The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - A Review Composed by Dan O'Leary(dano@raven.cybercomm.net) (OK, so this isn't a "rant" in the typical sense. My page, my editorial. So there.] My wife and I managed to get out to the movies for the first time this year and saw The Blair Witch Project. I still want to see Star Wars, but both of us have been anticipating TBWP for a while, and the complete absence of Jar Jar Binks tipped the scales. After seeing it, I heard theater exit polls claim a small number of moviegoers were disappointed by the movie's ending, and I wanted to respond to it. OK, we've all heard the talk about this flick. (Ain't It Cool News started talking about it after the word of mouth at the Sundance film festival, and I've been following the growing buzz trail ever since.) In spite of the backlash it's now receiving from a small by vocal group of irate moviegoers, I urge you to forget all that and just watch. No film can live up to this huge amount of hype (case in point "The Phantom Menace"), but the film is what it was made to be: a scary movie. You'll want to avoid shadows for days. I chalk up some people's disappointment to the fact the film differs greatly from the usual Hollywood fare: there's no soundtrack (no ominous "here comes the monster" music), no monster on screen (trust me, it's not necessary), no gore (the evisceration fans will have to look elsewhere), and no happy ending (which should be obvious when the opening premise says the students are never heard from again). TBWP manages to avoid most modern horror movie clichés and familiar formula (you know what I mean: who are the victims, who's surviving for the big confrontation with evil at the end). The scares are conjured up from simple sounds (you'll never listen to snapping twigs the same way again) and the actors' reactions; nearly every scene was filmed with one take and improv dialog; the directors stayed out of sight for the eight-day shoot and left basic plot instructions and rations at check points through the woods, so the sounds and the tension are real. Like most films, it does have its weak points. Because most of the dialog isn't scripted, the backstory is glossed over (compared to the film's Web site or Sci-Fi Channel promo), and the dialog a little weak in spots (nobody discusses what the hell they saw), but the performances more than make up for it. The slow psychological breakdown of the three characters is amazing to watch, and the final CGI-free, FX-free scene will stick in your mind for hours. The audience I saw it with was dead silent until the credits rolled...there was a mass exhale when one person let out a tension-breaking "WOW!" after the end. So to those willing to enjoy being scared by the unseen, and like to see something with a little originality that doesn't stick with the typical Hollywood formula, buy your ticket now. Back To Rants and Commentary

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