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The Battle of Shaker Heights
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Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
DVD
July 27, 2021 "Please retry" | Vanilla | 1 | $10.49 | — |
DVD
July 13, 2004 "Please retry" | Director's Cut | 3 | $9.99 | $3.99 |
DVD
December 6, 2011 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| — | $28.98 |
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May 17, 2011 "Please retry" | — | 4 |
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Purchase options and add-ons
Genre | Comedy |
Format | Color, Widescreen, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Surround Sound |
Contributor | Erica Beeney, Kyle Rankin, Amy Smart, Anson Mount, William Sadler, Efram Potelle, Dale R. Simonton, Elden Henson, Shia LaBeouf, Billy Kay, Michael McShane, Shiri Appleby, Philipp Karner, Ray Wise, Kathleen Quinlan See more |
Language | English |
Runtime | 1 hour and 19 minutes |
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Product Description
Product Description
From executive producers Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and producer Chris Moore, THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS is the uniquely funny and touching comedy at the center of HBO's highly entertaining series PROJECT GREENLIGHT. For troubled high school senior Kelly Ernswiler (Shia LaBeouf -- CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE, DISNEY'S HOLES), life is war -- or at least an incredible simulation. With all the difficulties in his real life, Kelly has found just one true escape: Losing himself in fantasy reenactments of World War II's epic battles. Then he strikes up an unlikely friendship with fellow reenactor, preppy Bart Bowland (Elden Henson -- DUMB AND DUMBERER), and Kelly's life is set to explode in ways he never expected! Also starring Amy Smart (ROAD TRIP) and Kathleen Quinlan (APOLLO 13) in a winning cast of Hollywood favorites -- here's your chance to enjoy the final cut of the film millions watched come together in the second hit season of PROJECT GREENLIGHT.
Amazon.com
This perfectly pleasant, if minor, coming-of-age comedy-drama is the second feature released via the Miramax/HBO/Ben Affleck-Matt Damon TV program Project Greenlight. Series viewers watched Heights directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle struggle to get their vision of screenwriter Erica Beeney's story past an intractable producer. If the process was not pretty, the final result--i.e., this film--has some nice things. Leading the list is rising star Shia LaBeouf (Holes) as likable, 17-year-old misfit Kelly Ernswiler, coasting through life and fascinated by simulated war games. He befriends a sweet but cynical preppie, Bart Bowland (Elden Hensen), whose sexy older sister, Tabby (Amy Smart), offers Kelly a glimpse of adult passions and heartache. The cast is strong, including Kathleen Quinlan and William Sadler as the Caulfield-esque hero's troubled parents. There are solid moments of comedy and affecting, better-than-average drama. If Heights fails to ignite, at least it doesn't fail to move. --Tom Keogh
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.85:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Package Dimensions : 7.52 x 5.51 x 0.55 inches; 2.4 ounces
- Director : Efram Potelle, Kyle Rankin
- Media Format : Color, Widescreen, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Surround Sound
- Run time : 1 hour and 19 minutes
- Release date : December 9, 2003
- Actors : Shia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy Smart, Anson Mount, Billy Kay
- Studio : Miramax Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B0000D9PNP
- Writers : Erica Beeney
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #121,673 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #4,920 in Romance (Movies & TV)
- #13,584 in Comedy (Movies & TV)
- #20,374 in Drama DVDs
- Customer Reviews:
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Project Greenlight 2, was an inversion. I loved the show, and found the movie, BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS lacking.
Now I have made a feature film. I made my feature KNAPTID for $6,000 and wrote about how in my How to Make a Low-Budget Digital Movie short. Even though I had some bad actors I think Knaptid--4 Days After The First Abduction is a better movie than BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS. So my comments here are those of an experienced low-budget filmmaker.
Project Greenlight 2 does give you some real insight into how a Hollywood film is made, and what all happens. The way in which the parent company tried to change the movie after it went before a test audience is a lesson by itself for the would-be filmmaker. The casting problems which I experienced myself--though not with stars, struck home, and the list goes on. What might really be of value to the independent filmmaker here is watching the problems develop.
Greenlight 2 makes producers Balis and Moore look good, and the winning directors look like idiots, while the writer, Erica Beeney is treated sympathetically. The question is: did the show treat Potelle and Rankin fairly or just make them look bad? (One does wonder after watching the show if the winner had been the director candidate who said she would only make SHAKER HEIGHTS or the one who actually did the best job on his directorial sample, the one with the crazy person in the psych ward, whether the end product would have been better. )
How bad are the directors? Here is an example. We see them filming at a church. They need the church for outside shots of Shia LaBeouf as Kelly at his best friend's sister's (Amy Smart) wedding. So what do the directors do. They spend way to much time filming LaBeouf in a Limo talking to Smart in a scene they never get right, and then have to set up lights to fake daylight in a scene that has to be outdoors. In the final movie there is a shot of LaBeouf riding away from the church before the daytime service starts, while cars on the street have their headlights on because it is actually dusk. They only had the church for a day. LaBeouf did okay, but Smart never got the 'in limo scene' right. We never get the idea that she is being confronted just before her wedding by a guy she may have made love to while on the outs with her fiance. (Want to see the surprised bride done right watch THE GRADUATE.) The thing is there was no background in focus, so they could have shot the 'in the limo shot' anywhere after spending a little time directing Smart.
When the movie making was beginning, I can't believe the directors didn't ask the casting director right up front 'who can we reasonably get? LaBeouf was a bad choice here for example. LaBeouf may be great in comedy, but he did not always deliver here. Example, the bully.
The bully picks on LaBeouf because LaBeouf harasses the bully's father who is a history teacher. But the bully's demeanor and LaBeouf's is cartoonish. The fact that the bully has motive to hate LaBeouf is important as LaBeouf later regrets the trick he pulls on the bully. The interaction of the two characters comprise some of the worst, most wooden acting in the movie. In fact, LaBeouf barely seems bothered by the bully, emotionally detached.
Speaking of emotion to really show it in a movie you need close-ups. This movie seems shot entirely in medium shots. In fact, one extreme close up is of a tiny doll held by LaBeouf's best friend's father. The problem is instead of a real character the friend's father is a caricature.
Directing the actors: Didn't these people ever rehearse? Kathleen Quinlan does this scene that ends where her saying 'because' she loves her husband. This is an emotional scene yet she doesn't seem real because she goes from smiling to serious without really being the character.
Some of the problems could be placed on Beeney the writer. But if you watch the show you'll see the directors tried to rewrite her. And the studio heads redid the movie edit. So who is to blame for some of the movie's problems is up in the air, for example: Why LaBeouf hates his father is not revealed until the end of the movie. Meanwhile we go through the movie finding his 'I hate you Dad' attitude unbelievable enough to make him unsympathetic.
Here the directors made mistakes, the writer may have, the studio heads obviously did, and so what was in Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's heads when they actually said the fiasco that was THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS was better than STOLEN SUMMER.
(By the way: The directors and the writer here have not gone on as Pete Jones has. At the time of this writing the SHAKER directing gang has one movie of their own they are working on. Beeney has no further credits. Pete Jones seems to have done a few things.)
This all makes for an educating show. They show these guys making mistakes people can learn from. So enjoy the show, endure the movie and learn.
Project Greenlight lasted a mere three seasons, the first two on HBO, the last on Bravo. Only the first two seasons are available. I enjoyed the first year with Pete Jones, so I ponied up the bucks for the second.
The second season features a change from the first season. This time, there were to be a writer whose script was chosen, and a different director to direct the film. There was still a competition that narrowed down the list from the thousands of scripts submitted, and the hundreds of potential directors.
The format was similar in the competition. Each screenwriter and director had to make a pitch to a team of studio executives as well as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Once the screenplay and the director was chosen, then the team had a short period of time to do pre-production.
The main problem this year was casting. The directors wanted certain actors/actresses, but Miramax (who was funding the film) had final say. This caused a LOT of friction. The final casting was not done until the film was underway (!).
All-in-all, a superb entry in the short series. I enjoyed it immensely, and felt it was as good as, or even a bit better than, the first season.
Highly recommended if you have even a passing curiosity about the filmmaking process. As Affleck and Damon comment, it's a lot harder than it looks. And infused with a lot more drama, arguments and strife than you'd think. Probably more so than some of the films that result!
The story is simple but the acting is impeccable and it develops a wallop emotionally. The movie is totally carried by Shia LaBeouf. He had done some work before this, but here, at 17 he shows the maturity and skill that his furthering career would only develop. He is the sparkle that shines in this film. LaBeouf plays Kelly, a somewhat unhappy teen from a somewhat unhappy family. He escapes by participating in war reenactments. It is here he meets the wealthy, preppie Bart. They become best friends and his family an escape for the emotionally lost Kelly. He also falls for Bart's sister played by Amy Smart.
The story is well told and all the characters have depth. They all experience some life changes through their experiences together but it is Kelly and Labeouf's portrayal that shows the most depth. His innocence is very believable. The drama is provided in some excellent moments by him but the biggest surprise is his comedic timimg. All the comedic touches are provided by the shyness of Kelly.
I highly recommend this slice of life coming of age film to all independant film lovers and also Shia LaBeouf fans. It is an excellent part of his ever developing career.