I enjoyed this Jason Rostovsky juxtaposition on a tired (but necessary) theme. Newcomer Thomas Dukeman brings to life our troubled teen-aged son, Casey. This is Tommy's only film credit on IMDb, and I hope we see more soon. Kris Benton wonderfully portrays Casey's "wanna-be Goth" sister, Grace. She is the "yang" to his "ying." (Kris has already started making her mark in films.)
Not being sure if Director Sean Willis was aiming for cartoon-like parents, I won't blame actors Lisabeth Harris and David Gilbert for the ridiculous makeup. If done for effect, it didn't work. If it was meant to be distracting, it was. (In the age of Hi-Def TV's new makeup standards should be heeded)
As Cinematographer, Mr. Willis does a great job setting the overall visual tone. As Editor he missed opportunities to tighten up the pace every time the parents spoke. Some of the father's lines are barely legible and could have easily been fixed in ADR.
So - Why an 8 and not lower? 1-The two kids and the premise make this worthy of watching. 2-The overall look of the film gets high marks. And 3-It's short.
Not being sure if Director Sean Willis was aiming for cartoon-like parents, I won't blame actors Lisabeth Harris and David Gilbert for the ridiculous makeup. If done for effect, it didn't work. If it was meant to be distracting, it was. (In the age of Hi-Def TV's new makeup standards should be heeded)
As Cinematographer, Mr. Willis does a great job setting the overall visual tone. As Editor he missed opportunities to tighten up the pace every time the parents spoke. Some of the father's lines are barely legible and could have easily been fixed in ADR.
So - Why an 8 and not lower? 1-The two kids and the premise make this worthy of watching. 2-The overall look of the film gets high marks. And 3-It's short.
