worst editing i have seen in a while...

That's funny because I also took note of the editing and visuals in the film while watching it, but not for the same reason. I feel like the film had plenty of lingering shots to point out red herrings, but also jumped around a bit to get you to pay attention to things you may miss. I don't see where it cut any of the action short unless you wanted a longer sex scene in the hotel, everything else played out fully.

As for the cinematography, I think it was also beautifully shot. The day scenes were almost surreal with how beautiful the lighting was and I enjoyed that they managed to do that in shots where characters are having conversations or physically doing things. Films that usually take place in rural settings like this typically do those kind of shots of landscapes and scenes that hold no significance to the plot in order to make the film longer.

And I don't know what you're talking about with the performances, I feel like most of the acting came across as pretty solid even with some of the weaker performances. I don't know why different angles would have anything to do with an actor's performance, but I guess that's just your opinion.

Hmmm...I agree with you that the shots themselves LOOKED beautiful and surreal - dreamy, even. But the angles were very odd and in my opinion didn't serve the dialogue or story very well. The close ups were overused at the wrong times, where a wider shot would have served a lot of the action more suitably...especially moments where there's a lot of characters on screen, like in the meeting scenes. Having so many closeups kinda disoriented me and I sometimes didn't even know where they were.

As far as the editing goes, I just feel like the rhythm was off. It cut around at an odd pace and didn't really feel like it was helping build tension, but rather breaking and taking away from tension. And no, I was not implying the sex scene should have been longer. There are a few parts where it literally just cuts to the next scene very abruptly and doesn't seem like a clean cut. It seems to me that the person editing this film wanted to cut it like an action film, when it is supposed to be cut like a thriller/horror movie.

Someone took a film class.... hah

I dig it.

Yeah, I agree with you on the sloppy editing. Sometimes it felt like the editor had just watched Requiem for a Dream. This feeling came to mind in one particular scene, can't remember it exactly, even though I just finished watching it. But I think it had something with a coffee machine in it.

And another thing that was so abruptly cut was the way the cut the scene when she was about to tell Nick that she's leaving for California. It was like:

A) Get message "come over I have to tell you something and maybe I'll let you fck me"
B) Put on pants.
C) Get car keys)
D) Arrived at destination.

And I hated the scene where Nick was killed. That has to be the most lame ass death scene I've ever seen. The damn flickering, the sound of it all and then boom - DEAD. And how the hell did the two killers manage to go unnotice in a small town like Texarkana? Not that I know anything about Texarkana - but I got the feeling that everyone knew everyone and when Jami's boyfriend was killed and she was being called a slut by his mother at his funeral it just made the whole thing so dumb.

I have so many questions regarding this movie that I just might start a thread of my own on this matter. But all in all I agree with the editing part. Can't complain about the cinematography too much. I thought it was an interresting way of shooting a movie. But sometimes it got a little too weird. I was happily surprised when I saw that a Swedish guy did the music for this movie - since I myself is from Sweden.

I think you should watch more movies, just not stupid movies that do the same things all over again and make you believe thats the way they should be. I am glad the editor and DOP know the rules and break them in such a beautiful way that is rarely seen in horror films these days. I loved it. I really really really think you just chose the wrong movie to show off you went to film school.