Customer Reviews

Roman

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Here's your boring plot synopsis...ready..."May"
Want another one? OK.
Roman spends his days working at a metal shop,
With no TV in his apartment, he spends his afternoons staring out his front window,
Staring at a world he wants to be apart of,
Staring at the same girl everyday.
Is he lonely, or is he in love? Or maybe he's just obsessed?

Angela Bettis & Lucky McKee reverse roles in what is essentially the same movie as "May"
I would really prefer to see Lucky direct, but I'll take what I can get.

At first glance this movie appears to be shot on a home camcorder.
But after the first few scenes it gets better
(Or maybe I just got used to it, I don't know)
Anyway it starts off really slow,
but if you stay with it,
you'll be rewarded when it finally picks itself up
Just when you think this flick can't get any duller, your heart does a double back-flip with a half gainer into your throat.
That's when you're hooked.
And when the narrative starts, (Halfway through the movie mind you.) your eyes are glued wide-open.

Now for the details:
The acting is enjoyable, great characters galore. (I love the nature chick) & Lucky does a better job than you'd think he would.
The lighting leaves alot to be desired, but it's forgivable.
Despite the unnecessary, trippy dream sequences it's a good story, starts out slow but keeps you interested & wondering what'll happen next.
My only complaint is that the dialogue is ridiculously low, while the soundtrack is amazingly loud, so you'll have to keep playing with the volume throughout the entire movie.
The bad news is there's no blood in sight,
But the good news is there are 2 emotional death scenes to speak of, and alot of off-screen :( mutilations.
And the ending is pure poetic justice.

In conclusion:
Yeah, it's kinda slow, and it takes it's time ambling to it's point, but it gets there, and gets the job done.
It's definitely an aquired taste, hence all the negative reviews.
If you haven't seen "May", watch that one first, it's superior, and you'll know what you're diving into with this flick.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
'Tis better to have loved & killed than never to have killed at all.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to grab a promo copy of this film. It is a rather dark look into the life of someone who could be your normal 'shy guy'. However, this one's got a secret that he's now got to punish himself for. The movie moves a little slowly, but definitely gives itself time to build up the characters (not hard, considering it's focused on 'Roman' (Lucky McGee), who gets almost all the screen time). By the end of the film, I was really starting to feel for the character and hoping to see things go his way, despite his issues. I have watched this movie a few times now, and will be continuing to do so quite a few more...and am looking forward to the regular DVD release so I can check out the bonus features. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves horror, as well as general fans of Lucky McGee or Angela Bettis. Glad to see another good one come out!

I will be honest. This movie came in a set with 3 other horror movies (titled CLASSIC horror movies) for $5 so in that case, it was hit and miss if this movie would be good or not. The plot as to what the movie was about seemed interesting when I read it on the cover, but I felt this movie was horrible, mainly the plot. The acting itself was fine. Kristen Bell's character was very lively and funny, especially that part about the baked beans. Lucky McKee, whom I've never heard of, played his very odd, weird, strange character Roman fine and Nectar Rose, whom I've also never heard of, played Eva, who was also a lively character. The acting was overall okay, nothing really to complain about. That's really the only reason I gave it 2 stars/5. There were just some little things I didn't like:

I didn't like how this movie was called a horror movie because there really wasn't anything scary about it at all. Roman kills his neighbor (Kristen Bell), and then at the end Eva (Nectar Rose) kills herself basically after Roman unknowing verbally agrees to it. To me, a horror movie actually has parts of the movie that randomly happen to scare you, or if there is an eventual death, it has good buildup to it. None of that occurs in this movie. In this movie, Roman does hear these voices on occasion in his head, but it's basically his obsession thoughts or him thinking to himself what he should do next. He occasionally has brief flashbacks of the girl he killed. However, it's nothing at all that gets your heart racing, it's basically guilt. So I don't see where the horror comes into play.

I know this was a low budget movie, but still, the way this movie was filmed, it only had like 6 scenery places...Roman welding, Roman in breakroom with co-workers, Roman in apartment room, Roman sitting on rooftop, and Roman seeing Eva's place for the first time. Each of these same places constantly come back so it really makes it a dull atmosphere. Also, add that the lack of suspense and boring dialogue make it rather boring. You can look at a non horror film like Phonebooth...even though it mainly takes place in or near the phonebooth, there is a lot of suspense and things going on around to keep you wanting to pay attention. This movie just lacks it.

This movie would've been a lot more interesting if they had either simply had Roman have nightmares where Kristen Bell was haunting and torturing him and somehow coming back to kill him, or perhaps even had Eva actually been Kristen Bell's sister and tried to attach herself to Roman and exact her revenge at the end of the movie by killing him instead of how she just randomly killed herself. I admit the ending was kind of surprising, but it was just unnecessarily random and pointless.

Overall, this movie is not a horror movie by any means and is very dull. I honestly wouldn't recommend this one

This movie played out more like a student project than a feature film. I bought this movie and it came in a pack with 4 other films. I was disappointed with Roman immediately. I sat through the whole film expecting something to happen and I was left waiting. The whole movie is about a man named roman killing a woman and keeping her body frozen in his shower. He then cuts her up and everyday takes a body part to the park, has a picnic, kisses the body part, then throws body part into lake. Kristen Bell was in this movie but gets killed pretty quickly and doesn't really have a lot of lines since she happens to be the dead body being carried around. I'm sorry I love low budget horror but this was terrible. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to sit through this film. If your a fan of Kristen Bell don't purchase this film it doesn't do her justice. There are millions of movies out there don't waste your time on this film you wont be satisfied. Unless you yourself like to cut woman up and carry there body parts around. Then I would suggest you seek help immediately!

I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a movie that Lucky Mckee is involved in and this is no exception. He didn't direct this one, but he wrote it and it is directed by his frequent collaborator, Angela Bettis. It is a story you might have seen before, but with some very original twists, including the ending. A slow moving but very enjoyable film. At the very least, give this one a rental.

I brought a 4-movie DVD at Wal-Mart for just $5.00 so my hopes of seeing something original was nil. But as soon as I began to watch "Roman" I put away my paperback and quickly became entranced.

Director Angela Bettis brings us something original and brillint with "Roman," the morbid story of a loner, Roman, played with true brilliance by Lucky McKee, who also wrote the screenplay. Most of the story occurs in a sleazy, low-rent apartment complex and the shabby ambiance rings true. With outstanding camera work, lighting, and an amazing musical score by Jaye Barnes/Poperratic, the descent into true psychosis rings true. Especially chilling is the bizarre black and white cartoon of a skeletal boy on a ghost horse that the anti-hero watches.

What's great about "Roman" is that this no formulaic movie where you can figure out every twist of the plot before it happens. You're kept being surprised througout and thanks to Lucky McKee's extraordinary portrait of a psycho, you're enwrapped in this eerie, dark little world.

Nectar Rose, an unknown actress to me, is perfect as Eva, the dream girl.

What's also striking is Angela Bettis' technique of using very short scenes, some lasting only a few seconds as we watch Roman's steady slide into insanity.

This is a true treat for any movie psycho fan who seeks an outstanding film experience.

Bettis proves once and for all that to create a movie triumph like this gem, you don't need multi-million dollar budgets and big name stars. All you need is a brilliant cast and crew to triumph over all others.

Okay, the inane boring soundtrack is the least of this feeble minded movie's problems. Acting is rigid and dialogue is purely crap, rarely ringing true. No gore, no suspense, nothing remotely worth the time and money invested. After the girl dies, so did this flick. Total waste!

Though it is often touted by fans as a gender-reversed companion piece to Lucky McKee's contemporary psychological thriller MAY (2002), the 2006 film ROMAN is less a study of a loner's descent into madness and more a story of how a shy outcast's quest for companionship turns him into a tragic victim of circumstance. Like MAY, this film is scripted by McKee--who also stars in the titular role--but behind the camera, the reigns are in the hands of first-time director Angela Bettis, a longtime collaborator of McKee's and star of his earlier film MAY. As Roman, McKee is not as engagingly bizarre as Bettis' May, but he nonetheless creates an affecting and sympathetic portrait of a shy loner who unwittingly surrenders his fate to a quirky female companion. And in many ways, this makes the film seem more realistic and believable than MAY. Also, Bettis' tight, restrained directorial style almost gives the film a documentary feel, which underscores McKee's melancholy, matter-of-fact performance and, in turn, heightens the overall sense of realism.

The DVD edition of ROMAN from Echo Bridge offers the film at its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but the transfer is not, unfortunately, anamorphic. On the other hand, the picture quality is decent, and the Dolby Pro Logic soundtrack is crisp and clear. DVD extras are somewhat sparse, though there is a feature commentary are some interviews with cast members.

ROMAN may not be as quirky or as frightening as the McKee-directed MAY, but it is still a wonderfully acted and emotionally moving character study that has some genuinely creepy moments. In short, fans of McKee and Bettis will definitely appreciate the film and will want to add it to their collections, but other cinephiles and horror fans will also find it compelling and worth a watch.

I bought the multi-title DVD this movie was on purely because Kristen Bell was in the cast and I am a fan of the little lady. Alas, Kristen was either a total unknown when this was made and hoped it would help her career, or she did someone a huge favor by appearing in it. To put it politely, this movie sucks eggs, big time. Terrible script, terrible acting, terrible camera work, a god-awful and ear-damaging sound track, and clearly made on a shoe-string budget, probably using a low-rez Flip videocam. The creator(s)of this film are clearly better suited for their day jobs bussing tables, and I suggest they stay there and leave the movie making to people who have an iota of talent, which they clearly do not.

Well, there's this disturbed guy named Roman who works in a metal shop. He doesn't mix well with others and this isolates him from people especially his co-workers.( The scenes with them are a little sad but also pretty funny.) There are two women in Roman's life. For one of them, well her encounter with Roman doesn't work out too well. The other may or may not be a figment of Roman's imagination. Roman eats alot of pork and beans.

This isn't a straight horror movie but more of an emo-horror-rom-com. It's some kind of experimental meditation on life, death, art, insanity, loneliness and beans. You might love it; you might decide you've had more than enough after a few minutes. I dunno but it is odd and sometimes interesting. The strangest & most interesting aspect of this movie is that it features Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, in his first appearance in an emo-horror-rom-com. I'd love to know the story behind that. Kristin Bell might surprise you. If you like movies that are deliberately paced, twisted, off-beat and macabre, then give it a try.