From Above (2014)

One of the best films i have seen

good back-story, and good acting

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It's 1972 Arkansas. Venus (Chelsea Ricketts) faces discrimination when auditioning for Romeo and Juliet. A black boy named William Ward is completely taken with her. Mr. Mountain (Graham Greene) is her father and they are part of the Lightning Clan. Separately, an old man (Danny Glover) struggles after a lost.The starting racism is a little over the top but it's at least memorable. The problem may be that she is not so outrageously talented that she deserves a Tony right on the spot. A montage of inferior auditions would help a lot for the comparison. The young romance is relatively bland. The meet cute isn't much although the two young leads are charming enough. Quite frankly, they're more good looking than powerful. Graham Greene is way too stoic which limits his emotional range. There is a magicalism which isn't that well explained. The dividing between the past and present day doesn't add much of anything. Glover feels stranded on his own island and could have played William's father giving it more power. It should stay mostly as a period piece with the two young leads and two powerful veteran actors as their dads.

Being a big fan of Director Norry Nivens and his commercial work, I couldn't wait to see his first feature film, From Above. I found myself being drawn into this romantic drama that has a unique element of scifi woven into the story. It's hard to place a genre label on this movie, because it has so many elements in it that make it a great story. The wonderful thing about this film, is that it speaks about how love can transcend race, culture, and even time. This movie plays with time and jumps back and forth between two stories. Two stories separated by time and culture but woven together by love. The film also has a good emotional twist that is sure to surprise you. The cinematography in this film is beautiful, especially love the NY city scenes. Highly recommend seeing the film.

"From Above" is a lovely story with Danny Glover in a very moving role. The movie goes back and forth between the present and the past, focusing on a particular family's background and culture while exploring universal themes. There is humor and witty dialogue, with a wonderful performance by Graham Greene as a wise mentor. The story is engaging -- never boring. I wanted to keep seeing what would unfold.I saw this film in a theater and, at the end, there were very few dry eyes. The director really knows how to pack a truthful emotional punch. The young actors, although unknown to me, were wonderful. The scenery and authentic costumes were amazing.This is a film that should be seen. It has won many festival awards, which is a testament to its quality and power.

I fell in love with "Chasing Shakespeare" more than once during the 2013 Big Island Film Festival at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai'i. Director Norry Niven flew in from Cannes where he'd just won an AFI Award, and added to it BIFF's Best Feature and Audience Choice.It's an interracial love story of Venus and William, a Native American woman of the lightning clan and an African American man destined to run his father's farm. But to stop there would be a disservice.The film tells of many kinds of love - love of family, of tradition and culture, of Shakespeare and horses and laughter, as well as romantic love between the two. It crosses boundaries of time and race, even spirit.At times it speaks in symbols we call "ho'ailona" in Hawai'i - natural phenomenon that communicate to us in very special moments - a sudden gust of wind, a butterfly that lands on your hand. Venus' affinity with the lightning, which charges important points through the story, is a great example.One night after an outdoor screening of CS, I was driving home to a breathtaking lightning display over the mountain. I had to email Norry right away, and he said something to the effect, that it happens pretty often. I would love to know if other viewers experience something similar!