Tell (I) (2012) User Reviews

The beginning of something good...

[tuberjonas · 8/10 · 19 June 2012]

The first thing I want to say is that I might be a little "prejudiced" about this movie, because I am a real fan of the FilmRiot you-tube show and I'm watching it for a really long time. I'm really impressed about this movie Tell, they created. It has a fantastic script (my opinion) and it's very well acted. I think the cruel storyline really succeeded along with the background music. But you won't lose any sympathetic for the main character, even after all his murders. I don't want to say too much about this movie, you have to watch it for yourself.... which can't be a problem since it's free to watch! The You-tube broadcasts quite exploded in popularity the last few years. The, not too long, free to watch movies, are a good way of wasting time for almost every one. This community has grown so much, that the quality is increasing to a high level. It's showing us you don't need a Hollywood budget to make a good film.

The internet is really competing against the high budget films in cinema's and on DVD's. Projects like Tell, witch are almost getting to the "cinema" quality, will make "buying" films superfluous. I think projects like Tell, can really gain popularity in the future. People are looking more and more for ways to watch films cheap, like Netflix or even illegally downloading them.

Hopefully this will be our future. At least TELL is one step in the right direction...

Very suspenseful

[Floh-Ruehle · 8/10 · 24 June 2012]

First of all: This movie has been done on a very low budget. This hardly ever shows and I rated it like I would rate any other Hollywood-backed movie on IMDb, which might almost be a little unfair. Still, I have to give this movie high praises. It has a very simple story yet easily keeps you entangled for over 30 minutes (a very long runtime for a short-film).

The story is based on "The tell-tale heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The movie itself shortens it even further. It contains very little dialog and can be considered more of a mood piece. From the very beginning, the music, acting and cinematography keep the viewer at the edge of his seat and deliver suspense in an amazing yet not obvious way. The main character Taylor (Todd Bruno) carries the movie brilliantly, without his outstanding performance it would not have been the same. The same way would a lesser composer or cinematographer have left this movie boring and lifeless. As it is, this movie is very close to a perfect thriller and I can recommend it to anyone.

Some minor things that bugged me: All the main actresses were not as convincing as I had hoped. There were some very slight focus issues at times. In very few places, I would have liked the score to be a little more quiet or non-present, to release the tension for just a second.

Over all, I am very pleased with the movie and found it entertaining at least and brilliant at best. In comparison to big commercial films, I am rating it at 8/10 stars. For a very low budget film, I would easily give 10/10.

Lets be honest

[twistedjoy · 6/10 · 16 September 2012]

I have to say I am a big fan of Ryans You Tube channel "Film Riot" and I thought his film "Losses" was very well shot even though it lacked a good story line.

However, I waited nearly 3 years for this film and I expected something amazing, but instead got something that was OK.

I purchased the Blue Ray with the signed script (Which took for ever to come), just so I could see the behind the scenes and see how Ryan did his scripts. But even the Blue Ray was OK and nothing amazing and I was slightly disappointed.

The acting was above average, but for a short film it was alright but not a 10 out of 10..... More of a 6 out of 10

Atmospheric and a strong lead performance

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 27 June 2015]

This is a half-hour short movie written and directed by Ryan Connolly. He came up with some quality short film work in the last 5 years and this one is no exception. Actually, here we have a very simple premise. A man kills his girlfriend during an argument. Afterward, he tries to cover up all the evidence and tries to make the body disappear. Will he really get away with it? Can he keep the cop from finding the corpse? I enjoyed this short film, it was a good watch, especially towards the ending. I believe the first half could have been maybe five minutes shorter and more essential this way, but it wasn't bad either. And all the supernatural aspects of the guy apparently being haunted by the woman's spirit did not really do too much for me. But these are just very minor criticisms. All in all, it's a well-worked out movie and I am looking forward to seeing more from Connolly and lead actor Todd Bruno in the future. Thumbs up.

Pretty good, despite arguable issues

[cflores-37970 · 7/10 · 27 October 2016]

I've been watching Film Riot for a couple years now, and only recently did I stumble upon this short directed by Ryan Connolly.

This was his first short apparently and I have to say, I've seen a lot of first time shorts... this one is pretty good among the others I've seen. Very rarely will you see a GREAT short film done by a first timer; that's rare if even possible. To be clear, this short film is good, not great.

Some people might have issues with the picture quality, but that's because the camera they used is a very old model/simple type of camera. Nothing too fancy at all. Basically on the same level as a Canon T2i. To me, that's not a problem. If anything that's inspiring to other indie filmmakers to still go out and make movies and not let the lack of stellar equipment stop you from doing so.

The acting was okay... passable.

The story is pretty good, and I'm 99% sure based on Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. I say that because it has similar elements and it's title is "TELL". I actually find that pretty cool that someone adapted Poe literature into a short film, set in modern times.

And as I recall, I have no issues with the editing or sound design. The lighting and color grading seemed to fit the short well.

Overall, a pretty good diamond in the ruff and highly recommended; especially if you're into indie filmmaking, it might inspire you.

A really fun ride!

[seantudor-1 · 9/10 · 19 June 2012]

I'm a huge fan of Ryan's work on Youtube and I was super excited to see this movie since I watched it being made through all his shows. I was not disappointed! This movie is really scary and well put together. The budget might have been lower budget than some movies but you couldn't "tell" it. The quality was phenomenal and the film making superb. Some of the acting gets a little stiff at times but all in all this is a great ride! Ryan is a quality Director that will be making plenty of waves down the road. I look forward to following his career and saying, "Hey! I was there when he was just a wee little film guy with a YouTube show! He was a funny little man with a vision! Highly recommended!

Amazing.

[florian-varga666 · 10/10 · 23 June 2012]

Personally, i have been a fan of Film Riot and Ryan Connolly for years now. So when i heard that this movie was to be released online - free of charge - i was mega excited. The simplicity of this film with the combination of perfection really makes it stand out from other horror films. At a tight budget and a small crew, they have managed to pull off Hollywood standard material through Ryan's many skills from directing to editing.

He is "The Man" and with great co-operative actors, this piece has really out-shined a lot of other horror films that have had millions spent on them.

Full kudos to Ryan Connolly and the team, massive fan of your work, and i look forward to seeing your films on the big screen. It will take you no less than an hour to watch, so i suggest that everyone goes over to the website and watches it now. You will not regret it. Just make sure you have a pillow to hide behind!

An Unbiased Review

[kcolasacco · 5/10 · 23 June 2012]

First of all, you need to realize that when I give something a 5/10, I'm saying that it's perfectly average. Many people consider a 5 to be a poor score but I don't. I consider it to be neither good or bad along the bell curve. There are around 50 or fewer movies in the history of filmmaking that I'd give a 10 and only around 100 or so that I'd give a 9 which will hopefully put things into perspective. I actually wish that more people thought like that. 5 is average.

It's tempting to consider this a first effort from Ryan Connolly and his team and while it is, in a sense, it's also not. Ryan is a very experienced writer and director when it comes to working with no budget and has a pretty fair following with his YouTube channel, Film Riot (which by the way, is a good place for aspiring filmmakers to learn). Throw in years of film school and it's not exactly as if this is a total noob effort. That's a good thing though because I try not to make that distinction when I'm doing a review. I review without prejudice regarding budget or experience. It could be $200 mil or $1,000 as I believe Tell was. (which really puts the 5 into an even better perspective)

Ryan Connolly is a pretty good writer with a good sense of timing. I would have preferred to see something more original from him over a retelling of The Tell Tale Heart. So now when you're rating the script, I'm stuck with having to rate a story that's a great original tale, but the problem is, this is simply a story that's already been done. The original was fantastic. However, this is more like a copy from a xerox machine, it's never going to be as good.

The acting was average (remember what I'm comparing it to) which bodes well for those who were in it. I wasn't pulled out of the story because of shoddy acting. That's also a testament to the director and his ability to get performances which may have been beyond the scope of what the actors had previously been able to do. Good job for a first effort.

The way Connolly uses lighting and camera angles to set moods for the shots was very good and on par with many of Hollywood's directors. Especially when you consider that he did not have the money to build sets to the specs of the shots that he wanted. I've always felt that this is a strong suit of his and I'd like to see what he could do with a bigger budget.

The most glaring problem for me is that I felt as if some of the shots ran too long and should have been either removed in editing or made shorter. Using a scene from the beginning as an example, the main character is moving from inside the house out to his car and back again. The viewer doesn't need to see the actor go to the door, open the handle, close the door, walk to the car, open doors, close doors, walk back to the house, open the door...

Similar situations play out throughout the entirety of the film which slowed the pace too much and if anything, left me bored, searching to forward into areas of more suspense.

Overall, I say it was a good "first" effort but there are some glaring issues that I think could have made it better. The scores are going to be artificially high as the fan base gives it scores that should be reserved for the best films in the history of cinema but that's to be expected. I still think that this was a solid debut that should draw some needed attention in his direction and hopefully set Triune Films up for a successful career.

take note Hollywood

[rdroutlaw · 10/10 · 24 June 2012]

i give "tell" ten out of ten because that what it is!!! I only recently discovered film riot and what a discovery it was.

Not only does Ryan connolly make amazing films he also helps others to do so as well!!! but back to "tell" it delivers an amazing story and brings a few scares... the acting is superb and you really believe that the situation they are in is real.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone so all i shall say is this WATCH IT!!!!!! brilliance is something filmmakers strive to create..

well Ryan connolly has created just that... RYAN thank you!!!!

P.S if your a fan of action film watch LOSSES another great ryan connolly short movie!!!

I don't give out 8s, 9s or 10s that easy.

[joseg3192 · 5/10 · 10 July 2012]

Before I go into my review I want to say that I completely understand what the film is about. It's about a guy who in the heat of the moment kills his girlfriend by "accident" and as a result his conscience is making him lose his grip on reality.

My problem with the movie has to do a lot with the opening scene. The film starts off in a very confusing manner. A couple is arguing, and it's the girl who's asking the guy what his frustration is about. So we understand that he's frustrated with their relationship, yet he won't say what exactly his frustration stems from. The girl is frustrated at the guy because he doesn't spend time with her, a point to which the guy has no real response to. At first I thought maybe he's cheating on her, but that can't be because he too is frustrated with their relationship. A cheater will usually try to keep cool and not raise any suspicions or try to sabotage one relationship because it could ruin the other.

So the whole time I'm thinking, what is so secretive that he can't tell her? He can't be a professional assassin because it becomes very apparent he can't deal with the pressure of murdering someone. So what is so secretive that he can't tell her "I'm upset about this", like a real couple would do? What is so secretive that it leads to a massive argument that leads in someone's death. If arguing has been a reoccurring problem like it's suggested, why not break up at this point? The reason this is done in such an illogical fashion, is that if the argument is settled like adults, the movie has no lift off and thus the murder doesn't happen.

The clunky delivery of the lines by the actors makes it very apparent that the actors themselves don't know what their characters are fighting about and neither did the writer. The actors don't know of any argument between a couple in which the problem is not put out there, and so they are having a hard time getting into it or understanding the material. And if it is put out there then the audience would not find it a plausible reason to kill her, for this reason it is left a mystery. To the writer this was just a small detail to push the story along and get to the "good stuff". To top it all off the director tries to cover his tracks and tries to bring some seriousness to this flawed scene by filming it in "this is how you know the scene is serious" shot (a.k.a. the close up shot) and also by doing the reality TV hand-held style to make it seem as if this argument is real. Come on Ryan have some guts, do something unexpected, film it on a flat extreme long shot or something I haven't seen.

Starting a film with two characters we know nothing about arguing tells us nothing except that they are frustrated. Setting up the scene as something as simple as "I know you're cheating on me" would of sufficed, but this wouldn't lead to a murder it would lead to a break up. In fact, no normal couple argument would ever lead to a murder. The only way it can happen, is if you introduce the male character before the argument as a mentally unstable and frustrated with life character. Maybe he's taken a beating at work, maybe he has no friends, he was released from a mental institution not too far back, he wants to claim a life insurance after her death (a classic), etc. or a combination of multiple things. If the main character is someone who balls up his emotions, and has been building up this anger at his girlfriend or at life for this really long time then show us that. Show us the evolution from someone calm, into an unhappy boyfriend, and then a violently explosive person. This is what I mean by character depth, we know nothing else about these characters except that they are fighting. I have a feeling that this is what Ryan was going for but I shouldn't have to go from hypothetical to hypothetical to arrive at a plausible solution. If you wanted to make a psychological thriller about a man's guilty conscience a little easier, make it about the guy who hits a stranger while driving. Set up as a nice guy with bad luck.

I'm sorry I just couldn't get over the issues of the first 5 minutes. On top of that all the actresses were bad in this film, and perhaps miscast because they all look like 20 year old models (except the officer), the lead actually looks the part of a psycho in his late 30s. In fact he is the best thing to happen to this film, his performance takes over the film after that clunky mess in the beginning and gives life to the film. The film lacked plot points though, it did well in representing the main character's internal conflict but I saw the officer coming in and being killed.

The movie could of used more gore as well, kind of like Japanese films (I thought the girl's face should of been smashed in or something). Overall the movie was okay. A good score to go along and a good representation of a man losing his grip on reality. I felt some of the shots were conventional or expected for a thriller. The film needed normal shots, shots of before the murder occurs to get the full fear effects when he commits the murder.

I was surprised.

[feliks_k · 9/10 · 23 June 2012]

Having watched Ryan Connollys youtube show for some time, I was honestly not expecting to be pleasantly surprised by this short film. Connollys movie-making style is not one that I typically enjoy, judging from his previous internet productions, but having watched Tell I have concluded that Ryan Connolly really have it in him to produce high-quality movies. Especially backed by a team of very skilled actors like with Tell. In his previous Youtube productions the actors are very amateurish (sad to say) and lack the professional maturity that the actors in Tell now have exhibited.

I was frightened and surprised by this thriller, and can't wait to see what Connolly will make next.

Lets judge it

[kishor-jina · 8/10 · 23 June 2012]

I will keep "TELL" and film riot separate because when i watched it i wiped out the name of their youtube super hit show. First thing the story got me totally and by saying that i mean it was nicely interactive between the story and the audience. I found this 33 (waw) minutes short film very well paced(somewhere something very little was missing). In terms of camera angle and a little shakiness turned me down a bit but hey considering the budget and the crew that's the best one can get for sure. But, if i compare this film to other big budget short film, guess what, it will still make a big impression on them. One fact can do it all, "TELL"'s soundtrack was extremely catching and it kept me in tense most of the time. Last but not least a well graded film. I am no guru in terms of any of the issues i just talked about but i know what is comfortable and fun to watch and what is not.

Good job Ryan connolly.

Fun to watch at times...

[MovieCritic13-477-485182 · 4/10 · 15 September 2012]

Okay first of all I have to say that films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Titanic, and such are available for review on this website, and if we decide to give this film a high score like those movies we have lost sight of what this website is for. This movie seems like a film student shooting a film with a very low budget, and a canon 5D (or 7D).

The story is quite suspenseful, and the actors seem to be believable, but on the other hand the sound is way over the top, and the director of photography seems to still be in the beginning stages of camera directing. There's so much room for improvement and I'm sure the director is aware of that.

Great Suspense. Great Movie!

[gaynorjack · 10/10 · 23 June 2012]

This movie is genius! Ryan Connolly has really built up the suspense in the film. It is a great Thriller/Horror movie with brilliant cinematography! The way the lights were used and the whole look and grade of the film was utterly amazing! Although I am a huge Filmriot fan, I love it even more, but besides that I would still of enjoyed this movie. The camera moves were brilliant and the scene where Todd goes outside and back in, and the last scene were amazing to watch! I can't wait for this Blu-Ray to come in my mailbox and watch it with full HD! Plus with the script! Awesome Job Triune Films! Really well done! Can't wait to see what you have next!

Must watch for wanna-be directors

[siddhanttandon · 10/10 · 23 June 2012]

Great story line, with awesome moments of thrill and horror. Ryan is a great director and a very sweet guy! The actor did incredibly great on their part. The lighting effects used made the plot even more scary. All in all its a great short film and a must watch for wanna-be directors. The short film did a great work in telling how a guilty man could do horrible stuff just to cover up his wrong doings. Ryan did a fantastic job as a writer as well, the plot was direct, short and the moments of fear and guilt were timed properly. 33 minutes of fear and guilt, its a nice film and we hope that Ryan will soon make a feature length film. I am a huge fan of FilmRiot and Filmstate. FilmRiot helped me to grow as a photographer and provided me with all the technicalities involved in this field. Josh Connelly did a fantastic job with the behind-scenes of this short film. He's a great actor too. Losses was a great short film. Must watch short film!

Tell

[cp_nelson17 · 10/10 · 26 June 2012]

As a fan of Ryan Connolly's internet web series' Film Riot and Film State, I had been waiting for Tell to finally arrive since they first talked about it. When it finally was uploaded to Youtube, there was no disappointment, there was just awe. The fact that this short was able to be pulled off on the small budget it had is amazing. This is proof that films don't need millions of dollars to work. All they need is the right cast and crew. Mr. Connolly knocked it out of the park in terms of the style for this film. Todd Bruno.. well... he needs to get more jobs because he also knocked it out of the park. In fact, all of the cast did a great job, there wasn't one weak character. The cinematography is beautiful, even for such a dark film. The pacing is perfect and the suspense is, well... suspenseful. This short that I had been waiting for so long to see lived up to my expectations and then exceeded them. I can't wait to see where Ryan Connolly's and everyone else involved with this film's careers go. Help them out! Tell your friends about Tell.

32 Minutes of Nail-Biting, Jumping-Out-Of-Your-Seat Suspense

[juanpaolochamorro · 8/10 · 24 July 2012]

Having known Ryan Connolly from Film Riot, I had high expectations from him to create a high-quality, professionally-done short film. And although it wasn't necessarily "short" (at least, not in the sense that most people would consider short), he did meet my expectations and then some.

Let me say right now that I am not a fan of horror or thriller (however, I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. But that's another story). However, this short film made me enjoy the thrill of being scared and feeling a lot of suspense. From a technical stand point, some could argue that some moments were long, boring, tedious, and beat around the bush. However, I feel as though these are the moments that inflict suspense in the audiences minds and allows their imagination to go crazy. And, in my opinion, he executes these moments perfectly.

Speaking of technicality, from an avid film-maker's point of view, I absolutely enjoyed everything. From the lighting, to the color grading/correction to the cinematography. It was beautifully done and such a pleasure for a fellow film-maker's eyes to view.

Overall, I gave this short film an 8/10. The only problem I had was that it was not fully original. For those of you who are reading this who are up on your English Literature, you may see some parallels between this short film and a famous short story. But again, I suggest you watch this no matter what kind of genre you are into because you never know what you may or may not enjoy. Hats off to you, Ryan!

Best 30 mins of my life :: Semi Spoiler

[recruiter1613 · 9/10 · 6 September 2012]

I had just finished watching a trash movie about drama and it dragged on and on, so I looked this one up and gave it a shot. NOT DISAPPOINTED! This 30 minute movie was perfect, save for the fact I would've loved to a little more and for the character to get pulled into his psychosis a tiny bit further. I can honestly say that I don't get spooked anymore, but at least 3 times, this movie made my nervous system jump!

A short, succinct film that knows what it wants and gives it to the audience without any of the filler we're all so accustomed to now. I wish more movies were like this, I would watch all of them. It's dark, and not at all revealing about the character's past and if these things might've happened before, not afraid to keep "what he's being up to at all hours of the night" a secret.

Officers were called to the scene, people have survived with more gun shots in them before. Dare I say that this might not be over? I hope so.

Okay it is heavy in genre standards and tricks, but it uses them very effectively

[bob the moo · 30 April 2014]

Taylor is having another big fight with his girlfriend Jenny; storming out, he remembers the drunken advice of a friend, collects a hammer from his truck and goes back inside to brutally murder her. The moment is easy, however covering up the crime is another thing – only made more difficult by Taylor struggling to keep a hold on reality.

Tell manages to be both obvious but yet very effective at the same time. I see that the reception to the film is very mixed because people generally see it one way or the other but for me it manages to do both pretty well. As a horror of sorts it is all about the tension and build, although there are scenes of violence, really the whole film is about the tension. It does this very well and often I was on the edge of my seat, but at the same time my brain did not let go to the point where I was blind to what the film was doing. See the problem with it is that it is really using every trick in the book – and yes it is using them to get good results, but they still feel like tricks.

So the half-seen figures, the blurring or reality/imagined, the camera staring in one direction waiting for something that may or may not come and, of course, that building noise of a score. This latter one is the key thing and it really does help raise the tension. Credit to Ryan Connolly, he knows the genre and he knows what works, using everything to build a simple but very effective film. The cast support him well in this, particularly Bruno, who is a physical manifestation of the tension in the film – he balls it up and sells it. Likewise Eva, although dispatched early on, she remains a creepy presence throughout.

The film is very much about genre clichés and familiar old tricks, so I do understand the reservations about it, but at the same time it uses them all together very well to make an effective, gripping and tense 30 minutes. Well worth a look for what it does well.