Strike Zone (2003)

9/10

wstolk8 January 2005

I watched this movie on the Return of the King special Extended DVD and was immediately struck. Of course the DVD contains the story around Cameron Duncan and that makes you feel even more bound to this film. But the film itself also had great elements: the way he compared war and the playing of softball. About his last wish, about himself mostly.

He expresses his deepest feelings in movies and that shows in this picture. It is terrible this guy doesn't live to grow his talent, for he could have made it.

The way he uses camera and players to express the deepest need of the filmmaker to build a great softball-team, is simply astonishing. Especially worth saying is how he managed to add humor into this film about a dying boy.

He must have had great courage to make such a biopic...

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8/10

Beautiful!

mr_rupert_G19 December 2004

Warning: Spoilers

I saw this short film on the Return of the King DVD, and I must just say that I was very touched. When Cameron Duncan made this film, he was exactly as old as I am, and the way he managed to tell me about how terrible his situation was, is completely amazing. He knew that he would not survive the cancer, and still he did not give up.

It is also great to see that a man only 17 years old created such a beautiful visual film. It looks better than a lot of Hollywood B-films! The music is beautiful, and Duncan's voice-over is very good and in one way haunting.

It is very sad that such a talented young man has been taken away from the world...he would have become a marvelous director one day...

And all will turn to silver glass. A light on the water, Grey ships pass, Into the west.

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8/10

Striking the zone of the heart

squall-69 January 2005

I saw Strikezone on the 4th disk of the Extended Edition of Return of the King. A documentary about Cameron Duncan (more a tribute to him by Peter Jackson)had Strikzone and DFK 6** (I forgot the full number) edited into it. The story of Cameron Duncan, who was struck with bone cancer at a young age, brought tears to my eyes, and his 2 short films stroke me. This guy was talented and could have brought some great full length movies if he had the chance.

Strikezone is a stunning short film.The story, about a cancer patient coaching a softball team, is just great because it came from real life experiences from Duncan himself. With this easy story Duncan tells his own story, he transmits his own feeling to the viewer. That's why watching Strikzone is such an emotional experience. But also the camera work and direction is just fantastic, regarding the circumstance's in which it was filmed (The last months of Duncan's life, coming with a lung injury). After all i liked DFK more, because it was more minimalistic and even a bit harder, but Strikezone is the fantastic testament of a young filmmaker who died to young. It even inspired me to take on Director Studies in Brussels next year...

8/10

(Please don't mind the grammatical or spelling mistakes. I am raised in Dutch ;) )

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10/10

Touching & a precious memory of who Cameron was

tebags8 January 2004

This is a short film like no other, so deeply inspirational and touching. It is a precious memory of who Cameron was, and the things that were close to his heart for all who knew him and didn't. Giving a week to get everyone ready, the standard and quality of the film is amazing for a 17 year old anywhere winning best film at the Rivercity Film Festival. We'll never forget you Cameron.

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10/10

An inspiring, tear jerking, short film

robhigg22033 January 2005

If only he got the all clear.

I got the Return of The King DVD last week and only just started watching the documentaries. I checked a documentary out that Peter Jackson pointed out in his introduction that contained by film and another by Cameron.

I have to say i was very impressed by this film, I cried a lot towards the end. The story was inspiring and had an interesting style like a lot of todays big name filmmakers.

The other short film i saw that he made was another interesting film. In a different way i had an idea of what he was talking about. The feeling of being a cage you want to get out of but can't.

Overall this film gave me a feeling like i've never felt before. I've not cried this much watching a film in along time. If you get the ROTK Extened edition it is well worth a look.

R.I.P Cameron

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I have one word for you, TRUE.

Arkesus13 December 2004

By using the word true I am not referencing a link to the experience of the character in the film, but the emotion evident on my screen when I saw this.

I came across this fantastic piece of work, and indeed some other snippets from the film maker, via the generosity of Peter Jackson in including it as extra content on one of his own releases. Even without the introduction by Mr Jackson, I could clearly see how the young man in question truly loved his hobbies, those being softball and film making. Lending his heart to performing in his own work, in order to convey the message without the sugar coating people normally reserve for when standing in front of a camera. A well thought out view on life as not all of us get to see it as.

It may have been by accident, and I may just be reading into something completely unintended, but I took a very powerful message from this piece of work.

Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, but whichever you do, always ensure you are doing something you love doing.

I would like to thank Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh for enabling me to bear witness to this wonderful achievement in film making, by a person with an ability many years beyond his own.

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10/10

Powerful and moving

cheeky_NZ14 December 2003

"Strikezone" is an incredibly moving short film. I can't watch it without tears coming to my eyes. What Cameron achieved, against all odds, never fails to blow me away. We have lost a truly great young filmmaker. I am deeply inspired by Cameron, and "Strikezone" is my motivation when everything seems too difficult, when my dreams seem to ambitious, I can only think of what I would like to have achieved if it was all taken away tomorrow. Thanks to Cameron's family for releasing his film. It is beautiful and I will treasure it forever. I cried yesterday, listening to the Return of the King song "Into the West" and thinking of Cameron...his inspiration will live on.

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10/10

Brilliant. There's no other words... simply brilliant.

lotr_hp_geek43025 January 2005

Warning: Spoilers

I like many others heard of Cameron first when, sadly, he died. I learned ho he was and his connection to Lord of the Rings. And of course I knew he was the inspiration for Into the West. But I never knew how incredible he was.

I also like many people got my Return of the King Extended Edition DVD back in Decemeber, and I payed no attention to any extras, till I had watched the movie! Because that of course was the only important thing there right? How wrong I was.

When I saw Cameron's films DFK 6498 and Strike Zone, I was completely stunned. They were two of the most inspiring, brilliant, stunning films I've ever seen. DFK 6498, just moved me so much. I could not stop the tears from falling. All I thought of were the people I had known and knew who had cancer, and knew that all he said in his film were what they all went through.

Then I saw Strike Zone. Words can't express what I felt when I saw that. When his team won the game I was thrilled! It was like watching my Red Sox winning the Series again! Then as he walked out and he fell. I screamed. I could not believe what was happening. And not only did tears come but sobs of grief, and I couldn't stop shaking. And I couldn't believe that this young man had the courage to make this film and show his family his death.

So, I'll finish this up soon, now that you're all bored. Strike Zone and DFK 6498 are simply breathtaking films. Just as stunning as the movie you bought the DVDs for. And every time I know hear the song Into the West my heart warms thinking of this wonderful young man, who was taken, as so many are, far to soon.

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9/10

A must see masterpiece

GeneralJon10 December 2005

Cameron Duncan's talent was unfairly wasted by his premature death and I would have loved to have seen more of his work. His work on Strike Zone is a combination of brilliant directorial skill and acting ability. One of the few films to bring tears to my eyes, Strike Zone has a very powerful short film, which brings emphasis to the difficulties of dealing with the time left in which you have to live. This hugely emotional feature brings life to a new breed of film making and will no doubt make you see handicaps in an entirely different view. This inspirational masterpiece should encourage people to take all the opportunities presented to them in order to make the most of their lives. Thanks Cameron.

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10/10

Tribute to Cameron Duncan

ma_bnzc27 May 2008

The bracketed part is to be a short poem as the lines r breaking up here

(With tears I bid u farewell for u will not be amongst us, With joy I bid farewell as u will be free of pain u were going through; Merry journey to the West my friend, Where u will await to meet us; Serene beauty may surround thou there; Watch over from there, don't despair; For through His Highness we shall look after what u left behind, Pray for us to the Holy Lord; That we gather the strength u possessed, As a clock named time passes by.)

I just couldn't resist writing this some sort of poem. I beg my pardon to each and every people whose mother tongue is English to dare to write a poem in their mother tongue although I literally know nothing about English language and it's cultural heritage. I haven't even finished the books Lord of The Rings (JRR Tolkien) and Treasure Island (RL Stevenson) because of my slow and stumbled reading. I hope to read more English though. I just don't know why I had to write this short poem or whatever, but that's why I did as I felt it to be the realistic impression of my feelings to this great young film prodigy.

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