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Jumeirah
Reviews
TiMER (2009)
Almost bearable, if you are a 9 year old girl.
I saw this at the opening of The 2009 Fort Lauderdale Int'l Film Festival. The audience was very responsive and friendly and the film was warmly received. That being said, it was not a good film. The script had terrible discrepancies; in terms of the time line of the "timer" device: the super market guy, played by John Patrick Amedori, (who was in the wrong movie entirely), said it was invented 8 years earlier; while the central character's father had the timer 30 years prior. Sloppy writing. Terrible, terrible casting, as none of the characters matched one another - not for one second did any of them seem like they were from the same imaginary world. This half chick flick, half dumbed down Sci-Fi film was bearable to watch, but only bearable. In short: hackneyed writing, mediocre direction and an obvious attempt at creating a cash-cow-pilot- formula for episodic television. The director needs to think a bit more about artistry and a lot less about formulating a hit, because clearly this film is neither. On the stink meter this was a PEE-U!
P.O.V.: Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North (2008)
Woods Hole Film Festival
I was very eager to see this documentary - as it is a very engaging story. However, following this group of vain, falsely humble, offensively self indulgent members of the 21st Century DeWolf family it proved quickly disappointing.
For 86 minutes they grapple with the many wounds imposed upon them by the sins of their forefathers some 160+ years ago. It is a shame because this family of 18th and 19th Century 'Mayfair Witches" is historically interesting and extremely evil on a human level. That coupled with the wonderful title of the piece, "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North" - it had all the elements of a top-notch documentary. Instead it was merely a bunch of tepid cry babies whining in unison, "me, me, me, me, me."
If there had been an objective director it might have been salvageable, but then the focus would have been on something bigger than them.
Able Danger (2008)
Maltese Falcon by way of 9/11's ABLE DANGER.
I liked this film. It was sharp. Not everyone will get it. But those who do will love it. Elina Löwensohn is a gem, a real star and the supporting cast is overall very good. Michael J. Burg doing his best Udo Keir/Peter Lorre is sinister, yet tongue in cheek fun. I thought the film noir style was well done. I mean Bogart would have been better than Adam Nee, but so what. Mr. Nee is a star of tomorrow and he was awesome. Not sure everyone in the audience got the MALTESE FALCON homage - but I did. Loved it. Too bad more indie directors don't get the money to create, thats what I really liked about this movie - it clearly was a new director's vision brought to life without studio crap bogging it down. I hope the internet conspiracy guys find this movie - they will love it's humor. Project Monarch? Awesome.