leonblackwood Review: I found the tone of this movie quite glum and in some ways, pretty depressing. Its based around a man who has lost his wife and struggles to bring up his 2 young sons. The elder son is a young rebel whose always in trouble with the law and the younger son a a sweat child whose in the middle of power struggle between the father, who can't find the time to spend with his children, the sister in-law, who wants the best for the child, and the elderly, son who wants to bring him into his gang. This is the 3rd movie that I have seen this weekend, which is based around the youth of today, controlling there elders and treating them with disrespect. As usual, they end up in trouble and eventually find out, the hard way, that there elders wanted the best for them but the power struggle between the two generations always causes turmoil along the way. This is definitely the case with this film and I found the rebellious kids annoying and frustrating. The dad, played by Aaron Paul, showed a lot of emotion in his role and he played his part well but the pace of the movie is very slow and it doesn't seem to go anywhere. Average! Round-Up: Judging by the movies box takings, I'm not alone with thinking that this movie was pretty boring. You also don't get to see any of the characters past and the storyline keeps on referring to the death of the main characters wife, which doesn't get explained. I'm always a bit sceptical when it comes to these Hillie Billie movies were everyone in the town knows everyone's business, because there's always a group of people who get away with murder and no one batters an eyelid. Anyway, Aaron Paul made this film watchable, but all of his movies have been quite moody so I would like to see him take on a different type of role. Maybe that's how he is in real life! After the fantastic Breaking Bad series, his been getting quite a bit of work so he should take this opportunity to show off his acting skills, if he has any. Although the subject matter in this film was deep and meaningful, it didn't really do it for me because I didn't find it entertaining or that interesting.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $56,000 (Terrible!)I recommend this movie to people who are into their deep dramas about a man who struggles to bring up his two young sons after the death of his wife. 3/10

clarkmick33 I was confused that they made this a full length movie and thought really this could better as a TV show or mini-series. Giving more of a background to the challenges the family has come across and an understanding of the community and the fathers relationships in the community. The back luck situation was typical of many TV dramas. Husband loses Wife and gets depressed resulting in a diet of beer and fast food and emotional distancing for the family. Nothing really fresh. However I admire that the story does not go Disney and the characters and development of events are quite believable. So if you want a look into the life of hard knocks and love Mid-West accents this is the movie for you :-)

Victoria Cumberbatch I had no expectations going into this film; I hadn't even read the plot summary. This was a film that had you shout predictability until what I thought would be the climax, came entirely too early and I realized...I had no real idea what was ahead. I found myself having little tolerance or care for Jacob throughout most of the movie, whereas I was overcome with emotions when it came to little Wes. Jacob ended up stealing my heart however and I was surprised at the director's ability to do this. I noted this as an "explosion" because the build up was serious! It's a common story in much of America, but truly shot in a way that the viewer finds riveting, emotional, and genuine. The acting, from the CPS counselor to Wes, was truthful and accurate. Facial expressions and moments of silence between characters can usually spill the guts on who's new to the game, and I just didn't find that here. A low budget film that will probably not get much viewership, but those that take the time out will not be disappointed.

ben3308 I decided a few months in advance that I wanted to attend Sundance 2014 with some friends; something I'd been meaning to do for years. Imagine my surprise when I looked over the festival program and saw 'Hellion', directed by Kat Candler -- a faculty member at The University of Texas, my alma mater. I'd known a bit about the development of the film through the school, and that it had been a short film previously, and so I committed to seeing it at the fest. Even more surprising when I got in line for tickets, the film was sold out!Around Sundance, there was lots of buzz about 'Hellion' and its breakout performances (Josh Wiggins as a child actor, and Aaron Paul in a starring independent feature film role). Impressed by the hype from a film whose director we sort of 'knew', my friends and I all decided to leave other screenings early to waitlist the film. When the waitlist opened, the waitlist tickets were gone within SECONDS. One of my group was lucky enough to snag the first spot in the waitlist by chance, and so he gratefully surrendered his ticket to me as the rest of the group huddled outside in the Utah cold. The film was THAT big of a deal.I made my way into the theater in Park City and sat front row, a few seats down from Candler and the producers, eager to see if the film lived up to the hype. The doors to the theater closed, the lights dimmed, and the film rolled.The film was incredible. Not only did it live up to the hype, it far surpassed it. I was floored by the deft direction and approach to adolescent volatility. I knew through UT that Candler was talented, but was genuinely shocked by the writing, direction, creative use of production values and (perhaps most importantly) the story.'Hellion' was a monumental film that everyone in my group at Sundance was itching to see -- and one that even more were eager to praise. I think films about fathers, sons, and brotherhood really strike a chord in modern parlance, and this fired on all cylinders in that regard. Although I admittedly wasn't the hugest fan of the original short film (heavy metal has never been my favorite of music, so I'm a little biased) I think that the expansion to the longer-form feature was really what the concept deserved; and Candler capitalizes spectacularly on this medium.The result is an immensely entertaining, meaningful piece that really connected these common threads of truth in troubled family relationships. As a former University of Texas student, I was very proud to have seen the film at Sundance, and hope the future holds even greater successes for Candler and her producers.'Hellion' is everything you hope for from an independent film and more. It's thoroughly entertaining, evenly-paced, and manages to develop a strong message by the time its final frame hits the screen. Seeing 'Hellion' was a meaningful experience, and one I will not soon forget.10/10