silvervelvet1 Reviews

Detroit Unleaded (2007)

A fantastic new voice in film

[10/10 · 10 August 2007]

Director Rola Nashef brings a unique voice to indie cinema with this fantastic story about the lives that revolve around the family gas station.

It's a serious story - Will Mike (the manager) use the family gas station as a springboard to upward mobility? And will Sami get a visit from his sweetheart Naj?

But "Detroit Unleaded" has its comedic moments too - Some of the customers deliver hilarious one-liners that come straight out of the heart of Detroit in the middle of the night.

There's a reason why this film is winning awards at festivals everywhere. "Detroit Unleaded" is a terrific, fun film, and an important new voice in cinema.

Broken (I) (2007)

"Broken" is an indie filmmaker's calling card

[8/10 · 10 August 2007]

After reading about "Broken" in the newspapers, I decided to go to the Detroit premiere to see what everyone was talking about - could this film shot for only $985 stand up? It did - in fact, the movie not only stood up, the crowd did too. The directors got a standing ovation at the end.

"Broken" bills itself as a story about abuse starring The Boyfriend, The Junkie and The Girl. It's about physical abuse, mental abuse and drug abuse.

One of the things that impressed me about the film is how the directors were able to do so much with no budget. Much like "Sex, Lies and Videotape", there are only a few characters as well as minimal and realistic sets like a private home or office. And like "Clerks", there are virtually no close up shots, but it works well. The coloring is also very interesting. It's not black and white, but not quite full-color either. It has a sort of blue-gray tone that captures the emotional impact throughout the movie.

Overall, "Broken" is a reminder that it's definitely possible to make a quality, micro-budget film.

The Death of Michael Smith (2006)

A great film

[9/10 · 10 August 2007]

"The Death of Michael Smith" is a fantastic indie film told in a non-linear style. Sometimes this can be a bit hard to follow, but it's a terrific story as the film moves back and forth to capture the events that lead to the title of the film.

The story also explores more than one theme such as how choices impact lives and the relationships between fathers and sons, whether by birth or association.

One of things that's especially impressive is the use of color to enhance the emotional impact of the scenes and the actors - especially the blue tones to emphasize the lonely, isolated feeling of the snowy, outdoor scenes.

Overall, it's a fine film and definitely worthy of the award it won at Slamdamce.