Paradise East

This movie made me proud, sort of, to be a Catholic! I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Mean Streets meets the Three Stooges. Funny, sick and very unique. With great acting, great writing, and great camera work. Probably not since Blue Velvet have I been so into a movie, foaming at the mouth, turned on by a motion picture. Beautiful women, hideous, streetwise, east coast pugs, dark strange bizarre violence, humor with a touch of Charles Manson, and the music, oh the music!!! Wonderfully scored was this crazy, low-budget film, with just the right amount of bongo playing. I loved it! And if you like your cinema on the dark side, you'll love it too.

If the minds behind South Park and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia had a baby, they'd name it Paradise East. The film highlights a dysfunctional (and that's putting it mildly) family whose behavior is nothing short of absurd. But the writing, directing and ESPECIALLY the acting make this movie truly something to behold. The dynamic between the two brothers, Chip and Ernie, is so spectacular that there is a spin off web series on YouTube, the Chip and Ernie Show. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the actors and the director before seeing the movie, but had absolutely NO clue at what they had put together. The actors played characters completely outside of themselves, and had I not met the director beforehand, I would have been convinced he was on crack. The story is 100% original, and the situations the characters find themselves in are hilarious. Two acting honorable mentions must also go out to Bruce Barton, who plays a droll and meticulous Catholic priest, and James Kissane, who I would've sworn was Jack McGee's mobster brother, had I not known otherwise. However you can get your hands on this movie; festival viewing, rental, purchase, LEGAL download... do so. This isn't one to miss. A perfect example of what the Hollywood system is lacking.

I had the pleasure to watch that movie screened at the International Film Festival Ireland 2011. I didn't really know what I was to watch but I discovered something irresistibly hilarious. A dysfunctional family, a priest that decided to make his own justice… Crazy, mad, funny characters evolving into a mad world! Don't believe me? The two brothers Chip and Ernie now have their own show!!!

If you love black humor, do dot turn your back on this film! The mad genius behind this story has successfully built up a real universe in the great NYC... And I was lucky enough to meet some of his cast... Great people, great moments, lot of fun!