The Red Maple Leaf

We we're in the Rheem theater for the California Film Festival deciding which movie to go see when we spotted a poster for The Red Maple Leaf. We noticed all these wonderful actors listed on the poster, many favorite stars of mine, and some that I did not see in a long time like Margot Kidder and Kris Kristofferson who I truly love. So we line up to purchase tickets and the theater is buzzing with people everywhere. It's like everyone Moraga came to see this movie. We we're not disappointed in our decision as it was a very good dramatic movie with a breathtaking story and some of Hollywood's finest actors. After the movie they introduced one of the stars of the movie Frank D'Angelo, who was in the audience, he also wrote and directed the film as well. He answered a barrage of questions from the audience which made the evening even more entertaining. He took us through some of the scenes and explained how they shot them, and gave us some background information on some of the actors, and let us in on some of the interesting things that went on during the shoot which made the entire night really fun.

I asked my girlfriend to see this film with me at the Sunrise Film Festival where it won "Best film of the Festival". I thought she would enjoy it since it was starring many terrific actors. And we were told that it was the last movie that Robert Loggia and Doris Roberts appeared in before they passed away.

You might say the film has a familiar story of a father who has lost the only thing that matters most to him, his family. But that is where the familiarity ends. It is a unique story told in a way not seen before and I was hooked from the beginning; I just couldn't look away. The all-star cast was impressive but it's Frank D'Angelo who steals the limelight as Special Agent Alfonso Palermo. There is a lot of pain and anger in this film, his character displays a full range of emotions. Kudos to Frank, he did a wonderful job. The rest of the cast includes Hollywood greats who turned in phenomenal performances which we've all come to expect over the years. Every following scene I found myself saying "no way, he/she is in it". In the end the main character finds some peace and closure, but I don't want to say anymore and spoil it for anyone. If you are debating seeing this film, debate no further, it's a must see!

We live just outside of San Francisco and my husband and I love going to the movies. And we love film festivals because we get to see some wonderful films that sometimes never make it to the big screen. So on the Friday we looked at the schedules of the films that we're playing at CAIFF and spotted The Red Maple Leaf which stood out because of its amazing cast of actors. We decided that we would see it on Saturday night. Well when we got to the theatre, we were caught off guard, it was so full that we thought we were not going to get tickets. We took our place in line and luckily managed to get 2 tickets, I mean luckily, because it was one of the best movies that we have seen in a long time. It's so nice to see that they can still make movies with real stories every once in a while. The icing of evening was that the star and director of the movie, Frank D'Angelo was there in the audience. He was right there watching the movie with us to everyone's surprise. When the movie ended they introduced him to a great ovation and then he took questions from the audience which made the evening even more special.

A real joy to watch and a pleasure for me to share with my friends. The Red Maple Leaf is an extraordinary simple film, yet it tells a big story, and what a story delivered by a super talented cast of some of Hollywood's finest actors. We happened to catch the film during the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and we're glad we did. Don't expect special effects and explosions, this is a real life drama. The film is produced and finely crafted by an independent production company, but I will be surprised if a big film distributor does not pick this film up very quickly because it's a fantastic film. If you get a chance to see it when it becomes available, do it you will enjoy it.

The Red Maple Leaf provides for an intriguing and captivating story, although it might sound predictable, it is not. There are moments of darkness, of drama and funny enough, even comedic banter. There is an incredibly large cast of renowned Hollywood actors, perhaps the most I've seen besides the Expendables. I understand that Frank D'Angelo produced, wrote and directed the film in addition to starring in it. That is quite the undertaking, but this film delivers the goods and more. I think I will have to watch the film a second time in order to appreciate it even more. Overall I came away from watching this film feeling fulfilled. Many movies leave you wanting by the end but not this one. Bravo to the cast on making a fantastic film. If you are looking for an interesting and different take on a familiar genre, then give this movie a try, you will not be disappointed.