Riders

As low-budget, calling-card movies go, this one is fairly heartfelt and well-produced. Sadler shows a real flair for exploring the psyche of his female teen protagonist, and he's clearly gotten the most production value possible out of a small budget. It's scruffy around the edges, perhaps, but it's a movie that makes me curious to see what the director will do next. RIDERS is certainly leaps and bounds beyond many first films whose makers have been crowned the Second Coming after one successful Sundance screening.

Loved this film . . . a very real story about single mom parenting and daughters' relationships with mom's boyfriends. The characters are very authentic and compelling. Plus the locales are very real and intriguing. Very well done independent film. A must-see for film buffs.

I thought the film was quite good, especially since we are talking about a first-time director and a low-budget production. The film does a good job of creating a disturbing feeling about the sexual abuse by the mother's boyfriend without actually showing anything. The guy gave me a very creepy feeling. I thought the photography was very good and higher quality than the budget would imply. The pacing and development of both the main character's personal growth as well as the growth in the relationship between with her younger sister was very realistic and heartfelt. Considering the bombs you see in the multiplex from more accomplished directors with bigger budgets, a simple story, well-told and paced well, was nice to experience. It will be interesting to see what the director could do with a larger budget and one film under his belt.

Riders was one of the better independent films I have seen in the recent past and brings forth some great talent in young star Alex Orban and young director Doug Sadler. Sadler will go far if he stays on this track, the help of veteran actor Don Harvey really only adds to the quality of the film, and the slick DV presentation done by Rodney Taylor is unbeatable, this is a film I highly recommend if you enjoy the independent scene. I hope this gets picked up and distributed so I personally can get a copy of the film.

I saw this film at the LA Film Festival. It is an intense and complex story. The photography is fantastic. The main characters are portrayed by two young actresses who do a great job. As in real life, the "bad guy" has more facets to him than at first apparent. The ending leaves the viewer with lots to speculate about. It would make for a good conversation with teens as well as adults. I highly recommend this film.