Embers of the Sky

I received a screener of this film and after viewing it, and then reading about the writer-director's story, I was touched, and impressed by what he had fought through in his life. That tenacity, strength, and emotional honesty shows through in Justin's work. The writing is it's best trait, the sure-handed shots second, with the direction of his actors coming in a close third. You can tell he's in sync with them, and they with him (despite the unique material). While production value was sometimes lacking (it was a micro-budget film after all), everything else more then makes up for it. If he ever finds a producer and a team of people who understand him, his vision and is trusting enough to let him fulfill it on his next film, then you can definitely count me in when it comes out.

I was skeptical when I first got a screener of this feature film, but the execution of some imaginative ideas soon changed my mind. Embers of the Sky is unique in that it is three different sci-fi (the grounded good kind) films connected by a theme where each protagonist (all female) is searching for inner peace. To me, I could see the seeds of a visionary inside the writer-director because you can tell he's thinking on another level of imagination then us "normal" folk. Add to the fact that the films are technically well done (noted lighting, editing) and acted well (kudos go to the main characters of Swan and Since), each film is unique, but firm with it's voice. To me, that's hard to find in Hollywood these days. I've seen a lot of talented folks fall through the cracks, so I hope this guy gets a chance to show what he can do on the biggest stage one day.