Ocean Park

I did not expect much from the unknown movie (except for a couple festival prizes). I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised at a low-budget, original little flick. Lot's of story, good performances, original ideas, some dirty sexy stuff. And a very non-preachy moral for all...a nice little ride from a true Indy. No big stars or explosions but I will get plenty of that at the theaters. I am sure not knowing what to expect keeps the expectations low and that led to a nice surprise. I was forced to watch it through inlaws that knew a families friend who was in it and everyone knew I have a taste for true Indy films. I was so happy it didn't suck that I owed them a good review!

Thought this film would be very interesting as a thriller and as I got into the so-called story, this film put me into a complete spin. There was so many flashbacks about a dead girl, then her twin sister appears and the plot really gets all messed up. There is a brother who wants to be a great actor and feels that he is very talented in that direction; however, his brother already is a big star and likes to take advantage of young female actors trying to succeed. There was too much going on with all kinds of different actors trying to help this one girl who simply got herself hooked on drugs and proceeded to do anything her boyfriend wanted and even more.

I saw this movie as a work assignment, and I was pleasantly surprised at it's quality. It's edited to be more complex than the plot deserves,(you have to watch carefully for clues) but it's beautifully photographed and the flashbacks are generally well-integrated into the story. Set in the imaginary town of Ocean Park (actually Santa Monica, California) it follows the career (or lack of) of two actors, Will and Jolette. When Jolette is murdered, Will suspects his successful actor brother-in-law (smarmily played by Jonathan Aube) and tries to cover for him, with disastrous results. There are some good plot twists and the central theme of talent versus ambition is nicely explored. I did see one glaring forensic error, which you can figure out for yourself, but otherwise I'd recommend it as a rental if you like film noir-type mysteries. I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars.