Crazy

Well grounded picture showing the talent of a great guitar player, plagued by the racist unions of America. But he fought on until he gave out.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing "Crazy" at the Breckenridge Film Festival. It is an awesome movie, and won "Best of Fest" at this Festival. The story centers on the life of Hank Garland, a talented musician who played with the likes of Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline.

The costumes and scenes are fabulous and immediately give you the feeling of being in the 1950's. From the beginning, this movie draws you into its characters and you not only care about them, but cannot wait to find out what happens next. There is a good bit of humor mixed into the drama, and between the poignant moments, you will laugh out loud. The lead role, of Hank Garland, played by Waylon Payne, won Best Actor at this Festival. The depth of his emotions and performance amazed me.

Besides a great story, fabulous scenes and costumes, and terrific acting, you also get a great soundtrack. I am only minimally versed or interested in country music, and yet I have every intention of buying this soundtrack. The music selections are classics and sure to be an addition to your musical library. When this movie opens nationally, I will pay to go see it again!

I recently saw Crazy at the Hoboken Film Festival and was blown away by every aspect of the movie. Not knowing anything about the life of Hank Garland I was captivated from the opening scene to the very end. The movie is extremely well written and well cast. The actors have their characters down pat and give very believable performances, especially Waylon Payne as Hank. Director Rick Bieber's technique of filling the screen with his characters' faces completely draws you in, and Ali Larter has never looked more beautiful. I can't wait to see it on a big theatrical screen. If you like music of any kind you'll find this film fascinating.

In Hawaii where the residents truly value guitar talent and a good story, Crazy did not leave the 2008 Big Island Film Festival audiences disappointed. Although the Hawaiian guitar music is slack key style, the audiences appreciated the tumultuous story of Hank Garland's Nashville career. Under the stars, both residents and visitors enjoyed the story, the performance of Waylon, the technical quality of the films and the music of the era. Many commented on how much the music of Crazy was tied to the music of their parents. Many also asked when Crazy was coming to the theaters, so they could see it again and share it with their friends. It was a hit at Big Island Film Festival and won the Golden Honu Award for Best Feature. We are looking forward to Ric Bieber's next film.

I was able to view this film at the Charleston Film Festival where it won Best Picture. I did not know who Hank Garland was. I thought it was a big film for the festival which is why I wanted to view it, there was a lot of hype on the film before it came to Charleston, SC.

I was pleasantly surprised at the casting of the film. Waylon Payne which at the time didn't know he was also in Walk the Line was an amazing feature to the film. Ali Larter of course is known to many movie goers but Waylon stole the performance. He was great on camera, very believable, an extraordinary actor. I look forward to seeing more of what he can do on film.

I would recommend seeing this film when it releases. Rick Bieber is not a new filmmaker, he has a long Bio of being in charge of HBO Pictures to Producing such films that we already know such as Flatliners. This was a great effort, I applaud the entire Cast & Crew, job well done!