Miles from Home

This just may be the best movie I ever have, or ever will see.

I don't know how to describe the move to do it justice. This is an in-your-face movie about life in the real world for far too many kids and the tragedy that can so innocently befall them. Surprisingly, the movie is also about hope. This movie will test your limits of decency, but that is what it sets out to do. It must do that because life does that and all too often, we turn away and hide from the reality that lurks just around the corner. This is a raw, gritty look at a life that most of us will never see in person.

I saw this movie at the Palm Beach International Film Festival and was fortunate enough to meet some of the cast. They were funny and yet sincere in describing their experiences in making this movie. They talked about going into the streets and getting "up close and personal" in order to make the characters real. They succeeded in bringing the story to life and giving it meaning in a way that I've never experienced before.

Be prepared - the beginning is VERY uncomfortable. If you stick it out, you won't be disappointed.

I use to watch Even Stevens and I remember seeing Ty on there. I always thought he was good. So when I heard he had a film at a festival in my home town I was curious to see what it was going to be about. WOW!! Not what I expected. I had the opportunity to see this AMAZING film at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. It felt more like an experience. It was so real and it touched home for me on a lot of levels. It was raw. We don't get the chance to see movies like this. Being young and in college I'm always confronted with peer pressure from friends and at this age you're still searching for who you THINK YOU ARE. I think that's why I connected with this film because Miles had to confront some situations that were real and sometimes and at some point WE ARE ALL put in situations and we become lost. It was just awesome to see a movie like this that was so real and it makes you reflect on your own personal situation. I think young people NEED to see this film. I give this film two thumbs up and I cant wait to see it in the theaters. I will for sure have a DVD copy! Look out for Miles From Home!! And i'm looking forward to see Ty Hodges blossom into one of Hollywoods biggest stars. He's the real deal!!! Plus, he's HOT! ha ha.

I caught a screening of "Miles from Home" at the Urbanword Vibe Film Festival in June, and it is a must-see. It's a heart-wrenching tale of a troubled 17-year-old named Miles (played by Ty Hodges, also the writer and director) in desperate need of love from someone -- anyone. Separated from his drug-addled and financially strapped single mother, he looks for that love in all the proverbial wrong places.

In the best acting performance I've seen this year, Hodges infuses his character with heartbreaking vulnerability. Miles's silent cries ring out loud and clear as he becomes mired in a world of self-destructive behavior and predatory "friends." Like so many lost youths who fall prey to gangs, he finds a "family" in the form a manipulative clique of street-hustlers. Soon he finds himself employed by the group's mother hen, Keisha, a sleazy pimp who entices the fragile soul with sexual favors and false promises of a better life. Keisha is played excellently by Tasha Smith, a beautiful, statuesque actress/model showing tremendous skill in her first major role.

In an inspired move, filmmaker Hodges gives the often-despondent Miles a voice through narrations delivered by an unhinged alter ego. Hodges, adopting a Dennis Rodman-like appearance, speaks as the equivalent of a devil on Miles' shoulder in unsettling fantasy sequences dispersed throughout the movie. This provides insight into the conflicted emotions that Miles cannot or will not openly express.

An unexpected glimmer of hope comes via Natasha (Meagan Good, who also co-produced the film), a free-spirited college student two years his senior. Good more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious turn at 16 in the 1997 masterpiece "Eve's Bayou" as she breaks from the femme-fatale persona she has acquired in recent years. She plays Natasha as an effusive and initially elfish character who pushes her way into the Miles's life and gives him what he least expects and most needs: a true friend. Natasha is complex mix of flower-child idealism (reminiscent of Goldie Hawn in 1972's "Butterflies Are Free"), unyielding faith in God and the power of prayer, as well as a longing for companionship.

During a Q&A after the screening, Hodges mentioned that Good sought the project to show her ability to stretch from her sexy on screen image. And stretch she does. Her performance is nothing short of a revelation. The same goes for the film and especially the multi-talented Hodges.

Here's hoping that "Miles from Home" not only finds an audience but the legion of admirers it most certainly deserves.

This was truly one of the best films I have ever seen, and I am not saying this out of any type of bias. The film explores the issues surrounding a lost teen like no other film I have seen. The gritty images, outstanding performances by everyone, especially by Ty and Meagan really makes the film unforgettable. It contains strong language but it is justified. That is the real world being portrayed in this film, and it is not being glorified. It is so real. The director mentioned breaking a lot of rules with the film, but I don't think any rules were broken, new ones were made. Like I said before, the message in this film is unforgettable, it truly has the potential to change lives. The youth, adults, and churchgoers (like the guy said before) need to see this film. You will be affected.

Ty Hodges has been a mainstay for Disney films over the years, however this film that was written, directed and acted by himself was quite the departure from Disney. Shocking, eye-opening and all around good acting portrays this film. This movie was a nice departure, as well, from typical Hollywood "fluff" that we've come to know over the past few decades. If you're squeamish to harsh language or in-your-face reality then this film is not for you, however, I believe everyone, even the church-goers need to be enlightened to the realities of life as we know it (or don't know it). Look out for Ty, his movie and his entourage on the Indie film circuit and you won't be disappointed.