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A movie review by Robert Long II ©2017
Starring: Sally Anderson, Darren Barzegar, Erin Harth, Sonya Kalian, Connie Lamothe, Janna Livingston, Nataly Martin, Joe Mayes, Nathan McDonald, Madeline Mikitarian, Nick Nerangis, Hannah Overholtzer, Anna Grace Padgett, Tony Villa
Produced by Sam Mikitarian
Cinematography by David Doko
Music by James F. Cotton
Film Editing by Jeff Herberger and Erik Kristopher Myers
Written and Directed by Lisa Mikitarian
Genre: Noir comedy in black and white/color
122 minutes
SYNOPSIS
Poor Herbert… if only the brain tumor had killed him… A charming dark comedy with a vintage vibe. A wife and son live it up while their miser-rat of a husband/father lies in a hospital bed – death by brain tumor imminent. It’s all fun and games until he experiences a miraculous 4th of July recovery.
So this is a story of a very put-upon mother (Connie Lamothe) and son (Darren Barzegar) duo who start draining the bank account of the penny pincher patriarch of the family – Herbert Shumacher (Nick Nerangis). Herbert has been in the hospital for the last three months dying from an inoperable brain tumor. But to everyone’s chagrin, Herbert makes a miraculous recovery. Everything is dialed back to square one, except the family is now penniless. How to solve this? Rat poison may be involved…
I love this movie. Lisa Mikitarian knocks it out of the park on her freshman production. A great story with good direction melded with the right cast and crew. David Doko’s cinematography is nothing short of breath-taking. Careful consideration was taken with the composition of every shot. Even though it most likely takes place in modern day, there is a timeless quality and feel to every frame of this motion picture. James F. Cotton has written beautiful music that melds perfectly to the images that appear on the screen. The editing by both Jeff Herberger and Erik Kristopher Myers has Swiss clock precision timing.
And what of the performances? Well, it’s a perfect cast. Nick Nerangis is wonderful as the miserly Herbert, yet comes off as a likable oaf. Connie Lamothe portrays his long suffering wife that yearns for a few creature comforts and excitement in her dull life. Darren Barzeger plays Lonnie Shumacher, the hapless son of the couple that dreams of a fast car but has to ride to work on a bicycle. Madeline Mikitarian and Tony Villa are perfectly cast as two scheming gold diggers.
FINAL RATING: 9/10 Thumbs Up! This movie is a welcome addition to the world of independent filmmaking. I hope it gets an incredible distribution deal (it deserves it) and ends up released on DVD, Bluray and VOD. Until that time, details of the movie can be found on its Facebook page.
When it comes out… SEE IT!