Colma The Musical

4 out of 5 Stars
I could speak for hours on the town of Colma, CA -- a town which has a higher population of dead people than living, a suburb of San Francisco, home to Red Lobster, Sizzler, and Serramonte shopping center. I spent many a night at the movie theater (which was later closed due to a rat infestation), and many an afternoon at the discount book store. Parking always available and chances of running into anyone I knew from school were minimal. So obviously, when I heard there was a film that existed titled 'Colma - The Musical' I was very intrigued. What started out as a laugh at the inside jokes of knowing details about 'Colma', slowly morphed into my appreciation of a very well made, very likable, and very entertaining musical film. I have nothing but respect for Richard Wong. His cinamatography was inventive and original. The music was catchy and unpretentious and the characters were well developed and realistic. I appreciated that the actors took their parts seriously and unless it was called for, never 'camped' it up. This more than deserved Special Jury Prize at Sundance! Congrats to the (mostly) native San Franciscan cast and crew! This is a coming of age film that outdoes any I have seen in a very long time.

Annie (1982)

5 out of 5 Stars
I don't need anything but this movie. Really. Oh, and a bathtub gin martini with drunk Carol Burnett.

Autism : The Musical

4 out of 5 Stars
A truly honest and fantastic documentary. I hope Elaine Hall continues gaining enough funding to keep the Miracle Project running! Though I was disappointed that the only children pictured in the film were a) upper middle class kids and b) (with the exception of Elaine's son) the kids were all very high functioning. I found the difficultly in the parental relationships very insightful -- loved that the film captured the difficulty raising a child with disabilities has on marriage. Though the documentary seemed very very edited (ie. no way was what was shown the 'first' rehearsal, more like the 8th or 9th!). I wanted to see the entire musical. Perhaps that can be found in the bonus footage.
Enough of me being critical. These children are beyond delightful and inspiring.