Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

asc85 This is not a very ambitious film, but for what I'm sure it was trying to accomplish...i.e., to make a sensitive, well-done coming-of-age film, it passes with flying colors. As another reviewer before me said, it does remind me a little bit of "Stand By Me," but since I didn't like "Stand By Me" and liked this one very much, it definitely stands on its own two feet, and isn't a ripoff.I thought they did a great job of showing what it's like to be a geek growing up, and how they behave among themselves. And unlike other movies, you actually see characters under 17 who not only are still virgins, but haven't even kissed someone from the opposite sex on the mouth! After watching so many teen movies, you would think these people don't exist! Although Katie Chang seems too pretty to never have kissed a boy, her character is a military brat who's always moving around, so I thought it was plausible that by the time she's no longer the new girl and has finally made friends, it's time to move again.I'm not sure why this film didn't have more buzz and more critical acclaim, but it's definitely worth seeing.

meaninglessbark There is nothing about A Birder's Blah Blah Blah worth spending any of your time on.A Birder's Blah Blah Blah is an indie coming of age cliché-fest, from it's overly wordy (and inaccurate) title to the forgettable indie pop snippets used here and there because that is what you do when you make this sort of film.If A Birder's Blah Blah Blah had been a Made-For-Nickelodeon film it might have rated 3 stars for not being a cartoon made with humans (mostly...it does dip into human cartoon territory). But as a stand alone film it just raises the question "Why would anyone bother making this?" A Birder's Blah Blah Blah looks good and despite the characters being complete clichés the main actors are good (James Le Gros as the main character's dad particularly stood out).The minor character are either so cardboard like they're barely noticeable or they're cartoon buffoons. The fault here seems to lie with the director as there is a consistency to the forgettable or annoying characters.Watching A Birder's Blah Blah Blah is a chore as it's very boring and it brings to mind coming-of-age films which are infinitely better (Stand By Me, which also deals with a group of outsider friends on a quest to find something unusual) or were at least a little interesting because they weren't so predictable (such as the Kings of Summer).If you watch a lot of movies you have seen everything in A Birder's Guide To Blah Blah before and could probably successfully predict each plot "twist" and soul baring conversation.If you don't watch a lot of movies and you want to see something that is easy to watch while lying on the couch on pain meds recovering from injury or surgery then A Birder's Blah Blah Blah would be a nice choice as it'd be easy to fall asleep to and not confusing to wake up to.If you're a birder looking for a film about your interest, look elsewhere. You will be disappointed...Unless you're on a couch on pain meds recovering from injury or surgery.

Sky Tallone Many independent comedies with similar themes end up being very slow with way more drama than comedy and no satisfying conclusion. This film, however, keeps a comedic edge all the way through with plenty of big laughs, while also maintaining enough emotional drama to keep us hoping that David finds what he's looking for. The climax and resolution are satisfying, though the climax felt like it may have come a bit too soon.Every character is well defined with their own struggle and arc. David's two best friends, Timmy (Alex Wolff) and Peter (Michael Chen), are both hilarious. Timmy is struggling with his own delusions about a popular girl at school liking him when in reality she's just using him to do her math homework. Peter is overly cautious and accused of being a pussy throughout the film until he finally decides to take a big risk to help his friends. They're particularly funny when making decisions as the school Birder's Club, because they're incredibly official and always take the time for formalities despite the fact that they're just three friends.Ellen (Katie Chang), a girl from the photography club at school, is convinced to join the boys on their trip after she catches them stealing a lens from the photography department. David teaches Ellen about birding throughout their trip, and the two come to like each other.SPOILER ALERT!The second act felt too short. It seemed like David and his friends weren't on their search for very long before the climax hit, largely because there weren't very many challenges or obstacles to overcome once they began their search. It's set up earlier in the story that before they embark on their trip, Ellen accidentally tells two other birders about the duck they're looking for, setting the main characters up for some possible competition. While those birders do appear again later, they don't really serve as antagonists throughout the second act who are trying to find the duck first, which would have created more tension and conflict throughout act two.Lawrence Konrad (Ben Kingsley) finds the group during their search and ends up helping them. However, they weren't really in need of the help before he showed up and he didn't seem to be particularly helpful in the search. They end up spotting the duck a bit too easily, without anyone needing to do anything too special to find it. It would have been more rewarding if there had been more of a struggle to find it, and if the group had to use every bit of their combined birding knowledge.Even after the climax is over and the main issue is resolved, there is still the issue of getting to David's father's wedding; but nothing was really made of their rush to get there in time. The potential conflict is even set up with David realizing that he has the rings for his father's wedding and needs to get there with them, but then right when they leave, the next shot is them arriving for the wedding on time without having made anything of the struggle to get there.All in all, a fantastic and enjoyable film with plenty of laughs, fun characters, and a unique concept. There could have been more conflict throughout, and most problems were resolved too easily. Still, on a scale of 1-10, it was too enjoyable to give it anything less than an 8.

arrieve I saw this film at a benefit screening for the Wild Bird Fund in New York. It was the perfect audience for a story about bird lovers, but this smart, sad, funny film will appeal to everyone. The young cast is uniformly excellent, so the story of geeky misfits on a quest seems fresh rather than something you've seen a dozen times before. And unlike so many teenagers in movies, the writers and director treat these characters with respect. A boy who is still grieving for his mother, and coping with his father's imminent remarriage, corrals his friends -- and the obligatory cute girl tagging along -- into taking an impromptu camping trip, on the trail of a duck that may belong to a species long thought extinct. There are few surprises, but this intelligent well-crafted story doesn't need them.