Reviews

Dangerous Prey, directed by Terry Spears, is a thriller/drama that tackles some tough subjects - discrimination, racial tension and urban gentrification. I give kudos to the filmmakers for facing these issues head-on.

The lead, Kesha, gives a strong, honest performance - she carries the film. The antagonists, the two good-ol' boys, were over-the-top and too stereotypical. I would've like to see more subtly and depth to them. For a low budget indie, the quality was what you'd expect, maybe a bit lower, but for the most part the lead's performances overcome that.

The run-time was short, so I feel like the script could've been developed more. A few more re-writes would've given this story more focus with a greater impact for things the filmmakers were trying to communicate.

Broken City (2023), directed by Terry Spears, is a fairly engaging low budget crime thriller. The plot and its events are pretty unique. The camera work and styling of the film is raw, which I think works in its favor. However, with most low budget films it has its constraints and downfalls. For me, that was the acting, music, set design (or lack thereof), and at times the continuity. Those were the noticeable elements that took me out of the experience.

I really liked how unpredictable the story was though. If you are looking for something different; a unique indie crime thriller with grit, this may just be the one for you.

Natasha Hall is one of the most original films I've seen in years. Cat Black's performance, as Natasha Hall, is riveting. She's such a fun, quirky character that you can't help but root for her.

NH takes place in the 90's, which is entertaining on its own merit. The old tube TVs, dated cars and costuming is on point. The movie looks like it's shot on film, although I didn't fact check that. The cinematography is great in the sense that it fits the style and tone of the film perfectly.

For me, the story lagged a bit in the second act. For a period of time, I ceased to care what happened to Natasha, but then things picked up again. The foul language was excessive and quite frankly unnecessary. Having said that, the dialogue was well-written and engaging. If you like crime thrillers and are looking for something completely unique to watch, NH will not disappoint.

Vendetta Road is an interesting, low budget indie thriller. For all practical purposes, it's a one-location film, which is compelling.

The story takes place at a large, isolated campground. The main character is visited by a fugitive and initially is forced to help him. Their relationship grows over time and becomes more complicated.

Some of the events in the film seem implausible, like a RC car remote working from hundreds of feet away, a body fitting into a container that was clearly too small for him and the lead, Tamera, picking up that container and tossing into the bed of a pick up truck. It's little things like that which took me out of the story a few times. The acting was spotty and the VFX needed work, but all-in-all a pretty good effort. I'm interested in seeing what the director, Nathan Light, does with his next project.

Toxic Impulses is a neo-noir thriller about a former detective, Mosley, who is visited by a mysterious woman in need of his help. Mosely is hesitant at first, but soon gets sucked into the underbelly of the city where no one can be trusted.

All-in-all, for an indie film, it was well done. The locations are great and it has pretty good production value overall. The theme of neighborly love was a nice touch. However, what was lacking for me most was character motivation. Why did Mosely care enough to get involved? Why was the young woman doing what she was doing? What did she ultimately want? With those questions answered, I think the story could've been much stronger.

Toxic Impulses has a lot of twists and turns. If you like moody neo-noir thrillers then give this one a shot.

Solid Rock Trust is a solid indie film! It's a one location movie, which oftentimes gets tiresome by the second act, but SRT defines all odds. Director Rick Ives does a great job of ramping up the stakes and the suspense. The telephone conversations could have sounded fake and staged, but instead you are continually drawn further into the story.

The lead actress, Koko Marshall, carried the whole film, which is no small feat. If she wasn't as talented as she is, the film simply wouldn't have worked. My one small gripe of the film though is the cinematography; it was too noticeable. At times, especially in the first ten minutes, all I could think about was the camera movement. It was taking me out of the story. Having said that, there were times when the camera work seemed motivated and heightened the emotion of the scene.

All-in-all, I highly recommend this film. Director Rick Ives did a great job and I look forward to his next project!

Making an indie film is no small feat. What the makers of Craving accomplished was impressive. The production quality overall was good. The practical makeup FX was impressive.

Now to the not-so-good. Early on in the film particularly, there were a lot of focus issues that were distracting. The story could've use a couple more rewrites. It jumps around A LOT. My main issue with the story is that we're not really following around one main character. It's an ensemble piece that doesn't allow you to emotionally engage with any of the characters. At times, the music was too melodramatic, which didn't seem to fit the tone of the movie.

With all of that said, the climax will not disappoint horror fans. If you love B horror movies, I think you'll like this one.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film in terms of the story and the technical aspects of it. This is a good indie film. It references Annie Hall and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, both of which I personally like. It is similar in tone and plot of those aforementioned films. Dirty Beautiful is smart, funny, original and it has heart.

The narration device that writer/director Tim Bartell uses, breaking the fourth wall, works well. The acting is solid. The female lead, Kat, was a standout for me.

I would recommend watching this movie if you're in the mood for an offbeat "love story".

I have mixed feelings about this film. The concept is unique and for the most part the humor serves the story well. I like both actors but I was a little disappointed with Bruce Marchiano's performance. I think he's a solid actor but his performance in this film felt disingenuous and over-the-top at times.

As they say, 'the devil is in the details' and this holds true for this film. I had a hard time getting past the poor visual effects and sometimes, poor audio. Being that it's a low budget film I genuinely understand the constraints but when essentially the entire film is green screened and in too many shots it's obvious, it's hard to maintain that suspension of disbelief. I have to admit though as a filmmaker I probably have a much more critical eye than most.

I liked the fact that it wasn't a one-sided argument. It was true to life in that sense. The contrasting viewpoints between the American and British was refreshing. I think the extremely low ratings on this film are unfair. Give it a chance and see for yourself.

The 25th Hour, starring Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson and Phillip

Seymour Hoffman tells the story of a man's last day of freedom before

facing seven years in prison. Edward Norton stars as Monty Brogan, a

streetwise kid, who after several successes in an elite private school

and as a basketball star, turns to a life of crime. In his last

remaining hours of freedom, Monty begins tying up loose ends with

friends and family, while trying to figure out who tipped off the DEA in

his arrest. While this minor subplot suggests a whodunit scenario, this

film builds rather slowly, however eloquently, and you can't help but be

immersed with Monty's horrifying consequences. This film is extremely

engaging, and at times seems idle in its storyline, although it never

fails to pick right back up all the way until the very end. Anyone

expecting a typical Spike Lee joint, or an on-the-edge of your seat

thriller, will probably be a bit disappointed, however this is an

amazing film to watch, I give it an A-.

"City by the Sea" starring Robert DeNiro and Frances McDormand (Fargo & Almost Famous) is an exciting and heartfelt melodrama. Director Michael Caton-Jones proves himself with one of his greatest efforts to date, bouncing back from his previous disappointing and misdirected film "The Jackal." Caton-Jones displays a style all his own with stunning atmospheric poignancy. The city by the sea, to which the film refers to is Long Island, N.Y., a wonderfully lonely and dilapidated city to where junkie Jimmy Nova, (DeNiro's son) calls home.

DeNiro plays a well-respected cop with a terribly troubled past that seems to constantly haunt him. His ex-wife, played by Patti Lupone, struggles to get over the violence of their past relationship while his son, played by James Franco, is headed down the same path as DeNiro's father once was, that of an (alleged?) murderer. Jimmy Nova, as he's known around town mixes with the wrong crowd, as do most junkies, and one night finds himself struggling for his life, and before he knows it, stabbing and killing a high profile drug dealer. This relatively small act of self-defense cascades a sequence of irreversible events, which never seem to let up until the end. DeNiro, of course, is assigned to the case and unknowingly hunts down his own son who he hasn't seen or heard from in several years. Both father and son have moved on with their lives since their seperation, but still harbor intense emotional feelings for each other that seem to slowly emerge further and further into the film. To top it all off the two men are involved in complex relationships of their own which naturally complicates things further.

DeNiro's relationship with Frances McDormand seems quite convenient at times, but nonetheless shows the tenderness and compassion of both characters, while Franco's relationship feels more like a fling with multiple strings attached. In the end, both DeNiro and his son must face the issues that have plagued them for three generations and make one of the hardest decisions of their life.

Similar topics and themes in "City by the Sea", were explored in "Road to Perdition", however it is the way that they are explored that keeps the film feeling fresh and unique. Similar themes explored are the father-son relationship, the destructive path of violence and crime, and most importantly the will and courage to fight for a second chance at life. I was particularly impressed with the atmospheric mood of New York that Caton-Jones set from the beginning, reminiscent of Scorcese's "Taxi Driver", thus giving the film the reality that many recent Hollywood films tend to lack. The acting in this film is of the highest quality and will not be overlooked, contending with so

ADAPTATION

Oscar winning director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman of Being John Malkovich team up again for another truly original movie, starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper. Charlie Kaufman once again successfully combines his bizarre comedy with true to life dilemmas in this self-reflexive tale. Nicolas Cage plays a dual role in this film, he stars as Charlie Kaufman and as his twin brother Donald Kaufman (similar to what Eddie Murphy did in The Nutty Professor). Essentially, the story is about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman who just coming off of his latest brilliant film Being John Malkovich and is approached by a studio rep to adapt the novel The Orchid Thief written by Susan Orlean, played by Meryl Streep. Susan is New York reporter who had written an article on John Laroche, (Chris Cooper) an odd loner-type who had found a way around the laws governing endangered plants, one of which being the Ghost Orchid, an extremely rare beautiful flower. However, Charlie has found Susan's novel nearly impossible to adapt into a screenplay and thus constantly struggles for inspiration. Meanwhile, Charlie's twin brother Donald has found new inspiration in Charlie's success as a screenwriter. Assuming it to be quite easy, Donald embarks on his own script, filled with more cliches and contrivances than any Jerry Bruckheimer film could ever imagine. Through much trial and tribulation, Charlie ends up writing himself into his own script and things only get more unpredictable from there. A confusing plot to explain, maybe, however director Spike Jonze does a wonder job of keeping things clear and letting the story unfold before your eyes. Adaptation is an extremely entertaining film, its story is completely refreshing and once again the director's craft is more than inspiring. I give this film an A, anyone who enjoyed Being John Malkovich or who just has a soft spot for original wacky entertainment

SOLARIS

Steven Soderbergh's (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic) latest film Solaris, is not only entertaining and astonishingly gorgeous, but it also touches on many deeper issues of humanity in a way that few sci-fi films have done as of late. The film runs at a slightly slower pace than what most general audiences are used to, however, the highly introspective film has many pay-offs and is definitely worth the wait.

This is Soderbergh's second remake of the past two years, adapting Andrei Tarkovsky's Russian-language masterpiece Solaris that won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes film festival in 1972. Chris Kelvin, (George Clooney) is called aboard an endangered American space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Chris is told that there are many strange occurrences aboard the ship, which cannot be explained and that he is the only one who has a chance of remedying the situation. Once arrived, Chris finds the space station rather quiet and desolate, with one of the passengers' dead and the remaining two near psychological breakdown. Dr. Gordon, a physiologist, and Snow, a tech-nerd, have seen and experienced things beyond what they know to be reality. After close examination of both passengers, Chris has trouble believing their reports, until he too, has a similar experience of his own. Manifestations of the past come to haunt Chris and he must decipher between what is reality and what isn't.

This is definitely one of Soderbergh's best films to date, stepping away from mainstream Hollywood films, (Ocean's Eleven) as he does so well, and producing a great combination of both art and entertainment. This is very thoughtful film involving heavy subject manner, which is dealt with great delicacy. Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey comes to mind, both in terms of great visual style and content.