Customer Reviews

Lying

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have only been burned twice in the last six years in how I research ordering for my store. Welcome to the 2nd. The same reviews shown here got planted/pasted at numerous sites on the Internet, supplemented by a couple others from crew members to make this sound like a masterpiece.

At approximately 22 minutes into the film I decided to do the research to see what went wrong on me even paying for this mess. We have a story about four women uniting at a country home for unknown reasons and with unknown motives. Throw in some horrible hand-held camera work, bad film quality, characters you learn nothing about or why they are even talking to each other, senseless dialogue, boring performances and voila: 94 non-returnable minutes.

I even tried to get this from the point of view of my customers having a ladies night or wanting to see something edgy or fascinating. Nothing I listed could qualify for that. Yes, I am pissed I wasted money for a movie most customers will find boring, meaningless and poorly written - but even as into minimalist films as I am - this is a definite skipper.

DVD: Todd Haynes' interview of M and the commentary are a double dose of furtherance into this film, so if you enjoyed this, it makes it a purchase item, otherwise be careful on this one.

Edit: The reviews have been removed (at least at the moment) - so in case one is wondering what the heck I am babbling about, I swear there were two other reviews here...

Looks really promising, Chloe Sevigny (The Brown Bunny), Leelee Sobieski, Maya Goldsmith (Lipstick Jungle), and two very beautiful women, Jena Malone and Halley Wegryn Gross. I thought, oh some cinema verite, all these gorgeous women together, even if they sat around and talked this would be special; and there was a huge promise, not rated - who could predict what would happen?

Oh this film is such a mess. Anyone that has seen The Brown Bunny - this whole movie is like the lead up to the hotel scene. It's slightly better, in that we don't just see a guy driving a car for an hour; in Lying you get to see each of these women doing something, moving around, doing things. So there is some movement. But there's no pay off, nothing, nada, niente, rien. The Brown Bunny at least had that very intense scene that is actually very memorable.

This is seriously all that happens in this film, Chloe Sevigny rearranges some odd bits and pieces in a house. She disconnects the phones and hides them. What appear to be three girl friends arrive. They are shown their room (oh my goodness, the brunette, Maya Goldsmith, made up to look homely, carts her suitcase all over the house for no reason). They get groceries. They unload the groceries. We get to see Leelee Sobieski spying on the house from a distance. The four girls cook dinner. They eat dinner. They talk about (this is the first real conversation in the film), Chole's parents dying and leaving her a bunch of money. Turns out none of these girls are really Chole's friends. They clean up the dishes. They sleep. They play croquet. Leelee does really pitiful semifore signalling (no idea why). She sneaks over. Talks with Chloe. And the movie ends. Riviting.

I'll have to admit, the opening sequence where Chloe is dressed in a white button down shirt, and shorts is actually surprisingly sensual. There's something white and billowy about the whole scene. But oh my goodness, everything from then on is just plain dental work.

The camera work is absolutely pitiful. Yes it's supposed to have a cinema verite style, handheld camera, choppy movements, choppy editing, etc. But come on, after 5 minutes of sea sickness inducing movements, let's go find a tripod already! Another version of film school assignment, could have done a better job.

There is something hugely sadening about this film, the first time director M Blash and author of this film, believes this is an incredibly well done film. He's actually serious. He claims to have embedded hommages to many different directors. He's intense about starting this film and within 2 months having a completed film. I have no clue how or why he is so obsessed with this piece of yammering nonsense.

I just finished reading, Either You're in or You're in the Way: Two Brothers, Twelve Months, and One Filmmaking Hell-Ride to Keep a Promise to Their Father, a rather wonderful fast fun read about making a film. Why did anyone waste their money on this film and not contribute to the Logan brothers? There are so many worthwhile film projects. I would guess this is M Blash's last film, at least directing.

Seriously, I'm not lying, don't watch this movie. Go to the dentist instead.

I agree with much of what has been said by the other reviewers. I am, however, in a more relaxed place because I spent $1 for this movie at a video store going out of business. So, I am not angered by the outlay of cash, as others were. The movie was OK and made sense only after I watched the interview of the director in the Special Features. I believe there is some substance to this tale, and not an altogether waste. I was struck by how sexless the movie is. The actresses are neither sensual nor interested in sex. Why would a group of women, alone, not talk about sex or men(or women)? Lee Lee Sobieski's talents were wasted in this movie. I could see Jena Malone trying to make things happen. I will probably watch it again to see if I agree with my own remarks. If Lying is accepted by Criterion Collection, I will seriously doubt my own judgment.

The talented cast is what caught my attention. Unfortunately the film didn't do anything for me. It's too darn boring. I don't mind student or art films, but this film had nothing to keep me interested in watching it a second time.

Sometimes the best sign of really affecting art is a response of strong opinions. LYING seems to be a deeply rewarding exploration for some, and a polarizing experience for others. I urge people to see this as an attraction and not a deterrent... because what it means is that LYING has somehow bypassed the filter of the "system" that tries to condition films to fit the mold of what studios think the vague, broad audience wants. It is a rare example of creative liberation on the part of the filmmaker. So what you are getting is a film that does not treat you (the viewer) as a child, with easy plot points, melodrama or on the button literal "meanings" to things. On the contrary, M Blash treats us with a great deal of respect for our intelligence, and seems to be confident in us as viewers to cull our own experiences to find poignancy in his characters and images.

LYING is a fantastic mystery film, of the rarest kind. The type that explores the unsolvable mysteries of human behavior, relationships and interactions. The clues are all in the gestures, the tone of voice, the phrasings, in eyes and on the faces of these four women, and it is exciting to watch because of strong and etherial performances from Jena Malone, Chloe Sevigny, Halley Wegryn Gross, Maya Goldsmith and Leelee Sobieski. Not to mention beautiful, hazy cinematography that is imperfect, yes, but rich with texture and a fitting rawness.

Lying is of course, the central theme. The different ways that people lie to each other, particularly in adulthood, that makes us question how well we really know our friends and acquaintances around us. But while LYING does provoke you to contemplate why people lie, it's focus is on HOW people lie. Blash's film does not try to force a moral stance or a definitive statement about lying down your throat. It's up to you to figure out the "why", and decide what levels of falsehood you are willing to live with and what has gone too far.

The search for the singing voice is an amazing scene. It is the centerpiece of LYING, by far the most memorable sequence, and so powerful when we see Sevigny's character sitting back and marveling over the hysterics her lies have created.

A double feature with Van Sant's GERRY? I literally can not think of a greater compliment for this film.

Although several of the reviewers were disappointed with the film, I found it at least interesting from a film-making perspective. The scenery of rural New York (near the Berkshires) is beautiful, as is the house they used during filming. Everything, including the weather, is sort of gauzy and quiet (very little music in the film). It's true that the plot (if it can be called that), is loose at best, so do not watch this film expecting a significant story. The gist, as I understood it: a woman invites a friend from yoga and two interns (?? they're college students "working" for the hostess) to her country home. Over the course of the movie, the hostess tells her guests that her parents died, left her money with which, it is implied, she built the house. None of the women seem to know each other very well; a point that is underscored by the seemingly pointless but repeated lies/untruths told by the hostess. (The story is not revealed entirely in chronological order.)

If you enjoy cinéma vérité and the opportunity to observe, there are worse ways to spend ninety minutes than letting this quiet little film wash over you.

Hi, so you guys have heard that this movie is boring and you are checking out the reviews for any signs of this, well they're wrong this film is great but I will say you need to watch it maybe twice to get the full effect because it has non-linear scenes and you need to watch it in full to get the full story and once you do that watch it again and you will have a better idea what's going on....and for me, I love this film and the soundtrack, so rent or buy it cause it deserves to be seen and talked about.

Not sure if this is a hoax perpetrated on the unsuspecting viewer? If so, just who is laughing? If you take a video camera and just shoot your friends or even strangers in their random conversations and do no editing whatsoever my guess is that your finished film (you must stop at 94 minutes) will be better than "LYING."

This film would make a great double feature with "GERRY." The one about the two guys named Gerry who get lost in the desert. And then one Gerry kills the other Gerry. Ooops, hope I didn't spoil it for anyone.

This is a double loss. The time wasted watching this is lost forever and you probably can't return it to get your money back. Life can be so unfair but why waste it on really, really, really, really, really bad movies?

I fell in love with the trailer from M. Blash's Lying the first time I saw it, but after reading the reviews on here I expected the worst. It really is a delicate little film, but yes, with some underwritten parts that can feel a tad awkward. That said, it's just a nice little escape to a country farmhouse. I probably wouldn't have given it much of a chance if I didn't really love the actresses in it but it really does have its moments. There's one scene in particular, that really is one of the most memorable scenes I can remember seeing in a film in quite awhile and is almost worth any dullness that one might feel they'd have to endure.
If you're the type who really can get wrapped up in a setting, this movie feels every bit the place you experience in the photos or trailer. For me that was enough to enjoy it.

I love independent films, and I love Chloe Sevigny, Leelee Sobieski, and Jena Malone, so I was super excited when I discovered this movie with all 3 of them (!) while poking around on Netflix. I streamed it so I could watch it right away. Now I wish I could get back the last 2 hours of my life (and it takes a LOT for me to say that about a movie). The problem is NOTHING HAPPENED! Seriously. For 2 hours. And I'm not saying this in an our-country-is-so-ADD-that-we-need-constant-action-for-something-to-be-even-remotely-interesting kind of way. I mean NOTHING HAPPENED at all in this movie. I'm not sure why I didn't just turn it off 30 minutes into the movie, but I guess I just kept thinking something would happen and kept waiting for that moment. Plus, I only get to stream one movie/month on my Netflix plan, and I didn't want to feel like I wasted that. But I did anyway, it seems. I seriously can't figure out how 3 such relatively big stars all agreed to do this movie.