Uptown is the debut film of actor/director Brian Ackley and is the second installment in the One Way or Another Productions “Naked Series”. Ackley is an actor who also co-starred in another film I reviewed not so long ago called “Cookies & Cream”, and now he has taken a step further and leaped into the director’s chare alongside director Princeton Holt to produce a film about finding new love in the big apple. Uptown is a titillating film about a guy name Ben (Chris Riquinha) and a girl name Isabel (Meissa Hampton), two people who met online as friends and decided to take their friendship a step further to meet and make it a night out on the town with their newfound friendship, it is only than that secrets about each other are shared back and forth. secrets that neither would have ever expected about the other, Isabel, who originally set out to be just friends reveals that she is newly married but has a lonely heart being married to her husband, but Ben, who is a lost soul in the game of love originally set out for finding something more than a friend in Isabel, but is shocked by this reviling bit of news by her, but decides to continue being friends with her regardless, through this though, exceed much more than that of a friendship between the two of them and begins to manifest itself into something much more, but is the risk worth the cost of their friendship or Isabel’s marriage?

The movie has a touching story that those who have experienced the sense feeling lost in finding the right one will relate too on so many levels that; we as individuals feel what these characters are feeling, the wanting what you cannot have is undeniably heart wrenching, it reminded me of a quote I once read that said “A woman never forgets the men she could have had; a man, the women he couldn't.” I feel that to a degree all men can relate to this quote as do the main character, Ben, who is falling so deeply in love for Isabel, but knowing that he cannot have her because she is unavailable only fuels the need for her to replace the emptiness in his heart. The film projects a great deal of promise for Brian Ackley as a filmmaker, he manages to capture the essence of the out of synch emotions we feel when we want someone so badly, and though it has a few flaws here and there that I honestly feel if worked on could make this film truly an incredible slice of satisfaction. It does however still make up for itself with gorgeous cinematography work that makes you feel like you’re right there in the film, the score was outstanding, it really carries a set of emotion of its own onto film that works well, but the most impressive part of this film would have to be the ending. Because it doesn’t try to sell you short on a predictable ending most films in its genre receives, instead it gives you an ending that is more fitting to reality than anything else, nor does it try to sell you a new method on how to live your life or a message from some brilliant anecdote, no sir, it’s only moral to the story is simply showing you the realism of life in the real world with real people in it, and, even if you don’t agree with the outcome, life goes on and you must take a deep breath and just deal with it. I must say though that with time Ackley could become a name many will come to know by one day. Like all new filmmakers out there whom I’ve had the pleasure of seeing their works, I’m honored to have enjoyed the experience that was Uptown and look forward to Ackley’s next project.

The story is about: Ben has been single for a long time. For his part, he is a loner but as well a romantic: he enjoys the solitude of his simple being but appreciates intelligent and witty company just the same. By yielding to both extremes, Ben remains caught between reason and arousal. Isabel has been married for a year. The passion that had once carried her 5-year relationship has lost its pulse. Passive, protective, and without poise, it now threatens to claim hers. Waiting in abeyance, Isabel is lost between loyalty and loneliness. Uptown is where they come together.

As for the acting: all the actors give it their best in Uptown, Chris Riquinha does a great job in the role of Ben, he gives the character a strong sense of realism that is both provocative and impressive. Meissa Hampton was wonderful in the role of Isabel; she gave the character a unique style that was very enjoyable, I feel the raw tension between her and Chris Riquinha characters, plus I enjoyed how she played the character off as naive and sometimes bashful, every time their characters would hug or got really close I would be at the egad of my seat ready to yelling out “kiss each other already!” [Laughs], and believe me when I say; if two actors can get me that wild up than it’s something I really enjoyed because actors and filmmakers who can make the viewers feel that involved in a film is a rare talented indeed, it’s a special kind of talent that doesn’t come by every day. Derek M. McAllister does a nice job portraying Kasheem, Ben’s good buddy, I enjoyed the scene’s was in and only wished he was in more of the film. Deirdre Herlihy did a fairly good job, I liked her style of acting, would be nice to see more of her in more films in the near future. Overall the cast was great, I really enjoyed their acting skills that were projected on screen and showed they have a very decent set of on screen chemistry which was nice to see, far too often do we see good actors with bad on screen chemistry which proves to be tiresome to see as well as ruining the film overal, but this is not the case with the cast of Uptown.

"One of the strongest, well made, generally effective, debut feature dramas I've seen in several years. Holt and Nicole succeed very well in creating an intriguing main character."

- IndieWIRE - Filmmaker Sujewa

"A touching film with a lot of depth and an incredible sense of weight. Holt is a breath of fresh air and projects a unique and somewhat uncanny style of filmmaking. It had such meaning behind it that I felt as though I was right there alongside the characters.."

- TcwReviews.com

"Honest and absorbing...Its a great example of what tiny budget cinema can - and should - do."

- Michael Tully - HammertoNail.com

"Aside from a somewhat RACY and VULGAR introductory scene, the movie is presented very tastefully given the subject matter. "

- MovieRoomReviews.com

"A strikingly visual film, full of fantastic performances from everyone in the cast, and a magnificent musical score. It stays in your mind well after seeing it because it offers a vantage point not often shown in cinema."

- RogueCinema.com

This sort of character study is quite difficult to achieve and its a testament to both the writing and the acting that the film accomplishes so much. Cookies & Cream does more than any other film Ive seen to humanize the people working in the adult entertainment industry."

- PulpMovies.com

There's one question that I receive quite often when people learn that I review low-budget indie films alongside the wide release films most of you are seeing in the multipexes.

Okay, actually there are two.

The first question is "Why?" The "Why" answer is really quite simple...If I limit myself and "The Independent Critic" to the wide release films that most of you see, I'm ignoring the heart & soul of filmmaking around the world. While the vast majority of Hollywood's financing may back a mere 300 or so films a year, the VAST majority of working actors, directors, writers, tech crew and behind-the-scenes film professionals are toiling away on films not financed by the Hollywood machinery and not likely to ever see a single multiplex unless the filmmaker rents one out. If I don't review the films made outside the Hollywood machinery, and a lot of film websites and publications don't, then I'm ignoring the vast majority of people working in film today...the up-and-comers, the stars in waiting, the wannabe's, the never will be's and, yes, the future stars and award-winners of tomorrow. The second question I often receive is "How do you review these low budget films, often with budgets of only a few hundred or thousand dollars? Surely you have a separate scale for them? You can't possibly rate them the same as you do the big budget, wide release films?" The approach that I take to film review allows, in a general sense, for budgets of a wide range. The approach that I take to reviewing a film is based almost solely on the art and technicality of film-making and not from the perspective of "entertainment value" and flawless technology. My interest as a film critic is in how the filmmaker, crew and performers utilize what is available to them. In other words, a filmmaker making a film for $10,000 is utilizing a cast, crew and equipment available to them for that price.

What's the final result? Does the finished product reflect an appropriate finished product? Does the finished product reflect skillful use of the technology available, talented acting and efficient use of equipment? The scale is the same if the budget is $10 million or $100 million.

In other words, I have the same scale for all films applied on an individual basis. This brings me to Princeton Holt's first feature length narrative film, the adult drama "Cookies & Cream." Offered the chance to review "Cookies & Cream" after my review of co-star Brian Ackley's most recent film, "Uptown," "Cookies & Cream" is a decidedly different cinematic beast centered on the life of Carmen (Jace Nicole), a mixed race single mother who maintains a job in the adult entertainment industry in order to provide the best life possible for her daughter and herself. One look at the DVD cover might lead you to believe you're in for a titillating, exploitative cinema experience? Then, the opening credits role and within a few moments it becomes abundantly clear that Princeton Holt and Jace Nicole have sucked us into their universe and, yes, we've bought into our stereotypes. Rather than a titillating and exploitative experience, "Cookies & Cream" is an intelligent, thoughtful, strange and wonderful film featuring a divinely nuanced and balanced performance from Nicole and her supporting cast of players including the aforementioned Ackley as Dylan, a potential suitor for the rather romantically challenged Carmen. In a weird way, "Cookies & Cream" is most easily described as a twisted blend of Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri Make a Porno" with Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights," both films that unexpected approaches to the adult entertainment industry. The really great thing about "Cookies & Cream" is that Holt makes the incredibly wise choice to focus the film on the matters at hand, perhaps recognizing that the film could dissolve into a chaotic sea of cinematic cliche's were he to explore every potential storyline, including the very basic storyline of the mixed race Carmen and the caucasian Dylan. Rather than exploring all the side issues, "Cookies & Cream" centers itself almost squarely on the life of Carmen and how she struggles to be a single parent and find love when every guy she meets seems to want her to be the porn star girlfriend. Time and time again, Carmen chooses to be honest about her job path with potential suitors and, not surprisingly, time and time again she's disappointed by men who refuse to see her for the women that she is when the cameras are off. Seriously, what would you do? It's an interesting dilemma. After so many disappointments, Carmen decides not to tell Dylan right away about her "career." They click. They grow closer. What should she do? "Cookies & Cream" couldn't possibly work without strong performances and a script that sells the drama without dissolving into unnecessary histrionics. "Cookies & Cream" succeeds on both counts, with a stellar performance by lead Jace Nicole and balanced along with disciplined performances from Brian Ackley and a rare dramatic supporting performance from Def Comedy Jam's Ardie Fuqua. Naama Kates and Chris Riquinha also did a nice job in supporting roles.

Holt, who wrote "Cookies & Cream" as well as directing it, has constructed a creative and intelligent dialogue about a world in which few of us have actual knowledge but most of us are willing to offer opinions. Flying in the face of stereotypes, Holt neither over-sympathizes nor embellishes Carmen's world. Rather, much like Anderson's "Boogie Nights," he simply presents these characters as living, breathing human beings struggling to make the right decisions for themselves regardless of their circumstances. Where "Cookies & Cream" falls short and ultimately gets knocked down a notch on this writer's scale is in Holt's seeming desire to move "Cookies & Cream" a touch beyond what he can achieve technically on a modestly budgeted film. Early scenes, impacting approximately the film's first five minutes, on the screener copy I received featured a few distracting flickers indicating either a camera issue or an editing issue that is likely too essential to be edited out and too expensive to reshoot. Likewise, Holt seems to rather extensively utilize audio dubbing for those scenes in which his available sound equipment would have been inadequate to result in a decently shot scene for such scenarios as walking across a parking lot or scenes that may have involved excessive background noise. While it's understandable why Holt chose to obviously utilize post-shoot vocal dubbing, it's a distracting and obvious choice and, at times, the dub is rather clearly not matched with the words onscreen. If you've ever seen a film dubbed from English into a foreign language, then you likely understand what I mean. These modest technological quibbles aside, clearly a result of working with a limited budget, Holt has fashioned together a film that clearly reveals him to be an up-and-coming filmmaker and screenwriter with a knack for creating characters who transcend their Hollywood cliche's and blossom into a life all their own. Along with a well written script and strong performances, "Cookies & Cream" features a solid soundtrack featuring the likes of The Rollo Treadway and Rosemary's Garden as a perfect complement to the film's varying tones. "Cookies & Cream" is the kind of film that reminds me why I review low-budget, independent films. I have this deep down hope that, in some small way, I'm helping bring to the cinematic world a new writer, director, performer or previously undiscovered film voice. "Cookies & Cream" is a film you should remember featuring such cinematic voices of tomorrow as Princeton Holt, Jace Nicole, Brian Ackley and others.

© Written by Richard Propes

The Independent Critic