No love for the haters

I've been in a lot of discussions recently about the critical consensus on the films i've worked on, which for the most part have been very low budget endeavors.

My budgets

Fearsome: $13,486.00
20 Funerals: $56,434.18
Dead Heist: $100,000.00+

With these meager budgets we've tried to make compelling and interesting films, though we are all well aware of the shortcomings and challenges that present themselves in making independent films. I read almost every review i can get my hands on because i enjoy hearing what people think of my work, even if they don't like it. I still consider myself a student of film. Here's the best review i ever got, courtesy of DVD Verdict's Bill Gibron.

"Unlike many low-budget films, this effort shows promise, not problems, for everyone involved. DJ Naylor and Mark Mench are actors to watch, and if he ever gets his game totally together, Anghus Houvouras could be a genuine journeyman filmmaker. 20 Funerals may merely be a resume builder, but there's more here than future possibilities. It is a thoroughly watchable genre offering." - Bill Gibron

His review got it all right. What worked, what didn't, and the problems and promise of a low budget offering.

Others aren't nearly as kind, with the internet sites jabbing me in the ribs with comments like:

"20 Funerals carries a bold and interesting idea about cops delivering street justice; unfortunately, the entire movie was deteriorated by mediocre acting and directing."

This one isn't even that bad. It showed promise. But everything else was 'mediocre'

and then there are ones like this angry young man:

"I do not know what these people were on, when giving this movie 4 or 5 stars. This movie seems to have been made on a $5 budget and filmed/directed by an 8 year old using a handicam. The "action" scenes if you want to call it that are just lame and no special/effects whatsoever (just blobs of ketchup).
There is not a single minute in this movie that is worth watching........"

Not a single minute? Really? I mean come on. In 80 minutes, there isn't one watchable one? Not 60 seconds of something worth salvaging? Some filmmakers tell me they get desensitized to reviews because the ones online are so full of venom and bile. But, when you're where i'm at, any feedback is helpful I suppose.

I also find it funny that my best reviewed film is the one with the lowest budget. Accroding to IMDB.com, the films i've worked on break down like this:

Fearsome - 7.6
20 Funerals - 2.7
Dead Heist - 4.5

Should be interesting since my next film, In Another Life, will be shot for almost nothing. I wonder how the reviews will be fore that one?