spectre316-1 This movie was filmed in my hometown. Well, some of it was. During the filming, the town was in very high spirits -- a movie, on our streets! Hell, even I was happy, cynical as I may be. Jonathan Brandis? Yes, please.About two months ago, I finally found a VHS copy at the local library. And I watched it. And it went on. And on. And on. And on.The film has a semi-decent beginning, but the constant usage of "flashbacks" (which in this case are long, dreary segments of stock footage circa 1970) made me want to take a long nap. The acting isn't spectacular, but it's okay. Brandis in particular did pretty well.The dialogue is very cheesy at times. The plot is somewhat hard to follow, with characters you simply don't care about and begin to hate halfway through for getting a movie to their boring selves.It's sad when the only thing I got from it was "oh, look! That.. that street I played on when I was ten!" It's just an incredibly tedious experience. The settings are drab, the cinematography is boring, the story is sleep-inducing, the characters are .. uh, I don't know. I need another adjective.Watch something else. Unless below mediocre boring stuff is your cup of tea.

George Parker "The Year That Trembled" is a low budget indie drama full of has-beens and never-wases with poor execution and nothing going for it save the hot button issues derived from the deep gash in the American civilian population caused by the Vietnam conflict (circa 1970). Considering the whole matter of Vietnam has been examined countless times from all angles in much better formats and forums than this film from documentaries to dramas to all manner of hybrids, it's difficult to find a reason to recommend a film with such severe limitations and deficits as this one. Pass. (C-)

coma_fire Within the last year or two I've seen a lot of bad movies (The Mexican) but this tops the list as being the worst yet. Creativity is at a complete loss and the casting of actors was even worse. I'd rather see an independent film with unknown actors rather than having to watch Jonathan Brandis prance around the set as if he had a bad case of hemorrhoids. The guy looks disgruntled and constipated throughout the whole film, even when he's engaging in sexual activities with beautiful but untalented actresses. Too much of the film deals with teens smoking pot and discussing (and repeating) the consequences of being drafted into the Vietnam War. Apparently in 1970 that's all that people did, at least that's all that the overly pretentious title represents. With any luck at all The Year that Trembled could be released as a TV movie due to its semi-familiar faces.

frank-184 "The Year That Trembled" creates a memory of a time of another generation... the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University when four students were killed by Ohio National Guard, and the Vietnam war draft lottery that followed. Starring Martin Mull, Fred Willard and Henry Gibson in supporting dramatic roles, the story follows students who actively oppose the war, then are faced with the decisions of how to respond to their personal destiny with the war. A wonderful film that recalls a different time that we should never forget. Bravo to Jay Craven, Scott Lax and the filmmakers of "The Year That Trembled."