G.P.S.

In my line of work I see a lot of movies, and I see way too many Indies. Most I can't finish. GPS, thankfully wasn't one of them. This movie breaks the mold and strives to be more. It is what a true Indie should be. It's filled with many wide open beautiful landscapes, lots of interesting and good looking faces, and a compelling hook that keeps you invested to the very end. In addition to helicopter shots and stunts, the movie has solid performances. The five leads are enjoyable, but Paul Proios and Danielle Renee really steal the show. I'm reminded of the Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smiths of the world, who made big movies with small budgets.

I was happily surprised with this film. I went into the theater expecting lower grade cinematography, choppier scene sequences, and amateur acting but all those expectations were quickly crushed. The movie opened with an attention getting chase scene and kept me interested with twists and turns and a splash of comedy. What seemed to be an innocent enough GPS treasure hunt film turned into an intriguing who done it and… I couldn't figure it out! In one scene I was laughing and in the next I was chomping on my M&Ms waiting for the next big thrill.

The music choices were good and the action scenes were even better. The editing was unreal… seamless… at one point the film shows silhouettes of the actors against the forest background reflecting back on events… this was my favorite part and showed how well made this low budget film was. Hats off to the writers and director - I recommend this film 100% and will definitely see it again.

After agreeing to participate in a GPS-based treasure-hunt, a group of friends out in the woods find themselves targeted by a vicious killer with a personal vendetta against one of the members of the group, forcing them to find a way of stopping them before they succumb to his murderous antics.

This was a decidedly unspectacular slasher, without a whole lot to really get worked up over here, with the worst part being that there's not a whole lot of opportunity to really ratchet up the excitement level due to the way it presents itself. With the majority of the first hour taken up by the group's feelings with each other, the game-play and dealing with being out in the woods with something creepy lurking around the fringes of everything without doing anything about it, the film is just barely watchable during this half since we get very little indication we're watching a slasher, and it's pretty boring before it switches over in the last act with some decent stalking, a few decidedly-fun kills and the payoff to the half-hearted build-up being fine if drawn-out somewhat, but overall this one just isn't all that great.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Nudity.

I don't know a lot about "GPS hunts" or "Geocaching" or whatever it is called, but you don't need any experience with activity as the filmmakers introduce you to it in the opening scenes of the film. The story and dialog were top notch. The excitement builds throughout the movie to the conclusion that catches you off guard.

I Was impressed with the quality of the production. It has a great story that reminded me of "The Contract" with John Cusack and Morgan Freeman with a some of the Blair Witch's frenetic quality thrown it. Scenes in the dark woods make you feel the suspense and fear the characters are experiencing. There are moments of levity that fit the characters and situations and brought real laughs from the audience.

I saw this in Pasadena and didn't know what to expect. After the screening I found the filmmakers and talked to them about their experience and what they had to do to get their film made. They were very smart and engaging people who were thrilled that they had won an award for their efforts. I believe it was for best action film in the festival. After speaking to the filmmakers, I realized what a daunting task it was for them to shoot this film on such a small budget and was wholly impressed with what they accomplished. It was an entertaining thriller that had me guessing till the very end. I enjoyed it very much and personally would like to see these young filmmakers get another chance to bring another story to the screen. Well Done!