The Last Treasure Hunt

Folks who dig a good family drama will really like this!

I would say this is a very good film, but not the best of films, for me. I want to see what she comes up with next! The film is not a partnered film with Amazon, but it shows the release date of 3/29/2016 and I watched it today, 4/2 so it is hot off the press, released there, I guess.

This is not my type of film. Emotional drama. Some mystery. I like the setting and the idea of the story very well. I also like the writer/actor starring in this. The story is crafted pretty well, but unraveling the internals of family relationships....is not that captivating. I think the mystery should have focused more on the mystery of finding this final treasure.

Greetings again from the darkness. Their father's sudden death after a heart attack reunites an estranged brother and sister. Disclosing that this was the second heart attack for the dad – but the first that his offspring knew of – provides all the back story one needs to understand the struggles these two have in connecting with each other and making peace with the past and present.

The dad (Art LaFleur, Field of Dreams) was a bit eccentric, and one of his traditions was an annual treasure hunt for his kids Oliver (Casey Nelson) and Lucy (Kate Murdoch). When these now young adults show up for the reading of the will, they are taken aback by their father's last wish – an elaborate 6 clue final treasure hunt to uncover the true details of their inheritance. Oliver and Lucy grudgingly team up to solve the clues.

Of course, the emotional roller-coaster kicks in and these two bicker like brother and sister, dredging up past memories both good and bad … well, mostly bad. It's only fair that a massive melodrama caution flag is waved here. There are some realistic moments as the siblings pick and prod each other as only this relationship can; however, much more time is spent as each of them deal with their own baggage of self-loathing.

The supporting cast adds a welcome change of pace from the brother-sister thing, as we get Cousin Alfred (Jeff Grace) – an odd bird with a camera who wants to buy the dad's house; neighbor Gary (Charles Hoyes) who was good friends with the dad and adds clarity to the situation; and Oliver's girlfriend Susan (Kandis Erickson) who has much to fight through herself. In addition to these characters, the house and the island locale loom large in most scenes, as do the volumes of books throughout each room.

Kate Murdoch and Casey Nelson not only co-star in the film, but also co-wrote the script, which provides the foundation for director Patrick Biesemans first feature film.

This being my first ever IMDb film review I apologise in advance if I break any etiquette in my comments, but I just felt I had to per- warn possible viewers of this film that 100 minutes of their life would be better spent watering the garden or cleaning up the cookies on the laptop.

I note another review said "some might call it slow", this is an breathtaking understatement, the film dialogue and "action" makes watching paint dry an Olympic sport! Its unnecessary to comment on the characters or plot (such as it is) as this has been covered in earlier reviews, suffice for me to say it would appear that the Producer and Director turned up in the morning, scheduled a scene or 2 to be shot, and went off to play golf, such is their tangible input to the film.

Would have been better received if they had cut to the last 10 Min's and got it all over with in under half an hour. Sorry guys, a waste of celluloid (is that still used now?)

Had potential, but turned out to be another cheaply done story of two not too compatible siblings, now grown, and being given one last treasure hunt to get their just passed away dad's money and/or house. What made it cheap - let me tell you ways why: 1. First sign - no subtitles coupled with lots of poor enunciation and audio levels. So dialogue is of minor consequence. 2. Overbearing sound effects/music to keep the drama (or lack of it) going. 3. Treasure hunts turned out to be mostly in the same filming location and consisted of letters in slightly buried boxes. All boringly uncreative in it's own right. 4. A lot of poorly acted & scripted fake antagonism between the siblings interspersed with bonding (the ultimate story plot goal) basically occupying the whole movie. 5. A couple of other characters show up for cameos that just seemed miscast/out-of- place to the story and just were disruptive tangents. 6. Ending is predictable, but useful for sleepy time.

The Last Treasure Hunt is a wonderfully engaging drama about a brother, Oliver(Casey Nelson), and his sister Lucy (Kate Murdoch), who meet at the family home after the sudden death of their father. Casey and Kate also wrote the screenplay and they have great on screen chemistry.

Oliver is about to be a father with his girlfriend Susan, an excellent Kandis Erickson. The two have a book store which is not doing well - they are facing eviction.

Lucy is a free spirit who is the opposite of Oliver in most every way. To bring the two closer together, the father has requested in his will that the siblings finish a treasure hunt that he prepared for them.

As Oliver and Lucy work their way through the clues in an attempt to finish the hunt, and receive their inheritance, we are treated to some wonderful moments of sibling rivalry that spring to life thanks to the excellent script and acting.

There are moments of comedy thanks to Jeff Grace, who plays the somewhat eccentric photographer cousin, and some sentimental scenes with the father's best friend Gary, played by Charles Hoyes.

The locations on the east coast are beautiful, the musical soundtrack is a treat, and the direction by Patrick Biesemans is engaging. For those looking for an adult drama with top-notch acting and a fine script, The Last Treasure Hunt does not disappoint.