Skills Like This

A festival winner! (and should be)

I saw this film at the SXSW film festival in a packed house... I didn't have high expectations... honest, I was with a group of people who wanted to go because they liked the afro marketing posters and I wasn't in a mood to go against the grain.

Yippee... I so enjoyed the film. I thought it was unpredictable... raw... funny... engaging... I actually felt connected to the characters and these aren't the kinds of characters that I normally find engaging. It was a surprise at every turn. I found the humor appealing as did the high school kids who were behind me. This film is a rare treat with brilliant performances from the leading man to the waitress with only a few lines.

Great job and good luck with distribution!

When you go to see an independent film there is a hope that what you will see will be something new, different and entertaining. You hope to discover something. Skills Like This is that kind of film. This is a great movie, I loved all of the characters. The performances are right on and funny. The film moves at times from silly comedy to darker comedy. It does this at all the right times. This movie kept me engaged and pulled me in to the point where I was engaged but not aware of where it would take me next. It is rare bonus to see an indie comedy that makes me laugh and one that I won't soon forget.

4/4

Why would the writer(s) put the idiotic "Tommy" character in?! Why the dying grandpa?! I like this film. I'd _really_ like it if there wasn't so much stupid involved.

While I'm complaining, the sound mix is pretty bad. One last bit of advice to the producers: Please zoom in a little more; while I could easily see the molecules of the characters' faces during closeups, the atoms were hard to discern. ;^)

Kick *** movie! Total comic ride with a huge fro and some mad skills. Just saw at Denver Film Festival with some of the Cast and Director. This film is shot with in a mod style that gives it a very energetic look and keeps the pacing moving throughout. The acting by complete unknowns (to my knowledge) was pretty amazing.

I can't get some of these classic "dumba**" lines out of my head. There are a few scenes where you are totally caught off guard and there is some true tension but pay off with the laugh or the situation. The film really never lets the viewer catch up and there are surprising turns throughout the movie. Some have called this a quirky comedy but I see it as less traditional indie style and more action comedy style with a killer soundtrack. Oh yes this film is not just pretty hilarious it makes some really cool statements about following your path.

Greetings again from the darkness. A festival favorite from 2007 ... one of the ridiculous things about the movie business - why do we have to wait TWO YEARS to see a well received film, but the Hollywood machine keeps sending out mass-produced junk?

While easy to watch, this debut from director Monty Miranda is hardly an instant classic. The film's main writer, Spencer Berger, also stars as Max. Max is a flop as a playwright and his friends are quick to agree, once he finally admits such. On a whim, Max discovers that he does have a knack for stealing. This new found talent opens up Max's world. With his confidence renewed, he actually hooks up with the bank teller he robbed on his first job. Lucy is cute and is played pretty well by Kerry Knoppe.

Max's two best friends, Dave and Tommy, are played by (writer) Gabriel Tigerman and Brian D. Phelan. Dave is supposedly the put together one of the three, while Tommy is a HIM-BO who just wants to connect. If this sounds a bit messy, that's also how it plays on screen. There are some moments of brilliance, but also many moments that just aren't quite there.

The star of the film is Mr. Berger's impressive afro and the theme is apparently that none of us really know what we are doing are where we are headed. Hate to call it a slacker film (ala Clerks), but at it's core, that's what it is ... with an interesting soundtrack.