Valley of Angels

Last week I went to view several films at the NY International Independent Film Festival. I caught a bunch of shorts and several features. The highlighted films were "The Last of the Romantics" and this wonderful film "Valley of Angels".

Now, I've been in the business for 32 years. I've seen brilliant films and some wonderful indies. "Valley of Angels" really took the cake at this festival for me. I haven't seen an indie film this powerful in a very long time.

First off, for the budget it was made on, the film looks wonderful. The story had me on the edge the entire time. I was not bored for a minute.

Now, Danny Trejo is more of a supporting actor in the film - we don't see very much of him but when we do - Watch out! It's the best and scariest I've seen him in a very long time. He's great to watch but the highlight for me was the young newcomer and New York City native George Katt - the true star of the film. Katt plays "Zeus" the young drug dealer that gets caught up in a huge mess. He is in virtually every scene and carries the entire film with one of the most powerful presence's I have seen in cinema in a really long time. He is one of the most moving young actors I have watched in a very long while. He has a young Russell Crowe intensity but reminds you of the greatest actors of our earlier generation - Brando, Dean, Clift, McQueen - due to a very naturalistic approach and intensity, but he also channels this amazing vulnerability.

Katt truly made the movie work for me. I don't know how it would have turned out if Mr. Rosten had cast another way. George Katt is truly a diamond in the rough - especially out in Los Angeles where we get a lot of flash-in-the-pan actors and mediocre performances. When you watch the film, you can see Mr. Katt truly lives and breathes the role of "Zeus" with every inch of his emotion and instinct.

I can't say enough about "Valley" the film itself, but I can't stress even more about Mr. Katt and his importance in making it a great flick. He is worth every penny of the ticket price of this film.

The other performances that really stood out were a wonderful young actress (also a newcomer) Heather Trzyna - who plays Zeus' younger sister. She really moved me and has a bright career ahead of her (a young Meryl Streep-to-be). Also, Renee George gave a nice turn as Sandra - Zeus' materialistic girlfriend.

A great cast all around - but Mr. Katt is surely the one to watch with Trejo as a bit of icing on an already wonderfully well-done project! Jon Rosten does a great job with his vision and an already powerful script.

We are sure to see more of Mr. Rosten and Mr. Katt (reminding me of the early Scorsese and De Niro in many, many ways).

Check this film out when it comes to you! I'm off to the next festival and review! Cheers, -CMJones

My comments here are written in light of having watching the film for a second time. While I liked 'Valley of Angels' a lot the first time around, I appreciated it even more the second time. There are some slight negative points - the language content is at times overbearing and harsh and a few technical bumps - but there is not anything significant that I would flaw the film on.

The acting is definitely the film's strongest point. George Katt gives and intense and realistic performance. It is everything that he does throughout, in particular the facial expressions that he captures on his face. Into the film his expressions at times are unflinching and very realistic. He portrays innocence and hurt so easily. He's very natural, scratches his face, moves graciously, and you can see him connecting with his character throughout the story. Brando represents the very definition of method acting and George Katt is at that level in this film. Being able to reach inside yourself and pull something out that kicks everyone in the ass. They say sometimes beautiful people are born under a dark cloud. I think Katt was born under a rain of thunderbolts like Brando was. He is powerful and tragic at the same time.

When I first viewed the film, it was Katt's acting that stood out the most to me. His performance and character are riveting, providing a fierce performance while not letting his character turn into a stereotype. It is incredibly realistic acting, the way he interacts with with different characters and takes on different personalities in order to get through each specific situation, and the way he is torn between his new found love and what he does for a living.

It's a superb performance as a conflicted and guilt ridden torched soul.

It has an excellent score and often fits the actions very well.

One can praise a film for many different reasons, but it is not worth much unless one can explain what the film is really about. I would say that 'Valley of Angels' is a drama about struggling against the inner restrictions of 'self', and of what it takes to crawl out of a dark hole one has made for himself. However, I also see it as an exciting story about a young man confronting himself and the harshness of a shallow city that is effectively and realistically run by drugs. Perhaps it is about love and how mistakes are made by certain paths a young man can easily take in life. I think different viewers will take something different out of it. And it is perhaps that, more than the artistic and cinematic qualities of the film, which makes it a great piece of independent cinema. This is a film for more intelligent and thoughtful audiences. If anything, it's worthwhile to watch George Katt's performance in the film.

George Katt's performance was amazing in this. He most definitely is on the track to being the next Marlon Brando! I've heard it before on some reviews and scoffed at it until I ordered this movie and was proved wrong. He was superb! The film itself is what it is, but Katt shines throughout. He deserves to be up there with the A-listers. They need more talent like this young man up there in the studio system. He brings something new to the table and it is very unique. I think that shakes people up a bit. This might upset other Brando wannabes a little bit? Every young actor wants to be or imitate Marlon Brando but the thing about George Katt is I say he's the next Brando in his own way. It's a very naturalistic and realistic take he has on the character. You can tell he is really into his role. Katt paves the way for a much-needed style we haven't seen since the young Brando era. Almost like when Nirvana came onto the scene and squashed those hair metal bands and introduced us to grunge. Katt is the Kurt Cobain for young actors! I'm sure we'll see a lot of him after this great performance. I personally would like to see him shirtless again as well! Very cute and full of talent.

This is really an actor worth paying attention to. I found the story and film-making wonderful for an independent film of this budget. What makes this movie stand out is the lead performance. Katt is unbelievably convincing as a young torn drug dealer. He almost disappears into the role. Really, an excellent job.

Katt embodies a sense of brooding masculinity that other men can only dream of attaining, while creating an enduring cinema presence and delivering, I believe, one of the all-time great independent film performances. A class-act from beginning to end; sexy, brutal, and endlessly fascinating.

I agree with the positive reviewers of this film. George Katt was outstanding in this film. Almost to a detriment to the other actors and the script itself. Being a fan of older movies myself, during the heyday of the Actor's Studio boom, he brings a lot of that "feel" in his performance. Very real and his deliveries and mannerisms are very unique. Yes, he maybe mumble a few times but so did Marlon Brando. Actually, Brando got a lot of heat for that from critics. But we mumble in everyday life, it's very real. It just made me want to pay more attention to what he had to say. I liked the film a lot and recommend it. George Katt is at a higher level of acting than Danny Trejo and the rest of the cast though and he deserves to be playing with the big wigs. I can see how he doesn't really get much from the other actors in this film but gives himself and does his job extremely well with what he has to work with. I commend that in actors like him.