The line snaked through the lobby and just about out the front door of the theatre last evening at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
And, there was an undeniable circus-like atmosphere which triggered an adrenalin-rush which was totally electric, dudes!
At one point before the excited filmgoers dashed in to snatch up their seats in the plush environs at the DGA, I actually overheard festival handler - David Magdael - shake his head in disbelief and exclaim:
"This is crazy!"
A packed house - primarily consisting of a young hip crowd - was ready to rock 'n roll.
Understandably, since "The Crumbles" - a tragi-comedy about a struggling garage band pining for success in the heady topsy-turvy world of the music biz - was about to unfold on the silver screen.
The entertaining narrative was inspired by the Director's own teen stint on the music scene before he moved on to fulfill his dreams behind-the-camera in the film industry.
It's unfortunate that the project was not produced and released a dozen-or-so years ago when Akira Boch first hatched-up the idea.
Uh-huh!
In recent years, other filmmakers mined the territory successfully - and ultimately - beat the talented director to the punch (so-to-speak).
Consequently, some of the material is a bit cliche now.
Because the film was produced on a low budget, the quirky indie also tended to be a bit ragged around the edges in respect to production values.
However, film reviewers are often inclined to overlook such flaws, if the heart of the piece beats in the right place (which it does here).
That issue aside, "The Crumbles" is a little "gem" of a flick worth catching.
While it is doubtful that the vastly entertaining charmer will ever hit the mainstream and rustle up big bucks at the box office, "The Crumbles" does manage to toss a spotlight on the potential of all the players involved ( the director, actors, behind-the-scenes creative production staff, and-so-forth and-so-on).
The performance of a couple of the actors in the cast was a bit awkward (self-conscious) at times, however.
Two of the leads (Jeff Torres & Katie Hipol) were a guilty of - what I refer to - as an "externalist" acting style which tended to fall flat for the most part (to the detriment of the film).
On the other hand, when Torres appeared with his shirt off in one scene - and showed off his pumped-up pecs - members of the audience whooped and hollered.
So, he may have a career ahead of him as a screen heartthrob.
The tall down-to-earth actor reminded me of a younger Ashton Kutcher.
As to the performances as aforementioned, both Hipol and Torres tended to rely solely on hand gestures and facial expressions to express their emotions.
It would have behooved both performers to explore the subtext of the scenes - and especially - the dialogue that moved them along.
A good actor always asks themselves how they might relate in any given situation.
Then, he or she determines how their responses differ from those of the character they are portraying, to get a handle on the characterization.
Once the actor senses what the individual is "feeling", the emotions will inevitably bubble up from within and smack of truth.
In contrast, one of the actresses who played Elisa (Teresa Michelle Lee) was a natural in this regard.
In fact, her performance was pretty remarkable for a relative unknown, without a a heck of-a-lot of acting experience under her belt.
The pretty Asian actress stole every scene she appeared in, so riveting was her onscreen persona.
I expect that if the talented young lady remains focused - and makes the right career choices along the way - that she'll be catapulted into the stratosphere and garner International acclaim.
Bravo!
On the surface, the scripted tale appeared to be a light-hearted peek at the world of a struggling musician.
On a deeper level, though, "The Crumbles" is about the ties that bind, the perimeters of friendship, and lessons that need to be learned in life (about relying on one's self, for instance).
The soundtrack was kick-ass - so unlike the other bubble-gum tracks that are often whipped up for a feature film - but fail to hit the mark.
At the Q & A, the producers noted that one of the catchy tunes is actually available for download for free when signing up at "The Crumbles" Facebook page.
Although the producers do not have distribution agreements just yet for "The Crumbles", plans are underway to screen the flick on the University circuit, where it should fair pretty well with a younger crowd of filmgoers who are less critical than film critics like moi!
"The Crumbles" is definitely worth the price of admission!
3 Stars.
0 comments:
Post a Comment