Bitter Lake (2011)

Great Film overall

Better Late Then Never

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Ok, first of all, since is an amateur approach, a low budget movie and all around it I can say that it has it good points, the plot could use more deep installments and the acting may not be the best but the fursuits were very well done and the music was amazing.The fact they choose a place neutral and without people was key since its not ease find fursuiters or employ too many, the camera work also has its flaws but its forgivable, I am more concerned at the majority of the indoors scenarios were they look just like a modern house rather than an old place.

I can't believe that they reportedly made people buy tickets to see this at EF, never mind putting out a DVD that cost $20 to buy. Though when it was premiered, it was utterly loved and I seriously can't see why... Oh wait yes I can, it's because furs are blinded by the fact that it's a Furry made film with fursuits in and naturally bum off of it because it's certainly not the filmography that they cared about. I wonder if it WASN'T a fur-based film, it would get as much love... I very much doubt it.So much more could've been done in this film, such as making an interesting storyline. If they wanted a hard hitting short film (40 minute is NOT feature length), why not a dark drama about an inmate who's only connection to the outside world is through letters to and from his best friend, or two friends playing video games getting so high on a new legal high they hallucinate and end up being in the games they play. I just think it was a good opportunity a bit wasted.The ending sword fight was probably the funniest one I've seen in a very long time. The bit what got me was the Fox disappearing right in front of his opponent, it like he clipped through the world to cheat, and the resulting death scene actually had me cry with laughter.With the budget this film apparently got, a lot more could've been done. If I got the budget to make a short film I'm sure I'd have change spare to buy the cast and crew dinner.Hey at least the fursuits looked good though, eh?! (Except the black wolf thing, he looked like he got spunked on by everyone) Thing is, the film is good for a laugh but as a serious production it falls very short. Better luck next time, guys!

Having just finished "Bitter Lake", the first confirmed furry film ever produced on a budget, I think it would be right to give credit where credit is due, being a furry myself.The biggest plus to this film was simply that it was pulled off. It's labeled as a fantasy adventure with people in fur costumes, so you may be thinking "How the hell are they going to pull that off?" Oh but they did, and the production itself is a marvel. The costumes were outstanding and the puppetering was spot-on. The musical score was lovely as well. It's amazing that a real composer worked on wholly original music, and used it to carry the film to emotions it could not achieve on its own. Lighting, cinematography, and direction were also executed smoothly. So in terms of production, its a pretty solid attempt at the first furry film. An excellent short flick by a very talented crew. But that's where my acclaims ends. The short film opens up with a fascinating mythical tale about four provinces that wage war against one another after a crumbling peace. The heir to the throne of one kingdom has been killed, and the discussion for a resolve to the conflict must be made. However, we never get to see ANY of the backstory, and the "discussions" of what to do next are the focal point of the story, not the war itself. For fifteen minutes, we see the main characters talking in the room of a hut in a village. The voice acting is disastrous and the dialogue could have been much better. They use a few curse words and raise their voices to make what they are saying seem more important to the viewer. The characters are incredibly bland and generic, and don't help the grogginess of the film's pace. Most of the scenes are of the furs walking, running, or glancing across the scenery awkwardly. There's a painfully choreographed sword fight (but still pretty damn good for people in fur suits) at the climax between one of the main characters, Colonel Dreer, and another guy who seemed like an extra but turned out to be a villain. And just like that......its over. It's only 30 minutes long, and that's why I'm calling it a "short film" in this review instead of a "feature" that its being made out to be amongst those who got a taste of it at last year's AnthroCon premiere. No happy ending here, but an ending that cliff-hangs more then Sylvester Stallone. By the way, the website praises its use of 35 mm cameras for filming, when in fact it was filmed with DSLR cameras."Bitter Lake" is a film that uses furry fandom as leverage to display its uniqueness, yet it feels like an award winning film crew directing a direct-to-DVD flick. It's a shame, really. You could tell that the crew obviously did the best they could, and the filmmakers probably had a blast making it. The production value is mind-blowing for a small crew, but the performance and final execution are mediocre. I tip my hat off the the filmmakers anyways; they've earned all my respect.So, is it a good attempt at the first serious furry film in terms of production value, and is it a movie that furries would probably enjoy? Yes! Is it worth seeing? If you've got 30 minutes to cut through. Is it worth buying for $10 on the film's website? NO. Oh Jesus, no.

Here it is, the very first full-length furry movie ever produced. Although it is kinda short for 45 minutes, I really enjoyed every second of it. It may look amateuristic but I can tell you, it is certainly not. Even the soundtrack is well done.Few things nag me though: in the entire movie only the main characters are visible, but where were the extras, like the people in the villages. It now looked like the main chars were walking thru abandoned villages. Where were the rest? (I think due to the raging war all other peoples had fled to the mountains.) But overall: this movie is very watchable, certainly for furs and non-furs alike.EZ... TOP NOTCH WORK!