Stonebrook

While this independent film is flawed, it is nevertheless a gem and time worth spent. If you like suspense-yarns that don't spoon-feed you all the plot connections, you will have fun watching this one. On the other hand, if you need to have everything spelled out for you, this one may be a brain-struggle. Personally, I favor movies that let me do a bit of the work myself. But whatever camp you're in, I think you will ultimately walk away having enjoyed it.

Another reason to check this one out is Seth Green who, as always, is in top form. What I like about Seth is how he always brings flair and depth to his characterizations. He is a charming and talented actor, so I wish he had had more screen time. Brad Rowe is well suited as the farm boy lost in a big city, but his performance lacks dimension.

For those who haven't seen it, try not and read too much on this movie before seeing it. I've deliberately not delved into what the movie is all about here...you'll have fun finding that out yourself!

Stonebrook was a little hard to follow, with all the different cons going on, and I'm a little confused about some parts. It wasn't bad, though. Seth Green made the movie more enjoyable. Brad Rowe did a really good job. Overall I'd give it a 7/10.

The plot's twists and turns make the movie interesting to watch, even though a lot of the things that happen are a little hard to believe. The characters are really sketched pretty thin, although an effort was made to make them all interesting. Overall, it felt as though everyone on the production staff of this film was new to making movies, and so they were trying out different things and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. The next couple of films these people make will probably be a lot better, but for this one, they seemed to be trying to find their way, from the director down to the music composer. Overall a good concept for a movie, it just needed a lot more polishing. I rented it for free, so no complaints.

To sum-up: Stonebrook isn't anything new but I still found it interesting as it progressed. Brad Rowe plays a college loner who sort of befriends Seth Green and gets caught up in some small time crime that gradually blows up in his face in a big way. The plot twists were very "expectable" but still enjoyable all throughout the film.

Pro's & con's:

+ Good storyline with fitting character's

• It has the feel of a Television movie

When I rented this film, my friends and I had read the back of the box and mistakingly thought it was a comedy. Although it in some ways does spoof con movies, it really isn't that funny, and thus we were disappointed. However, as a con movie, it isn't half bad. The film keeps taking plot turns with helpful (or, if you're like me and have a good memory, annoying) flashbacks that keep the viewer in to the picture. Seth Green is very good, playing the quirky but brilliant room mate, and the Brad Pitt look-a-like is a decent actor. My only two complaints, and they weren't small ones were as such: 1) If you weren't paying full attention to every single moment of the film, you would miss out on something that would be brought up again later on. I didn't mind that, but most of my friends were confused by several crucial plot changes because of that. And then 2) It was too predictable. Again, that's just my opinion. I was calling the ending LONG before it happened, but the other people I was watching with didn't pick up on that, so it might be that I'm just too smart for my own good. Stonebrook is not the best con job film ever, but it definitely does not suck.