Reviews

At first it looks like this will be another Super Hero themed short film as Chris R. Notarile does them so well, but this short film is more about the creator of the character than the character herself.

Ross Everett (Roberto Lombardi) is a comic book creator / writer who has had limited success and is struggling not only financially, but creatively as he has a bad case of writers block.

At his wits end, he contemplates suicide. But in a dream he is visited by his most famous creation "Ultra-Girl" who helps him to realize his own worth, then literally talks him off the ledge.

The subject matter here is amazing. It really shows the struggle that creative people must go through trying to break into and remain relevant in the entertainment business. It's well written and gives non entertainment folks a glimpse of how difficult the business is. Mr. Notarile has stated that this subject matter is very personal to him and it shows.

Chris R. Notarile created some beautiful cinematography for this film. The opening scenes of Ross on the roof are beautiful and dreamlike, while the hotel room scenes are stark and sad looking. It ends with a beautifully shot scene that's colorful and gives the feeling of life and renewal.

As usual, Roberto Lombardi shows just how fantastic of an actor he is by presenting a range of emotions. Anger, fear, doubt, vulnerability, shyness and eventual happiness. They're all there and he does them all extremely well.

Lindsey Bean does a great job as Ultra-Girl. She has a knack for emoting strength and caring at the same time while both supporting and chastising her creator. She is definitely an actor to watch out for in the future.

The Krueger web series has been around since 2011. It has gained a huge, world wide audience and has many fans. I'm not surprised as I have been a huge fan and supporter since it started. I even started a petition to have it's star, Roberto Lombardi, officially cast as the new Freddy Krueger! Editing all five of the Krueger films into one film is brilliant. It gives Elm Street fans most of what they've been asking for in a prequel film. It focuses on how Freddy lures/abducts children, what goes on in his head, how he hides in plain sight by fitting in with society and finally how he gets the idea to go after Springwood's children in their dreams. All fitting very nicely into the canon of the original Elm Street series.

Director Chris R. Notarile does an amazing job of creating a moody, terrifying atmosphere whether it's the dark of night or broad daylight. He's written dialogue that these characters would actually say and written Freddy as an absolute monster with no hint of a jokester. All of this is edited perfectly with just the sounds and music by Notarile.

Roberto Lombardi brings new life to Freddy Krueger by making him a little bit familiar, but mostly by playing him his way as a vile, loathsome, child killer. The duality of ruthlessly killing children pit against his obvious love for his daughter is acted very well. Lombardi should be cast as the new Krueger and New Line knows it! He's brilliant.

Each of the three child victims are fantastic in their roles (Jacob Flowers, Breanna Lakatos, Gracie De La Rosa). They genuinely look confused and scared, while Danica Metzger is adorable as Katherine Krueger.

Other stand outs acting wise are Jessica Buda (Mary Hanson), Shannon McDermott (Dr. Johnson) and Shawn Parr (Lt. Donald Thompson), but all of the acting is believable and well done. I especially appreciate that the original Elm Street house was used, as well as the original police station from the 1984 film.

If you're an Elm Street fan you owe it to yourself to watch this.

I have been following the progress of the Masks Trilogy since first hearing about it in 2013 and was really looking forward to it. I saw it at the Terror Film Festival and it was well worth the wait!

Masks is comprised on three short film segments (Sentient, Façade and Exordium) that are edited together into a 41 minute featurette.

**Spoilers Ahead**

SENTIENT: The featurette opens with the murder of a homeless drunk named Kruck (Jesus M. Villanueva) who falls victim to a killer in a silver skull mask.

From here we meet Steve (Roberto Lombardi) who had run into his high school friend Marcus (Walter DeShields) at a bar. They decide to take the party to Marcus's house, but instead of a party, they come face to face with The Mask (Anthony Horton). The Mask knocks out Marcus and forces Steve to confront his demons by terrorizing him. One thing leads to another and two of the three don't survive.

FACADE: A prequel to Sentient, Façade shows the transformation of a family man into The Mask. The gnawing feeling of murder transforms him into a killer whose first victim is his good friend Tim (director Charles A. Christman III - Roberto Lombardi directs this segment).

EXORDIUM: Finally, the story turns to days after Sentient where drug addict Steve is in a bar watching a news segment about the murder of Marcus. He decides to score drugs from Mick (W. Keith Sgrillo) who makes the mistake of trying to swindle Steve. Steve then realizes his true addiction is power, not drugs, and goes through his own transformation similar to The Mask.

REVIEW: The direction, story, cinematography and music are amazing and engaging. The film flows very naturally and is quite scary. The acting is absolutely fantastic throughout. Especially the encounter between Steve and The Mask in Sentient, The gradual transformation of The Mask in Façade and the confrontation between Steve and Mick in Exordium. All the better due to the inventive camera angles and choice of shots throughout.

Highly recommended!!

The 2011 film that started it all for the Krueger: Tales from Elm Street series! After opening with Krueger (Roberto Lombardi) taunting a victim, the scene changes to Freddy handcuffed in an interrogation room. Lt. Thompson (Shawn Parr) arrives and tries to coax Freddy into confessing. Something Freddy would NEVER do! Eventually, Freddy gets the upper hand and Thompson loses his cool and is dragged out of the room as Freddy continues to taunt him! The film looks a bit grainy (I assume by design), but the acting is amazing and fits neatly into the canon of the original series. Amazingly, I don't see Englund and Saxon when I watch this. I see two actors giving such a believable performance that all I see is Krueger and Thompson.

Apparently, the Krueger series is so influential now that there are fan films of this fan series! That "Confessions" movie borrows heavily from these films and even has their Freddy say "pretty please" right before a detective is dragged out of the room! They also copy shots of Krueger in a park, a kid on a swing, Freddy slinking along a wall and more.

Not to mention there's an "author" who posted excerpts from his "original" Elm Street prequel book (Razor's Edge?) on Facebook recently that lifts dialogue not only from the original series, but from Blinky Productions Krueger series!

I guess Chris and Roberto should be flattered as they were the first...

At the outset, 'Turned' seems to have been conceived as sort of a return to form for the vampire film after the 'Twilight' series with it's tagline of "Vampires don't sparkle, they BURN!".

But 'Turned' is so much more. It has all the action and drama you'd want from a vampire hunter film, but it dials up the comedy with little quips and one liners. It also uses clichés in a way that is refreshingly not cliché! The key is that the actors play the gags and clichés very seriously which makes them all the more funny and exciting at the same time.

Jack (Josh Rothman) and Padre (Roberto Lombardi) lead a team of vampire slayers and are the only survivors of an ambush by vampire leader Monty (Christian Chase). But while Padre gets away, Jack has been bitten by Monty and now has one day before he becomes a vampire himself!

After returning to a safe house, Jack tells Padre of his dilemma and both decide to take down Monty and his crew before Jack is turned.

Other notable performances are by Athena Brensberger ("Heather"), Mackenzie Medwin ("Ruby") and genre star Seregon O'Dassey ("Jewel")

Along with the comedy and action, there are a few heartfelt scenes that really show the versatility of the actors involved. Chris R. Notarile also shines with fantastic writing, a great blend of practical and digital effects, amazing locations and beautiful cinematography.

I would love a full feature film of Turned that includes a bit of back story and a bit of what happens after this short ends!

***Spoilers*** Now on the fifth installment of the Krueger series, The Legend of Elm Street brings the story full circle and picks up ten years after the events of The Slasher from Elm Street, as well as the day after the interrogation in A Tale from Elm Street.

The film opens with Freddy Krueger (Roberto Lombardi) and his lawyer (Christian Chase) on the steps of the police station addressing the media upon Freddy's release. Lombardi plays it sympathetic until the very end when he flashes an evil glance at the cameras! Incidentally, this is the same location from the 1984 Wes Craven film! Freddy then retreats to his boiler room where he breaks down over the loss of his wife and daughter. The angry parents of Springwood show up and seal the fate of their children by burning Freddy to death in a stunning fire gag scene. In the afterlife, Freddy is then visited by Phantom Selista (from Notarile's "Phantom Faye" series!) who gives Freddy his glove which begins his transformation into the dream demon. Way better than those floating amoeba things in the original series, plus it's fun that Selista is introduced into Krueger! We then fade into Mikey's mother, Mary (Jessica Buda) in a session with her therapist, Dr. Johnson (Shannon McDermott), who both participated in the burning of Freddy. The doctor hypnotizes Mary and she falls asleep...

What follows in pure magic! After seeing her son Mikey in the park with Freddy, she tries to stop his abduction only to confront a now horribly burnt Krueger who taunts her. Mary then unwittingly gives Freddy his revenge plan (which I won't spoil here) before attacking her in her dream.

This is by far the best film in the series with an incredible script, wonderful cinematography, special effects and fantastic direction by Chris R. Notarile. I especially appreciated the original take on the makeup and that a mask of Robert Englund was not used! Jessica Buda, Shannon McDermott and Christian Chase all shine in their respective roles and I believed their performances. High praise! If there was ever any doubt who should carry on the Krueger role, that doubt has now been erased. Roberto Lombardi is brilliant as Freddy and brings his own style to the role both in and out of the makeup. New Line Cinema should be breaking Mr. Lombardi's door down trying to get him cast in their new Elm Street reboot!

and it's partially hit, mostly miss for me.

I watched the trailer when it came out and I thought it was derivative of other projects, but seemed to be shot well. The film was released online recently so I decided to give it a watch.

Well... I think this is a fairly decent attempt, but I think I was right about it borrowing a bit too much from what's already been done in regard to a prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Three things about the film stick out in my mind.

1) The grungy, dirty homeless outcast Freddy was attempted a few years ago in a film called "Son of a Hundred Maniacs" that was never made. I didn't think that version of Freddy worked then and I don't now. It's way too obvious that this drifter version of Freddy would be the Springwood Slasher. It would be no surprise and way less frightening to the police and the people of Springwood and what child would be lured away by this Freddy? Yes, I know that there is a short story that portrays Fred this way but it is not canon.

2) There are quite a few scenes that seem lifted directly out of the short film series "Krueger: Tales from Elm Street". Most of "The Confession of Fred Krueger" revolves around an interrogation scene (done in "A Tale from Elm Street"), plus there's some exact same cinematography such as Freddy stalking in a playground (done in "Another Tale from Elm Street"), Freddy slinking along a building in daylight (done in "A Walk Through Elm Street", the detective being dragged out of the interrogation room (again done in "A Tale from Elm Street") and more. Confessions even has it's Freddy say "pretty please" during the interrogation, lifting dialogue directly from the Krueger series.

3) The film is decently shot, the score is great, but the acting is very singular. Not a cut on the actor who plays Freddy as the character was written that way, but again, it's not canon and leaves no room for the actor to really show any versatility. All of this, of course, is just my opinion.

I felt the Krueger series did all of the above better. They also did it first.

***Minor Spoilers***

WOW!! Paranormal Captivity tells the story of Sarah. She loses her husband, her home and most of her money. That forces her to move in with her creepy old Uncle. A psychotic debt collector is after her and she's being stalked. Is it by ghosts or a crazy funeral director?

There are three story lines in Paranormal Captivity that are all related to the unfortunate Sarah (Caitlyn Fletcher). Sarah and Thomas the debt collector (Roberto Lombardi), Sarah and the funeral director (Edward X. Young) and Sarah and the ghosts/Uncle Steven (Samuel L.M. Cole).

The three stories seem unrelated, but intersect at the end of the film where there is a big plot twist and reveal! It's all very well thought out and leads the viewer in one direction only to take a left turn at the end! Great stuff!

Other notable performances are Jason Vail as Gary, Suzi Lorraine as Samantha, Linnea Sage as Kelly and Jerry Ross as William. Each of these supporting characters drive the story along and add to the lead characters.

The ghost effects are done really well and the makeup and blood effects are all practical. No CGI!

Highly recommended!

I picked this up and reviewed it on Amazon in 2010!

Being from Philadelphia and loving indie films, I'm always looking to seek out and support film makers from not only Philly, but New Jersey, Delaware and New York. That said, I have always loved Vampire films and this one is very different!

***MINOR SPOILERS*** It's about a family of vampires that survive in the modern world by living off of a blood bank that they own. One night one of the vampires is attacked in the street by a mugger and she kills him, drinks his blood and contracts AIDS. What follows is how the vampire family deals with the situation.

This film is an original and fresh look at vampire lore and is acted amazingly well by Matt Locker, Deana Demko and Cathy Loch. I didn't care for the one or two sex scenes in this, but that is a minor complaint. The special effects were decent and there is a very large cast, multiple locations and it's all handled well by director John Orrichio.

***Minor Spoilers*** DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with this film in any way. I am a fan!

A scientist is hired by the government to create android fighting machines to combat rebel forces. When the android is to be destroyed, it goes on a killing spree.

Years later, the android project is again attempted by the same scientist who creates the android in the image of his dead wife. The rebels capture the android and reprogram it to think for itself and to have feelings.

This is one of Chris R. Notarile's best films. The cinematography, editing, effects and locations are so thought out and the storyline, while not unique, is a cohesive, different take on a familiar theme. All of this done on a very small $17,000 budget.

As for the acting, Notarile has managed to assemble the best of his troop of actors and they really deliver. Samantha Talbott plays LIA both in life and as an android flawlessly. Kasey Williams and Dana Jesberger shine in their roles as the leaders of the rebels, while Rick Zahn and Mark Hawk make their characters appropriately unlikeable. But it's Roberto Lombardi, as Dr. Peter Hess, who carries this film. He alternates between a mad scientist with a hatred for the rebels and a tortured man who mourns LIA. The scene where she dies is one of the best and Lombardi's emotional performance sets the stage for what comes next.

Don't believe the trolls, haters and self appointed expert cinephiles who open IMDb accounts just so they can bash movies. See movies and make up your own mind.

1) Other than there being androids in this film, it is nothing like The Terminator.

2) There are no fake reviews. Mine and the other positive reviews are from fans. The other reviewer published his review.

3) Anyone who thinks their opinion should be regaled as fact has a serious ego problem.

You'll notice the bad reviews never give any specific examples. They just use their review as an excuse to insult people. How disrespectful and juvenile.

***SPOILERS*** Fans have been craving Freddy Krueger based movies since "Freddy vs Jason", but fans were mostly unhappy with the 2010 remake starring Jackie Earle Haley.

Then in 2011 a short film called "Krueger (A Tale from Elm Street)" was released by Chris R. Notarile/Blinky Productions starring Roberto Lombardi as Freddy Krueger. That was followed in 2011 by the hugely successful film "The Nightmare Ends on Halloween II". Fans of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series all over the world were ecstatic! Finally, a film maker and actor were worthy of continuing the series! Then in 2013 the film, "Krueger (Another Tale from Elm Street)", was released to even greater acclaim - even making some of the "top" lists of 2013.

Massive publicity demanded a third film and in 2014 "Krueger (A Walk Through Elm Street)" proves that Chris and Roberto are indeed worthy successors to Wes Craven and Robert Englund!

The film gives us a glimpse into the way Freddy's mind works and how he hides in plain sight while plotting the abduction of Springwood's children. There are scenes of Freddy walking through Springwood playing friendly neighbor on one hand and stalking/abducting a child (Jacob Flowers) on the other with a narrative by Freddy over those scenes. This is mixed together with a chance encounter with a very pregnant Marge Thompson (Vera Vanguard) who explains she thinks she's having a girl that they will name Nancy... The film is perfect in every way!

I have heard that these short films are taken from scenes in a full feature film script. All I can say is if anyone can do a prequel film justice it's these guys! Hollywood: Give us Chris and Roberto NOW!

*Minor Spoilers*

Back in the summer of 2011, Chris R. Notarile and Roberto Lombardi released a brilliant prequel film based on the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" series called "Krueger (A Tale from Elm Street). It received high praise around the world from fans and critics alike and received very positive reviews.

Fans have been asking for more ever since and finally we get what we asked for! Many fans, myself included, have always wanted to see just how Freddy lured his victims while he was alive and we have been writing to Chris and Roberto for almost two years to show us!

Well, the wait is over! Roberto Lombardi once again portrays Freddy Krueger in two ways. Oily and manipulative while luring Suzy. Pure evil when he's got her in his lair. AMAZING! Chris R. Notarile steps up his game with a fantastic script and cinematography that is breathtakingly beautiful! The whole film makes you both uncomfortable and frightened! Just like a Freddy film should be!

No other Freddy fan films come close to being this good and stay true to the originals. No matter what you may have heard, Notarile and Lombardi are the prequel originators! HELLO, Hollywood! Are you listening?

My only complaint? It was just over 6 minutes long and I want more! But, from what I've heard these two short films are part of a much larger script. Here's hoping!

***Minor Spoilers*** Leave it to Chris R. Notarile to take the western genre and give it a twist! It's no secret that I am a huge Blinky fan, but recently Chris' films have become more than just action or horror. They have become stories with a moral or a message along with his trademark heroes and anti heroes.

"American Lawless" is the story of Luke (Shawn Parr), the former leader of a band of freedom fighting bank robbers, who leaves his outlaw life behind when he meets Rose (Kasey Williams) and sends his former cohorts to jail.

After getting out of prison, new leader Quinn (Roberto Lombardi), Marko (Hector De La Rosa) and Vince (Nick Grock) exact revenge and abduct Rose leaving Luke beaten and bloody.

Without giving too much away, the first half of the film concentrates on establishing Luke and Quinn's reasons for turning on each other. Things really get interesting when Luke arrives at the gangs hideout.

There is a fantastic fight scene between Parr and De La Rosa and an effective gun fight between Parr and Grock that will make any Blinky fan happy! But the real surprises are in the confrontation between Lombardi and Parr. The scene is emotional and sad with a great twist at the end.

Kudos to the cast... Parr for playing Luke with not just bravado, but sensitivity toward his former friends. Lombardi plays Quinn as ruthless, but also as deeply hurt by the betrayal. De La Rosa plays Marko as the ultimate outlaw. Grock plays Vince as the "in over his head" flunkee and Williams plays Rose as anything but a damsel in distress. Rounding out the cast is Mike Fass who plays Han as a hapless victim of circumstance.

Notarile's cinematography is grade A here with beautifully shot night scenes, interesting interiors, perfect camera angles and special effects that enhance without overshadowing.

One of the best Blinky Productions films ever!

Being a true fan of independent films, I have been a major fan of Chris R. Notarile and his talented group of actors for quite some time.

Whatever themes Chris tackles in his films, be it horror or superhero fan films or his own amazing original work, I have always been entertained! Since mid 2011 I have noticed a bit of a change in Chris' work and it's for the better. The trailers for "Stand Off" and "American Lawless" hinted at more personal stories being told while retaining his signature action film sequences. These films required actors that were talented enough to portray the emotional depth of the characters.

That brings me to "Choice". We are introduced to a struggling actress (Kerri Miller) who is at the end of her emotional rope. Literally ready to end it all when she is visited by an apparition or manifestation that calls herself Choice (Mandy Evans) and she has to choose the direction that her life and legacy will take in a matter of moments.

Both women absolutely own their characters and flawlessly portray them. The best compliment I can give is that I didn't see Kerri and Mandy. I saw the Actress and Choice. You can feel despair at the start and then the weight of the decision the Actress must make. The cool indifference and subtle sarcasm of Choice is chilling right up until the Actress decides to live and she caringly says "good choice". Brilliant.

Chris shot the film in both color and black and white and gave the whole encounter with Choice a dreamlike quality that was perfect. The special effects and makeup accent the film, but never overshadow it. The beautiful song by Hypodive at the end is also notable.

I'm happy to report that with "Choice" Mr. Notarile has evolved as a filmmaker and proved that not only can he do justice to Snake Plissken, Freddy Krueger and The Dollman, but that he can produce dramatic work full of layers and emotion. I can't see how any serious film-goer could possibly rate "Choice" below 7 or 8 stars.

"Choice" is not a one time effort. See "Host", "Roses", "Spilt" and the aforementioned "American Lawless" for proof!

For an early effort made at the start of his career in 2004, Chris R. Notarile managed to make an enjoyable, interesting and well made short film called "The Nightmare Ends on Halloween". The fact that it was shot on home video is further proof of how good it was and showed promise of the talented filmmaker that Notarile would become.

The only drawback to the original film was that, at that time, a suitable pool of good actors wasn't available to Mr. Notarile.

Fast forward seven years and the sequel "The Nightmare Ends on Halloween II" not only outshines, but buries the first film. The evidence is the fact that the ending of the original film has been completely re shot for Part II and then leads directly into the battle! Compare the two versions of this scene. It's obvious Part II is far superior! The first thing you notice is how professional everything is. Superior lighting, camera work, editing and direction. The story is less talk and all action from the start! Action fans will love the fight scenes and horror fans will appreciate Notarile's attention to detail both in characters and story.

Regarding the acting - OMG what an improvement! Hector De La Rosa, Anthony Palmisano, Josh Rothman and Jerry Todisco don't even have dialogue, but they totally nail the essence of Jason, Michael and Leatherface. Kevin Lennon completely embodies Pinhead (with fantastic Pinhead voice by Notarile) and Roberto Lombardi is absolutely perfect as Freddy Krueger! Lombardi plays Freddy more as a homage instead of flat out copying Robert Englund, while portraying the character his way! This film and "Krueger (A Tale from Elm Street) are proof that Notarile and Lombardi can handle this material and the fans seem to agree!

I'm serious! I don't understand the jealous hatred some "reviewers" post about this film both here and especially on Amazon. I guess it's true. Those who can't do, BASH! Speaking of "bash", METHODIC has the distinction of being the very first "basher" film! Anyway, sure there's a similarity to HALLOWEEN, but director Chris R. Notarile freely admits his love of that film and that METHODIC was originally intended as a reboot / remake of the John Carpenter classic.

All that aside, METHODIC starts out on familiar ground with a small boy who kills his parents, but quickly develops into it's own interesting and original story where we learn that the entity known as "The Dollman" is more like a virus than a spirit so anyone can't become The Dollman. This theme is explored more in the short sequel METHODIC 1.5 and that film shows where the storyline is going and it has nothing to do with HALLOWEEN !! As for the acting, Brandon Slagle, Niki Rubin, Tony Dadika and Stephen Muzzonigro completely nail their roles and the supporting cast is equally as good with standouts being Daniel Werzinger, Christine Allanach and Roberto Lombardi (who's storyline features heavily in METHODIC 1.5). Also, having Charles Cyphers in the movie is AMAZING! Visually, METHODIC is stark and disturbing in all the right places and the music really enhances the visuals. Pick this up if you like old school horror with a good story. If you're into body count movies about drunk teens, pass on this!

I am a huge fan of indie films, actors and film makers and I had been reading online about Bazookas: The Movie for a long time and it was worth the wait!

***SPOILERS*** The owner of a family owned gym, Gus Bazooka (Stosh Zona, dies suddenly and leaves the business to his two sons. Angus (Vinny Duwe) is the good son trying to keep the business going and Judah (Sean R. Brooks) is the weasel of an older brother trying to sabotage the gym so he can sell it! The two brother make a bet that will give control of the gym over to the winner and that's where the movie really shines!

Angus enlists his employees (Angela Cohen, Nicole Galati, Jason J. Michael, Roberto Lombardi & Steven Nelson) to help him save the gym by introducing some sexy new classes, while Judah plots to destroy it with his henchmen (Joseph Campellone and Omar Portilla).

Bazookas is total slapstick, college humor in the vein of Porky's or Old School and is just as good (if not better) than most!

*SPOILERS* I bought this film from Amazon and I really liked it! I've read some really positive reviews and some negative ones as well, but being an indie film fan and a fan of previous John Orrichio films - I bought Abduction. The camera-work is his best yet with beautiful outdoor shots and disturbing lighting and effects that show how the town is twisted behind closed doors, but picturesque and normal to the outside world.

It's the story of a remote New Jersey small town that is not on any map. Basically the townsfolk kidnap unsuspecting tourists and sell them into slavery, they harvest their organs for sale on the black market or make leather goods out of them! Everything starts to unravel when an up & coming pop star from South America is kidnapped and her bodyguards come to town to find her. The whole town is in on the secret. The story is original and plays out well. The first 10 minutes are a little slow, but it picks up nicely from there.

As for the acting, Tony Rugnetta (Jacob) is excellent. His best role to date. Roberto Lombardi (Johnny) is perfect, convincingly evil & sexy at the same time! Christy Callas (Lilly) who is vulnerable & sinister at the same time and Gerry Kirschbaum (Doc) who has the cool demeanor of a Doctor with a hidden mania. Other notable performances are Deana Demko (Rosie) and Christina Sampson (Myrtle). There is rarely a stumble by any of the actors.

I also think that to truly enjoy this film you have to take it for what it is. A low budget, well made drama / thriller that is a little creepy, a little campy/funny and a little bloody. It's not a horror film per se and it's not for everyone. If you want the thrills of a Saw movie, pass on this. If you like Rosemary's Baby, this is right up your alley. The film has gotten bashed, but I believe that is coming from former colleagues of the film maker who are bitter. Judge for yourself!!

*SPOILERS* I recently bought a copy of 'Just Like Me' because I am a fan of indie films & in particular one of the actors (Roberto Lombardi) who is in this film.

The film is about a half hour long and is the story of Bobby Greene (Lombardi) a comedian who thinks he needs to be more serious to find love and Marv Holtz (John Chisholm) a psychologist who wants to be funnier for the same reason. Barabara Kelly (Christina Sampson) places 2 ads in a singles paper because she doesn't know what she wants.

Both Bobby & Marv wind up dating Barbara but none of them realize it! As for the story, it's a familiar love triangle theme that is an interesting story with a surprise twist at the end. The 3 lead roles are acted very well, as well as the supporting roles of Buddy (Art Lyle) & Sheila (Jennifer Wiener). Dolores Lombardi is also very funny as Mrs. Nuesbaum, a patient of Marv's that has a fish phobia! Lombardi's comedy club routines are also very funny! I took a point away for production value. While the visuals are fine, the audio track is a little hard to hear in a couple of places. The music in the film is perfect & fits the film well.

Not 100% perfect, but I'd still recommend this pretty highly!

I've watched Chris R. Notarile's 'Maniac Cop' a few times now & it is so good that I keep going back for more. But then again, I just love Chris' films! The plot line follows some of the original film and left me wanting to see an entire movie and not just a short! Kim Santiago is perfect as the victim and looks the part to a T! Scott Dadika just scares me as the Maniac Cop and is more than worthy to carry on from the original. Damien is also good, but my favorite actor in this is Roberto Lombardi! He's just so believable and such a great actor that goes from a tough, self assured thug to scared out of his mind in the space of a few minutes! If you haven't seen this you should check it out!