Reviews

DOING UNTO OTHERS documents a filmmaker's dive into the heart of darkness of the DV feature film world. He discovers that all the horrors that can beget a celluloid feature shoot from hell can also besiege the user-friendly universe of the DV filmmaker. Triumph and tragedy intermingle in this documentary where there are no clear winners or losers but surely a warning for those who think the digital revolution has cleared all the obstacles from the path of the indie filmmaker. It runs 85 minutes and was written and directed by Bill Dumas and Rajeev Nirmalakhandan. The main actors were Michael Erger, Duane Whitaker, & Charles Gunning.

After seeing this at the Breckenridge Film Festival, I was surprised how well it was responded to. I thought the movie was much more centered on too limited an age group, but (and not the first time) I was WRONG. People old and young seemed to be able to relate to this whimsical movie, which was cited as a "cross between Swingers and American Pie." I personally think it was a lot more like Swingers in the fact that it was very detailed and gave the viewer a rare insight into relations that most producers don't spend a lot of time and effort on. This was produced as well as directed by Stefan Marc and he did a very capable job. The actors were believable and likable and realistic. If you liked Swingers. you'll like Dating Games People Play. Definitely worth the price of a rental.

I'm sorry, I must disagree with the other reviewer. I thought the short film was poignant and very realistic. It may not be the type of movie everyone would like or would want to view, for that matter, but I found it captivating. It basically follows two young boys. One, named Brad, having been left in a field naked and sexually abused by some homophobic jocks, and Andy, one of the attackers who had enough heart to come back to help the kid. I thought this movie (which is supposed to be loosely based on the Michael Sheppard Story) was fantastically acted. Parts left me breathless. If you want to know what I mean, go find this film and watch it. You will NOT be sorry.

I am a female who generally despises "female" movies. Any movies that revolve around dramatic themes I shy away from. However, although this was not my "type" of movie, it was a decent movie nonetheless. Centered around a girl named "Sophie," who is abused by her alcoholic father and ignored by her mother who constantly turns a blind eye, she feels as though she is trapped. The movie takes place through Sophie's point of view. It is produced well and acted even better. It was written and directed by Helen Haeyoung Lee. This was her first movie. And although I like it, this is not a movie that someone who has lived through any of these issues would want to see because it felt much too real. There, I have warned you.

Not exactly a "movie" per se, more of a "Made For Television Movie." There was a very low-budget quality to the movie. It's genre is supposed to be a "mystery" but as I mentioned in my title, it really isn't. This is definitely just an odd movie. I've heard it said that this movie was actually based on a short story written by Screenwriter Holiday Reinhorn. Since the movie runs for roughly ninety minutes, my guess is that although it was intended to be a short story, the director,Eva Ilona Brzeski, just drew it out longer and longer and longer then it was meant to be. It stars Leah Curney (her 1st movie) who is a high school volleyball player who has mysteriously (or so the movie proclaims) disappeared. It's filmed as a 'documentary style' movie in that a reporter is interviewing the volleyball stars friends and family about her disappearance and how it has affected them etc. But it jumps around and basically make no real sense in a lot of separate places. WARNING: STAY AWAY! I have no more to say. It is too difficult to describe. So just heed my warning. Thanks.

Two friends Derek (Zachary ty Bryan from Home Improvement) and Natasha (Fabiana Udenio from Peter Benchley's Amazon) decide to follow their dreams of becoming champions on the underground wrestling circuit. However, as in all movies (notice I did not say in all GOOD movies) they inevitably encounter numerous semi-comical roadblocks. They have a much more difficult time achieving their dreams as they had intended, go figure! They eventually end up meeting their long-time wrestling idol only known as the Slammer, played by Sasha Mitchell (Cousin Cody from the TV show Step by Step), who helps them out with their dream. Truthfully, the only decent performance in this movie is given by Sasha, he really does have a knack for comedy. Anyway, if you are, like me, a Sasha Mitchell fan, you will somewhat enjoy this movie. If not, avoid at all costs!

This is a documentary based on Tom Curran's life about his trials and tribulations after he lost his father when he was only twelve years old. Although this may not seem a unique story line, it is presented well by Curran. His father was overly focused on perfection and it seems he spent most of his life living up to the expectations Curran had built up in his mind as his fathers own. It follows his life as an athlete, a cameraman for sporting events, etc. This film is not only a documentary that seems very near and dear to Curran's heart but also as tribute to his father. This film is very well done. If you haven't seen it, it may be difficult to find but if you can relate to the plot in any way, you should definitely seek this movie out.

This is an independent short film written and directed by Toni Meca. Since the running time is only about fourteen and a half minutes, it really doesn't give the viewer much time to really get into the movie and really understand the characters. The plot revolves around an assassin and a policeman. We find that the assassin has killed the police officer's family and that the killer is now paralyzed. He begs the officer to kill him so that he can be put out of his misery, but the police officer goes through numerous moral dilemma's surrounding this request. One the one hand justice would be served but on the other maybe the killer would suffer more living than being dead. A very interesting premise one that I have not seen done well in a long time. Hats off to Toni Meca.

This movie was directed by Aldo Lado who has made four other movies, none of which received much attention in the past. Power & Lovers (USA) or Chance, La is a movie about two brothers, Nick (Vincent Riotta) and Tony (Stephen Dillon), who are very different from one another and do not get along. Especially after Nick finds himself losing valuable profits due to a company his brother is a part of. Basically this movie's point is to show these dueling brothers that they have much more in common than they really believe. And that their strongest bond are the females in each of their lives. A pretty basic dramatic plot line but it also has some interesting spins near the end. Worth watching in my opinion.

This movie was written and directed by Eric Black and Frauke Sandig. This is their second collaboration in the documentary genre. The first one was called "After the Fall" about the Berlin Wall. This movie, however takes us into the real world of the creation of the "perfect" child. From the sperm donations to the surrogate mothers to the gene researchers etc. Showing the viewers that if you want a blue-eyed blonde-haired child, it can easily be done. Maybe a little too easily. I liked the fact that this documentary rung true. I set out to make the public aware of these man-made children and it did not sugar coat it or apologize for it. Very interesting film I would highly suggest you rent, especially if you are thinking of adopting, being a surrogate mother, donating eggs, or donating sperm.

This very short film (only 13 minutes long) was written and directed by Chris Mancini, who also directed Skins. This whole film is in Black and White. It revolves around the main two characters....a hit-man and a clown. SURPRISE SURPRISE! That was where my earlier statement came into play. HIT-CLOWN get it? OK. Now the Clown (who is extremely depressed about her meager existence) is played by Jennifer Elise Cox, who's best known for The Brady Parodies where she played Jan Brady and she was also, more recently, in The Jacket. The Hit-man is played by Jay Johnson and all I know about him is that he was in Skins as well. The Hit-man is getting nervous because he believes that sometime in the near future he will meet his demise. These two characters end up getting their bags mixed up and taking the others with them. When they look inside the other's bag they begin to realize that they each have a means of getting out of the terribly deadly and depressing lives they are currently living. This movie would have been much better if the characters had been allowed to mature on screen a little longer. I mean the movie is only 13 minutes long. Really not much maturity can happen in thirteen minutes. But this movie is worth watching and has a very interesting yet un-expected ending.

This is the first film written and directed by Julie Scott Edwards, and was filmed in 2000. It is only a little over 12 minutes running time Edie, played by Emily Bolton Colloff, who has never before acted in a movie, gives a pretty decent performance of a young woman who feels stifled in an all girls boarding school, she becomes part of a group and begins to grow into her womanhood by committing "sins" of the body, being felt-up and kissing. This movie is too short to be really edgy but I would have loved to see it go a step further and allow the viewers to get to know Edie and why her hormones were not raging as much as the other girls were. Much left un-explained, this movie is not one that should be ignored.

Made in 2001, in Black and White format. Fits in the short film category. Brings us Bryan Potser (Jesus of Judson 1996), as the writer and director. The film is only 18 minutes long. And contains male nudity and some sexual situations. It stars Jacob Vaughan as the "customer" and Karen Skloss as the "clerk" at a video store in which the "customer" goes to to rent sexual videos. THe "customer" begins to notice that every time he rents these types of tapes, there is a certain person in the movie who is willing to "service" his sexual desires and needs. This film has a documentary style to it and some parts feel like a trip into virtual reality. But basically the film is delving into the cesspool that is sexual obsession. The characters are believable but the movie leaves the watcher wondering if there should have been more of an ending. A decent short film for anyone who is interested in surrealistic images and clashing genres in one movie.

This movie follows a man named (you'll never guess) Larry O'Donnell. He is a 29 year-old virgin and is determined to lose this stigma by the time his Thirtieth birthday comes around. His vow is two-sided however, because if this lofty goal is not achieved, then he has claimed he will be joining the Priesthood. Somewhat of an original idea this movie is only 26 minutes long. This really doesn't give it enough time to develop the main characters or really make its point well enough to reach a large audience, but it does make its mark with the viewers and provides a realistic view of what Larry's situation would be like if it was actually the life of some real person. This movie is not over commercialized and rings true to a man struggling with modern day demands (that tell men that they are not really men until they have sex) and the "loser" stigma he feels being almost thirty and never having actually "done the deed." So 6 of 10 is my rating. Worth watching but do not over-analyze.