Lightning Bug (2004)

lighting bug was a very touching film that hit very close to home for myself and many others who have watched the film. The cast that was chosen was brilliant, Ashley laurence gave a truly amazing performance in this and honestly i think its her best work that truly show cased her true acting skills. Like myself and many others the abuse that was shown in the film hit home in more ways then one, Robert Hall was our voice and demonstrated that if you have a talent and a dream and the will power you can truly over come any obstacle to achieve it through his film. This film should be viewed by many and spread amongst anyone who thinks that they cant achieve their dreams cause things are too hard.

The harsh distinction between chasing your dreams and the sometimes brutal reality that can possibly prevent you from obtaining said dreams gets powerfully presented here in a dark, raw, and depressing, yet still gripping, moving, and ultimately heartwarming manner in this adolescent coming-of-age drama set in the bleak and oppressive Deep South. Bret Harrison gives an excellent and sympathetic performance as Green Graves, a hardcore horror buff stuck in a backwards small hick town with a gift for homemade make-up f/x and aspirations towards going to Hollywood to make it big in the motion picture business. Things perk up when the hearty Mr. Tightwiler (nicely played by Bob Penny) hires Green to design his Halloween spook house and Green falls for foxy'n'funky Goth chick video rental outlet clerk Angevin Duvet (a winningly spunky and personable portrayal by the lovely Laura Prepon). However, both Green's monstrous abusive and alcoholic stepfather Earl Knight (a superbly hateful turn by Kevin Gage) and Angevin's strict religious fanatic mother (an amusingly batty Shannon Eubanks) stand in his way. Writer/director Robert Hall's debut feature impresses thanks to its admirable refusal to depict the characters in broad strokes of black and white (for example, the initially unlikable Mrs. Duvet in the long run proves to be a sad and fairly pitiable character), a pungent and utterly convincing evocation of the small country town setting, and a shattering conclusion that mixes heartbreaking tragedy and hard-won triumph in a satisfying and evenly balanced way. Moreover, the central message about staying true to yourself and relentlessly pursuing your lifelong ambitions with unwavering passion and tenacity is articulated with great warmth, clarity, and, most surprisingly, even a good deal of unexpected raunchy'n'rowdy humor. The uniformly sterling acting from the first-rate cast qualifies as another significant asset, with Ashley Laurence in particular a definite stand-out as Green's worn-out, but loving and supportive mother Jenny. Brandon Trost's polished cinematography, Jason Hall's melodic score, and a handful of cool and tuneful country-rock songs by Kevin Kinney all further enhance the exceptional quality of this remarkably poignant sleeper.

I bought this imported DVD misguided in its genre. I was expecting a horror movie, based on the cover of the DVD, and the sentence: "The Most Frightening Monsters Are All Around Us" highlighted in the back. However, "Lightning Bug" is a powerful coming-to-age suspenseful drama, with an excellent direction and acting. It is difficult to highlight individual performances, since I would be unfair with this stunning cast. However, the sick and disgusting devoted character of Ms. Duvet, magnificently played by Shannon Eubanks, irritated me with her hypocrite life and behavior. The Region 1 DVD has a beautiful package and many features, but unfortunately it does not have English subtitles or closed caption. The accent of some characters of this small Alabama town where the story takes place is quite difficult to be understood by a foreigner, and I lost some words along the story. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Not Released"

I picked this one up at the video store because Prepon is on the cover, and being a huge That '70's Show fan I like to see other stuff that the cast is in. I was glad I did get it as it was very well acted by everyone in the film. The characters were very believable whether it was a psycho religious mom or a redneck teenager. The story was pretty simple and in this case that's not a bad thing. I also found it interesting that Prepon was exec. producer. I think anybody that has or has had aspirations of getting out of their hometown to make it the entertainment industry will relate to this movie on some level. It also goes to show that you shouldn't overlook a DVD on the shelf of the movie store just because it hasn't had a big theatrical release.