Gray Christmas (2004) Poster

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8/10
Film director with great potential
sd00061 March 2006
I had a chance to see this film at the YoungCuts Film Festival, and I was really impressed with (a) the production quality, (b) the writing, (c) the film score, and (d) the overall performances of the actors. I don't think you can pigeon-hole this film, it's a bit of drama, comedy, satire, and a dig at traditional Christmas movies.

Production quality: I believe this was shot on a high-end miniDV cam, and you can really see the difference. You'll notice the quality from the very first frame.

Writing: the writing is really tight, I like the way the different stories are somehow linked together. A clever idea, but also well executed.

Music: I loved the jazzy score, with a hint of Christmas jingles. Really catchy, I was still humming it to myself days later. Acting: Solid performances from this young group of performers (under 25 years old).

If you get a chance, contact the filmmaker and ask for a copy.
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10/10
Ambitious Independent Film
thinspirit927 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this was a particular good attempt at a dark comedy. Considering the entire thing was shot with generally natural lighting and with a DVX100, the cinematography is impressive.

The acting throughout most of it is generally good utilizing some great "pro-bono" talents. Some of the writing could have gone with less swearing, but I suppose that was in the nature of the "dark" part of the comedy.

The lighting in the car sequence is great! How did you manage to do that without a rig? I would recommend seeing this at least once. Has some good parts and if you're into independent cinema, you'll have a good time.
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9/10
Enjoyably Impressive
knighhtt20 April 2006
Great piece of cinema, truly a showcase of young talent with a future.

The cine is quite nice, certain shots and rack focuses show that the filmmaker has a sound knowledge and talent for photographing the moving image.

The DV short looks remarkably like film.

Storytelling and editing is very cinematic. It's not easy to have three planes of stories develop individually and then climax collectively, but Mike pulled it off, with a quality reminiscent of Ritchie's "Snatch".

Well Done Donis.
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