Popular reviews

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  Review by Stephen M ★★★ 2

  An uneven but interesting film by filmmaker Hall Bartlett who made some notable independent, documentary and studio films from the 1950s through the 1980. This at first seems like one of those films about the youth counterculture of the late 1960s but is primarily the story of a young man trying to find himself in that period. It captures the timeframe well, has an element of romanticism and a soundtrack by Tim Buckley in his folk music period.

  The young man Kent (played by a first-time actor Kent Lane) is a disaffected university student in a time of unrest. He drops out to the chagrin of his status-quo parents, leaves his girlfriend (who then commits suicide) behind and sets off…

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  Review by Daniel Kremer ★★★★ 1

  Changes was one of the great cinematic discoveries I made in 2016. As critic Nathaniel Thompson observes, "Changes is about as perfect an example of how much experimental filmmaking was impacting American theaters in 1969." One can, in a number of sequences, sense the influence of Bruce Conner (in the playground sequence) and Kenneth Anger (in the silent hitchhiking sequence). Released six months before Easy Rider, the film takes a different sort of look at dropping out from society. Young, confused Kent (Kent Lane) blazes up and down the California coast in his convertible, his mind flashing between recent harrowing events in his life, including the suicide of his emotionally fragile girlfriend and the disapproval of his out-of-it dad (then-recent…

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  Review by joelnox ★★★

  Very 60's stream of consciousness in many parts which fits the main character's drifting unmoored lifestyle. The construction is sort of shambling with occasional periods of sharp focus but somehow it all comes together to present a certain viewpoint.

  Michele Carey was a very beautiful woman as well as being a compelling screen presence, a pity she didn't have a bigger career.

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  Review by Duke Haney

  Not a great film (though praised by Susan Sontag) but an intriguing time capsule based on the real-life experiences of Kent Lane, who was directed in the lead role by his then stepfather, Hall Bartlett.

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  Review by Danny ★½

  It's fascinating how ponderous a film can be without actually arriving at anything remotely approaching a conclusion, as if asking tired philosophical questions in a frustrated voice is all the depth you need in this world.

  A college student heads to Big Sur, encountering hippies, women, drugs, everything you expect for the era. It's told mostly through voice over and blaring radio as we see scenes of 60s counterculture ebbing and flowing.

  The good news is that it's extremely easy to tune out. Part of that may come from how many of its dopey visual and audio tropes have been pilfered by pharmaceutical and tampon commercials. The other chunk comes from lead actor Kent Lane (two of his three film performances are playing characters named Kent!) who is painfully earnest, like a dime store Tab Hunter.

  Watched for the exquisite Michele Carey who, of course, doesn't show up until the hour mark. Yay.