Today's review is on the short film "Turning Point", by Peter Anthony Fields of Stow, Ohio. We are looking at a drama, in which while it could easily be labelled family drama, I think the subject material contains moral issues that only adults can begin to touch upon. Life doesn't always give you a smooth care free path. This film works strong ideals through very non-ideal situations. Clever? Perhaps, but let's look into what this movie is about before I talk it up here.
At around 45 minutes, Turning Point gives us a glimpse into what an aspiring LA bound agent from Akron, Ohio is like. With all the expected attitude that someone in this position probably has to become in order to succeed, our character Max launches us into relationship breakup, pompous childishness, and restlessness. Before he knows it, something accidently happens and Max believes he may have negligently become a hit-&-run driver who severely injured an orphan, after watching the news report on the situation. Okay, now that's just plain deep! This is where the title of the film seems to start coming in to play, and a decision of whether helping this kid recover is enough to not turn himself in. Everything is on the line, from career to soul. What about love versus ego? I don't want to spoil everything here because it gets deep and a bit emotional, henceforth the drama aspects. If I told you anything more, it would become obvious and ruined. Is there a happy ending to a dramatic tale like this??? I say you go to http://littlebeth.com/turningpoint.html to purchase a copy.
The injured orphan kid (Danny) is played by Ryan Vincent, who was lovable for a young actor playing such a role. His kid level jokes were "all right" (there's an inside joke in that). Max, played by Brian Richeson, was very alive. I almost get a stage acting vibe from his performance, which is quite likable. Tom, Max's friend/colleague, played by Tonee Purnell, is a pleasant supporting actor, which if this were opted for a feature, I'd have liked to see more depth written in for his character. Yeah, that tip is "optional" (how punny). However, I do believe that between special effects indie films and good stories like this, such a story has a better chance of getting optioned by a major studio. The love interest, Carla, played by Lindsay Bonilla, shows enough emotion to feel her character's pain and helplessness at Max's behavior. Again, character depth is thwarted by this being a short film, in which we come in on her breaking up with Max. A prequel or sequel would bring such depth, but I can't see that being necessary. Joy Borland plays Dr. Adler, in charge of Danny's care. I was drawn to her acting for some reason. She definitely has that "cinematic something" built in. There are a few cast members left, but these were the main ones to touch upon in review.
From what I can tell, Evonne Fields-Gould and Peter Anthony Fields do majority of the writing for Little Beth Productions (www.littlebeth.com), and Peter gets the films to the screen with his crew. I don't know if this is correct, but I think Evonne and Peter are a mother & son team, which if so....fantastic and kudos to family teamwork! Also, I believe Peter Anthony Fields lived in Cleveland, and if so....does that make him a Cleveland, Akron, or Stow filmmaker? Does it really matter? Probably not, because it's not like any of us fellow filmmakers had the luxury of being born in L.A. We are, however, lucky not to have to deal with half the legal and cost issues living here in Ohio, but oh the rain and snow.
The crew consists of Producer Quata Tucker, Assistant Dir's Elizabeth Gould/ Abigail Pink/ Jaclyn Inglis, Sound by Cornelius Gould IV, and more. Original Score is by one of my local favorites, Aryavarta Kumar, who always does a fantastic job in creating the necessary mood.
The pros of this film are as follows, starting with trailer.... The trailer for Turning Point and The Forgotten Ones are my favorites on the DVD I watched. I can tell by various production qualities in the trailers building up to these, there was considerable improvement between each production. Noise reduction was almost transparent between these two trailers, compared to the others on my screener. Subject matter in both drew me in. I believe you can Youtube the trailers and watch them. As for the film itself, noise issues seemed pretty well contained, shot angles good, edits and transitions were transparent, and pacing was appropriate. Music and acting fit as needed. While this is definitely an independent production on a budget, everything works out right and draws you in. Had a Red Camera been brought in with all the trimmings, perhaps the lines would be blurred on such a point. Don't we all wish for such equipment in our filmmaking arsenal?
The cons are basic typical issues associated with most independent films, namely that the footage could benefit from more contrast to improve color/crispness/depth/and overall quality, but may even be so on the current release, for all I know. While there was some background noise that could be removed safely using even more advanced sampling algorithms, it may be fine on current release. Will these issues get in the way of anything? No.....the movie overcomes technical aesthetics. This is a good thing when it comes to indie film.
All in all, I have to say I'm surprised yet again by another independent drama that works. The subject matter is quite intense and thought provoking. Emotions are brought into play because the subject matter, situations, and potential resolves all force the viewer to experience it. This isn't a movie where you can just go "sucks to be him, maaaan!". No, Fields doesn't let you be that type of viewer. You have to make choices while watching this, to some degree, because it's not just handed to you with smiles and dancing. This is a dramatic experience and while some things may make you want to judge character decisions and motives, you still have to consider if you'd do the same in their shoes. There's kind of no way around this. There's no "Cool, I just saw an explosion", or "Wow, there's a mega hot chick in a bikini"....however, there is a guy cut in half, and it's unfortunately quite funny. Check out Little Beth Entertainment's "Turning Point". I believe it will be or already is available on Amazon.com any day now. Just to keep it simple, go to the site mentioned above.
Best,
Kenny
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