Drawing Flies (1996)

First, I love Canada and Vancouver, it's a gorgeous city often used for filming locations. Finally a film set in Vancouver but we don't see any sights. You can tell it's a Kevin Smith film whether he produced or financed it himself. I see him at the party with his buddy Jason Mawes who played Az. Jason Lee without his famous mustache is quite believable as Donner, the man who seeks to find Bigfoot in British Columbia but cons his friends into going with him on a camping trip until they straighten their messed up empty lives. In the beginning, all of the characters live off the Canadian government with no desire to get jobs or seek a respectable living. Once they are cut off from welfare, Donner convinces the gang to visit his uncle's cabin in the deep woods of British Columbia but Donner has other motives. There is too much cursing or swearing going on here in the film. We never get to know the real characters. While the directors of this film are new, I believe in time that they will rise to better directors. I am donating my DVD to entertain the troops overseas. I have to say that Vancouver is always worth visiting and the directors should spend more time setting and filming in that wonderful mecca.

I myself like all of View Askew movie but this one wasn't as great as i thought it would be.Jason Lee isnt as funny as he usually is.Im not saying that this movie is horrible and most definitely think that everyone should see this movie.It still is a funny movie but not as great as Mallrats and the other movies.

Judged on it's own merits, it's a decent movie. When considered as part of the View Askew universe, it is a whole lot of fun. The basic plot is quite clever, Jason Lee's performance is excellent, and its a lot of fun to see most of the Mallrats cast reunited for this film. Its a very talky movie, but is never boring.Of course, this film has it's share of problems, too. Poor sound, the fact that large sections of the movie seem to be missing ( it is somewhat disjointed and has a running time of less than a hour), plus an ending that I didn't particularly like.If you're not a fan of View Askew, then there is no real reason to watch this movie. If you are a fan, then by all means buy the DVD. After one initial viewing, be sure to watch it again with the cast commentary.I gave this movie 7 stars.

One of the things I enjoyed most when I began to seriously study films was finding (at art houses, for the most part, or at screenings on college campuses) the early efforts of neophyte filmmakers. DRAWING FLIES reminds me of the feeling of satisfaction one gets after a long, arduous search when one comes away from a new discovery feeling that the running time was time well spent. At no point in the proceedings was I bored. There may be some unevenness (mostly of a technical nature, which is the bane of all no-budget productions), but this is excellent low budget filmmaking; take it from someone who's been there and done that. Would make a good double-bill with Onur Tukel's black and white first film, HOUSE OF PANCAKES.