Customer Reviews

Visioneers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Brandon and Jared Drake's independently produced comedy is an exceptional first feature effort as a writer/director team. Earlier reviews have connected the film's themes and settings to some known dystopian society stories, like Orwell's 1984, Gilliam's BRAZIL, and even Mike Judge's more recent IDIOCRACY; however, I believe VISIONEERS stands very well on its own and is best viewed with all comparisons minimized or even set aside completely. This is an accessible dark comedy comprised of equal parts corporate satire with genuine warmth and sweetness.

As an actual distressed lower-level employee in an increasingly grim society, and as an admirer of the more personal stories often told by the independents, I think VISIONEERS is a highly satisfying and worthwhile experience. I would definitely recommend this film to fans of Zach Galifianakis and to those who are looking for something a little different.

The 2010 low budget indie film `Visioneer' starring Zach Galifianakis presents the audience with a vision of a possible dark, authoritarian future. Be prepared for a powerful, clear and disturbingly accurate vision of a world without self awareness and purpose.

Synopsis: This is dark comedy at its depressing best, or at least that's how it begins and maintains through most of the movie. Yes this is truly a future world without any reason to exist. In the future scheme of things only productivity is valued, individual pursuit of excellence, friendship, love and anything else worthwhile you may think of no longer holds any meaning. We have become rats in a maze and nothing more. The loss of meaning, the understated confusion and the thinly guised desperation simple exudes from the screen. Laid out before us is a society in utter pain and that pain is exquisitely displayed on the face of the film's star, Zach Galifianakis. He is a man about to explode, literally, which is what people do when they can no longer stand living in a world with no meaning. Our hero has reached the point of critical mass and realizes that he must either break free and discover personal happiness or explode. It isn't easy in a society that has all but lost the ability to look outside the box and act independently but he must try or die.

Critique: `Visioneer' is quite a unique movie and definitely not something for anyone in search of a light hearted, unchallenging viewing experience. This film has an uncanny ability to push a lot of emotional buttons most viewers would not want to be pushed. The heavy emotional angst dealt with in the film will slowly but surely begin to be felt by the audience and trigger a personal reaction to the storyline. Not only will you begin to question whether or not you're really happy, you'll begin to examine to what extent your own personal limitations prevent you from changing things for the better. Maybe I'm giving the film way too much credit, but it certainly elicited some strong responses from me.

Despite what I've already said about the almost tangible angst emoted by the film and my strong emotional reaction to it I must also admit that 'Visioneer' has some discernible flaws; it pace is much too slow for most peoples taste and is a bit uneven at times. I was also somewhat disappointed by the ending. It much too upbeat, one of those happily ever after scenarios that just didn't fit with the overall message of the rest of the film.

It's definitely not for everyone but well worth a watch if you're so inclined.

Well, I won't go so far as to say that George Washington Winsterhammerman is the 21st century Sam Lowry. But I loved the understated insanity spiked with corporate nothingisms and friendly Jeffers logo salutes. Imagine Wes Anderson reworking Equilibrium. The wheels do come off the wagon a bit at the end. Seemed like someone realized they only had 10 more minutes left and started gluing together sweepings from the editing room floor. If you're looking for the Will Farrell style over-the-top silliness, this may not be your best choice. But I thought this was perfectly weird and charming.

This starts out as a quirky, interesting, slow attack on corporate and suburban life, which is ruined by the 2nd half. The movie has no idea where to go, flops around like a fish out of water for far too long, and the ending is predictable, abrupt, and unsatisfying.

I've been among the dedicated fans Zach Galifianakis' ingenious comedy for a few years now, and it seems like the rest of the world is now catching up. Zach was the standout element in this summer's The Hangover (a film which on the whole I wasn't too impressed by). In Visioneers, though, Zach is the leading man and proves he can carry a subtle, darkly comic role as George Washington Winsterhammerman, a corporate drone working for the Jeffers Corporation, the largest and friendliest and most profitable corporation in the history of all mankind.

This film is fresh, unexpected and sincere. With throwbacks to Brazil, Schizopolis and (underrated) Idiocracy, Visioneers builds a universe that has just enough similarity to our own to feel genuine, but is far enough out there to descend into total chaos.

"Visioneers"-- a bizarre funny semi-allegorical commentary on modern life. It was written and directed by two brothers, Brandon and Jared Drake. Hopefully this is a great start to a continuing "Coen-like" collaboration. It was filmed in 18 days and packs in LOL gems by an obviously enthusiastic cast of extremely talented unknowns (to me anyway) except for Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), a rapidly rising comedic actor. Don't miss looking at all the "special features" which are equally bizarre and funny.

I enjoyed this, but to classify this as a comedy seems wrong to me. There were funny moments, but I would compare it less to Idiocracy and more to Synecdoche New York, where the drama made more of an impact than the humor. It was just odd enough to keep my attention at first, and it ended up being a very sweet, thoughtful experience. Zach really did a great job as the lead actor here. Judy and Mia knocked their parts out of the park, and the supporting cast was also good. I admit it was slow here and there, but still very good.

Another review mentioned the poor production value, and to an extent they are right. For an independent film I thought the visual quality was actually quite good, but the sound (at least on my copy) is not the best. I had to turn my TV almost all the way up to hear the dialogue in many scenes, followed by a leap for the remote when the music started, which was very loud. It is a shame that they couldn't get more support for this. Still, I didn't mind when the movie ended up being pretty good.

Didnt find it funny.. didnt find it inspiring.. basically just a waste of time. I guess some people would claim this to be an arty movie. Watched it to the end, but it never got any better. It'll leave you asking "how did this film get made?"

A bit on the whacky side, this video was hilarious. I think it also tells a very good perspective about how to deal with stress in our everyday lives. I loved it and would recommend it to just about anyone.

I was lucky enough to discover this film at a film festival several years ago. For a long time it was unavailable. I sang it's praises then and I sing them now. This is a dark comedy. Zack G. does a great job. I think anyone who does not like this movie, either doesn't get it, or doesn't like themselves. As another reviewer stated, it will make you examine your own happiness and yourself. I'm so glad this is now available to everyone. I look forward to the next film by the Drake brothers.