The Works

I saw this film at Cinequest and wasn't real impressed. It was marketed as a cross between Office Space and Brazil, and it was, but it wasn't nearly as brilliant as either of those films. I was not at all impressed by the performance of the lead, Joe W. Anthony. He has a nice face, but his performance was flat. It could be argued that that was on purpose, but it didn't help me to stay awake during the film. On the other hand, Corey Allen as Mr. M was fantastic. He was warm and endearing and able to conjure my sympathy where the other lead actors failed miserably. Being a fan of Star Trek, it was neat seeing Armin Shimerman (Quark from Deep Space 9) in a non-prosthetics role. He was good. The whole thing was just too self-conscious and deliberate. It was lifeless and didn't cover any new ground. I can't say there was anything that stood out for me, save the excellent budget CG effects.

Out of all the schlock we've as moviegoers have seen of late, this film is a genuine treat, filled with nuanced performances, smart dialogue and genuine emotion. THIS is a movie that doesn't cheat. It doesn't force anything. Finally, we as moviegoers can just sit back, relax, and react how we see fit. This was easily the best film I saw at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. As I understand, it has no distributor as of yet. To this I can only say, "Why Not?"

In a nutshell: A wonderful little miracle!

Gal Katzir, the director, has brought to life a marvelous gallery of characters, including Victor, the hero.

The acting in this movie, for the most part, was better than any other feature I saw at this festival.

The writing was nuanced and could not believe this was the writers' first screenplay.

The cinematography was brilliant. It seemed as if the same amount of care was put into every shot. Great!