Friday, Jun. 12, 2009

'Skills Like This' has skills

By Gary Wolcott, atomictown.com

Max Solomon writes a horrible play. The premise and the dialogue are laughable.

Max knows he can’t write and decides to find a new profession. He robs a bank. Deciding this is his new, best destiny, Max embarks on a career or crime. Complicating that decision is a serious love connection between bank robber and the teller he robs and friends that know what he’s done. Impressed by Max’s bravado his friends get sucked into his modern-day Robin Hood fantasy.

-- Trailier, times, theaters.

Skills like This begins with an outrageous concept and takes it to the — pun definitely intended — max. You know going in that the film written by co-stars and first-time writers Spencer Berger and Gabriel Tigerman and directed by first-timer Monty Miranda is going to be indy-standard-quirky.

This is where independent movies have a lot in common with mainstream movies and television sitcoms. Though packed with unpredictable characters, realism, slick, often-gritty dialogue and endings that have more in common with real life than happy ending happy Hollywood, independent films are still predictable. So in a way, the non-formula is formula.

Things that can only happen to characters in independent movies happen to these characters. It is the independent formula in its purest form and is one more brick in the wall of proof that you don’t need millions of dollars and big name stars to make a quality movie.

It just takes skills like this.

Mr. Movie rating: 5 stars

Rated R for mature themes, language. It opens Friday, June 12 at the Carmike 12.

5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.