mrlasvegas2u

There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY this movie has a 5 rating! Josh Lester wrote, directed, acted as the lead, edited and produced this film, and it's actually VERY WELL DONE. I give A+ to Josh's acting, and I am very picky when it comes to acting. The Script is heartwarming, and I give it an A. The Cinematography is top notch, considering Caleb shot this with out an AC, pulled focus himself while operating the camera, lit the scenes very well, and their total budget was $50k!! Are you kidding me, give these guys some real money, and they will knock it out of the park. Acting by supporting cast is very good, and usually that's where low budget movies fall apart. Now what I did not like: I think the editing could have been better, some shots were a little too long. The directing, shot selection, and blocking of actors, needed work. BUT hey, I can't believe Josh was acting, directing and editing, and still somehow managed to do an amazing job with his acting!! That's why I gave the movie a 10! He is extremely likable as the lead, the the story is a charming slice of life. There is so much crap out there, bad movies, that my wife and I were pleasantly shocked how good this movie was. Guys, be inspired, because they made this beautiful little movie for only $50k!!!! As an independent filmmaker, with where technology is today, go make a movie like this. You don't have to answer to studios, or streamers yet you get to showcase your writing, acting, directing like Josh did. What Kaleb did with no resources as a cinematographer also impressed me very much. So many indie films have such bad cinematography, lighting looks awful and low budget, BUT this movie was great. The cinematic aspect was well maintained, and the fact that he didn't have focus puller (1stAC), yet nothing is out of focus, that blows my mind. Anyway, Go watch this is on Amazon prime for FREE. It's totally worth the watch. Get inspired, and then go make your own little indie gem for $50k!

Before I begin, I want to clarify that I have no personal connections with anyone involved in this movie. An actress I know recommended the film to me, knowing my affinity for low-budget, single-location movies.

I am always intrigued to see how filmmakers execute a story in one location with a limited cast, and whether they can keep the audience engaged. This is a significant challenge, and I have a considerable amount of experience in this area. I produced a single-location film that was licensed as a Netflix Original in 2022, which reached the Top 10 in 60 countries within five days of release. That project was a collaboration with a first-time female writer-director and an almost entirely female cast. Our film received a 100% rating from critics and 85% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. So, I understand the process and execution of low-budget films intimately.

First, Kimberly-Sue Murray, who plays Trader, is an outstanding actress. I was thoroughly impressed by her performance-absolutely five-star! She was the glue that held the entire movie together. I'm surprised I haven't seen her in more projects. For aspiring actresses, this is the kind of film you want to be a part of, where the camera is focused on you throughout. It will either showcase your talent or expose your weaknesses. This is how you get noticed by other producers and directors.

Second, the cinematography was excellent! For a small-budget indie film, it was very well executed. In my opinion, Murray's acting, the cinematography, and the music were the elements that kept the movie compelling.

The only reason I'm giving the movie an 8 instead of a 10 is that the writing and directing could have been slightly better. I know how challenging it is to maintain audience engagement with just one character, and I think writer/director Corey Stanton did a decent job, but that's where the film fell a bit short for me. Perhaps an experienced producer by his side could have made the film tighter.

Additionally, besides producing, I have been a professional money manager and trader on Wall Street for 27 years. There were some inaccuracies and gaps in the depiction of how the market operates. Market manipulation happens, but SEC and FBI are usually all over this kind of situation quickly. Also, the opening sequence, it is not that easy to get someone to give you their credit card numbers, so for me, the opening part, needed more attention in the script. That part could have been better written. However, anyone interested in the trader's life will enjoy this movie. Overall, nice job Corey, great effort. I hope your investors saw a return on their investment. I enjoyed the film, and I appreciate you bringing Kimberly-Sue Murray's talent to my attention. By the way, I watched the film on Tubi.

So this review is a little personal since I am a filmmaker, a producer/director and I met the director on the app called CLUBHOUSE. I have gotten to know Naveen since then and I have learned a lot about his journey.

First of all, this is not a studio movie and it was equity financed by individual investors. First time director Naveen not only directed this, but also put the financing together, and produced it. Let me just tell you how hard that is to do, as a first time director. It's almost impossible to get named stars Like Ron Perlman, Ali Larter, and Ralph Ineson to act in your movie, let alone find millions to finance a first time director. Naveen did that. If you know anything about producing independent films, you know I am right. Here is the kicker, Naveen distributed this movie as well!! That gets my respect and his effort earns a 10 from me.

Now let's talk about the film. The movie is beautifully shot, casted, and the locations are amazing. Ali Larter does a very good job in her comeback film, and she needs to be in front of the camera more. Great to have you back Ali! Ron Perlman, well, what can be said about this man that hasn't been said. The man has a presence like no other, and steals any scene that he is in. The man is a legend. For me, the surprise element was Ralph Ineson as the Villain. Bravo Naveen, so well casted, and you have done an amazing job of shooting him. He reminded me of Javier Bardem from No Country for Old Men. I don't know how you pulled this off Naveen, but you get a 10 for a first time director casting. Wow! Now let's talk about some of the things that did not work for me. The movie should be 25 minutes or so shorter. The pacing is very slow. I get what Naveen was trying to achieve, but the editor and director both missed the mark on this. This is a very common first time director problem by the way, and I know he is going to do things different. For me, the script is everything, and this script does not work for me. This is where the movie falters for me, and some of the dialogues are ineffective. I also felt like Ron's character was extremely under utilized, and I would have had a show down scene between Ron and Ralph! Like the scene from HEAT, Dinero and Pachino faceoff. So the movie gets a 6 from me.

My over all rating is 8.666. 10 for producing, raising financing and distributing, as a first time director. 10 for casting, and I am still in disbelief how he pulled that off. The film gets a 6. So the average is 8.66 and I will round it up to 9 because I am so impressed with what Naveen has pulled off. I can't wait to see his next film. I know he is only going to get better.