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This documentary focuses on the true trials and tribulations of adolescence. A team of high schoolers must learn to work together and learn the important values of what it means to set goals and the hard work it takes to meet them. Their choir director is a sage - he's seen it all before, but still, with each new school year, he is challenged to his maximum. Competition docs are interesting because they have a clear finish line, but this doc is special because it doesn't shy away from the grit and process that it takes to get to that award winning performance. The cast of high schools is vibrant, as are their parents. A great film to watch with your family!

I saw this film at the Austin Film Fest of 2005 and I must say it was one of the better films I saw there. Lewis Helfer, who wrote, directed, and starred in this film, plays Brian, a 32 year old oddball, still living with his parents in NYC. His unique character, including his numerous face twitches, his daily loaf of bread, and unusual thought processes were all visually presented in a smart and comical way. Aware of his pitiful existence, Brian contemplates suicide almost daily, and finally decides to do it. But soon after his decision, he is told by doctors that he will only have two weeks to live. With this prognosis, he decides to live life "to the fullest." With this new rule for life, he decides to talk to the beautiful and mysterious Claire. As things unfold, he finds himself living for the first time, but time is running out. The experimental aspect of the film works very well comically, taking the audience into hilarious dream sequences and the inner-workings of his mind. I really enjoyed this film for it's quaint-ness, if you know what I mean. This was a little story with intricately molded characters that made a lasting impact on me. I unfortunately saw the second screening of the film, where Lewis Helfer was not present. If he was, I'd definitely give him kudos and a hug.

i saw this short film yesterday at the austin film festival and it was just beautiful. beautifully shot, acted, written, and edited. i spoke with the director after the screening and she told me she that this was her thesis film for her MFA at Columbia University. that film dept has been producing the most student academy award winners and winners of film fests around the world. it's a delicate piece and i hope it will get picked up by other festivals. best of luck to this new director, hannah beth king, and to the wonderful actors too. the little girl was beyond words... it's such a heavy role she has to act, and she pulls it off flawlessly.

This film is very, very solid. The acting was absolutely great (Finn Carter's superb performance as a fed up wife, and probably Hudson's best performance to date). Most importantly, the screenplay was cohesive and didn't waste a line - it got to the point, a quality that writers today seem to have a big challenge with. It didn't dabble and didn't satisfy any of the unnecessary rules of screenplay, which was a such a breathe of fresh air. The comedy was organic, not forced out or moronic. This mixed elements of instantaneous laughter with true wit. The themes of family, life as it comes, and true happiness really shown through with the wonderful performances and raw, real dialogue. The only thing that I can say to improve on was the music. I thought the music could have been better in the film because sometimes it would take me out of the moment of the scene. Some original music could have been recorded, which would have made the film better. The audience at Austin film fest loved it, and it was it's world premiere. Only the filmmaker had seen it, the cast, the producer, and everyone else hadn't seen it yet so everyone was nervous. It turned out great, and I wish this all the best of luck.

There is just that special something in Fann Wong and Chris Lee's eyes whenever they are on screen together that really connotes the everlasting love that the two characters have for each other. although i have seen the old 80s HK version, this one came to me first and just the superb acting in it made me a believer. Fann Wong graces the screen so effortlessly it won over many many fans in China; sure as hell did me. as for chris, how more handsome can you ask for in a male lead? i've been looking for the DVD release of this miniseries but i can't find it. hopefully it is still being made because this series is probably one of my favorites to come out of Asia.

A much anticipated miniseries from HK, this turned out to be a huge embarrassment and cheesy attempted remake of Xi You Gi, the Journey To the West, a novel which as been wonderfully remade with the original mandarin version decades ago. First off, it is completely inaccurate. The Monkey King befriends people he's supposed to be enemies with, stuff is out of chronological order, and it's filled with HK teenybopper pop stars in roles that didn't even exist in the book. The fight scenes look exceedingly cheesy, and the special effects used can be seen in any other HK miniseries of the sort. Dicky Cheng is one of my favorite comedy actors in HK, but the whole inaccuracy of this miniseries really got to me. I would recommend Shao Nian Zhang San Feng if you want to see a genuinely funny HK miniseries. Don't waste your money on this unless you are some obsessed fan of Twins.

this film def. needs more exposure because of the great camera work and great acting. the story is subtle and action packed in different parts of the film and you will never forget several moments like the scene under the piano. each character has a special element to their persona, which adds more to this very under appreciated film. this was one of nicholas tse's first films, who is a HK "pop" star. although i sometimes doubt his acting abilities, i must say his performance in this film is extraordinary. also, the song he sang for the film fits perfectly with the feeling this film gives to his audience. eric tsang did his usual good job as a lackey who gets vindicated, and i thought the performances by sam lee and stephen fung were hilarious. don't like shu qi that much but her role is very symbolic more than important. this is a film not to be missed, so go on yesasia.com and buy it.