moments for me: Noah waking up from multiple gunshot wounds looking like a male model. Yes - I know that is 39 days later - it was still a jarring omission. And speaking of that scene - I did not understand it's placement in the story at all. Why not just show him post gunshot in a coma?? Injuries and all - show us the scars. We want to see them. It is part of the rage isn't it?

Yeah, like I told Warren, I think logic was compromised for the look of the film and for certain shots. He said he already had the character's look in mind and didn't want him physically deformed. I had him getting shot in the jaw rather than point blank in the face -- and I was against the use of silencers, too -- but he liked the look of silencers, which defied logic IMO. I pushed back against it and I thought we came to an agreement... but they glossed over the little details I put in so that it "looked" the way they wanted.

Quoted Text The Line-up at the station. That would never fly in the US - you need at least 5 (often 6) in the line-up and they have to look somewhat similar. Here there were only 3 and our villain was about 1/2 foot shorter than the other two fellas. It made the scene look like the budget was running out.  Also in the US - the dude with the DNA and print match that this villian has is not walking from the station immediately after a line-up. I mean - if our victims were dead and there was no ID even possible - would they let the guy who matches the DNA and prints walk??

Yeah, this is another example of logic compromised for a shot that they wanted. I could tell that the director wanted to end it w/ the two characters staring at each other from a distance. I had Madeline walking out of the line-up. Then I cut to them in an Uber, on their way home -- in my script, Madeline still wasn't sure if the guy in the line-up was the guy -- meanwhile, in my script, Noah knew it was the guy. They have a brief argument, scene over -- they need to stick together to get through this. Next scene is days later, the detective is informed that they didn't have enough to charge the guy in the lineup and he was released. Next scene is in the private eye's office -- Madeline is calling him to ask for information on Robert Conway (the guy in the lineup). And the final scene, the guy in the lineup, Robert Conway is stalking another girl. He sees a car following behind him -- and then we see its Maddy and Noah stalking him.

THE END

Was disappointed they were so stuck on this one shot that they wanted because it did defy logic. There's no way they're letting a suspect walk right after a police lineup.

Quoted Text The 2nd visit to the restaurant - it seemed to both me and the wife that Noah took his wife to the very same restaurant where the girl he was having an affair with worked. Who would do that?

Yeah, I think the crew really missed the point of the scene. The point of the scene was to show that Madeline knew that Noah cheated on him -- SHE was supposed to be the one bringing him there and he's supposed to be nervous in this scene and show resistance. Paranoid, looking around. And they completely missed that part of the script, including the actors, who completely played it off differently.

Quoted Text Last add - obviously too late - but I think that the title and the trailer may create false expectations for viewers. This is really more about the Creation of Rage then it is Rage. 95% of the movie is not dedicated to the pot boiling - it's dedicated to the pot simmering - it is a movie about how over a long period of time given the exact ingredients of tragic events rage can make one to something they otherwise would never think about doing.  "Rage" and the trailer sets expectations for 90 minutes of carnage.  Hope that makes sense.

I was completely against the title from day one lol. Even the contract we signed, the movie had a title that I made up. But they went w/ Rage -- as you probably know, David, I'm all about originality and standing out. And I was well aware that there were a million movies called Rage... including one from 30 years ago starring the actor who played the detective. They wanted it to be called Rage and I said, yeah, for a working title, we'll call it Rage. But for some reason, they felt that it captured the essence of the story, which I didn't see. I even mentioned it in a podcast interview I did like 2 years ago, kinda poking fun at the title and the director heard it and explained to me why they want it to be called "Rage", which I still didn't fully understand. "Rage" suggests like an action film or something.

Quoted Text All in all, it was certainly worth renting and I a nice job given what I am sure was a limited budget.  And - kudos - fucking - kudos, man. Two features under your belt!! Looks like you're going to have a career in this biz.

I actually enjoyed the film on the most part -- I didn't fully mind the long, quiet takes, but I knew the run time wasn't doing the film any favors. It was just compromising the smaller details and not fully trusting my decisions in the story in favor of capturing certain shots that they already had stuck in their mind. And though I was willing to look past the 2 overly melodramatic monologues by Noah, it was the last scene that really bugged me the most.

But, with this next script, I'm making sure that we go over the script together via Zoom page by page, scene by scene, moment by moment so that they really understand what I'm going for.

It is a little disappointing that reception wasn't great -- I was disappointed that "The Suicide Theory" only had a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes lol. But I'm not as devastated this time around, though for as long as the process took, it's a bit of a buzzkill. But me and the director keep close contact and, again, we're working on another project together, so we'll learn from our mistakes with "Rage" and put together a little something more easily digestible, fun and fast-paced... and more commercially viable. There's definitely things I could've executed better in the script, but the changes they made and things they omitted in favor of longer takes and melodramatic dialogue definitely didn't help.

Still proud to have this as my 2nd film, albeit a bit of a misfire. The next films will be better. I just wish more producers and directors would trust my ideas more -- they'll hire me because they liked a script of mine -- Honey Mustard is a big example -- yet, they'll hire me to write their premise, which is usually weaker than the premise of the script they read of mine. I mean, we all think OUR ideas are always the best, but I'm pretty self-deprecating and have enough self-awareness and overall awareness to know whether something has legs or not. I dunno. It's a fucked up business, a little annoying. But I guarantee these next few feature films coming up will be better. I just really hope it doesn't take so long for all of them to come out.

You should be VERY proud, dude - two features made!!!!

Funny about the title thing. Based on the title and the trailer it screams crime thriller. It's odd that if the Director wanted to emphasize the drama/trauma that he'd do with that title. Oh well. And again, like your Director - my preference is the drama elements (just my taste). It just took me a sense to regain my bearings based on the opening and the title.

Directors are funny beasts. In my short Meeting The Other Woman - the director went 99% for what I had on the page. In my short The Revelator - 180 degree turn, even to the point of changing an entity that I had written as God to Satan (talk about thematic whiplash). And it foked up the short IMO - but I wasn't funding it - so, whatever.

For me 127 pages isn't a problem - some of the best movies I've seen are longer than 2 hours. I think it seemed long because of some of the editing decisions.

But dude - again - what an achievement! Especially for someone as young as you (keep in mind my benchmark is 65:).  Two features  under your belt at your age is amazing!!  

Hi Michael,

I have watched your movie last night on Amazon Prime.

I did close my eyes for the violent scenes, as I always do. :-)

I liked Richard Norton acting. To me he is the most likable character.

Regardless of the flaws, which for the most part , I agree with the experts here, I can say it was worth watching. The twist towards the end worked very well. And...

Yes... your ending is better then the one they have chosen.

As you have said, you are learning to have a ticker skin against bad reviews. You will be more ready as you do this, to compromise with many other people involved. We know that comes with the territory. As you prove yourself they will listen to you more and more.

Congratulations! Another milestone! Good Luck for the future features.  :-)

Quoted Text You should be VERY proud, dude - two features made!!!! Funny about the title thing. Based on the title and the trailer it screams crime thriller. It's odd that if the Director wanted to emphasize the drama/trauma that he'd do with that title. Oh well. And again, like your Director - my preference is the drama elements (just my taste). It just took me a sense to regain my bearings based on the opening and the title. Directors are funny beasts. In my short Meeting The Other Woman - the director went 99% for what I had on the page. In my short The Revelator - 180 degree turn, even to the point of changing an entity that I had written as God to Satan (talk about thematic whiplash). And it foked up the short IMO - but I wasn't funding it - so, whatever. For me 127 pages isn't a problem - some of the best movies I've seen are longer than 2 hours. I think it seemed long because of some of the editing decisions. But dude - again - what an achievement! Especially for someone as young as you (keep in mind my benchmark is 65.  Two features  under your belt at your age is amazing!!

@Dave -- Thanks, man, I really appreciate it. Again, it's a bit of a bummer given how long these indie films take to get to distribution. But I have more projects in the pipeline. And I think it's a great learning experience for the next feature. Especially considering the 170k budget, overall it's a good looking film and was enough to attract some investors to our next project. I am a bit hard on myself and expect more from myself. Yeah, two features is nice -- the first one was obviously better and more widely seen -- but I'm really, really determined (bordering obsession) now to get these other projects going, some already funded, some still looking for more investors. But having somewhat of a misfire adds to the motivation, I guess.

Quoted Text Hi Michael, I have watched your movie last night on Amazon Prime. I did close my eyes for the violent scenes, as I always do. I liked Richard Norton acting. To me he is the most likable character. Regardless of the flaws, which for the most part , I agree with the experts here, I can say it was worth watching. The twist towards the end worked very well. And... Yes... your ending is better then the one they have chosen. As you have said, you are learning to have a ticker skin against bad reviews. You will be more ready as you do this, to compromise with many other people involved. We know that comes with the territory. As you prove yourself they will listen to you more and more. Congratulations! Another milestone! Good Luck for the future features.

@Miranda -- Thanks, Miranda! I really appreciate that! Live and learn. It's still a bummer, but it's a learning experience for me and the director, himself. I think the bad reviews might be a good thing. He has the ability to put together a good looking film on a low budget, now to tell the story more visually and with more subtlety.

-- Michael

Well, despite the movie not getting as many good reviews as we'd like, and yes, there are definitely things in the film I wish I could go back and change... but "Rage" is still Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

It's only out of 5 reviews so far. But there's been about 25 reviews of the movie published by critics (not all RT-certified critics) and the reception with critics overall has been slightly over 50%. Fuck it, still proud to have this movie in my catalog!

Congrats Michael, look forward to seeing it!

It's funny you mention to Dave all the extra dialogue added and scenes changed by the director. It reminded me of a convo I heard with John Truby about why T.V. writing is so much better than movie writing. Writers are in control.

Finally watched this and read through all the above discussion. I was mostly of the same opinion as Warren and Dave as to what the strengths and weaknesses are, so I won't rehash.

I think it's awesome you and the director went for broke on this one, and that you both learned from it. It does sound like everything of yours that was changed, Michael, was changed for the worse. But that's the biz!

Anyway, while flawed, a definite standout among movies of its type and budget. One to be proud of for sure. Can't wait for the next one.

P.S. obviously a 100% would feel best, but I often particularly love movies that are in the 60s and 70s on Rotten Tomatoes. It often means they're trying something a little outside the mold -- which is true of this film -- and that's always to be applauded.

I think ur team really did a great job mate!
May I ask if you are a director or a producer?