Search - West New York on DVD

CREATIVITY IS DOMINANT IN A PROMISING FIRST FEATURE.

rsoonsa | Lake Isabella, California | 02/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Coletti (Frank Vincent), after losing his career as a police detective, as well as his marriage, due to alcoholism, has defeated that demon and is employed supervising the shredding of corporate bonds issued on a New Jersey bank, but when Tom becomes a victim of temptation he removes some of the negotiable issues to sell and becomes trapped between purchasing gangsters to whom he turns, and a local syndicate boss resentful that a lucrative transaction has not been offered to him. This low budget production, originally titled PAPERBLOOD, is the first effort from director Phil Gallo, also responsible for much of its script, editing, and scoring, and despite the typical visual characteristics stemming from an original 16mm. print, it is an encouraging debut for Gallo, who takes risks throughout by shifting prominence of his characters, employing frequent closeups of the New York based cast, frequently utilizing naturalistic dialogue, while even including a touch of Magical Realism for a characterization propelled plot wherein back stories have true importance and where a perception of intensity provided by all engaged moderates the melodramatic effects of some scenes."

Strong 3 star rating

Phil S. | USA | 04/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Director Phil Gallo makes impressive creative use of the "fly on the wall"-documentary style, if you will, and has two powerful actors to make it real. Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore, one conflicted, sorrowful, but determined to pick up the pieces of his personal life all in one motion by selectively releasing bonds meant for the shredder, so as to provide something for his daughter who shares his grief, but not guilt, in his wife's passing.

Vincent's stoic expressions in close-up, against the New York backdrop, show Gallo's technique in the best tradition and relatable for the generation who studiously follow Martin Scorsese and "The Sopranos". Fans of the cable Tv series will enjoy seeing cast members work together about a decade back.

Trade Martin has some very good scenes. The famous songwriter ("Take Me For A Little While", many others), record Producer (for B.B. King, most notably), now adds the title of (movie) Executive Producer. His fans will be delighted to hear his *singing* voice on the soundtrack, also featuring Mike Boldt, another prominent New Jersey artist.

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