North Hollywood

I know that's not what this movie is about, but I have to say it blew me away. I really wish they had like back in the day CDs or cassettes of songs in movies because this one was absolutely fabulous. OK that was my first thing that I was most impressed about the acting was relatively good, the main character played this part as well as he could wasn't much grit that was written into any of the other characters either except maybe some of the conflicts arising from aspirations the more talented skaters versus just the old friends from youth I'm not quite sure I understood the significance of the male female story. I'm guessing was just part of the I'm growing up thing but it wasn't too well explored overall watchable movie.

This is a story that shows how friendships are challenged as times change and how faith is summoned and persevered when the ones you love most doubt you.

I liked the way it was filmed - the composition and even the lens they used but the story felt unfinished. I think the film should have been longer or have a better ending. I wanted to see the main character make a part and get sponsored or win a contest and see his dad waiting for him to bring home the money and the trophy. The ending was just not satisfactory. The dialogue's alright. The friendship between the three friends was portrayed realistically. That's one thing that was done right in this film. As I mentioned before, the one thing that made this film enjoyable was the cinematography. That wide lens look is what kept me from looking away. I would love to see more films shot with a wide lens.

Overall, the film was just alright. I think if Illegal Civ keeps making more films they might be on to something.

This is basically a festival piece.

Character development of "follow your dream" while making mistakes on the way seems like the standard festival category.

I find it very average. Comedy was lacking, drama was lacking. Vince Vaughn got his paycheck. Ryder McLaughlin was fairly good.

There just isn't anything exceptional about this movie.

North Hollywood (2020) is the directorial debut of Mikey Alfred, the creative director and founder of the first teen movie studio and skateboard/clothing brand, Illegal Civilization is a film that I have been anticipating for a while now especially since this was produced by Pharrell Williams. NH is a biopic, centered around Mikey, a high school water polo player/alter boy set on his course of being a pro skateboarder. This isn't without its obstacles as his dad and others, mostly Mikey himself, get in his way of achieving his dream. I had the pleasure of attending one of the live stream dates and it felt like such a unique occasion as everything has transitioned to some sort of virtual platform. Least to say that this was a very cool experience for me and I'm sure the rest of the viewers. This movie is not the best movie out. I was definitely expecting more from the Illegal Civ group, but what I saw was an elongated Illegal Civ YT video. I love music don't get me wrong, and music heavily influences the films that I script-write, but a lot of it seemed unnecessary. Some transitions seemed like they were in there because they "looked and sounded cool" which they did, but totally threw off the whole tempo of the film. The acting was subpar, especially from Ryder. I love you bro, but you definitely have a long way to go. I will say that some of the performances where very surprising to me, Angus, Nico, Armais, all really well done by them. The scene with Gillian Jacobs was great. I just have problems with the main cast. Miranda Cosgrove didn't really add much for me as Mikey's love interest. Not very compelling when she was on screen. Vince Vaughn as Mikey's dad had his moments, however there were parts where it was hard to distinguish his "caring" moments from his "lecture" moments. I think this was a great casting job however, but I think this leads into one of my main gripes with the movie, being the script. There were parts in this movie where it felt very natural, however there would be little instances of what I call "novel dialogue", sounding like someone is reading from a novel, which really throws thing off during the watch. There were some technical issues when it came to rack focusing, but overall the cinematography was very classic Illegal Civ, which is a good thing as it is unique to them. It is a beautifully shot movie, the set designs, the fits where all very well done. Overall, I see the potential, I really do, but this film left more to be desired. The editing choices, the acting, the script really slid this film of the rails for me. I will be looking out for more films by Illegal Civ however because you guys are sick and I love what you are doing! Keep at it!