ctznack Reviews

Klepto (2003)

Masterfully crafted!

[31 October 2003]

I too have seen KLEPTO and consider the listed review from Austin to be wildly inaccurate. KLEPTO is a self-assured directing debut by a director that has a bright future. So what if he chooses to tell a story through multiple angles? Must every film review of every film begin with the Hollywood formula, specifically that a film must follow a singular protagonist through a specific set of paces that we have all become so sensitive to that we can predict them in our sleep?!

Tom Trail has the good sense to take the O.C.D. psychological disorder and frame it in a real life situation, make it feel as though it could be the basis for those noises you hear coming through your own apartment wall, the life experience of a neighboring stranger you've never seen...His "Emily" as played by the juicy Meredith Bishop with conviction, despite her having to remain frail and unhinged, falls prey to the wiles and incliniations and ultimate scheme of the devious Security Specialist (watch for Jsu Garcia to become the next Latin male superstar in the Benicio Del Toro mold!). It's not at all "heavy handed" as one reviewer previously reported. It's a dance of sorts, the way "Nick" inserts himself into Emily's life right as her neurotic mother comes to stay for an unwanted visit.

For me it was the fascinating and visually strategic lines of two people paths coming together, becoming inextricably intertwined, that was so fun, so involving. This succint (the flick is a brisk 84 minutes) and astute character study breaks out of the gate at race horse's pace and never lets up! The photography, the smaller supporting roles, the music (some of it performed on a classical piano even!), and one of the best single take "long shots" of the year (eat your heart out Scorsese!) all approximate the material to the perfect degree. This film is like a complicated meal, one with many ingredients, all vital to its final finish as a dish...nothing is peppered in here with the "heavy hand" suggested by the previous reviewer and the result? Delicious and full of depth.

Find this film, whatever it

Lonely Place (2004)

I worked for the director and would like to congratulate him on winning the race and finishing his film in high style!

[10/10 · 31 October 2003]

As a woman who has worked on 3 short films and 2 feature endeavors, I can safely state that working for Kevin Ackerman has refreshed my memory as to why I ever wanted to make movies in the first place. Assisting him at various times during post production, in setting up his company, seeing how he struggled on a day-to-day basis, always trying to make this little half hour film better...I have never met someone as committed as he was and is.

The film, LONELY PLACE, exists as a polished first short, evocative of a time and place, faithful to the Film Noir genre Kevin so loves (and has studied extensively), purposefully un-flashy and somehow extremely mature. I watched the films Kevin told me were influences on LONELY PLACE while he finished it this last year -- The Postman Always Rings Twice, Repulsion, all the Hitchcocks etc. -- and I respect his choice to make a small film about three people inhabiting one space, a farmhouse, but with a larger thematic issue at stake: What is at the core of Marriage if, in fact, there isn't Love? And what would you do if, after giving 20 years to a man, living and working hard for him, you found out that he didn't love or even respect you? LONELY PLACE tackles the difficult premise, weaves a web, has fun with what one woman might do in a bygone era, given just such knowledge of her partner...not an easy thing to do in a half hour!

LONELY PLACE will, undoubtedly, play well in festivals and Kevin's career will fluorish in the aftermath. Of this much I am certain. I sign off for the last time, the night before my return home overseas, thankful for my time here in the United States working with such talented artists like kevin and all the rest. See LONELY PLACE!