Circle of Eight

2009
3.7| 1h24m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 27 October 2009 Released
Producted By: Bronson Avenue
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Jessica moves into a loft on the eighth floor of a Los Angeles apartment building called The Dante. The other tenants all seem friendly at first, but when she starts witnessing horrible deaths, she must team up with her neighbor Evan (Doom) to solve the mystery -- and uncover her own connection to the place.

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Reviews

Ensofter Overrated and overhyped
BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
fedor8 A variation on "Groundhog Day", with the difference that everyone except the main character knows they're existing in a loop. The movie is set up in a fairly interesting way, but establishing an interesting set-up is always the much easier part. The harder part is RESOLVING it - at least in a logical way. Apparently, the lazy writers couldn't find a neat enough way out of their writer's block so they left the ending open.About as wide open as a prostitute's t**t. Basically, the viewer is free to interpret the movie in a wide variety of ways. In other words, there is no explanation given, not enough clues are offered for any viewer to present a strong case for their favourite theory, hence the movie has no real meaning. It's a tried-and-true confidence trick that's been used in films for decades. Stuck with no ending to a complex, bizarre plot? Just end the movie without explanation, and hope that enough people will be too embarrassed to admit that they don't understand it so they come up with various semi-baloney theories to save face, and that way pretend as if they both understood and enjoyed the film. The inferiority complex related to the viewer's own intellectual (in)abilities has been a great friend and ally to the more pretentious (i.e. lazy and incompetent charlatan film-makers). What would they do without it.As far as the enjoyment factor goes, it's by no means a terrible movie. It isn't dull, for one thing. Secondly, movies with an interesting set-up but no conclusion are at least fun to watch before they implode at the end. That's better than nothing. And it's certainly better than the opposite: a boring movie that explodes at the end, like "The Village" with its excellent ending for which the viewer unfortunately had to sit through 100 minutes of tedium and awful acting by a nepotistic cast of anti-talents. I'd rather have fun for 90 minutes and then be disappointed at the end – given a choice between the two extremes.To anyone who is desperately trying to take this movie more seriously than it truly deserves, consider this: the early lesbian scene. There was absolutely no point to it, except to titillate the more desperate viewers. It had exactly zero to do with the story. Consider also the amazingly overlong intro which includes Jessica singing along to the ENTIRE damn song. So was this movie just a means to promote a hit-single wannabe? That song is awful, it's annoying, and we didn't have to be exposed to each and every of its 45 crappy choruses.Jessica had expressed a desire to repeat the drowning event with her younger brother, i.e. have another go in which she'd save him. So why didn't she get THAT (her brother and a batch of water) instead of this whole nonsense with the "Dante" building? OK, fine, the name itself is a dead giveaway, of course she is in some kind of Hell. But WHY? Why is she in Hell? Because she didn't save her brother? That would be ludicrous, even by the many moronic religious criteria.A reviewer (rather desperately but imaginatively) suggested that Jessica's loop may have to do with a Buddhist belief related to reincarnation and going through the same loop (i.e. life) until you stop making the same mistakes. Even if the writers did have that in mind (which is doubtful, hint-hint: lesbian scene), it wouldn't explain that much. Besides, does anyone truly find LOGIC in that particular religious belief? You're punished for your "sins" by repeating them over and over, without KNOWING that you'd committed them a zillion times? That makes no sense. What kind of a chance at "redemption" does that leave you? And once you've finally stopped making that mistake, you stop existing! That makes even less sense. Perhaps you have to be a Buddhist monk (or Richard Gere) in order to understand this line of reasoning, probably by giving it some bizarre spin that doesn't sound utterly ridiculous only to the fanatially faithful.There is also the suggestion that Jessica one day burnt down the building and "dragged" the other tenants into this hellish loop, and the day is repeating over and over so that by sacrificing herself for hunk-boy she may give them all a chance to finally rest in peace(?) or live on(?). But WHY would the others be punished for her sloppiness with matches and fire? Illogical. If the other tenants are all in Hell as well, why is SHE the one whose actions decide whether they get to break the cycle or not? What maker her so damn special? Illogical.The rather flimsy credibility of CO8 hangs by a very thin thread. How thin? It's like a one-armed man hanging on to a cliff's edge with three fingers while elephants are being tied to his feet to drag him down tumbling. That's how barely the logic in the story holds out without collapsing in on itself – even with outside help (such as the Buddhist-related explanation).I'm all for intriguing movies with ambiguous endings, but they do have to give you a fighting chance to wonder about the conclusion. However, there is a distinct difference between an equation with one or two unknowns and an equation with a dozen unknowns. The latter type of equation does not have a solution. X+U-Jx3-R/G-H+B=X-1 is an unsolvable mess, not an intriguing mystery. Learn to distinguish between the two, ye who art cast out of excessively optimistic, naive material.
laurenbabess I think that the reason why the neighbours fake their deaths to Jessica during is to show her what she would be doing to them in a sense (as in when she jumps out of the window to save herself, she does kill everyone else by having the fire fighters attention on her). For some reason the neighbours are aware of the cycle that keeps repeating itself (as in Jessica moves in, starts a fire, and kills everyone) but Jessica is unaware of this… it bugs me why this wasn't explained. But hey, I am probably wrong, and this was just a guess. It also bugs me that is the neighbours know that Jessica is going to kill them all once new years eve repeats itself, why doesn't say Ed tell her to "go away" when she first comes to the apartments. Some reviews have said that the reason they don't is because in fact the neighbours (e.g. Evan, Ed, India, Damon, Bale …) are themselves stuck inside the apartments and the only way for them to escape is for Jessica to stay with Evan at the end in the burning fire. But even so if this was the case, it was not explained in the movie. I do believe that part of it was for Jessica to redeem herself from letting her brother go.. But hold on… if Evan also was aware about the repeating cycle, as he does indicate at several times by saying things like "I've always loved you" and "even after all these days.." or something.. And "you'll understand soon".. and does surely indicate he is aware of the cycle.. YET why when in the end scene with Jessica and Evan talking, and then making out and starting a fire, does Evan say and do exactly (EXACTLY) the same things as the previous night, as if he had no memory of that night. Also he repeatedly stands in front of the falling wardrobe, but surely if he did have memory of the cycle like things that he said indicated, he would known to dodge the falling wardrobe. Why is it the neighbours repeat the day the same again (shown when again standing on the balcony after Jessica spotting Damon's body and when Ed AGAIN gives her a new toothbrush at the end of the film, yet says something to also show his awareness of the cycle) even though they are aware of this loop like when India says "you're going to bugger it up again this time aren't you". They are completely aware of the loop, yet repeat the day exactly the same as if they aren't aware like Jessica. The thing that baffled me the most is why the hell couldn't the firemen find Jessica's and Evan's bodies at the end? Where did they go? And when the firemen were looking did the camera look at something on the wall as if they were there? Why is Evan so sneaky and secretive about something.. He kept saying you'll understand to Jessica… Understand what? That she's in a cycle and needs to redeem herself? Because how could she possibly understand when she forgets. Also how can it only be the people in the apartments that are affected by whatever's going on, because when Jessica is first driving to her new apartment in both scenes.. She drives past exactly the same people, so obviously these people are repeating something as well, and are possible aware of it as the second time she drives past them at the end of the movie, they stare at her. It could be a groundhog type day, but in the film 'Groundhog Day' this was made clear! Unlike in this film. And if it was a groundhog day surely they would decide to not do the same thing each day. I admire the moral of the story that Jessica got a second chance to 'save her brother' (kind of).. But where does she and Evan disappear to.. Seriously? And why? … I have many many more questions I just this that I've written enough now.P.S I do apologise for the pathetic screen name, I used an old email.. But if somebody can, please answer everyone's questions, I like to talk to the writer/producer/director.. Whoever themselves!
John Johnson SPOILERS INCLUDED - Not that there is any plot to spoil. I want the ninety minutes ish of my life that were completely wasted back now please. I also want whoever is responsible for this tripe to be strung up by their privates in public, so the poor unsuspecting audience can throw rotten fruit at them. I've seen some stinky movies in my time but this is in a whole different league, there should be some kind of award for a movie this terrible! Please someone tell me it was intended to be a joke as there was no way to understand the pathetic plot, dead bodies or reasons for random lesbian scenes etc etc etc. No conclusion or end to the film, no point from beginning, lots of pointless padding throughout and the only reason I gave this film a "1" is because there is sadly no option to select zero or minus figures on here. The only positive I can think of is that Austin Highsmith is "Fairly" nice to look at - That is literally it. Do not watch this rubbish under any circumstances, spend the time cutting your toe nails instead - Or maybe even watching paint dry.
vrgobabe My sister rented this on a whim and we ended up loving it. It takes a little more concentration then some but if you aren't going to pay attention then what's the point in watching a movie anyway. I would recommend this to anyone and I really think you should give it a chance.*don't read after this point of you don't want to know what happens* For all of you who didn't seem to quite grasp it here's my take! It's like groundhogs day in a way, they all keep reliving this day until she sacrifices herself and stays with Evan. Later when they better explain what happened to her brother they show Jessica begging for a second chance to save her brother but he is already dead and there is nothing she can do about it. Staying with Evan is her chance to redeem herself and get over the pain of letting her brother go. Everyone else in the Dante was not suppose to die originally...kind of along the lines of Final Destination in a way so once she stays they are all free form the cycle of reliving their deaths and are able to go on with their lives. Every time Jessica jumps out the window and the police go to aid her after her fall instead of the rest of them who are trapped on the roof. Once she stays the others are able to get help and are saved and she is able to die happy knowing that she has stayed and not left one more person just to save herself.