Truly Dreadful Film

Such a frustrating disappointment

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

As a high school film teacher, I intend to show this tremendous documentary to my students at the start of the school year because RG Miller is such an inspiring figure to young filmmakers.Like any artist, RG Miller is called to his craft because it is a living, breathing, all consuming extension of himself. His passion is real and it inspires not only the young children that discover his DVDs at the local gas station, but even the adults he encounters at work, in his family and among the community.From watching him work, we get the sense that Miller's films are therapeutic. Without this creative outlet, Miller could seemingly spiral into self destruction. But through his films, Miller gives purpose to his life, which in turn ignites the creative fire in everyone he encounters. Throughout the film, Miller proves time and time again that we're never too old to play with toys, to dress up, or to play pretend, because if we have a creative seed in our brain, we owe it to the world to let it grow.It is also prevalent that the people in Miller's life live through his passion. There is a touching scene late in the film where Miller's brother returns from the barbershop and asks to make sure the lines on his head are straight. Miller checks the top of his brother's head, reassuring him that he looks good. This is such a touching moment because the day belongs to Miller, and yet it is his brother that's worried about looking good. It's a simple scene, but it completely encapsulates the importance of Miller's existence to his friends, his family and his fans. Whether Miller is aware of it or not, he is helping breathe life into his community by inspiring them to follow their own dreams. Without Miller, his community could easily mirror the horror of George Bailey's, Pottersville.The final act in this film is one of the most inspiring twenty minutes I have ever seen. For anyone that has ever cared passionately about art, but maybe lost their desire along the way, the final act of this film will have them digging through their closet and blowing the dust off of all their old tools. As a young filmmaker myself, I bought a Sony 2100 back in 2004. It was the last camcorder I ever bought. I used it to make a lot of short films while in college, but I have not used it in years because I consider it to be so outdated. Maybe I just forgot how to be creative.

You know how at the beginning of an MGM movie Leo the Lion roars and you see that Latin caption "Ars Gratis Artis" (Art for Art's Sake?).  In director Justin Johnson's documentary "Double Digits : The Story of a Neighborhood Movie Star" we meet Richard "R.G" Miller of Wichita, Kansas. Miller, is an extremely DIY indie filmmaker, screenwriter, special effects creator AND star of his own movies who lives to produce his modest features and upload them to YouTube. Miller creates art for art's sake, content as an outsider to make movies on his own terms. These films do not provide his livelihood, but they are very much his life. Justin Johnson and his production team, all with roots as DIY filmmakers, take us into Richard Miller's world as he plies his craft with a modest video camera, no budget, but a wealth of passion.  His set pieces are miniatures, crafted and spray painted in his kitchen/workshop. Props are scavenged, friends and family members called upon as performers. He derives great joy from his work, and his enthusiasm and self-deprecating tone is touching as we watch him prepare and lovingly shoot his movies. Overcoming personal setbacks, Millers perseveres at his craft and maintains modest expectations, considering his work a success if YouTube views of his features exceed 10 ("double digits").  We learn that he's gone through some troubled times and that filmmaking in many respects, has saved him. To watch him work, often in difficult situations (a scene where he is trying to shoot on a windy day comes to mind), is fun and frustrating, but inspiring. Miller's wisdom in all of this is making the best of a situation and then moving on to the next challenge. This all grounds him and provides a Zen-like quality to his life.When an opportunity to showcase one of his films unexpectedly arises, we share Miller's apprehension and hope for his triumph. Johnson and crew capture these moments without being intrusive and it's what makes the documentary work.In a world of $250 million movie budgets, $20 million actor salaries, and multi-billion dollar box office receipts, Richard Miller is a true original. And as "Double Digits: The Story of a Neighborhood Movie Star" proves, you can't put a dollar amount on art. To quote the MGM Lion: "ROAR!".

Richard 'R.G.' Miller is the epitome of a modern day Don Quixote and watching his internal struggle to find perfection in his films is not only fascinating, but is also something that should resonate in the heart of every creative artist. Unbiased interviews with family members, friends and even Miller himself provide a heartwarming and inspirational look at how one man has been able touch the lives of an entire community (and potentially, the world via YouTube).The real prize though is in it's final moments when 'Double Digits: The Story of Neighborhood Movie Star' truly reminds us of why we make films in the first place: to capture the hearts and minds of others - no matter the age and no matter the cost.

Double Digits gives us close-up look at the life and work of Richard 'R.G' Miller (a truly independent filmmaker whose preference for a lo-fi, handmade aesthetic sets him apart) and leaves the viewer with the overwhelming sense that life is full of possibility and the fire to chase our own dreams. Miller is a delightful subject to observe, his joy at practicing his craft his utterly infectious. The filmmakers manage a careful and practiced balancing act of examining the life of an artist who defies conventions without making a spectacle of their subject, and the result is stupendous. Double Digits accomplishes the rare feat of looking closely at a life, fraught with success and failure and tragedy and comedy and joy and sadness and all that goes with it, and comes away with a clearer understanding of the human condition. This film is art that nourishes the soul.