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Reviews
Twenty Million People (2013)
A Romantic Comedy for the Post-Modern Age
Twenty Million People is one of the most honest and endearing romantic comedies I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in a theater (or anywhere, for that matter). This film's greatest strength is its ability to blend emotionally true- to-life moments with hilarious inner monologues that manifest themselves within the mind of our main character and take over his world as he reels from something he never thought would ever have affected him. A broken heart, you ask? Maybe. Or maybe it's something a little deeper than that.
With A-plus writing and an intimate cinematography that further brings to life the stellar performances of the leads Michael Ferrell and Devin Sanchez, Twenty Million People will be sure to entertain all who all it to become a part of their world for the duration of this slightly sordid love story that will at once uplift us and maybe even teach us a thing or two about fate and finding that one soul mate in the midst of twenty million others.
Blaming George Romero (2011)
Great story!
As a first feature, Blaming George Romero definitely has the goods! I thoroughly enjoyed this non-stop zombie romp. Sam Platizky's superbly written film bends the spectrum of comedy and drama, oftentimes leaving the audience with something deeper to reminisce about over and over again -- what it means to be human in a world plagued by zombies (perhaps not the kind of zombies you would think!) Coupled with Robert Lise's intimate direction and Raul Garcia's masterful camera-work, and a hilarious cast that includes Sam and Bob, Loarina Gonzalez and Dan Gregory, Blaming George Romero is an A+ in my film grade book and a motion picture that would make even the "Master of Horror" laugh out loud.
One Hour Fantasy Girl (2009)
Fantasy Girl Fulfills
ONE HOUR FANTASY GIRL journeys into a corner closet of the dark basement world of prostitution––the sexless realm of fantasy fulfillment. It is stunningly shot with a beautiful melange of color that externalizes the inner conflicts that Brandi (Kelly-Ann Tursi) battles with throughout the film. It's a raw and oftentimes sweetly disturbing picture. At one moment we watch as Brandi fulfills the Freudian desires of Roger, then we fall at ease when she spends time with Bobby, her seeming savior. The twist in the film is unpredictable, and was probably what I enjoyed most about the film.
Although ONE HOUR FANTASY GIRL was superbly shot by cinematographer Rush Hamden, the film fell somewhat flat for me where the overlapping story lines are concerned. Some elements just didn't add up, specifically the very loose subplot which takes place in a diner. I get what those scenes are trying to accomplish, but I don't see how it fits seamlessly with the context of the story's main plot. The ending, I thought, could have come much sooner than it did, and I feel that more could have been done to expound on Brandi's desire to work a job in real estate so that the ending wouldn't have appeared so arbitrary.
I saw many similarities between ONE HOUR FANTASY GIRL and THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (and while I appreciate the premise in the former much more than in Soderbergh's film, I did feel more empathy for Sasha Grey's Chelsea than I did for Tursi's Brandi), but writer/director Edgar Michael Bravo offers up an intriguing alternate take on the "dark damsel in distress" motif and gives the audience a worthwhile ride.