 | LawyerBuzz.com Navigation | |
|
|
| |
| Wicked Spring | 
 enlarge | Director: Kevin R Hershberger
Actors: Brian Merrick, Dj Perry, Mark Lacy, Terry Jernigan, Curtis Hall
Studio: Allumination
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.48
You Save: $5.50 (55%)
Buy New/Used from $4.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  (32 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11441
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 102 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 27143
UPC: 783722714324
EAN: 0783722714324
ASIN: B0000E6FNK
Release Date: December 16, 2003
Theatrical Release Date: February 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 For Civil War buffs only January 5, 2009
I recently bought a DVD copy of "Wicked Spring", mainly based on the many favorable reviews I read on this site. Began looking after thoroughly loving another little-known Indie Civil War film, "Pharaoh's Army" (1995, starring Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson in the lead roles). The reviews on this site for "Wicked Spring" sounded similar, so I bought a copy and watched it for the first time the other night.
Quick take: in no way as good a movie as "Pharaoh's Army"(in every respect- acting, plot, cinematography, pacing, etc), but still an above-average Civil War movie, so long as you understand that, like "Pharaoh's Army", it is not meant to be a grand epic filled with big battle scenes, but a small slice of the Civil War, from the personal level of a few grunt soldiers struggling through a few days of that massive conflict.
The story in "Wicked Spring" is simple enough: during the horrible 1864 battle of The Wilderness (around Chancellorsville, Virginia), 6 soldiers (3 from each side) wind up being thrown together in the darkness of one night, following a confused day of fighting and running around lost in the dense woods and general chaos that was the battle of The Wilderness. The initial scenes of the fighting are done well enough, though without a whole lot of sheer-terror or graphic violence (read any historical accounts of the real battle and you'll realize how toned-down the movie depiction is). The 6 men spend the night together, largely lost and afraid, and clearly (with the exception of one Confederate soldier) not anxious to hurt anyone anytime soon. The bulk of the movie revolves around conversation between the two lead actors during that night ( Yankee D.J. Perry and Reb Brian Merrick), with the most revealing part of that being a series of letters from Merrick's sweetheart back home, which are caringly read to him by Perry, as the Reb is illiterate, and has held the letters for 3 years without being able to read their content. The two leads actors do a passing job of acting, though this is very subdued material, and not a whole lot of content about the Civil War or it's tensions, but just generic wishing-for-home material that is common to all soldiers, during all wars. The supporting cast, however, is simply awful: particulalrly the angry Reb (Terry Jernigan) whose over-the-top routine gets old pretty fast. In all fairness, the supporting actors really aren't given anything too interesting to say, but even so, their acting is pretty bad, even for an Indie film. Not fair to compare this aspect to "Pharaoh"s Army" , with two major motion picture stars taking the leads in that one (as well as an excellent supporting cast of lesser-known actors), but just be prepared to wince and even yawn a little off and on during "Wicked Spring". The climax the next morning seemed all too predictable to me, and for that reason it lost a lot of the intended dramatic impact. When the movie ended, I wasn't blown away or left with any lasting impressions, as I certainly was with "Pharaoh's Army". My usual way to critically assess any movie is whether or not I will watch it several times after the first viewing: I might watch "Wicked Spring" again, but I have watched "Pharaoh's Army" many times over the last couple of years. Enough said.
The cinematography in this flick is pretty good, and the attention to detail in the soldiers uniforms and gear is first-rate: Civil War buffs will notice this aspect, but I doubt it will mean much to the average viewer. The musical score is at times quite moving and beautiful, and never detracts from any scene.
Overall I give it 3 stars, mainly for the attention to Civil War details and the two lead actors work. I suspect it will appeal to Civil War buffs primarily, though, and for most others, probably a once-viewed flick without much lasting impact. But no way is it either just one star or 5 stars: folks who rate it that way are way too biased, one way or the other.
Needless to say, I'm a Civil War buff. But if you haven't done so already, check out "Pharaoh's Army"- a real gem, in every way.
 Excellent Civil War drama November 25, 2008
Many people seem to be missing the point of this excellent indie production. This is NOT meant to be some action-filled, war epic. But rather, a thoughtful, small-scale film, focusing on a small group of men from both sides of the Civil War. I've seen a number of reviews saying how far-fetched the plot was - nonsense! It's a known fact that Union & Confederate soldiers often met during lulls in the fighting to exchange supplies and swap stories. Who's to say that something along the lines of this movie didn't happen! At any rate, rather than focusing on battle scenes, instead it focuses on individual soldiers and what was going on in their own lives. A very good film, worth watching and worth thinking on, despite the downbeat ending.
 Don't Bother. November 24, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is most likely the worst movie I have ever seen. It's a pity, because I have a particularly strong interest in the battle of the Wilderness. I can't tell you how disappointed I was watching this film.
Intensely boring with indiscernable dialogue, I bet even the cast falls asleep when they watch this film. Directed by Kevin R Hershberger and produced by mistake. Please dont waste your time.
 Realistic Representation of the Soldiering Life July 6, 2008
This movie is perhaps one of the most realistic depictions of the plain soldiering life of the foot soldier. There isn't any glamour and the men are just presented as plain men. The beginning was actually well done, and while there wasn't any talking at the very beginning; it was so well done that we didn't notice it. The music was pleasant all throughout. I thought the exchange between the yankee soldier and the Confederate soldier with the letters was especially touching. The ending is not the typical happy ending or romanticized ending that movies usually have, but rather it has a tragic and probably more realistic ending than most war movies. There is some swearing, but mostly the milder swear words and for the most part it is a pretty clean movie. I was pleasantly surprised as all the acting was well done. (Which isn't typical in indie films.) It is a movie that I would recommend to anyone.
 finale fizzle April 27, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
wicked spring starts off with and interesting theme of soldiers from each side of the civil war experiencing the trials and heartaches of war and soldiering.there are good battle scenes initially but the movie then gets over dramatic and weepy over lost love and one soldier's manical hate of yankees as they sit around the campfire for the rest of the movie until their final wipeout in the middle of a battle.nice start with realistic fight scenes but the action is short lived and the drama takes over.a hard core cw buff would like as a collection additive but anyone else would be advised to pass. this flick could have been very good if the action had been sustained.
|
|
|
The Lawsuit and Self Help Legal Law Book Store From LawyerBuzz.comInternational Orders & Shipping
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
Shipping Restrictions
Warranty issues and manufacturer restrictions prevent us from shipping certain products to all geographical locations. You'll be notified while placing your order if we're unable to ship specific items to the address you've selected.
International Addresses
The following items can be shipped to destinations outside the U.S.:
* books*
* DVDs
* music
* VHS videos
Additionally, some software, tools, and kitchen items can be shipped to the following countries:
* Australia
* Austria
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Japan
* Ireland
* Italy
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Sweden
* United Kingdom
These items can be shipped only via Priority International Shipping and are subject to an import fees deposit.
*Note: Books that require special handling because they are extremely heavy (for example, multi-volume sets) cannot be shipped outside the U.S. If this is the case, it will be noted on the product detail page.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Shipping date estimates will appear in the order form. After placing your order, you will see both shipping and delivery date estimates in the order confirmation e-mail and in the order summary in Your Account.
Calculating Cost
Shipping costs depend upon the method and option you choose.
If you choose to group items into as few shipments as possible, you'll be charged for one regular per-shipment fee, as well as a per-item fee for each item in that shipment.
If you choose to ship items as soon as they become available, we'll charge you full per-shipment fees for each shipment as well as a per-item fee for each item.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound. |
|
|
| | |