Vertical

I saw this film at the Idyllwild Cinema Festival in Idyllwild California on Sunday January 13. It is such a wonderful film. Full of heart and great acting. I love female driven stories, and was surprised that it was written by a man. Stephen Savage deserves huge credit for bringing this special film to light. I loved it! The lead character, Alex, was someone I related to so easily from my own experiences growing up with a single mom. And the rock climbing theme was such a wonderful way to bring the characters all together. Very unique. Perfect Chick Flick. I'm sure the film will gain a huge audience. It really is something special.

Why are people reviewing a film that isn't even completed yet? Vertical was shown as a sneak preview of an unfinished edit. It was a fund raising event for the people of Idyllwild. The film isn't finished yet and already reviews are showing up on IMDb? What's up with that? Allow the filmmakers to finish the project. Until that happens, how can anyone review the film? It makes no sense. I've never seen this before. The film is being readied for film festivals in 2014. It's being listed as in post production. Relax people. There were some great films at the Idyllwild Cinema Festival. Review some of those. And wait for Vertical to hit theaters or Netflix before reviewing it.

I had a chance to see a sneak preview of this movie in January and left the theater feeling so good, teary eyed, and with a full heart. It's touching and so heartfelt, my girlfriends and I were still dropping tears and feel-good laughs for hours afterward. The music is wonderful, the acting wonderful. A real surprise of a film. The director informed everyone beforehand that it was an unfinished film, but it felt complete to us. Very good writing, and beautiful scenery, and the mostly female cast did an amazing job. Irene Bedard has been one of my favs since Smoke Signals, and I of course grew up on Pocahontas! She is delightful here. It's rare these days to see a film that actually feels like there was some thought put into the writing. If there is any flaw in the movie at all it would be that there isn't enough of the smaller character. Some of them are wonderful, but not fully flushed out I think. Otherwise, this movie delivers the goods. Can't wait to see the movie in theaters.

I just returned to Florida from Idyllwild California and the Idyllwild Cinemafest. I had the great pleasure of seeing Vertical at a separate sneak screening and have to say I was so impressed. The director was doing a lot of qualifying that lead me to believe the film was far from complete. But I have to say, it was well put together and seemed very complete to my wife and I. She cried often, and we both laughed a lot. And I will admit I was touched more than once by the movie. I hope it gets wide release when finished, as the story and the acting are superb for a small indie. Irene Bedard and the lead actress Morgan Lester are nothing short of magical together. But the soundtrack was the real treat here. The music is incredible. I look forward to seeing it again when it's released. Kudos to the director and the cast.