Candy Paint

What a knock-out! I caught this as a student short film festival, but you'd never know it's a student work-- It's polished, stylish, and VERY FUNNY.

Low riders, shady pawnbrokers, domesticated German bodybuilders, a prize Pomeranian, and a $10,000 prom dress all collide in CANDY PAINT, an auspicious debut by writer-director Andrew Waller.

I've seen enough student shorts to know that generally their hearts are in the right place, but everything else gets in the way-- NOT THIS TIME. On top of the stellar cast he somehow pulled together, Waller demonstrates a keen aptitude for comic timing and story sense. Combine that with jazzy cinematography, on-the-money editing, and slick production values-- Waller is one of his generation of student filmmakers who have pushed the bar so high it's sometimes hard to tell what's Hollywood and what's Figueroa.

If this short film is any indication, he has a promising career awaiting him in Hollywood. Whatcha got for us next, Mr. Waller?