After hearing about this movie on Twitter for about a year, it finally opened in NY and I got my chance to see it. I can safely say there is not an once of Bella Swan in Kristen Stuwert's performance. Her character Mollary is dirty, broken and gritty. Stewert brings us along for the ride fearlessly. James Gandolfini brings new life to himself with a midwestern dialect and a very kind but damaged soul and makes you forget all about Tony Saprano from the door. However, the standout performance was Michelle Leo. Her evolution with this character is Oscar worthy and leaves nothing but the need to root for her.
Director Jake Scott seems to take special pains not to exploit the Mollary character by using shodowing and artistic camera angles in which the audience gets the idea without the gratuitous cheap shots lesser directors must've used to cheapen the story.
All in all, if you love really good strong movies with heart and soul this movie is a must see . If your looking for Twilight...wait till next year.…Full Review »
I completely fell in love with this. And, even though it is generally well received, I am truly astonished that it has gotten even a noticeable amount of lackluster reviews. I do not see what is not to like. All three of the main actors/actresses are real all the way down to the marrow, the story unfolds very smoothly with all of the passion, humor and soulfulness that one may find in real life, and what I really adore about Welcome to the Riley's is that at no point did I feel as though I was being told a tale. It wasn't like watching a movie. It was more like watching a documentary. Because everything from the smallest facial expressions, to the most insignificant gestures is just saturated with texture and emotion. It's the quick and thoughtless remarks that the characters make, and the angles of certain glimpses of camera work that allow us, the audience, to understand what is really going on underneath all of the outward doings and occurrences. I was invested, I was interested, I was engaged and I cared about everything that was happening in this fictional world that died in two hours. Aspiring filmmakers, take notes. This is how you make something memorable and evocative. Truly touching. Moving in more ways than one. And even though nothing really sad happens during the course of the film...I almost found my self crying from the sheer humanity. Brilliant. Wonderful. Special.…Full Review »
WOW. Critics are so quick to under rate this movie. I was genuinely moved by all three characters, due to the acting, it was extremely well done, especially for an indie, James really plays his character well, I was surprised with his phenomenal performance, and Kristen was very good, stepping out off her stereotypical role as Bella, I'm sick off people saying she cannot act, how can you judge an actress if you've only seen the twilight movies, she really stepped up to the mark. Melissa, James and Kristen had perfect chemistry on screen. The only thing I disliked was the lack of closure at the end, but it was enough to keep me happy, I just wanted a bit more, even five minutes would've made more sense, but overall, the film was amazing, a must see...Soo under rated.…Full Review »
