Shattered Hopes DVD Review
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:39 am
I got my Shattered Hopes DVD in yesterday and watched it last night.
The DVD itself is all pro. Nice packaging and a nice fold out insert inside. This is not a DVDR this is a real deal DVD.
The production values are pretty good for an independent release. Katzenbach and crew did a good job of sticking to era details. It does have a 70's feel to the whole thing. Katzenbach even added some visuals to give scenes an old look (film grain etc.). It kinda works but I could have done without it. It doesn't take away from the film though. There details that could have been improved upon like Big Ronnie's car. It wasn't a Buick LeSabre but hey how many can you find from 74 that are mint and in working order? They did use a car from the 70's that matched in color so I give them credit on that. Also the scene in which Butch puts a gun up to big Ronnie's head and threatens to kill him is up for questioning. The film has the weapon being a .22 cal. rifle but I thought it was a shotgun? I could be wrong on that one so if anyone knows for sure feel free to jump in.
The acting was sub par, about on line with Discovery Channel's "A Haunting" series. That could have been improved upon but again this is low budget and I wasn't expecting any Di Nero-esque acting anyway.
Now onto to Geraldine Gates because I know everyone wants to know. There is a good portion of her claims in this film. Not everything hinges on her words but there is a lot that does. The final night seems to be based on what Butch's version seems to be although the film ends with gunshots and leaves you hanging. About what I expected really since we all know this is a trilogy. Some things that Gates claim makes me believe she did in fact have a relationship with Butch. Was she married to him? I'm not convinced by the film. There is nothing but her word stating the claim. Something we all want cleared up if there is proof. Hell even Ryan has stated to me that at face value Gates is a fraud BUT there are something things she says that makes me believe she knew the family. There is mention of a necklace that Louise wore that is present in a crime scene photo I have never seen before. It is also present in a photo of her by the pool with her kids that was taken by a family friend who was close to the DeFeo's. There is some truth there somewhere but I need more info and hopefully that will come with parts 2 and 3.
I can honestly say that I believe that Big Ronnie was abusive. There is enough evidence through the interviews with family friends that state that Ronnie was abusive. Most of it really points to verbal and emotional but I can see that turning into psychical as well. I think the most damning evidence is from the husband of the housekeeper Linnea (DeFeo's housekeeper and family friend). It seems to me she shared what she saw in that house with her husband and I see no reason why he would lie about it. They do dwell a lot on Big Ronnie's obsession with religion and how he thought he could see auras around people. How he could be rather fanatical about it all and still have these problems with being an abusive person. Big Ronnie had problems that seemed to stem from his father in law. Michael Brigante basically bought the house for Louise and Ronnie so that took a toll on Big Ronnie mentally. Here is a man who is the king of the castle so to speak but yet he didnt actually provide that castle. They did a good job presenting that aspect.
Mob ties.....yep I believe there were. The dealership was under investigation for quite awhile in the late 60's early 70's. The place was wiretapped which is briefly touched on in the book High Hopes. Now did the mob cover up anything with the murders? That is never mentioned so we have to wait on that.
One thing I didnt like was how Butch is painted more like a victim in all of this. A victim of abuse, a victim of alcohol and drugs. It never condoned what he did but I didnt take well to his portrayal. I am wondering if maybe this portrayal will change in the next two films. Another aspect that I can't swallow is the murder plot to ice Michael Brigante. This info comes from Geraldine and to me discredits her more in my eyes. Apparently Big Ronnie felt that Brigante needed to go. He told Butch that it was going to be Butch's job to take him out. He gave Butch a pistol and sent him into Brigante's office to shoot him. Ronnie doesn't because of his love for his Grandfather. He gives the gun to Brigante and tells him the deal. I can't for the life of remember what happened after that. I stared the movie at 10:30 and this was around the hour and 45 minute mark and I was getting rather sleepy! I know that sounds wussified but Im just being honest. This is when the whole deposit robbery comes into the picture but they don't go into great detail about it. Basically I dont buy the "kill your grandfather" story but I do believe that Big Ronnie was taking money from the dealership and that he was in charge of keeping two books to work out the embezzlement. That doesn't surprise me for some reason.
Another aspect that I can't seem to swallow is story that the housekeeper gave Osuna about Louise planning to poison the family on Thanksgiving. This all came from an email between Osuna and Linnea. It is never mentioned in the interview with her husband. I would imagine that if it were true that she would have shared that with her husband since she shared just about everything else.
Anyway Im going to wrap this up since it is rather long. Overall a good documentary for what it is. I will remain open to all the possibilities surrounding the case and at the end of part 3 maybe I will have a solid grasp on the whole thing. Maybe my mind will change, maybe not but I commend Ryan on a well made film and I look forward to the next two installments.
The DVD itself is all pro. Nice packaging and a nice fold out insert inside. This is not a DVDR this is a real deal DVD.
The production values are pretty good for an independent release. Katzenbach and crew did a good job of sticking to era details. It does have a 70's feel to the whole thing. Katzenbach even added some visuals to give scenes an old look (film grain etc.). It kinda works but I could have done without it. It doesn't take away from the film though. There details that could have been improved upon like Big Ronnie's car. It wasn't a Buick LeSabre but hey how many can you find from 74 that are mint and in working order? They did use a car from the 70's that matched in color so I give them credit on that. Also the scene in which Butch puts a gun up to big Ronnie's head and threatens to kill him is up for questioning. The film has the weapon being a .22 cal. rifle but I thought it was a shotgun? I could be wrong on that one so if anyone knows for sure feel free to jump in.
The acting was sub par, about on line with Discovery Channel's "A Haunting" series. That could have been improved upon but again this is low budget and I wasn't expecting any Di Nero-esque acting anyway.
Now onto to Geraldine Gates because I know everyone wants to know. There is a good portion of her claims in this film. Not everything hinges on her words but there is a lot that does. The final night seems to be based on what Butch's version seems to be although the film ends with gunshots and leaves you hanging. About what I expected really since we all know this is a trilogy. Some things that Gates claim makes me believe she did in fact have a relationship with Butch. Was she married to him? I'm not convinced by the film. There is nothing but her word stating the claim. Something we all want cleared up if there is proof. Hell even Ryan has stated to me that at face value Gates is a fraud BUT there are something things she says that makes me believe she knew the family. There is mention of a necklace that Louise wore that is present in a crime scene photo I have never seen before. It is also present in a photo of her by the pool with her kids that was taken by a family friend who was close to the DeFeo's. There is some truth there somewhere but I need more info and hopefully that will come with parts 2 and 3.
I can honestly say that I believe that Big Ronnie was abusive. There is enough evidence through the interviews with family friends that state that Ronnie was abusive. Most of it really points to verbal and emotional but I can see that turning into psychical as well. I think the most damning evidence is from the husband of the housekeeper Linnea (DeFeo's housekeeper and family friend). It seems to me she shared what she saw in that house with her husband and I see no reason why he would lie about it. They do dwell a lot on Big Ronnie's obsession with religion and how he thought he could see auras around people. How he could be rather fanatical about it all and still have these problems with being an abusive person. Big Ronnie had problems that seemed to stem from his father in law. Michael Brigante basically bought the house for Louise and Ronnie so that took a toll on Big Ronnie mentally. Here is a man who is the king of the castle so to speak but yet he didnt actually provide that castle. They did a good job presenting that aspect.
Mob ties.....yep I believe there were. The dealership was under investigation for quite awhile in the late 60's early 70's. The place was wiretapped which is briefly touched on in the book High Hopes. Now did the mob cover up anything with the murders? That is never mentioned so we have to wait on that.
One thing I didnt like was how Butch is painted more like a victim in all of this. A victim of abuse, a victim of alcohol and drugs. It never condoned what he did but I didnt take well to his portrayal. I am wondering if maybe this portrayal will change in the next two films. Another aspect that I can't swallow is the murder plot to ice Michael Brigante. This info comes from Geraldine and to me discredits her more in my eyes. Apparently Big Ronnie felt that Brigante needed to go. He told Butch that it was going to be Butch's job to take him out. He gave Butch a pistol and sent him into Brigante's office to shoot him. Ronnie doesn't because of his love for his Grandfather. He gives the gun to Brigante and tells him the deal. I can't for the life of remember what happened after that. I stared the movie at 10:30 and this was around the hour and 45 minute mark and I was getting rather sleepy! I know that sounds wussified but Im just being honest. This is when the whole deposit robbery comes into the picture but they don't go into great detail about it. Basically I dont buy the "kill your grandfather" story but I do believe that Big Ronnie was taking money from the dealership and that he was in charge of keeping two books to work out the embezzlement. That doesn't surprise me for some reason.
Another aspect that I can't seem to swallow is story that the housekeeper gave Osuna about Louise planning to poison the family on Thanksgiving. This all came from an email between Osuna and Linnea. It is never mentioned in the interview with her husband. I would imagine that if it were true that she would have shared that with her husband since she shared just about everything else.
Anyway Im going to wrap this up since it is rather long. Overall a good documentary for what it is. I will remain open to all the possibilities surrounding the case and at the end of part 3 maybe I will have a solid grasp on the whole thing. Maybe my mind will change, maybe not but I commend Ryan on a well made film and I look forward to the next two installments.