Black Cloud

I saw this at the Phoenix Film Festival. For a low budget of a million dollars, it was well done.

The story line and dialogue are pretty typical, that being the "overcoming the odds to triumph in the end" movie. A few clichés in dialogue like, "rules are meant to be broken" sprinkle throughout. But the cinematography was good and the fight scenes were the most impressive aspect of the movie. When I looked up IMDB to see who choreographed the boxing, I wasn't surprised to see Jimmy Gambina, who did "Snake Eyes" and was a technical advisor for "Rocky," because of how well done the scenes were. I was surprised, however, that he was on the crew for the film with such a low budget.

Another impressive consideration is that they filmed this movie in something like fourteen days!

For the first movie written and directed by Rick Schroder, it was very well done. Also, this is a good movie for the whole family, minus the violent fight scenes.

I loved the visual beauty of the film. The Navajo country in northern Arizona where this film was made is indeed spectacular. I have never seen a photographic work presented with more drama. However, it is not just a "pretty film". It is an honest film. Even the ugliness and poverty is stunning. It is truth telling. Equally impressive is the soundtrack. The two work together to create a piece of art of which Ricky Schroeder can be justly proud. The story is a kind of "Rocky" that will appeal to young and old alike. It is not only inspirational but also rewarding insofar as the protagonist resolves personal issues and matures. I saw this film in my hometown of Payson, Arizona, where it premiered last week. I also happened to be in the theater when the cast arrived for that premier. If I had known then what I know now, I would have given them all a "thumbs up" for a terrific entertainment.

I saw this movie last night at the Nashville Film Festival. It was a surprisingly good movie. Young Lakota actor, Eddie Spears, does an excellent job with the lead as "Black Cloud." Russell Means, his boxing mentor "Bud", is wonderful. This movie evokes obvious parallels to the original "Rocky" but has a lot more depth regarding the young man's personal demons and his place within his Native American heritage and the problems of the modern reservation.

The movie is romantic, inspiring, funny and sad and delivers many truths about reservation life and the challenges of Indians who want to rise above the difficulties they face. Rick Schroder's screenplay is very good.

Steve Gainer's cinematography is stunning. There are some wonderful scenes of horses and the outdoor beauty of the Navajo Reservation.

Julia Jones, as Sammi, is convincing and a real cutie.

Country singer Tim McGraw debuts in this film as the Sheriff. He is good in the role.

Some of McGraw's songs are in the movie and, one is delivered very humorously in a Karaoke scene. The end credits roll behind Pat Green's "Wave on Wave."

Schroder is a "bad guy" in this movie and did a convincing job. He revealed he stepped into that role at the last minute because the original choice for the part was a rodeo cowboy with no experience who apparently "froze" when they were trying to shoot his parts.

The acting is quite good even though many of the actors are young and unknown to most audiences.

Rick Schroder was present at the screening I saw. He and Eddie Spears, Julia Jones and Director of Photography Steve Gainer graciously answered questions from the audience following the screening. They all showed considerable class and humility. I was very glad to have been to see the movie and heard the principals discuss their roles more in depth.

Schroder mentioned this movie was made for about a million dollars which is ridiculously low by Hollywood standards. The high quality of the finished movie does not reflect its modest budget and Schroder says that is because it was a labor of love by the participants. It is obvious he is right.

I highly recommend this movie.

You never really know how an indie film is going to turn out. It can have great stars, a great director, a small budget or even a big budget, but you never really know how it is all going to look until it hits the big screen. Black Cloud is one of those movies that surpassed my expectation in every way. I thought it would be good, given that it had celebrity, Rick Schroder behind it, but I didn't expect it to be amazing. If you want to see a film with heart and passion, see Black Cloud. If you want to see a film that is different and inspiring, see Black Cloud. If you want to see a great film, that you can take your family to, see Black Cloud. You will be glad that you went to see this film. I want to see more films like this one.

This movie is definitely worth seeing. It is a very interesting mix of "Rocky" meets a "Western". A friend of mine saw the film in Montana last week and told me the crowd was blown away as well. I heard they made it for a million bucks. WOW. Tim McGraw is very good as the sheriff. Rick Schroder has ton's of talent as a writer and a big future directing. He was just nominated for a CMA award for best country music video. The girl is hot in the movie. I give it a big thumbs up. Peter Greene is the best I have ever seen him. He was the guy in the mask. Wayne Knight plays a creepy part as a pervert and is totally believable. The cinematography is incredible and the boxing scenes the most realistic I have ever seen.