Lucky

With a villain who is truly intense and unrelenting (Mr. Diaz) and a leading man who is sympathetic and very appealing (Mr. King) this film grips the viewer and keeps you involved. Add in a mix of interesting, well played supporting characters and you've got yourself a very entertaining and exciting movie. There's a level of realism here that added to the impact since I felt I was watching a real person facing extreme challenges in the real world. Full of some beautiful shots and great music, I highly recommend this film. And ladies - you're going to love just watching Mr. King - who is truly a beautiful leading man.

Always on the look out for new indies. Saw a good review in LA Times for Lucky. It wasn't my favorite film but it was solid nonetheless. It's a familiar story but it keeps going at a pretty good pace. Lucky and Fernando had good chemistry and I'm pretty sure we will see more work from this director. Always extra points for diversity.

I saw LUCKY a couple days ago and it sticks with me. It is a fun ride through the under belly of New York City. The film does a great job of capturing an immigrant's struggle for the American dream without falling into the trap of boring the audience with a political lecture about immigration and race. Set in the gritty streets of the not yet gentrified outer reaches of New York City. It has a throw back quality to the gritty crime films of the 70s and 80s, with modern day pimps and prostitutes hustling the streets. The plot unwinds in a logical and honest way that leads the audience to identify with an otherwise moral man who is left with no other choice but to descend into a life of crime. The film is blessed with a great cast, great score and a very well written script. I look forward to more from this director.

I had the pleasure of seeing Bari Kang's "Lucky" at the New York City theatrical premiere last week. "Lucky" stands out with a 1970s aesthetic, with many gritty night shots of Kang driving through New York City's streets. The casting is superb, as the film is populated with real character actors, who fully and convincingly embody their characters. Alfredo Diaz is standout in particular, in his role of Fernando, adding a strange and uncomfortable joy to his character's menacing quality, which plays well off of Bari's character, Lucky, who is more restrained, with internal torment. Excited to see what the multi-talented Bari Kang does next!

So I had no plans of seeing this movie except that I happened to be attending a festival at Village East Cinemas and saw that "lucky" was playing with a Q/A and my boyfriend wanted to watch it. The movie is Good. Not Great but solid. The actors did a good job and the story, although familiar, (I'm an immigrant) had an interesting spin on it. It was unapologetic and I appreciated that. This is a real independent film and you can tell the budget must have been tight, which was acknowledged in the Q/A so that much more respect to the filmmakers for pulling it off. After hearing everything they had to do to get this made, you appreciate it that much more. Kudos to the team. The music was great too.