Harockerce What a beautiful movie!

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

jfgibson73 This black and white horror movie is a short film about an addict trying to get help. He joins a support group, and strange things start to happen. When the movie ends, we're still not totally clear what's been going on.A lot of the outdoor scenery looked really good. The black and white film gave this movie some great atmosphere. However, there really weren't very many memorable parts. The support group seems to be evil, coming after the addict several times and terrorizing him. They drag him through mud and beat on his car, but we aren't really sure if it happened or if he is just messed up.At the end, there is still some question about whether or not the group was actually evil. Because this movie interested me enough to learn more, I am going to seek out the documentary film showing how this was made. Hopefully, I will appreciate it more.

Bordo3k Coven is not a very good film. I Could give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it was shot on a budget of nothing, but I'm not that nice. Had I shot a movie this poor I would be able to realize it, and having a screening for friends and family as Mark did in American Movie would have been out of the question. I do however have to give the guy respect for completing his film which was 3 years in the making, but he made so many mistakes which I wish he could learn from, but sadly I believe he never will. His first mistake: Starring in his own film. Some directors can probably do it, but not even Quentin Tarrintino or Kevin Smith ever starred in their movies early on, they gave themselves smaller supporting roles. Had Mark decided to spend more time behind the camera and less time in front, maybe he would have been able to generate more from his actors. Instead he gets stiffly delivered lines and changing accents. Next mistake is the camera work. Again, more proof that starring in your own independent films means certain doom. Too many static shots and not enough cut aways. Do we really need to sit on a wide shot of two people having a conversation outside of a car for a solid minute? It gets really old fast and begins boring the audience, making them think about things like "I wonder where I put that twine ball" instead of focusing on the film. Cutaway to closeups of each character as they speak, then back to the wide shot, then cutaways. Mix it up a bit! Plus, had he not starred, the main character wouldn't have ended every sentence with the word "man," something that made me grow sick of American movie by the end. Mark- please stop saying man, it really shows a lack of intelligence and I know you are way smarter than that. Next comes the editing. Not tight enough. There is a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed from this film. It runs about 35 minutes, but could have easily been cut down to 27, and would have been far more effective.Alright, I'm through being negative, so here's some positive stuff: Some scenes are shot really good, like the opening establishing shots are beautiful, and the running down the road scene looks great. I especially love it when the truck pulls into view. Some of the scarier stuff in the film are shot quite well. Lots of fast zoom in and zoom outs, very Sam Raimi like.Basically all I'm saying is that Mark: quit starring in your films (I see you are starring in Scare Me, your latest effort... hmm... interesting...) and start directing your films. Being a director is more than just telling where the camera needs to be pointed. You need to give direction to your actors. Help them strive to get the performance you need to help achieve your vision. Stale delivery is unacceptable in my book. Also, stop saying man- I cannot stress that enough. See coven on the DVD of American Film. The End.

dstern1 This short film is a really good representation of AA and other 12 step groups. While AA is not actually a satanic cult; it is a pseudo-religious organization. I was glad to see it shown for what it is. Do not get me wrong. AA serves many people. I just like to see it satirized.Most people seeing this film will be distracted by the poor production values. That is what happens when you have no budget. The story is great and would have been a great film if better financed.My sole opportunity to see this film was on the DVD with "American Movie." I was disappointed to see that the scene in which the head smashed into the cabinet never made it into the final cut of "Coven."

caspian1978 After watching American Movie, you have the option on the DVD to view the short film Coven. After watching this, most will come to the conclusion that Mark Borchardt is not an amazing independent film maker. He is in fact just one of many "movie makers" that want to be the next big thing. Mark's 3 year struggle to make this film was a problem of Mark's own doing. Many of the mistakes and unprofessional storytelling made Mark spend months and months correcting his own mistakes. A victim if circumstances and his own Ego, Mark should have waited and saved thousands of dollars by shooting the entire movie on digital. He could have shot the same movie in 1 week and saved 90% of the money is spent. Shooting on 8mm or 16mm doesn't make you a film maker. Coven was Mark's calling card to prove to the world of his talent. Conclusion: Mark is a dime a dozen. Then again, it shows you how much heart one movie maker has to make his / her movie.