A Little Inside
N.Y. Int'l Indie Film/Video fest
Playing like a rookie version of "The Rookie", the nicely cast film "A Little Inside" is well-intentioned family fare about a former pro baseball player-turned-doting single dad who gets a second shot at his first love.
Written and directed by newcomer Kara Harshbarger, the light drama is very much a TV movie despite its big-screen aspirations. With a much-needed tighter edit, it could have no problem landing in the Lifetime/ Pax/ABC Family ballpark. It screened at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, where it captured honors for best drama.
Currently earning his keep as a small-town mechanic, extremely earnest Ed Mills (Benjamin King) is constantly being reminded of his promising athletic past, though the widower keeps more than occupied bonding with his 7-year-old daughter, Abby (Hallie Kate Eisenberg).
But while they've traditionally shared the same love of the sport, Hallie is starting to cultivate more girl-type interests — like ballet. Meanwhile, Dad is wondering if it's not too late to pursue his old dream.
While Harshbarger's scripting occasionally lands a little outside — Mills' triumphant call-up by the Yankees strains credibility just a tad — she coaxes uniformly solid performances from her acting lineup, notably from young Eisenberg, who makes an impressive transition from pint-sized Pepsi pitchperson to credible dramatic performer, and Kathy Baker as the neighborhood meddler who's capable of making Martha Stewart look like an underachiever.
The Other Brother
Xenon Pictures
When all is said and done, "The Other Brother" delivers a satisfying, comic reversal of fortune along with several solid performances, notably top-billed Mekhi Phifer as a New York journalist in a perpetual struggle to connect with the opposite sex. What drags the movie down is first-time writer-director Mandel Holland's struggles with composition, editing and camera placement.
While worth a look, the film is virtually a student work with a professional cast. It is getting a theatrical release in L.A. and New York by Xenon Pictures, a home entertainment distributor specializing in black, Latino and Asian films.
One nice thing Holland has done is take a genre that must tire all but the most adolescent audiences — the black sex comedy in which fornication is all that's on everyone's mind — and defied expectations: Characters have depth, women are not witless, and the virtues of a monogamy are upheld.
The movie begins with two brothers. Junnie (Andre Blake), is Mr. Cool; the other brother, Martin (Phifer), is hard working, but his love life is a zero.
So Junnie sets out to teach Martin the art of picking up women. Meanwhile, Martin has become friendly with a beautiful neighbor (Tangi Miller) who likes him just the way he is. The only trouble is that hanging out with Junnie has altered some of his behavior.
While this premise is viable, much gets lost in claustrophobic camerawork in tight New York locations and poor-to-awful sound. Some problems can be remedied with a bigger budget. But, clearly, Holland is still in the early stages of the filmmaking learning curve.
N.Y. Int'l Indie Film/Video fest
Playing like a rookie version of "The Rookie", the nicely cast film "A Little Inside" is well-intentioned family fare about a former pro baseball player-turned-doting single dad who gets a second shot at his first love.
Written and directed by newcomer Kara Harshbarger, the light drama is very much a TV movie despite its big-screen aspirations. With a much-needed tighter edit, it could have no problem landing in the Lifetime/ Pax/ABC Family ballpark. It screened at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, where it captured honors for best drama.
Currently earning his keep as a small-town mechanic, extremely earnest Ed Mills (Benjamin King) is constantly being reminded of his promising athletic past, though the widower keeps more than occupied bonding with his 7-year-old daughter, Abby (Hallie Kate Eisenberg).
But while they've traditionally shared the same love of the sport, Hallie is starting to cultivate more girl-type interests — like ballet. Meanwhile, Dad is wondering if it's not too late to pursue his old dream.
While Harshbarger's scripting occasionally lands a little outside — Mills' triumphant call-up by the Yankees strains credibility just a tad — she coaxes uniformly solid performances from her acting lineup, notably from young Eisenberg, who makes an impressive transition from pint-sized Pepsi pitchperson to credible dramatic performer, and Kathy Baker as the neighborhood meddler who's capable of making Martha Stewart look like an underachiever.
The Other Brother
Xenon Pictures
When all is said and done, "The Other Brother" delivers a satisfying, comic reversal of fortune along with several solid performances, notably top-billed Mekhi Phifer as a New York journalist in a perpetual struggle to connect with the opposite sex. What drags the movie down is first-time writer-director Mandel Holland's struggles with composition, editing and camera placement.
While worth a look, the film is virtually a student work with a professional cast. It is getting a theatrical release in L.A. and New York by Xenon Pictures, a home entertainment distributor specializing in black, Latino and Asian films.
One nice thing Holland has done is take a genre that must tire all but the most adolescent audiences — the black sex comedy in which fornication is all that's on everyone's mind — and defied expectations: Characters have depth, women are not witless, and the virtues of a monogamy are upheld.
The movie begins with two brothers. Junnie (Andre Blake), is Mr. Cool; the other brother, Martin (Phifer), is hard working, but his love life is a zero.
So Junnie sets out to teach Martin the art of picking up women. Meanwhile, Martin has become friendly with a beautiful neighbor (Tangi Miller) who likes him just the way he is. The only trouble is that hanging out with Junnie has altered some of his behavior.
While this premise is viable, much gets lost in claustrophobic camerawork in tight New York locations and poor-to-awful sound. Some problems can be remedied with a bigger budget. But, clearly, Holland is still in the early stages of the filmmaking learning curve.
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