I wanted to like this movie, I like independent movies in general, and to find one filmed in my adopted hometown of Modesto, CA and directed by locals as well...what's not to like?? Well, right off the bat, the opening credits seemed like a gee-whiz exercise, names on a rolling basketball, stop action style. It was approximately 30 seconds into the movie that I realized that whatever they did with the transfer and format change had really mucked up the picture and sound quality, detracting from what might otherwise have been a more positive experience. The story is good, the acting is decent, but as a previous reviewer mentioned, the story is told in a non-linear fashion that really isn't necessary and in fact it is a distraction.
But kudos to everyone involved, hopefully they will keep at it and improve with experience. By the way at the opening of the film's run at the State Theatre in Modesto, the entire cast and crew were in attendance and seemed to be very cool, likable people. It was kinda surreal to walk into the lobby and see the familiar faces from the movie..
*****UPDATE 11-21-07*****
So, I got a copy of the DVD for this film, hoping it would have some behind the scenes stuff of the making of the movie. It didn't. But, watching it on DVD pretty much allowed me to concentrate on the film without the distractions I noted earlier due to a poor screening. I really enjoyed the movie this time, enough to bump it up to a seven star rating. It makes such a difference when you're able to see the movie the way the director intended.
