Cheap Gone, But Not Forgotten (DVD) (Michael D. Akers) Price

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Customer Reviews of Gone, But Not Forgotten

Not Easily Forgotten
This is a small budget indi film that will settle into your heart. The idea of repressed desire and living as others wish you would live was the same theme touched on in films such as Big Eden. Director Michael Akers gives a warm and touching story of a man looking for love and another who doesn't even know who he is or what his life was like before the accident. These 2 are truly likable characters. Rounding out the cast is the brother who doesn't know how to express his love or frustrations, his Christian wife, the town doctor who's devotion to Drew transcends his sexuality and a shrewish wife who makes you understand why Mark would want to forget his past. Fine acting and storyline that keeps you hoping that love wins out. There is no preaching, no fear of AIDS, just a single gay man looking for his soulmate. What could possibly be wrong with a movie like that?

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GOOD STORY, BUT AMATEURISH RESULTS
I really wanted to like this film. and I applaud the filmmaker's attempt to tell what could have been a very engaging story, but this is one case where the lack of a budget may actually have hurt the overall effort. This plays like a first draft of a screenplay which fails to effectively expand on a good basic story. With better writing and more nuanced direction, even the shot-on-digital-video imagery would have worked. Matthew Montgomery is very effective, hampered as he is with the poor dialog written for his otherwise interesting character. I wanted a better movie for him to play in, since he tried very hard to convey the confusion and inner turmoil that Mark was going through. In this instance the fragmented flashback technique was used to good effect in helping the audience see the emerging story. Unfortunately, Aaron Orr, though he looked the part, is not a strong enough actor to match Montgomery's performance. His portrayal of the lonely, haunted Forest Ranger fell so far short of the mark that he actually bogged down the action and left me alternately confused and exasperated as I tried to figure out just what his character was really feeling. A stronger actor in this central role, again in spite of the weak dialog, would have elevated this film and made the whole viewing experience much more satisfying. The Writer/Director, Michael Akers, needs to hone his writing skills and take a cue from other, better films when attempting to build dramatic tension and craft scenes which touch the audiences emotions, which certainly could have been achieved with a story this good. Yes, this is a good Gay-Themed story and we need more films which promote a positive image for gays in these troubled times, but...they need to be WELL MADE films as well. We shouldn't have to settle for less, and that is why I can't recommend "Gone, But Not Forgotten".

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Beyond independent
One man wrote, directed, and edited this ridiculously long melodrama. Re-titled, "Joan Crawford Loves Joan Collins" this story requires a three movie expansion to help him swing his extra thick plot-punch (not to mention smacks, bitch-slaps, and panic-attacks.) Buy this as a donation only.