Customer Reviews

Rolling

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved this movie!! It was a very accurate potrayal of the use and feeling of ecstasy. The unknown actors in this film did a fabulous job in their roles. If one didn't know any better one would think they actually did take ecstasy while shooting each scene. Defenitely the best rave movie I've ever seen!!

**1/2

"Rolling" is a low-budget independent film focused on a handful of young Angelenos who have all had experience with the drug Ecstasy. Done in the style of a you-are-there docudrama, the movie alternates between traditional dramatic sequences and staged interviews with the characters who speak directly to the camera about the drug and the effect it's had on their lives. (The term "rolling" refers to the high one gets when tripping on the drug).

The movie certainly means well, and there are definitely some lessons to be learned from the characters' experiences. And, in all fairness, director/co-writer Billy Samoa Saleebey doesn't engage in quite as much melodramatic finger-wagging as the material might have warranted. But the amateurishness of the execution - the jittery, handheld camera, the time-lapse psychedelics, the unconvincing performances, the lackluster writing - robs the movie of much of its impact. Somehow, when all the characters do is party and talk about partying, there isn't much room for them to grow and develop into compelling and engaging figures. As a result, we become detached observers rather than fully engaged participants in the scene - and that, given the urgency of the subject matter, is simply unacceptable.

The film Rolling is a look into a social scene that few have experienced; the Rave and Ecstacy scene in Los Angeles. In a docu-drama format, this films follows the lives of six young people who have relatively normal day-lives, and nights and weekends live the Rave and Ectasy life. The unknown actors do an excellent job of taking us into this lifestyle and are totally believable in their roles. The music and camera work add to the authenticity of this remarkable film. Absolutely outstanding!

at first while watching the beginning it seems like its a documentary and you're sort of waiting for the movie to actually start, id say the first hr or so is ALL INTERVIEWS OF people & their experiences of doing ectasy & its incredibly boring & ur thinking... WTF??? did i just spend actual money on this???!! But then when they all go to the rave the movie starts to come alive and becomes interesting, there's great music and the characters make u laugh, there's definitely drama in the end but overall its not too bad, the rave part is really good. But i wouldnt spend more than $10 on this

Being a connoisseur of all things "rave", I could not wait to see another attempt at another video portrayal of Ecstasy Culture. Not that I expected much really. I have been constantly disappointed by these types of releases before. So far the only movie of this genre that has satisfied has been Human Traffic. This one and all others fall short.
The problem with this one is that there is no character development. After 40 minutes, you still don't have any interest in them or what happens to them. The movie only gives you a glimpse into their lives for a moment and then you see them partying. Nothing else. Also, the foreshadowing is a bit much here. It isn't too hard to determine what is going to happen next in the film. If you have the money to spend and you HAVE to see it, then go ahead, but be warned that if you have seen any other crappy rave movie, then you have already seen this one.

Rolling is a dramatic film dressed up to look like a documentary about a group of heavy ecstasy users. Each character is introduced through an interview. They each seem to be unrelated to eachother. But as the film plays out - surprise, surprise - they end up connected in some way. Each act of the movie is about some aspect of ecstasy. I learned all the new words, that had interesting ecstasy use meaning. I learned how to and how to not buy the drug. What to do when you don't have money to buy the drug. What the etiquette is for sharing or not sharing the drug. How the drug will make me feel. Where I should take the drug. And what kinds of parties are the best for getting the drug.

If it sounds a bit like a drug lesson, that's pretty accurate. The director also tried to use visual clues for how a person might feel when taking the drug. It was all horribly cliched camera techniques - blurry slow shutter effect, ultrafast motion, choppy video, blurry focus or fuzzy views, and bright colors. Frankly the drug movies of the 60's and 70's did a better job of creating this feeling.

This film is just way too predictible. There are absolutely no surprises. The characters are just plain old annoying. I was so tired of listening to Rain complain about life and being miserable and pregnant. Summer had gorgeous eyes, but stupid self-centered words came out of her mouth. The blond guy that was supposed to be gay and a cross dresser, at least had some decent things to say. But he kept falling in and out of character and there was a very long moment of him putting on women's clothes, but when he goes out he's dressed in jeans and a little top. Clinton was just a dumb pig when he spoke. The older African American guy tried to sound like Tim Meadows, but was just dumb.

There wasn't a single character that I felt any connection with. This was a big group of people that spend an hour and a half figuring out how to buy ecstasy and then go to a rave party to take the drug. That's it, the film was nothing more. All very boring and mostly annoying.

From a technical standpoint, the director bought his film stock from a bargain bin somewhere. There were extremely underexposed and grainy shots butted up against fine grain perfectly exposed shots. The filming was bright and colorful, I will admit that as a positive.

If you are a huge fan of this drug, are potentially a bit addicted to it, and go to parties every night; then this film is absolutely perfect for you. Maybe you would like a bit of drug culture education; yes this film might help. If you're moderately normal, this film will bore you to no end.

The film appears to be not rated. Please don't subject younger viewers to this movie. There's no nudity, although that would have added a level of interest in this film. There's strong language. And surprise, there's a ton of drug use. So parents be aware.

Its not so awful it is one star. But it is a bad movie.