Florida City

...to any kind of media available to the viewing public at large. This movie was filmed several years back in the tiny "ghost town" of Center Hill in Central Florida and used many of the town's residents as their extras. Everyone from miles around the rural locale came out to line the streets and watch the filming of this movie. The kids got a first hand experience in how movies were made and we all had fun watching the "silent" parade come through town!! Seeing the abandoned Main Street come alive and the stores "restored" to how they must have actually looked back in the 1940's brought an eerie quality to the town. For several years some of the set dressings left behind remained in place in the windows of the empty stores and many pictures were taken of Market Street. I kept in touch with several of the people who worked on this movie throughout the years but unfortunately, as I understood it, the movie was never bought by a major company so I never got to see it.

The kids who were extras are now young adults and older teens, and the town of Center Hill remains as it was when used in the film...a ghost town...

I saw this movie at the Daytona Beach Film Festival and I must say it was not a pleasant experience due to the quality of the projection and sound system. Nonetheless, the film needed quite a bit more work on its editing and script writing. I understand the Producers and Director had a very limited budget, but more effort could have been put into bringing this film to a conclusion. The ending seemed way overacted and not very suspenseful. Except for W. Morgan Sheppard, the acting was not much better either. Keep trying Mr. Clemente. You can use this film as a base towards improving on your next.

I recently saw this movie and I loved it from start to finish. The story, the characters, even the scenery was incredible...why this movie isn't a #1 box office hit is beyond me. I do not want to give anything away, but I highly recommend, even insist, that everyone see this movie. It makes one think about history and current events in a totally different light. The budget for this film was $750 000, but it looks more like a $90 million picture, missing only the CGI and big name actor to sell it to the masses.

Zen Gesner (playing the lead role of John Haleran) was flawless. In fact, all of the characters are so realistic you feel like you know them by the end of the movie, and remember them long after the credits roll.

Director Ralph Clemente has told an amazing story and successfully takes viewers to another time in America.

I often feel cheated when I see movies at the local theater, but if Florida City were playing, I'd pay double.

Viewed this at a film festival here in Daytona. Anyone who rated this higher than 5 stars were definitely involved in the making of the film. The fact that one of them was from Orlando should tell you something considering that is where the filmmaker is from. The lead role couldn't have been worse. I saw a comment say Zen Gessner was flawless....my god it was just terrible. Zen should never be allowed to have more than a line or two. In fact until this movie and since I don't think he has. The idea was good, but the acting and script were lacking. Avoid this unless you see it in a dollar bin at WalMart and even then you might want to pass.

The only thing that kept me watching was the hilarity. They must have gone to a mall and just signed up the first 10 people who said "yes" to the question:"Hey how'd you like to be in a movie"? The photography was glaring,too bright. The sound very unbalanced and the music did nothing except blare! The props all looked "new" in an "era" film. The guy who played the lead must have been told: "do your best Eastwood", he did, and it wasn't. And why did he constantly contort his mouth? The script had no continuity. There were scenes that had nothing to do with the, pardon the expression, plot. Most hilarious of all was the fight scene. The tag line for this movie says "In Peral Harbor, no one saw it coming. In Florida City, one man did". The writers missed the mark. The story was all over the place and never came together to make an ending to live up to the tag line. In legit film schools, it will become the best example of how to do EVERYTHING wrong when making a movie.