Wizard-8 I normally love westerns, so when I stumbled upon this one on Netflix, I decided to give it a look. Usually when I watch a western, I can find some good things about it and be forgiving of some flaws. Well, I did find some good things in this movie, but ultimately it was flawed enough to make even me realize that it wasn't very good overall. First, the good stuff. I really appreciated that the script decided to go against convention and put some fresh twists in its story and characters. I won't go into too much detail about how they do that, though I will mention that the character who is usually a bad guy in westerns like this is NOT the bad guy this time around. The locations and cinematography are also pretty good, sometimes combining to make some impressive visuals. Also, after watching so many fast-paced and action-packed westerns, this one is more laid back, and its calm and thoughtful feel is sometimes refreshing.However, ultimately the movie is TOO calm and laid back. The story is extremely slow for the most part, and quite often the movie seems to be spinning its wheels instead of getting down to business. The movie was also saddled with a very low budget, with a minimum amount of production values. The cheapness of the project may also explain that some of the lines of dialogue are pronounced and recorded so poorly that it's hard to understand what the characters are saying. (Even the English caption option on Netflix was unable to understand some of the dialogue!) As I said, there is some good stuff here, but the movie has a few too many flaws for its own good. It's the cinematic definition of the term "interesting failure".

Genivieve DeClare This is one of those movies where people who do 'bad' things even for good reasons must be punished. In final denouement some will be moved but if you are like me you will just be annoyed at the clichéd predictability of it all. It really doesn't start out this way but as the story progresses the intent becomes clear, though we hang on, however vain the hope, that something good may develop. I suppose that's a positive. The director does keep us clinging to our wishful thinking, though we know deep down that our hearts must be broken in this version of the western kabuki play. There are some decent performances. Clare Bowen makes a valiant effort but her character was never fully believable for me. The others seemed like competent stock characters. The direction seemed to be amateurish at times and the numerous attempts to use lens flares and back-lighting 'creatively' I found irritating and distracting. Then there is the matter of a shotgun being able to drop a fast moving horse at a distance of 200 plus yards and other assorted improbabilities and inconsistencies. I hope the director gets another shot. I think with experience and some competent mentoring he may do some fine work.

akirkman10 Dead Man's Burden is a low budget independent film that follows the story of a family post Civil War. I was impressed by Jared Moshé's directing and writing and while there is room for improvement I believe he does hold much skill and knowledge for film. The film location alone of New Mexico adds intrigue and beauty as well as capturing the tone of a traditional Western. Barlow Jacobs and David Call were decent, however at times rather cheesy. Clare Bowen gives a standout performance as Martha Kirkland. I hold high hopes for her in the future as she continues Nashville and works on future projects. All in all this film is worth viewing at least once and I urge you to give it a chance.

Tony Rome Director Jared Mosche makes a fine feature film debut with "Dead Mans Burden" This film made its east cost premier at the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival. Mosche brilliantly captures the lawlessness of the mid to late nineteenth century American west. The film centers around the death of a family member, and the mine that wants to purchase the family ranch. Richard Riehle (from the comedy "Office Space") does a fine job playing the best and only friend of the deceased. His performance captures the loneliness and disconnection of a person living in the middle of nowhere, coping with the death of his friend. Hopefully this film finds a distributor.