Cinnamon

In fresh & twisty small-town crime thriller "Cinnamon" Hailey Kilgore & David Iacono are down-beat young lovers with a dream who get mixed up in a deadly gas station robbery that unbeknownst to them (or is it?) also involves a wider web of drugs, murder & double-cross through the station's co-owners including Damon Wayans (in his first film in 15yrs), Pam Grier, Jeremie Harris (terrific) & Jay DeVon Johnson. The budget may be limited but third-time writer / director Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr draws terrific performances from his cast (also inc Racael Castillo & Nicole Sky) and applies a crisp, pacy, engaging (if not altogether original) style. Good 'n' entertaining fare.

This is a piece of a review from Tribeca Capsule Reviews - by Mike McGranaghan. "Here's yet another crime movie that unsuccessfully tries to emulate the style of Quentin Tarantino." This bs comment is getting so old already, it's like every time a film is made, particularly the ones that have Black lead actors they're accused of trying to emulate the thief himself, Quentin Tarantino.

They said the same thing about, "The Harder They Fall". But they never mention how the biggest thief of all time had admitted to stealing in a 1994 interview with Empire magazine by saying, "I steal from every single movie ever made." And his visual references to other movies have become his trademark. But "they" don't have anything negative to say about that.

So, if any other filmmaker does anything similar to what he has done, they have to be emulating after him. His style? Give me a break already with that bs! "Almost all of Tarantino's eight films have a main source for his thievery. For "Jackie Brown," it was the 1974 film "Foxy Brown." For "Kill Bill," the 1973 Japanese film "Lady Snowblood." And his "Inglourious Basterds" is, in a lot of ways, similar to the 1967 war film "The Dirty Dozen." So, who the hell would want to emulate after him!

This is an entertaining film and it has nothing to do with, or was even made with the thief Tarantino in mind.

Finally got around to it and thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I appreciated the pace and cinematography. Even after watching the trailer, I still didn't know what to expect. It held my attention, made me laugh, and I liked the plot twists. I also love how memorable each character is, even in the smaller roles (like Toni lol).

I really came across this film because I had randomly been wondering 'why haven't I seen Damon Wayans in more stuff' right before this released, so the timing was a cool coincidence. Then recognizing more familiar actors casted prompted me even further to make sure I watched it. Hailey Kilgore & David Iacono did amazingly, of course. Everybody did.

The melody toward the end, right before they drove away, reminded me of 'Young, Dumb, and Broke' from Khalid. Nice touch. Lol.

The story was a basic: boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl in the end, that leaves you with, and like that I'm stopping. You'll have to watch. The story was well written, it stayed to the point, and never left you: bored, wondering, shaking your head, or feeling like, "Hollywood must think I'm stupid".

The acting was beyond believable & even though it's a, Bonnie & Clyde, film you still find yourself hoping for the best. The Actors (Director, Editor, Lighting, Wardrobe, Etc, Etc, Etc...capped to replace the roles) kept you engaged & I like the, Sweetheart Chemistry, between the main characters & how it was portrayed. The comedy was where it needed to be, & stopped when it needed to stop.

The Continuity was another great aspect of the film. There's nothing I hate more than when, the protagonist of the story, is running through a mud filled jungle, to come out with white socks. One, was does that say how the stories going, and two, about the detailed passion of The Director? Everyone did their part to make this movie what it was. An excellent film to watch.

I've sat through bad features on my screen (Scorpion King, True Blood, any Jurassic Park after the original, Watchmen...which I was really excited for) and this was NOT one of them. It's a shame an independent film like this can't get a, For Your Consideration, billboard. I don't understand (and would love to hear why) anything under a 8 star rating would be given. Like I said in my title, " Maybe I need Film Schooling".

Surprisingly a great movie with talented actors. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm at a point where I am watching this daily (at 29 mins in tho) and I need to stop!

The movie builds into the plot, some surprises along the way. But for the most part, I didn't pick any sides on this one. None of them deserved to win, but oddly enough, no one deserved to lose either...

I will say there are a few plot holes which leaves me wondering about the QA protocol. I have so many questions. What city did this take place?! The western theme was a very nice added touch for uniqueness bc most themes are over done. An African American cowboy?!?! Yas, I am here for it! It made the film quite entertaining.

I encourage you to watch and put your friends and family up on this movie as well.