The Historian (2014) Reviews

• 2 hours of cheap & bad

  cekadah2015-03-29

  Everything about this movie is cheap and bad! The plot is bad, the acting is bad (especially by Miles Doleac the writer/director and main actor), the production is cheap and the supporting actors are bad. And that actor Colin Cunningham just looked and acted too much like Pauly Shore in this movie. (And I like Pauly Shore movies) Sometimes a movie can be cheap but not bad. And sometimes a movie can be bad and far from cheap. But here in 'The Historian' you have both. I sat through all two hours of this disaster thinking it might just give some laughs because it kept sinking into a melodramatic soap opera bog of bad. Well that didn't happen! And then in true Bible belt fashion (this movie was made in Mississippi) a sermonet on Jesus is thrown in for what reason I don't know. Something about living your principles I think. And my opinion on that scene can be found in Nina Simone's famous song about Mississippi.

• Bad, really bad

  nwsts2015-03-27

  I can't understand who are writing these glowing reviews for this movie, or,for that matter, why they are writing them. The script is just awful. By script I mean the story and dialog are awful. And by awful I mean painful AND boring. And, whoever encouraged this guy (Miles Doleac) to screen-write, should be forced to spend 4 years at whatever university this movie is set in. Two things stand out as most painful. First, if not for hackneyed expressions and unrelated drivel there would be no dialog. Second, the soundtrack's music was both bad and inconsistent with the scene action. On the plus side was Leticia Jimenez. Other actors gave average performances, mainly because it was impossible to rise above the dialog and scenes given to them. Hopefully, we'll see Ms Jimenez again, and if we ever see Mr. Doleac again, it should only be in *front* of the camera.

• Unsettling

  Ashleigh_B2015-04-08

  The film overall is nothing particularly special. The acting is a little thick, the pace drags in a few places, and the score is a little over-wrought. The narrative gets heavy-handed as the story winds down. I felt like the themes were hitting me over the head, rather than appearing naturally from time to time. But the most unsettling thing about this movie is how the narrative frames sexual violence. Rape is framed as a problem-solver for both Anna and Ben. Anna is victimized as a plot device, which is used to resolve the conflicts of Anna's dissertation being held up by Hadley, and is a fix-all for Ben's visiting professorship conflict. Ben gets to use Anna's rape for his personal and professional benefit. Hadley faces no consequences for his actions, save for the punch in the face delivered by white-knight Ben. The fact that Ben more or less tells Anna that rape/sexual violence is an occupational hazard in academia is incredibly distressing. The narrative supports this character's assertion that sexual violence in academia is the norm and does nothing to demonstrate that this is a flaw or misconception particular to Ben. Since the director is actually a professor at the university where the movie was filmed, he's clearly trying to blur the line between fiction and reality (and if he's not, the effect is the same because his dual roles do in fact blur the line for him). Overall, I object on several levels to the film's treatment of rape. I think it's dangerous to depict a rapist not being held accountable for his actions. I'm disappointed. I had hoped a movie set in an educated atmosphere would not resort to such cheap tricks as relying on sexual violence to wrap up so many conflicts in a little bow.

• Diminishing by degrees

  j_smith_72015-03-26

  I'll give you some headlines and then expand, if I may. Soundly written. Nicely made. Highly annoying soundtrack. Poorly acted. Too many threads. Far from reality/Fairy dust education. Let me preface everything here by saying that I am an academic. I have been for 30+ years. So, forgive my immodesty here if I claim to know a thing or two about universities and the people in them. What 'The Historian' presented has one toe of one foot in a small corner of university reality, but the other 4 toes and the entire other foot is far, far, FAR from what happens in universities. Because, in truth, life there is much weirder, much more vicious, much more conspiratorial and infinitely more clown like than this film portrays. Still, now I've said that, onward... Soundly written - There is much to praise in the writing here. Miles Doleac, who did all the hard work here in terms of both the script and the direction, not to mention his own acting performance, put together a mostly believable script with reasonably well-rounded characters (with some exceptions). There are holes in the story that needed to be fleshed out better (or just dropped altogether - more on that later) but, on the whole, it's a meritorious effort in terms of the script (if a little heavy-handed in 'the message'). Sadly though, the story also ultimately ends with a cliché which, now that I have seen the film, was in truth clearly evident from the beginning. It needed to go down another road if the viewer was to be satisfied. Nicely made - quite a simple directorial style here with some clear, easily accessible camera work. It drags its heels sometimes, however, in its pursuit of 'the grand narrative' when it should have moved on more swiftly. Nevertheless, it's a good effort and the cinematography gets full credit from this reviewer. Highly annoying soundtrack - oh dear, this is where the film begins to annoy. And annoy it does. The dour, miserable music chosen drags us down long before the film turns on its dark course which is a pity because it could have been a better film without the score that was chosen. Now, I'm not suggesting that such a miserable message this film contains should have toe-tapping cheery tunes but there's been much too much of this type of 'lonely chanteuse' style presented in other films. It's now a bore. Don't do it. Poorly acted - I mentioned before that Miles Doleac turns in a sound performance given that this was his project in most areas and hats off to him for all he did. The acting by some others, however, was just too far removed from the believable. Or, as my great Aunt used to say, 'Just too thick to swallow'. In particular, Jillian Taylor's turn as the oh-so-chipper Anna (who we quickly see from early on is the one who's going to be the real loser here) grates badly. She needed to turn it down a lot and portray your typical grad student in a way we could believe - worn out, fed up, flat broke, abandoned and desperate. Colin Cunningham (as the straight-off-the shelf-just-add-batteries departmental weirdo Chris Fletcher) was another wholly unbelievable character. His attempts at comic relief failed and, in truth, the film would have been able to tell the same story without him. Even dear old William Sadler (an actor I admire very much) hammed it up enough for me to lose faith in his character, Valerian Hadley, quite quickly too. Vaccilating between looking like he was under sedation most of the time to promoting the idea being crazy was all the rage, he soon looked like a man with nothing left to lose in this film. I felt a bit sorry for him to be honest because he has the capacity to pack some serious performing into his roles. All in all, the above (except for Miles Doleac's character, Ben Rhodes) gave the viewer little to cling to by way of meaningfulness. Too many threads - Mr. Doleac. Thanks for showing us your insides. All your hopes, all your sadness, all your love turned into stone, all your loss, all your broken dreams, all the people and places you have known. Now, what have you got left for next time? Screaming and shouting? A puppet show? Because they are just about the only things you didn't reveal here. Now, don't get me wrong; I like to see fully formed characterization - people who wear their flaws on their sleeves as much as they do their hearts. But, really, don't try to pack so much into one story. Plus, is it never sunny where you are? It just rains and rains on everyone? We go on with the show but...don't lose sight of the fact that life's funny too. Damned funny, actually. Let's see some of that next time, eh? Far from reality/Fairy dust education - The silly ending of 'teacher as hero'. Yawn...please...come on! In an era when colleges survive by churning out future systems analysts and lawyers, no-one, NO-ONE, is going to see a lecture theater packed to the gills with students oh-so-anxious to study the classics. That don't pay the bills and the Bank of Mum and Dad ain't going to fund it either. That ending made me feel empty inside...pity. Overall, 5/10. Looking forward to see if Miles Doneac has more up his sleeve. I hope so because I have a feeling he could write a great story and make a great film out of it too. Good luck.

• The Past is Present. Live With It - The Historian Review

  hwpo11222014-11-06

  Debut films are often hit or misses. Many bomb in quality and lack in depth. But some, often very few, exceed all expectations and rise above the status quo. The Historian accomplishes this feat on the back of Miles Doleac and leaves no room for doubt with this up-and-coming filmmaker and actor. The Historian is a film that examines several different plot points, from love to accomplishment and further to jealousy and determination, only to name a few. There are powerhouse performances here and directorial beauty. Though the film may not be Nolan-esque quality, it proves that the highest budget isn't needed to create an entertaining and enthralling work. Miles Doleac stuns with his acting, directing and writing for this film. He is a man who beats all odds and proves himself to be the product of his own determination and passion. I predict he is someone who we will be seeing a lot of in the near future. John Cullum and William Sadler both give amazing performances in this film and are perhaps the highlights of the acting field in this piece. They both astound with their humanity and flaws that are captured beautifully by an unforgiving and honest script. Beyond the more technical aspects, The Historian offers an in depth look at the higher educational system and often the corruption it presents. Doleac attacks the fact that students aren't pushed and are allowed to slack off and succeed, thus setting them up for future failure. This is one of many examples of the plethora of angles that The Historian focuses on. There is no shortness of plot elements and the characters beyond anything else feel alive. It is a film that anyone can watch and enjoy. Its run at film festivals and awards won at said events were earned in a deserving manner. Passion is in every scene and it is always apparent that this film was made by someone who loves the art of film making. I recommend The Historian to anyone who enjoys good drama and likes a taste of something new they haven't seen before. Every aspect of this film is great and it is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. charlesdunphey(dot)blogspot(dot)com