Forever Midnight

This movie suffered terribly from the old game of directors hiring friends. The lead in this movie desperately needed a charismatic, likeable female actor, but what it got was a disaster. Sarah Byrd was totally miscast.

Eric Weir and James Hoenscheidt although, were excellent, and they were friends of the director as well. I see good careers happening for both of these young men.

It's too bad that people will put all of their money and hard work on the line and not listen to seasoned casting directors who know better.

Better luck next time.

I was under the impression that independent films were becoming "the" films to be reckoned with. I was wrong. Not that this film was terrible, but Blackwell could use a dash of HUMOR in his directing and writing. Much too dark, too depressing, and way too long, the only saving grace of the film was the acting (though most of the time the actors were given ridiculous dialogue and direction). They tried to make the best of an awfully bad situation. I hope Blackwell learns from this picture. P.S. Erick Weir was BRILLIANT!

I felt, considering the 38,000 dollar budget the crew did a very good job in conveying a poignant story onto the movie screen. The acting was decent enough to allow for thorough believability. It is evident that the director/writer did not intend for there to be one single main character, but perhaps a little too much weight was laid upon the woman instead of the two other friends. But I left this film feeling that it did, somewhere hovering about its core, contain the germ of truth with respect to post-high school/pre-college stress. Plus the film made a good atempt at conveying the multi-faceted tensions between an 18-year-old's family and friends. Overall, I would say that such a low-budgeted film, being the directors first feature-length creation, is an entertaining exposition.

Nathan Blackwell -- First feature film. All Talent -- First feature film. Majority of Crew -- First feature film. Are you getting my drift? This feature is highly regarded in the Independent film circuit as a remarkable first effort. Local Phoenix critics, including Bob Fenster and Roger Tennis gave their blessings to this film and acknowledged the quality of its production and acting. Avid's editing camp chose this film as a course project because of its cohesiveness and quality characterization. The film is wrapping up a national promotion, underwritten by FlixTour. If this is any indication of Phoenix's independent film scene, then expect it to become the "next Austin". Not all of the acting was entirely brilliant, however I expect to see two careers blossom from the project: Sarah Byrd and James Hoenscheidt...Their performances were both well timed and engaging. Despite a few ackward lines of dialog, I found their efforts to be painfully honest. I was reminded of a time when my peers and I were finding our own way out that high-school cocoon and into young adulthood. I encourage anyone to see this feature, especially if independent film is in your blood.

I thought that "Forever Midnight" was a wonderful independent film. The acting was generally good, and the story was compelling. While it dose seem targeted towards the young adult audiences, and the dialog is a little wordy at times, I think that the film does a good job mixing humor and drama to let you enjoy it for what it is.