Hot Picks
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Hard Laughter
USA 2019
produced by Gerard Garilli, Adrian Toscano (executive) for Garilli Films, Tru Light Films
directed by Adrian Toscano
starring Gerard Garilli, Emily Esposito, Peter Panagos, Danny Lamego, Sal Garilli, Phyllis Socienski, Edward John Socienski, Anthony Leks, Justine Garilli, Steve Mason, Christina Cappelli, J.J. Pyle, Kevin Williamson, Maria Marinaro, Carol Garilli, Debbie Torsiello, Rosemarie Gonick, Sequana Capri, Allison Stefany Rodriguez, Sapphire Correa, Jessica Andrea, Krystal Elizabeth, Zanerya, John Festa, Gene Nagel, Gina Margaret D'Alessio
written by Gerard Garilli, Melissa L. White, music by Stefan Swanson
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Justin (Gerard Garilli) has but one wish in life, to become a
successful comedian, successful enough to make it his career. And he knows
there's just one way to achieve this, to work hard, so he's playing local
comedy clubs any chance he gets, just to not miss out on the big break
that mighgt just be around the corner. And he's got his brother (Danny
Lamego), his girlfriend Sylvia (Emily Esposito) and his firends (Edward
John Socienski, Anthony Leks) to keep him grounded. And then the big break
does come, in the form of manager Lars Henry (Peter Panagos), who offers
him a one year contract and promises to open doors for him. Justin at
first is hesitant even, but Sylvia encourages him any which way she can -
even if that means he might be more on the road than at home. At first,
things work out fine, and he's soon able to buy a nice home for himself
and Sylvia, but his rise to fame before long gets to Justin, as he starts
to enjoy the perks that come with it a bit too much, like partying, drugs,
meaningless sex with fans and the like. His friends and family try to warn
him of the consequences, try to help him, try to ground him again, but
he's full enough of himself by now to be beyond help - and this way it's
really only a matter of time until disaster strikes ...
A rather compelling movie of the "the rise and fall of
..." category that might not tell a completely original story, but
it's the way it's told that makes it work so well: This is a movie that by
and large avoids exaggerations and instead brings its narrative across in
a slice-of-life manner, with believable and relatable characters, and
Justin as the center of attention is given a strong character arc, and one
that makes one still root for him when he starts to go terribly wrong -
which of course makes his journey all the more tragic. And add to that
solid performances by all involved, and you've got yourself a pretty good
movie.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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