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Reviews
Finding Neighbors (2013)
a rare treat from a modern drama
Sam, the protagonist of Finding Neighbors, is a man in crisis, of a sort, struggling to deal with writer's block and the frustration of getting older. Stop there and I must, frustratingly, admit that I can relate all too well on both points. Dig a bit deeper into this film, however, and discover something magical. While the concept of an aging writer searching for
something – his youth, his muse, his soul – is nothing new, the story of Sam certainly is.
Writer/director Ron Judkins utilizes the tagline 'not your Daddy's mid- life crisis movie' to draw attention to Finding Neighbors, and I feel hard-pressed to think of of a more appropriate or accurate way to boil this film down to a simple phrase. Where other 'mid-life crisis movies' take their leading men (or women) down often-implausible paths of depression or terror or acting out, concluding either with an even more impossible super-happy-fun-time resolution or a depressing-cum- frightening descent into (choose one) madness/violence/catatonia, Finding Neighbors takes Sam down a less traveled path. I refuse to offer spoilers, and will not divulge the details of Sam's journey, but I will clearly state that never before have I experienced a 'mid-life crisis movie' that is as engaging, entertaining, or ultimately satisfying as this one.
Michael O'Keefe wears the character of Sam so well that I can't help but state that this feels like the role he was born to play – and he's been in some fantastic stuff, including Caddyshack (!). Sam may experience a few pitiful moments, but he never falls into the trap of seeming pathetic, and that alone is a key differentiator between this film and most others of its kind. Catherine Dent (The Shield) shines as Sam's wife, Mary, deftly avoiding the traps that plague most 'wife' characters in most 'mid-life crisis movies' and never forcing me, as the viewer, to choose sides before any conflict even begins.
What locks me in to a 'perfect score' review of Finding Neighbors is the amazing supporting cast of neighbors that give the film its title. Blake Bashoff (Lost) is infinitely likable as Jeff – imagine a perfectly charming blend of Jon Cryer and Matthew Broderick – while Julie Mond (General Hospital) steals every scene she's in by reinventing the sexy- girl-next-door archetype for the 21st century.
In short, Finding Neighbors is both sentimentally mature and as grippingly can't-turn-away-for-even-a-second as a classic action movie – both rare treats from a modern drama.
Broken Side of Time (2013)
A stunning journey....
In 'Broken Side Of Time', Gorman Bechard has crafted a road-trip film that is equal parts literal and figurative. The story centers on Dolce, played by the fantastic Lynn Mancinelli, who has been modeling for a decade and is trying to figure out all aspects of her life: her career, her family, her passions, her vices, and herself. Despite not having any true insight into the life of a model like Dolce, I find it easy to relate both to her story and to both aspects of her journey. The film is beautifully shot, with captivating perspectives and dazzling balances between light and shadow, color and griminess, and action and passivity that speak directly to Dolce's movements and to her mental state throughout. Dean Falcone's score, which sounds as if could be a lost Chris Whitley instrumental album, provides a perfect backdrop from start to finish. I won't give anything away here, but I will say that of all the stories I've read and seen on film that follow a character through a journey whereby he or she is seeking redemption or change or insight into the meaning of life - whether his or hers specifically, or in a larger sense - this one speaks to me in a deeper and more direct way than most, particularly when compared to films of the past two decades or so following this general theme. Like life itself, there are moments of Dolce's journey that are hard to take, but they serve to provide both the character and the viewer with the drive to keep on going, to continue searching, to never lose hope. Bechard has struck a chord with me in 'Broken Side Of Time', and has given me plenty to think about in my own journey through life.