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Visitors Review

Erewhon 2013-05-22 22:28:08

A seriously missed opportunity

This confused and confusing movie tries to be based both on the real case ofthe worst serial arsonist in California history, and on a book by John Orr,a former arson investigator for the city of Glendale. The script is clumsy and ill-formed, and plays a foolish trick on theaudience regarding two of the characters, the arsonist and John Orr. Nothing is gained by this particular trick; in fact, a great deal ofpossible audience involvement is completely sacrificed. The real case is depicted with some accuracy, but also some pointlessfiction is inserted, and a potentially fascinating story is badlyundercut. The director is ordinarily a superlative cinematographer, and there's somegood cinematography here, too. But there's also a great deal of sillycamera trickery -- there's even a shot looking upward at two people (one avery minor character) from >under the foot< of one of them. The firescenes are deeply unconvincing, and needn't have been. One odd touch: two of the real-life arson investigators are depicted in thefilm, and one of them plays the OTHER one. And the other one also appears. Very complex and almost funny.

2013-05-22 17:41:54

if anyone can help me out ???

just asking does anyone know where i can get a copy of this movieat???if anyone can give me a link or other ???would be totallyappreciated and helpful???cause wants to see this movie,but not sure ofwhere i can get a copy of it?one of my relatives is in this movie andI'm curious on what she did in this movie and how she did as well..shehas done some other movies...just not a lot of them. i guess it becuriosity on how things went in this movie for her???i was shocked tofind her name out on this site...and saw name of this movie..so know iwant to find it,so i can see it and give her a opinion on how she didand looked in it???

jackrabbitslims-1 2013-05-19 01:16:46

tries to hard to be cool

like those dumb kids in high school who try to make friends with everyoneand always carry gum and smell funny, this movie tries to hard to attracteveryone's interest. It's a weak screenplay with some pretty goodcinematography, but it loses it's audience's interest earlyon.

blackcoffeemusic 2013-05-18 18:45:59

Very different....(in a good way)

Very unique! I liked the idea of the main charachter writing a book aboutthe true events. Obviously he was slightly PSHYCO....(Ray Liotta was ofcourse awesome in this part) It held my interest to the very end. The twoyoung actors that played his daughter and her boyfriend were very good.Oneof HBO's better flicks.

2013-05-09 15:06:14

Good Story that caught me off guard

This review is from: Point of Origin (DVD) I knew absolutely nothing about this story before seeing the movie. The film began and when it said that it was based off true events, I almost turned it off. What caught my attention was the visual protrayer of the arson investigation... after that it was the story and the performances of the actors themselves. Ray Liotta stars as arson investigator John Orr. He, along with John Leguizamo, are trying to figure out who is starting all these arson-based fires. John Orr is well regarded as the chief arson inspector and if anyone can find out, he can. So the film plays out like a cat and mouse game. You are trying to figure out what is motivating the person who is setting these fires. What makes the story a bit more compelling is that, during the 90's, at least three firefighters were arrested for arson. After watching the DVD, I found myself going over the film again. I figured, since it was based on a true story the DVD would have some interesting extras. I was disappointed, therefore could not give it a 5. Nevertheless I did find the story fascinating.

crawl-1 2013-05-09 13:11:18

Oscar winner, no. Interesting true story, yes.

This effort is worth 90 minutes of your life. As fiction, no, but as a truestory, yes.An arsonist is on the loose and the investigation leads to an unlikelysuspect. This old Hollywood line ties into the ending. I will leave itthere.Ray Liotta and John Leguizamo are the focus characters and lesser actorswould have made this less interesting.Other comments saying the story doesn't tie together neatly ignore the factthat real crime seldom is neatly packaged. Juries often convict(correctly)on evidence which doesn't all fit into place. Hollywood needs tidiness butthe truth often is less than what Hollywood needs.It's lurid enough to keep the under 35 crowd awake and thoughtful enough tokeep the rest of us thinking.I remember when Wayne Williams was arrested for serial murders in Atlanta.The number of similar murders dropped to near zero when he was put inprison.

mkteku 2013-05-09 06:39:49

one of the best movies on this planet (holywood)

beautifully shot, very clever camera usage, full of visual ideas. THIS ISWHAT MAKES A GOOD MOVIE A GREAT ONE. of course the story is important,mostof the times is the most important part, but when a film like this comesalong... (and this story is not dull at all, it is not what i meant)brilliant!

chldofthe80s 2013-05-08 19:18:02

Very well done!!

This was a very good movie. The filming techniques were very cool. Theending sort of left you guessing....was John Orr(Ray Liotta) guilty? Someofus thought so, others said he was definitely "set up." We highly recommendthis movie to those who enjoy reading a great mystery novel. It's laid outlike that only better because you also get all the awesome visualeffects!

Lucien Lessard 2013-04-30 22:01:18

Stlyzed entertaining thriller that is based on a real incident.

John Orr (Ray Liotta) is a veteran arson investigator, who's completelyprofessional at his job and he has an sixth sense for placing theorigin of suspecting fires. His loyal partner Keith Lang (JohnLeguizamo) learns from the best from Orr and Lang has joined the taskforce in the search of the killer. But some of Orr's colleagues andothers thinks that Orr knows too much of these crimes... all too-well.To his friends, family members and colleagues that Orr might be thearsonist.Directed by Newton Thomas Sigel made an terrific, fast paced thrillerthat is based loosely on a true story. Liotta and Leguizamo givesstrong performances in their roles. This movie has an top supportingcast like Colm Feore, Cliff Curtis, Bai Ling, Illeana Douglas, RonnyCox, Sophia Bush and Rachel Bilson. This movie was made for TV at HBOFilms. Sigel's picture is very stylized and it looks like an theatricalmovie as well.DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an strongDolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD also includes an fairlyinteresting running commentary track by the director and cast & crewinformation. Sigel's film is very entertaining.... he keeps everythingtight, over the top and short. Certainly worth seeing. (****/*****).

2013-04-30 05:12:44

Point of Origin DVD

I thought the DVD "Point of Origin" was great!!LScott

2013-04-21 09:11:54

Great Movie unexpected

This review is from: Point of Origin (DVD) I really enjoy the movie, I would also recommend buying if available the book and watching the documentary's (There are at least two of them but I could only find one on video.) This is a profound period in criminal justice and should not be forgotten as it will change criminal investigations forever.

rixrex 2013-04-21 02:42:10

Well Done look at true story of the Glendale Arsonist.

Much better than most TV and Cable-TV produced movies, with some verynice cinematic stylings.If you know nothing about the actual events, this will be moreenjoyable and more interesting than if you already know the story.There are certain plot points that obscure some of the fire-settingactivities and create suspense and drama that won't exist if youalready know the story.Even if you know basically what happened, it's interesting to see theevents unfold and how those involved discovered the truth about themultitude of arson fires set around the Glendale and Los Angeles areas.No spoilers here to ruin it for you, and it is recommended highly bythis viewer.

sol 2013-04-16 04:15:01

The movie is based on a true story

(Slight Spoilers) Deep and penetrating film about the mind of a serialarsonist and how it works with a really great and controlledperformance by Ray Liotta as LAFD top arson inspector John Orr.Checking out a number of arson's in and around the L.A metropolitanarea inspector Orr comes to the conclusion that the fires are the workof a single arsonist who's playing deadly a cat and mouse game with thefire and police departments to feed his enormous ego. As the fires get more and more out of hand with not only burning downstores and houses but also causing fatalities the ATF gets involved inthe search for the elusive firebug. This cause friction with the L.AFire Department who feel that the ATF is nothing but a bunch of Federalbureaucrats who will only get in the way and hamper their investigationin capturing the arsonist. It slowly comes to mind with the finding of a long forgotten seven yearold fingerprint, found at a crime/arson scene, that the arsonist is nonother then one of those men in the L.A Fire Department. The LAFD andpolice as well as the ATF have to do now is not tip off the firemanarsonist to the knowledge that they have a tail on him and are planingto catch him in the act the next time he goes into action. Very good psychological study that's based on a true story with,besides Ray Liotta, John Leguizamo as Keith Lang extremely effective asOrr's assistant who helps unearth the evidence that put the elusivefirebug out in the open. This leads to one of the most unbelievablesurrealistic shoot outs ever put on film even though that entire actionwas just a figment of the crazed arsonists imagination.The arsonist who, in disguise, is always at the scene of his crime andtakes great pleasure in what he did so much so that his huge ego causeshim to give the authorities all the evidence that they need to put himaway for life. Writing the "Great American Novel" about the fires that he caused, awork of fiction of course, reveals to the ATF and his fellow members ofthe L.A Fire Department just who he is and convicts him later in courtby proving that he knew things about the fires he wrote in his bookthat only the arsonist could have possibly known. The arsonist is alsoa heel when it comes to his marriage with him constantly cheating onhis wife by having an affair with a fellow Fire Department worker whichin the end has both, wife and lover, see just what an unfeeling selfishand unstable, as well as criminal, person he is. Very unusual movie that has a lot of dream-like sequences in it to makeit's point and even though your kept in the dark at first to who thearsonist is he's revealed with more then half of the movie still left.It's for that reason that makes the film "Point of Origin" that muchmore interesting. You don't have to figure who he is but you get to seewhat makes him tick and how he's trapped into tripping himself up byhis fellow firefighters.

MillandFan 2013-04-15 12:42:01

I expected more

This film seemed to have rushed to make it's point (who was setting thefires), then dragged on painfully until the end. There was, however, somereally good non-reality, or thought scenes that were interesting, untilthe"Crouching-Tiger, Hidden Dragon" moves were thrown in, and those werecompletely unnecessary.I love Ray Liotta. I collect his films, and I have to say that this is onethat goes in the collection for the collection's sake. I'll probably notwatch it again.

2013-04-04 06:35:47

somewhat disappointing from the book

This review is from: Point of Origin (DVD) Having read the book first, I was a bit disappointed in the film. However, I gave it a 3 because I thought the photography and story were well done. This is a TRUE story of man who dreamed of being a police officer, which the film did not touch on. When he failed the police exams, he became a firefighter, but his super-ego was such that he was never satisfied "only" fighting a fire. When a job came available for an arson investigator, he applied, and thus began his career of starting sensational fires up and down the coast of California, resulting in the death of at least 7 people.The film shows various fires attribututed to John Orr, his interactions in the fire department, and the task team that was formed to catch him. It was scary to see how those who viewed this Man as a friend and asset had a difficult time believing he was guilty of these horrendous crimes.There were only minor scenes of the two court cases, with the verdits shown on TV shows. The amount of fires linked to him, and the extent of property damage, etc was never mentioned. Although interestering enough, the book was so rich, and the film lacked the basic problem - that John could not deal with being rejected from the police force, then created an environment where he would be seen as the "hero." I really didn't get the feel of "being there" that I would have liked to have in this kind of film. Not a total disappointment, but not recommended if you've read the book.

Mark Heiliger 2013-04-03 17:02:36

Hard to believe it was THAT good

At first glance it's just a movie of the week. It's true that it was oneofHBO's original movies, but to call it a movie of the week would be tolimitit to a group of movies with hackneyed plots, weak actors, and cluelessdirectors. Point of Origin is so much more than those terrible excuses forentertainment.The story concerns an arson investigator (Ray Liotta) and his protege(JohnLeguizamo) who are investigating a particularly nasty string of arsonfires.Those of you who remember the news of the incident this film is based onmight see the story coming, but most people will not simply because it istoo outlandish to be true. But it IS.What grabbed me most in this movie were the two lead performances byLeguizamo and Liotta as well as a directorial vision that is on the vergeofbrilliance. Every creative decision made in this movie had a very specificgoal. Pay close attention to the palette of colors used. Much of the movieis made up completely of black, white, and orange. Special effects areusedto great effect in putting the audience and the characters "inside" thefires they are investigating. As far as TV movies go, this one was trulyrefreshing.

Victoria 2013-03-25 10:58:07

Worth a watch

Good story. Starts out strong but weakens along the way.Once you find out who is setting the fires, there's notmuch more to keep your interest. Of course it goes backand forth as to who is really the guilty party but..itgets kind of dull.

2013-03-24 21:10:09

Great experience

This review is from: Point of Origin (DVD) I love this movie, and the buying experience couldn't have been better. This is the PERFECT gift for a firefighter

2013-03-17 03:32:41

fire bad

mesmerizing and great. I fell for this movie because the story was interesting, people, arsonists, setting fires and Liotta and Leguizamo have to find out who is doing this. from start to finish its grand and well directed. for fans of the 2 stars or who like fire movies. based on actual events

The Ebullient One 2013-03-16 20:04:44

Acting talent and f/x in search of plot, inquire inside.

*************SPOILER WARNING***********************By far the most interesting thing about "Point of Origin" was the specialeffects, that had characters coming out of a page of typewritten paper, orshowed a time lapse of a somber Ray Liotta looking over a fire whileeverything else around him moves at hyper speed. This kind of imagery seemsa better application of computer graphics than outer space effects, as youdon't *know* they are computer generated. The fluid changing of scenes andvenues could have added greatly to the story, if there had been one to beginwith.Ray Liotta plays John Orr, a Walter Mitty style arson investigator, who weeventually learn lives in a fantasy world where he is the hero and saveseveryone, and writes about it in a book. However, the complete nature ofhis life isn't revealed until one big flash near the end, although theshootout episode was almost comic in approach and adds some distraction tothe dullness.We're led to believe for three quarters of the movie that an arsonist issetting the fires, someone with bright red hair and a very ugly face. Awitness describes such a man to John and his partner, the police sketchesshow the same person, and we see this man committing crimes. John believeshe's being set up and the person doing the fires knows him. Yet at the endwe find John is setting all the fires, living out the book he is writing. So what gives--why did people *see* this man instead of John? Was the redhaired man an alter ego, a personality John isn't aware of? Was John acrafty liar and wore a wig and goatee? Or was the red haired man a poordevice to make a plot, and summarily dismissed without explanation? This,and whether John was a serious criminal or delusional, was never fullyexplained, and makes much of the movie come across as time filler. Had itbeen done with a more serious approach to the plot it could have been verypowerful, but is instead so weak it barely makes an impression.