PlatinumRead
Just so...so bad
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Delight
Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
TxMike
The nice thing about Netflix streaming movies is you can find such a great and extensive assortment of titles, and I found this one, the film short Billy Bob Thornton wrote, and which later became the theme for the full-length, award-winning movie 'Sling Blade.'Billy Bob Thornton is Karl Childers who as a teenager had been convicted of murder. Now, after about 25 years in prison, this is the day of his release. Karl seems to have a mind that works well, but his viewpoints often seem odd. If you live long enough and observe carefully, there really are people like Karl.His story and impending release from prison have stirred up local interest, and local reporter, Molly Ringwald as Teresa Tatum, has asked if she can interview him. She is cautioned, he isn't comfortable with women, he doesn't like to have questions asked, and the fluorescent light bother him. So Karl and Teresa are in a darkened room, on opposite sides, and he begins to speak, telling his story in his own odd delivery and choice of words. This is a very short film, B & W and just under 25 minutes, but what we see supports the story exactly. Particularly good is the lighting. Now it makes me want to see 'Sling Blade' again.
Polaris_DiB
I think that when this movie was first written and produced, it was a very interesting character study. However, now that the narrative has been expanded into a full-length movie, it works more like an extra for those interested in seeing the development of the character over time.Billy Bob Thornton's imagining of this character is honestly one of his crowning achievements as an actor and someone working in movies. Sling Blade is a modern classic, and he portrays the character so well that having an earlier short like this is nice because the audience gets a chance to spend more time with him than just the feature-length movie.However, this short isn't produced nearly as well as the movie, and that doesn't necessarily have to do with the fact that it was a smaller budget, more limited production. The acting isn't all around as well-done, even by familiar actors we've seen before. The directing is kind of sloppy and only enough visual to pull off a narrative we can get into. All in all, Billy Bob Thornton is about the only reason to watch this film.There's also a sense that, though he had written it, Thornton hadn't yet completely figured out what he wanted this character to be. Afterwards he returned, and afterwards he created Sling Blade. This short seems destined to always be overshadowed by the majesty of the later work. I can live with that.--PolarisDiB
Becky King
Previous reviewers have commented (negatively) on Molly Ringwald's interpretation of the reporter. I have to disagree. I enjoyed it much more than the reporter in the full-length version (which is one of the greatest films of all times.) I didn't realize that the reporter was so weak in "Sling Blade" until I saw "Some Folk....". By the end of the interview with Karl, she (Ringwald) 'gets it' - she understands the horrific conditions that Karl endured, and why he did what he did, and she shows it, simply by the expressions on her face. I did not find this Karl any more menacing than the Karl of "Sling Blade" - I think it does show more the fear he has of leaving the safety and relative comfort of the hospital. Imagine how it would be if being in a hospital is a better situation than your only memories of life "outside". Long time prison inmates describe it all the time. This is a magnificent piece - where less is definitely more. I loved it.
klicker
Billy Bob Thorton succeeds in creating not only a story but a character of true remark. Molly Ringwald gives a stirring portrayal of the definite cynic while the late and great JT Walsh shines as a sick rapist who doesn't understand what he's doing. Is it the system that has created such people or the people themselves? That's the question asked in the brave, "Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade."
