Nicky's Birthday Camera

BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: A little disappointed at Tribeca, popped into BIFF to see Marco and Mario's always eclectic program, and this little gem floored me. For 15 minutes, this is a really sweet little movie...then, hold on! A simple idea, any film student could come up with. The diff? As Hitchcock said : STORY, STORY, STORY. This film's story unfolds BRILLIANTLY and surprises at every turn. Writers Kurt Larson (ALPHA GEEK) and long- time character actor John Walcutt (TITANIC, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, and currently Jennifer Love Hewitt's shadowy nemesis on GHOST WHISPERER) take you on a ride that's like the Family Channel on a bad drunk...complete with uber-nice-guy Robert Hays (AIRPLANE! LONG JOURNEY HOME), who uses his still boyish charm like an infecting poisonous gas. Hays also produces (with Sheri Hellard) and, along with first-time director Andrew J. Traister, they have a flawless eye for performances. From Walcutt, who turns in one of those Jeff Bridges-type performances that hold a movie together but never get noticed, to Jamie McShane (DEADWOOD, THE NINE) who matches him step by treacherous step, all the way down to newcomers Aubrey A. Macker, sexy-brat Samantha Alarcon, and Brian Lee Franklin-who will have you thinking like you did if you saw Hillary Swank for the first time in BOYS DON'T CRY ("Is that actor REALLY...?"), and rising star James Molina, the acting is terrific. Props to everyone involved. Note to Sony Pictures Classics: PLEASE! For most real adults, this movie is WAY more scary and threatening than HOSTEL or SAW.

I saw this film at its World Premiere at BENDFILM (a great festival) and it was the surprise of the festival: long lines, sold out screenings, and two encore screenings (also sold out). I see lots of indies (my passion) and this movie is what its all about: unpredictable, smart, unflinching, controversial, and made for a dime. The acting is terrific from the amateurs to people you'll recognize. Beautiful photography and excellent original music. After it ended, it was as if a bomb had exploded in the theater-people were so stunned! There was an uncomfortable silence, and then the place erupted. Some hated it, some loved it. Count me definitely in the latter. People argued, yelled, and cried at the Q and A after...Seriously! If you only see formula, studio-type films...you'll probably hate it. But if you want to go for a crazy ride that starts like your own home movies, and then sneaks, and finally SLAMS you down a rabbit hole, see it! I would have given it a 10, but it starts a little slow... I guess it has to. Can't tell you much about it without spoiling it. A little John Sayles. A little David Lynch, maybe. Moves into a documentary kind of feel (CAPTURING THE FRIEDMAN'S) comes to mind...and a little BLAIR WITCH-oh- my- god! Didn't see THAT coming!

The sadly under-promoted and ill-attended 2007 Brooklyn International Film Festival did introduce us to "Nicky's Birthday Camera," and for that we are grateful. The look, performances and impact of this "little film" belie the modest budget and vividly showcase the talent involved. The acting ensemble is uniformly excellent (including some first-time young performers). The quality of the filming is first-rate; and the storytelling device – a film within a film – is extremely effective and seductively draws one into an increasingly suspenseful plot line. An impressive film debut for longtime theatre director Andrew J. Traister. Hope this film becomes available on DVD.

I saw this movie (twice) at BIFF in Brooklyn. I didn't know anything about it, and I must say it caught me by surprise. It was a very small audience and I met the filmmakers:very cool and smart people. For the first time, I want to go out and tell everyone SEE THIS MOVIE! Not that it's big, or glamorous,or the greatest movie ever made. But it's exactly what independent films should be. It sucks you in like quicksand. At first, I was like "this is a frickin' home movie! What's up with that?" The music, the photography, the acting all work together perfectly to make you think it's a really simple film. But it's not. NICKY'S BIRTHDAY CAMERA makes you laugh right up until the minute it makes you cry...and that's only the beginning. It gets weird, man! But it's totally unpretentious. It's not a filmmakers film. It's not hip or slick or cool. There's no nudity, but it's totally sexual. There's a very small scene of minor violence, but it absolutely knocks you on your ass. It's like some midwestern, or Scandinavian family reunion that goes...well, wrong. This movie could make a ton of money in the right hands. Let's hope it happens. And as a woman, just let me say, few things could make me feel more than the things in this movie. By the end, I didn't know what to feel-but I couldn't stop feeling. Wow...

Caught this tiny flic on a rec from Amigos in Brooklyn. Genius. In a nutshell, simple story of a kid with a cam making a home movie and catching a lot of people in trouble. Not for action freaks or the ADD-riddled. Awesome storytelling: simple and smart. Makes you laugh, cry, get turned on, and disgusted in almost successive heartbeats. Feels like a doc, (see a lot of that lately) but this one rises above. Good actors. Good music. But it's really the execution of this premise by the director and DP that makes this baby rock. Clever use of multiple cameras, vid speeds, and Final Cut. Beautiful location. Wish I'd made the thing: obviously low-budget but should be in every video store and on TV forever. Best truly Indie film I've seen in years.