"Donald Cried"

This is what indie films are all about. It's a relatively low-budget movie with a good storyline and great acting from a couple of unknown actors (Jesse Wakeman and Kris Avedisian). Off-beat comedy with plenty of serious moments too. Pete returns to his small town where he grew up to take care of his recently deceased grandma's affairs. He hooks up with Donald, an old high school buddy he hasn't spoken to in years. Pete's a buttoned-down financial advisor and Donald is an off-the-wall eccentric, nut job.  The two spend a day together getting into all kinds of trouble while taking a trip down memory lane. Don't expect a lot of action, just excellent dialogue, good story telling, and great acting.
4 stars out of 5

"What happened to Monday"

If you're a fan of sci-fi-fi and thriller movies, you'll love this flick. It takes place about 75 years in the future. Overpopulation has gotten so out of control that a couple is only allowed to have one child. Much like China today. A grandfather ends up inheriting seven grandchildren. He hides them from the government and teaches them how to survive. It gets complicated, but in the end, the government seeks them out to kill them. It's a pretty intense movie, unlike anything you've ever seen. Well worth watching. 

4 stars out of 5

"The Wedding Party"

A very different Indie flick. It's about a wedding ceremony and the party that follows it. It focuses mainly around the groomsmen and the bridesmaids and their backstories. I didn't notice until about a third of the way through the movie that it was done in one take. No cuts or fade-outs whatsoever. Which means, every actor had exactly one take to deliver his or her line. Sort of like a stage play. Absolutely no retakes. And they pulled it off brilliantly.

4 stars out of 5

"After the Reality"

Interesting and heartfelt movie. It's revolves around two parallel stories. One is a cheesy dating reality tv show and the other is about a brother and sister dealing with the death of their father. The brother is an actor on the dating show, and he meets his sister at their family cabin to clean out their father's belongings before they sell it. It's definitely slow moving and subtle, but I though the acting and writing were great.
4 out of 5 stars

"Take Me"

What an off-beat movie. If you're up for crazy, this movie is for you. It's about a guy who has a company that abducts people who hire him to nab them. He ties them up in his mother's basement and deals with their problems. Then he get an assignment from a well-paying psycho and his job goes horribly wrong. This movie will keep you guessing right until the end.
3.5 out of 5 stars

The Astronaut Farmer

A refreshing family-friendly and inspiring movie. An astronaut, who leaves the space program, decides years later to build his own rocket to circumnavigate the world on his own.  Of course, the FBI, CIA and NASA have to intervene. It stars Billie Bob Thorton, who lives on a farm in Texas. He can't pay his bills and the local bank is going to foreclose on his home, but he continues to chase his dream to blast off into space.
4 stars out of 5

"About Alex"

An off-beat, dialogue heavy movie. If you're looking for an action flick, skip this one. I get the impression that this could originally have been a play. Alex, (Jason Rittrer), tries to commit suicide, to get his old college friends to get together and rally around him. In a way, even though he tried to commit suicide, he was the most normal of the bunch. Great performances all around. Very enjoyable movie.
4 stars out of 5.