Cinema Purgatorio

Cinema Purgatorio is a wonderfully witty film about the idiosyncrasies that go into film-making. It's a brilliant riff on the behind the scenes life, filled with rich characters and a gripping story. With only a budget of 50k, everything was stellar, considering. I believe everyone would enjoy this quirky little film, particularly people who work in the industry. In addition to all of this, it is well shot and acted. It was visually pleasing. My favorite aspect of this film was the characters. They were well- written, and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other. Their dialouge between each other is witty and always had my laughing. I was also a huge fan of the music choices used within. I will be recommending this one to everyone I know.

'Cinema Purgatorio' is a really fun movie with some almost surprising gems. On the surface, the movie is simply about a team entering a 48 hour film festival. If you look a bit deeper, though, (don't worry, you don't have to look too far- it's pretty much right there) it's a story about relationships and working out your issues. It's got a fun sense of real humor- definitely how I could see people actually reacting to these situations. There are lots of sweet moments and one-liners that bring out not only the humor of life, but also those little things we all need to learn and hear at one point or another. While it's not a cast full of well-known names or common faces, that lends to the realism and feel of the show. It's definitely something that will stay with me for a long time, and well worth watching again and again. Well done!

Just viewed this wonderful little comedy touching on some of the traps and pitfalls of the art of movie making outside the city limits of Hollywood. This is a keeper on many levels not the least of which is the fact that it was made for 50 thousand dollars, thanks in part to the combined talents of this wonderful ensemble cast. Sure to please and well worth one hour and 40 minutes of your life. Attention to detail is critical so be fore warned you may need to view this film more than once to thoroughly enjoy the subtle humor and nuance that can easily fly by your conscience the first time around. I guess this now makes me a film critic? And considering I have two opposable thumbs, I give it all thumbs up.

CINEMA PURGATORIO was written, directed, and produced by folks who clearly have lived through (still living in?) the suffrage and anguish of indie film - yup: cinema purgatory. Pleasant, at times, painful throughout, PURGATORY puts you in the back seat as bona fide filmmakers navigate their way through the "f*cking" world of film festivals and indie film production. Constantly mocked, dismissed, and rarely taken seriously, the main characters, a filmmaking husband/wife team, Neil and Liz, do all they can to keep their filmmaking hopes alive, including a desperate attempt to win over actor Bill Murray by entering a novelty "48 hour" film competition. And as they faithfully go forth, it seems everyone has filmmaking advice to give, including a couple of mismatched knuckleheads outside a snow cone stand: "What are the three genres of independent feature films that always, always make money? Horror. Christian. And Gay!"

I saw this film twice at different intimate screenings in which the film makers were present, and found it to be a great dramatic comedy. It somehow still manages to stay within the lines of the format you would expect to see a modern comedy in while being extremely unique at the same time. The characters are interesting and refreshing and the actors are all so good in their roles it just makes the whole film seem effortless. A lot of films have tried to portray just what life is like on a film set, but this is the only movie I've seen that actually does it in a way that is interesting enough for people outside of the entertainment industry to be engrossed in the story.