Helicopter (2001) User Reviews

Low budget, short film about bereavement, masterfully done.

[Havan_IronOak · 8/10 · 10 August 2002]

Ari, Nina and Ethan have lost their mother when a helicopter carrying her and her famous music promoter boyfriend crashes. While his two siblings live in California where their mother lived, Ari lives in New York. The movie opens with a series of phone messages between Ari and his mother showing that although they try they just never seem to connect.

The film is a mix of live action and animation with the cheesy animation in some way pointing out the unreality of it all. I thought that this was an effective device for showing how Ari and his siblings must be viewing the hoopla surrounding a memorial concert for their mother's dead boyfriend. Yes, the public is in mourning but NOT for the woman that these three are.

As someone who has lost both parents, I found the film touching and evocative and could easily see where the film-maker was going with this. I somewhat suspect that those who have criticized this film have never felt the way that Ari and his siblings are feeling.

Gimmick

[havana-2 · 6/10 · 26 June 2002]

I feel bad for Ari Gold- he lost his Mother in a helicopter accident. But why make a film that relies on that as the only emotional piece. This is not a bad film, its just not a great film and the fact that it relies on the gimmick of the helicopter and its autobiographical association, make it difficult for me to see Ari Gold getting much work from this film.

Bullseye

[wallofsound36 · 10/10 · 26 July 2002]

This movie scares some people because they think it's a gimmick to make a film about death? Every other movie out there is a gimmick, this one is a shot to the heart. Director Gold does something I've never seen before in a movie, a real step inside the head of a mourning person in shock. Never mind that it's based on a true story, with animation and live action mixed, it's just great cinema.

Short, clever, well done

[becky_murphey · 2 April 2002]

This was a clever piece. The combinations of live action, animation, and models were original and amusing. This short piece is an excellent introduction to a young director with much creative potential. I look forward to seeing more work from this director.

How did this movie get so much "hype"?

[ericbean1 · 1/10 · 10 March 2002]

It's amazing that a short like this one got so my hype. It was poorly acted, bad direction, and the " toy cars pulled on strings" was embarassing. I'd like to see this kind of movie make it in the REAL world of cinema. Are the film festivals that out of touch? It's too bad that "gimicky" films can still generate press, from even the film industry.

Changed my life

[tiadocic · 10/10 · 18 April 2002]

I saw this film on LowFiVideo's show late one night and I have seen it now four times. It changed my life. I lost my father last year and to see somebody capture the feeling of loss so well has made me want to study film. this movie is incredible.

overblown

[smd59 · 1/10 · 30 May 2003]

Overblown, overhyped and self serving student film. Why can't people see past this vanity production? The acting is bad bad bad. The animation and miniatures are "neato" for a few minutes, but come on. Ari Gold, what's next?

A stunner to share with your family.

[harold67662 · 10/10 · 7 January 2003]

I started receiving the Sundance Channel and saw this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking little movie. What luck! Mr. Gold is a talent to watch.

I have ordered his movies on his website, to show to my family. We have had a loss in the family and this film speaks better than my words do.

Thank you.

A young filmmaker's personal story of tragedy.

[TheLizardKing747 · 15 April 2002]

I was fortunate enough to see this short film at the 2002 East Lansing Film Festival in Lansing, Michigan. I must admit that at first, the cheap animations and fake cars are a bit of a distraction. Right away you may find yourself writing off this movie before it even really begins. But as the movie progresses and the storyline unfolds you begin to realize that the focus of the movie is not it's budget or it's effects but rather it's rich emotion and colorful characters. Furthermore, the fact that the director is the real main character, seems to bring you into the screen and emotionally attach you for the duration of the short. I think the actors do a fine job of capturing the dark, yet humorous tones of the script and they breathe life into characters that are going through disbelief and terrible sadness. If anyone gets a chance to see this short, get out there and do so because hopefully we'll see more of Ari Gold's work in the future.

Personal and well put together but not as convincing and heartfelt as I hoped for

[bob the moo · 12 April 2007]

An autobiographical film from Ari Gold that deals with the death of his mother in a helicopter crash when he was young. The film flashes between an animated recount of what happened, a real life replay of the day at Golden Gate park and phone messages between Ari and his dead mother. It is a very personal film that is interesting but somehow manages to have surprisingly little heart in it considering what it is.

The animation is good in how it is used but the majority of the film is live-action and it is here that it is unfortunately let down. In regards recreation I'm sure it is good but I didn't find myself drawn into it and involved as I wanted to be. The events such as the cockroach moment and the prayer mat issue lack resonance – I'm sure to Ari that these were painful reality but they don't work here, lacking the genuine emotion that they must have had to Gold first time round. This is not to say it doesn't work at all, because it does. There is an overall sense of loss and pain that I thought worked; it is helped by the good use of music to support this atmosphere.

The acting is mostly good but they all do come over like they are acting rather than genuinely feeling. It is a harsh criticism but throughout the film I could not shake off the longing that it was just that little bit more "real". Interesting enough and undoubtedly worthy for how personal it is, but it fell a bit short of the mark for what I wanted.