The Bracelet of Bordeaux

I had recently posted a comment and someone filed an abuse complaint and had it deleted because I chose not to lie about the quality of the film. This is truly one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life and I am very sorry my family wasted our money renting it. The acting is horrendous, the French accents are by far the most fake accents I have ever heard in a film, and every now and then, the characters drop their "French" accents and speak with American ones. The quality of picture and lighting is very poor, and I'm not even sure I follow what's going on. I don't know how the people who made this could watch it and think it was suitable for the viewing public.

This movie has gotten very positive reviews in the local press and from a national critic. My expectations were high, and they were fully met. We attended the movie because it stars a cute Papillon (I have two) and kids who love mystery adventures. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and the performances were excellent.

My girl and boy loooved it. It was filled with many chuckles for both kids and parents. In order to understand the performances, you had to understand the type of humor and off-beat nature of the characters. The kids seemed to get it, as they laughed often and clapped enthusiastically at the end of the movie.

The headline of the review from a tough movie critic in today's The Villager was "The Bracelet of Bordeaux Works Like a Charm". I agree.

Fm: Frank Eakin, Producer

Below you will find excerpts from four reviews, written by professional journalists and critics:

THE BRACELET OF BORDEAUX REVIEWS

By Greg Flakus, Voice of America

(10.26.06)

"Looking for some light, fun and engaging entertainment for the whole family? The Bracelet of Bordeaux is your ticket. This film has all the elements of a mystery drama, plus chuckles aplenty for both kids and their parents. The story revolves around the adventures of two pre-teen girls and their dogs. There are bad guys from the mafia and Punk scene, and even a nasty old neighbor lady, but the girls prevail thanks to a bit of magic and a lot of pluck. The Bracelet of Bordeaux is likely to become a family favorite for years to come."

By David Dow Bentley III, The People's Critic

(www.ThePeoplesCritic.com 10.24.06----People's Critic Archive 10.24.06)

"It is widely recognized that Hollywood is under-nourishing our nation's youth when it comes to supplying wholesome, entertaining films with general family appeal. If my recent viewing of the final cut print of THE BRACELET OF BORDEAUX is any clue, relief is on the way from Texas-based Eakin Films. The magical adventures of young Helen, her adorable dog, Rufus, and her best friend Marie, comprise an amusing and mysterious tale that is promising to captivate both young and old. Have we found the female Harry Potter? Eakin looks poised to give the folks at Disney a run for their money. Brace yourself for BRACELET fun!!! "

By Howie Doyle, Editor, That Texas Magazine (December, 2006)

"A delightful, locally produced, independent film.... The storyline has been likened to the Harry Potter series, and in fact doesn't stray far from the formula that Spielberg mined with E.T., which has spawned thousands of hours of fantastic and heartwarming cinematic entertainment in the last 25 years. And like the best of these movies, The Bracelet of Bordeaux, which runs just over an hour and a half, comes up with enough belly laughs and light drama to keep parents entertained as well."

By Gary Brown, Reviewer, The Villager (December 21, 2006)

"Considering the relatively low budget, I was most impressed with the near Disney Channel-like quality of the production. The photography, musical score, and special effects are all superb, but more importantly the movie features a great kid-friendly script with an underlying theme about friendship....The acting in the film, particularly the young performers, is quite good."

I think this is the first B-movie that is family oriented, but that is what it is. My 7 and 5 year-old watched it all of the way through. It's run time is 99 minutes. I found nothing objectionable in this PG rated movie. It's got an OK story, but I found the accents of Grandmere and her grand daughter hard to understand. It is now showing up on DVD around the local movie stores and you should know that while it is entertaining, there's nothing spectacular here either. The video appears to be non-film, but I could be wrong about that; as if it was shot digitally. I didn't recognize any of the actors in the film. The plot has been done many times before; dog-napping ring and there are mafia references.

I saw this film on opening night and I'm here to say, the filmmakers did a wonderful job. Yes, they managed to put together a professional quality movie on a low budget. Yes, they got knock-out performances from a mostly amateur cast. And yes, they managed to do it all in The Woodlands, Texas, but most of all they managed to combine a compelling storyline with subject matter and comedy that the whole family can enjoy. This film features a great soundtrack and noticeably great sound. One of the greatest weaknesses of independent film is the sound. It really is what separates the men from the boys. What impressed me the most, technically, concerning The Bracelet of Bordeaux, is that it has great sound all the way through the film. You can really get lost in the story itself when there's nothing getting in the way, and with Bracelet, all you're going to hear is clarity.