Greendale (2003)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Just to answer to those who presume Mr. Shaky of self indulgence and amateurish egocentricity! Being what his name brings, you cannot expect a Kubrick movie! Are you in the latest technology to produce the highest quality in sound or images? Forget this 'movie': it's the revenge of the rascals! For those worried about giving him more money, so he will eventually produce MORE of this, stay still! Some praise this movie as a brilliant opera from a genius, who's fighting for the rights of Mother Earth to survive the naughty and idiotic children: humanity. Anyway, maybe because I watched it on my birthday (it was a present I made to myself), I enjoyed it as an intimate 'over the shoulder' look at a private family diary: and after all it's just this! A family story with a turn: we are ALL family, on this Mother/Father planet...Please note: I cannot give it a vote; maybe there should be a 'Not Valuable' sort of option to place on this kind of works.

Watching Greendale brought to mind two other film experiences: Fellini movies and Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon". What does Greendale have in common with them? The viewing attitude that made me appreciate them. In younger days I had trouble understanding Fellini plots, until making a conscious decision to leave intellect out of it and just "experience" what I was watching. From that point on I became a huge Fellini fan. With Barry Lyndon, a friend had reported that the plot was tedious and boring. But another friend's comment motivated me to see it - he said that it was like viewing an endless stream of painting masterpieces. I saw Barry Lyndon with that attitude - and to this day it ranks as one of my favorite movies due to the visual (and audio) experience. (And I've completely forgotten the plot and the acting.)I'm not comparing Neil Young to Fellini or Kubrick. And I have no argument with critics of Greendale's cinematic or acting qualities, other than to feel that they've missed the point. If you need to enjoy professional acting, don't pick a movie where the characters are amateurs and friends. If you're a fan of cinematic technique, don't compare Greendale to textbook rules. If you must have a traditional plot and story line, look elsewhere. And if you're not prepared to treat it as an "experience", you may be disappointed.As for me, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience that has stayed with me for much longer than most other movies. Thank you, Neil.(Postscript - I'm not qualified to buy into the debate as to whether being a Neil Young fan is a prerequisite to enjoying Greendale. He's been one of my favorite musicians for decades.)

I saw this movie a few months ago in the town which appeared as Greendale in the movie, which is the only reason I went to see it. Another local who was there just forwarded to me an email announcement of a repeat showing because the first had sold out and people were turned away. His editorial comment in his forward is a good summary:"Yuk."Unless you're a Neil Young fan or live in/near "Greendale" (if the latter you know the real name), skip this movie. It's mostly an ego trip for the filmmaker. It has no discernible plot, the music is merely OK, and too much of the lyrics are unintelligible making it impossible to follow what little shreds of plot there may be.I don't need to put in a spoiler warning because there are no surprises to give away.I'd give this a 1.5/10, but that's just for the amusement value of seeing the locales made into a movie. It wasn't worth the $6. I could rent a video camera and drive around "Greendale" and make a better movie myself.If you want to see a *good* environmental-message movie with no plot, go rent Koyaanisqatsi.

It's a strange movie, but I would heartily recommend it to people who either like or love Neil Young and are interested in experimental cinema. The story is thin (but there is one), yes, but it's definitely a mind-affecting experience.The thing I took away from it most (apart from the obvious ecological message, but that's always been a theme of Young's) was the stylistic choice to film most of the scenes in extra-grainy Super 8, but to insert these highly-produced segments from (fictional) TV news stations and the like. It's a simple message, but a good one: Young's trying to tell us that the world we see on TV, even the allegedly real world of news, isn't real, and that we trust it at our peril. The real world is shaky, and blurry, and hard to make out sometimes. Anything that looks slick, and easy to understand, is probably fake.