I do realize this is the directors first feature and that it was low budget, etc. I'm taking that all into consideration. This film is not a bad movie, but it's not much a good one either, in my opinion. It's very in the middle. My favorite thing about it was the cinematography; the snow - wilderness - aerial shots were well done. It's a nice looking film, but the story and sequence of events that unfold were a bit lackluster. The acting ranged from bland to passable. And, the antagonist was not well drawn out; for a revenge thriller type of film they say your movie is only as good as your antagonist... to me, a more cold-vicious villain character would have very much improved the plot. The protagonist, the young woman who wants revenge, she wasn't too bad, I suppose she is partially a symbol for strong women/feminism; I've seen several other movies that try to crowbar in characters like her but for this movie it doesn't seem forced so points for that. If you really like indie movies and they're your thing, then this movie is for you. Otherwise, you may not like it at all. If you're a person who only likes mainstream movies - stay away!
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cflores-379704 October 2016
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Call-Me-Mr-Smith5 May 2019I can't agree with the extremely negative reviews, so I feel obliged to balance the things. This is a solid indie movie that starts confusedly and unsure of the proper pace, develops nicely for the longest part, and ends a bit messy and in the underwhelming way. Most of the characters played competently (I particularly liked Marv and Miller), but the female cast was on the weaker side. Very competent cinematography, decent directing and editing, adequate sets, unnoticeable music score...All in all, still worth watching, and not only for the indie lovers. The score hovers between 5 and 6 out of 10.
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Platypuschow7 August 2018Appleton is a hyper obscure thriller, at time of writing it has only 20 ratings on IMDB so I'm "Blessed" as one of the few to have seen it.
It tells the story of an infamous character who has made his presence known once again in small town America. Many people have connections to him for varying reasons including the daughter of the former Sherriff whom the man in question murdered years before.
Looking much like the vastly superior Fargo (1996) this slow paced drama never seems to gain any momentum. The characters are lifeless and interchangeable, the plot never really comes together and truth be told I found myself almost falling asleep throughout.
I didn't want lots of action, I didn't want to see gun fights and explosions.........I just wanted to feel engaged and at no point did I come close.
Terrible unthrilling thriller that deserves its obscurity.
The Good:
Some great visuals
Well scored
The Bad:
Outstandingly boring
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
If you get very drunk and squint your eyes you can pretend you're watching Fargo (1996) -
starlettelily13 June 2021First of all, as a person who lives in Appleton it's weird because Appleton is a more urban city. Second it was pretty boring when I attempted to watch. The filming took place in Greenville, which is a borer town of Appleton, so why not call it Greenville. Could have tried to film in the actual city at least. Take this review with a grain of salt. BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW APPLETON DOES NOT LOOK LIKE WHATS IN THE MOVIE, THATS GREENVILE.
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ckeyser-042801 October 2018I live in Green Bay, WI and that is 26 minutes away from Appleton, WI. Appleton is a large city and is on the Fox river along with Green Bay and other small towns between in the fox valley. This movie is garbage with no accuracy to the geography of my state what so ever. One girl mentioned she "came down from LaCrosse" to live in the small town of appleton. If the writer did some research it would be clear that LaCrosse is on the southern border of WI. You would come up from LaCrosse. All the shots of scenery are clearly in a pine forest. That would be upper WI hours north of Green Bay.
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robinschool2 October 2018No character depth, and leaves you not really cheering for any one character since you know almost nothing about them. Makes Appleton WI look like a hole in the wall small town, not the city full of life and people that it is. Not enough cheese for a truly WI movie.
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lmborel6 March 2020This movie is gorgeous. Every shot is a visual feast. I really thought it was quite beautiful, for a small budget indie film that is also the directors first foray, honestly, I am impressed. I get it, the plot isn't the strongest, but it's not an abomination either. It lags a bit, and I wish we had more screen time with the antagonist, the actor playing him was one of the better ones. I really recommend watching it and hope this director can one day sink his teeth into something truly meaty- but this was a very good place to start.
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mama_beans5 February 2023You might as well call this "An outsiders perspective on what they think small town Wisconsin is in winter".
It is NOT at all Appleton, and not realistic whatsoever. This could take place in any Midwest rueal town. Appleton is a ciry with rural surrounding towns but this is not Appleton. It's slow, bland, irrelevant and not worth the watch. A stupid, non-factual representation of someone who has never lived there. The storyline is lacking and no substance.
Really disappointed with the acting, storyline, environment and context. Don't waste your time.
Bad plot, bad cinematography, just a waste. Boo. -
gijoe-wi6 September 2022I love finding movies with Wisconsin themes. This one was a real treat to watch. I love the way they made Appleton appear to be a small town in a rural area. It gives the viewer the chance to use their imagination. That's what real entertainment is all about.
I love the fact that they mention other Wisconsin cities in the film, such as mentioning Green Bay.
Perfect cast. Nice actors. The actors used in this movie, by no means left me disappointed. It was a real pleasure watching the skills they have.
No shortage of guns here. I love that too.
Being a Wisconsinite, I can say this is exactly what our winters look like. The gentle falling snow, winter clothes, barns and more.
Beautifully done. -
daiseymoonshine11 November 2020I thought it was a very good story with great cinematography. I disagree with the other reviews about bad acting and especially those who only complained about the geography regarding Appleton's distance from LaCrosse, or that it was an insult to Appleton in general. I should remind people that this is "just a movie" it's not a true story as though I were explaining it to a toddler. It just goes to show how many rude (ignorant) people that live in Wisconsin in real life. The film is currently free to watch on YouTube. Check it out and decide for yourself!
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LarryandGem17 June 2020Just a note...you stated that a girl in the film remarked about coming down from Lacrosse & that of they had did some checking they would have realized that Lacrosse is on/near/close (I forget the actual language) to the southern border of Wisconsin. That you live in Green Bay & they should have done better research. I just thought I'd point out that it's usually a good idea to follow your own advice before stating a "fact" in a negative fashion. If you had done your research you would see that although admittedly LaCrosse is a very slight bit south of Appleton it is on the western border of Wisconsin & you could almost draw a horizontal latitude line from one to the other. I know it's picky, plus I'm not usually such a b*tch (PMS?) and unwarranted but when acting holier than thou make sure your info is correct. Rant over, I'm going to watch the movie. I'll let you all know what I think.