Bought & Sold

This thoughtful film appeared on cable television under the title "Jersey Tale," and the real star of the show is the writer-director Michael Tolajian.

The story is a compelling coming-of-age tale about a young man facing the pressures of adulthood. The performance of Rafael Sardina as the central character Ray hit all the right notes with occasional moments of humor, as well as emotional nuances.

While Ray's character is working out issues related to love in his relationships with two young women, it is his developing association with the pawnbroker named Kutty Nazarian (David Marguiles) that is rich in its layers of dramatic expression. Kutty becomes both a friend and father figure to Ray. At the same time, Ray is coming into his own as a young man who might offer a lesson or two to Kutty.

Writer-director Tolajian provided crisp dialogue, and the pacing of the film was superb. The producers of big-budget films would be well advised to study "Bought and Sold" as an example of a lovely slice of life and film-making at its best!

Hats off to the writer and director. The cast delivered an entertaining and emotional performance. The director is able to deliver a serious message through the colorful and sometimes comical characters. Must see movie and you'll walk out feeling good about life!

This movie not only entertains but lets one in on a lesson in history, the value of life & life's values. It also shows a young man turn his life around and in turn that of a special woman & an elder. The audience goes from laughing at one moment to teary eyed the next. Outstanding actors & crew. My son, Mikey Romano played "the son" in the movie - a great experience that will like the plots of the movie last a lifetime. I urge everyone to keep an eye open for this movie in future Film Festivals.

I promise you - you will come away with a smile on your face & movie you will never forget.

A Jersey Tale is a wonderfully entertaining movie that is potent without being preachy & taut without being tepid. The colorful characters that inhabit the Garden State Universe of (Aspiring turntable artist) Ray Ray Morales have a depth & complexity that belie it's straightforward plot. Whether it's the pork chop philosophies of (Local mid level thug) "Papo" Rivera or the morality musings of (Big Lil' Shot Mob Boss) "Chunks" Colon, I found myself engaged & entertained throughout. Many independent movies have a tendency to forsake humor & reality in an attempt to be politically correct & multicultural sensitive, but a Jersey Tale does neither. Never is this more clear than when Uncle Kutty, owner of the neighborhood pawn shop delivers a heartfelt monologue that sheds light on his present day cagey demeanor & exposes the often forgotten Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Turks during WWI.

Anyone who is a fan of classics such as Goodfellas or a Bronx Tale will appreciate this movie's emotional core & original sense of humor. This is the rare film that sneaks the history lesson & the love story in without losing sight of the original intention, to entertain.

I found myself laughing out loud & welling up with emotion as I watched. Watch it with your Boys, check it out with your girl. Either way - you can't lose. Go see a Jersey Tale, you won't be disappointed.

A Jersey Tale is set in Bayonne, New Jersey which is a pretty urban section of Hudson County. It's south of Jersey City. The story about Ray Ray Morales is about a man who aspires to be a disc jockey but he can't afford the $3,000 asking price for the equipment at a local pawn shop. Tired of his job as a shoe salesman, he takes an opportunity to work for Colon, kind of loan shark king in the neighborhood. Instead of doing manual labor, Colon hires Ray Ray to spy on Cutty at his pawn shop because he needs to pay him back his loan. Of course, Cutty played by David Margulies, a season New York based actor, does a brilliant job in understanding the character's complexity. Ray Ray is also a good character study about a young man's frustrations. The film is actually quite good for an independent film. Sometimes, the story itself told well can make a little film like this to be worth watching. As we watch Ray Ray's conscience and actions, we begin to understand his situation. You're not only entertained by this film but you might chuckle at the end. The cast is relatively small and each character like Ray Ray, his girlfriend Hilda, Ruby (Cutty's niece), Paco (Ray Ray's friend), and Colon develop slowly and nicely.