Boys to Men

Crush by Phillip Bartell is a very sweet and fun movie with a strong, vivid performance by the young lead actress. It will leave you with a smile on your face. The Mountain King by Duncan Tucker is a vividly directed, visually compelling work, sensual without being exploitative. It reminded me a bit of Francois Ozon's A Summer Dress. Mountain King is surprising and funny and sexy and feels very real. Loved the classical music rave sequence... The Confession by Carl Pfirman is another strong, mature film. Whereas Crush has a fun, relaxed, home-made feel, and The Mountain King has a less-is-more art house aesthetic that ends up making a strong visual and stylistic statement, The Confession is a polished production that would be at home on a quality cable station like HBO. Pfirman does a great job all around, and his film is smart and topical, but never loses its strong human, bittersweet edge. Great work from three very promising and very different writer/directors.