Cahuenga Pass (2010) User Reviews

Very Good Movie

[mayfilms · 7/10 · 16 March 2010]

I had a chance to see this interesting, experimental movie written and directed by Christopher L. Golon.

The movie is about a girl named Ashley Sweet who works as an adult film actress and she meets and lives with an abusive boyfriend. They both live and work in Los Angeles. This film is disturbing with a dark tone that seems to pervade almost every frame of its run time.

What is especially intriguing is the choice made by Golon to have half of the movie in color and half in black & white. It sets a tone that makes the imagery very eye appealing. Spme of the shots of downtown LA are very cool and overall the choice of locations and angles makes this a very good viewing experience.

Rachel Frank as Ashley is very good and Matthew Corbett Davis plays a good heel. The supporting actors fit their roles perfectly. What also stands out is the solid soundtrack by some great artists.

Cahuenga Pass is a very ambitious film and visually exciting. Check it out!

I like this movie

[was57 · 8/10 · 1 May 2010]

I like this movie. I wrote some of the music, but did not see the script, or a treatment. I sent Chris a CD and seven months later the DVD arrived in the mail.

Though it is undeniably a low budge movie, Chris has put together a watchable and interesting film. Using creative camera angles and unique framing, he has crafted a stylistic story based on the short life of porn actress Ashley Sweet. His use of mirrors and light is particularly notable. Also, by employing many intriguing clips of music from different emerging musical talents, Chris has successfully recreated the hectic and confused feeling of the last months of her life.

The lead actress Rachel Frank is believable as the young star. She always looks great in stylish bikinis, though we wish we could see her in a costume that was less restrictive and more revealing.

The title song "Hollywood" by Shattered Atom is fantastic. This song is the heart of the movie and it really rocks. I have no idea who this group is but I love this song.

The movie maintains a stylistic tone throughout and focuses on Stacy's personal experience. The porno scenes are light hearted and provide comic relief from the subtle tension of the rest of the movie. A porn actor wearing a safety helmet is particularly amusing.

All the sex and most of the violence is off screen, so we are left with a poetic dream like telling of the Stacy's last days that makes us think about the brief ephememerality of life and the sad finality of death.

At 35 minutes, it is a film worth watching a second time. I look forward to the future efforts of director Chris Golon. He is off to a great start.