MAX DAGAN
Terre Weisman brings festival audiences MAX DAGAN, the story of a father convicted of manslaughter and a son who works tirelessly to get him out, wading through years of secrets, lies, and corruption.
The cast is fantastic. Jay Mohr makes a particularly smarmy appearance. Michael Madsen is perfect as a corrupt cop. Lisa Roumain is spectacular as Ilene. She brings unresolved trauma to the screen in a visceral way.
Rob Morrow gives Albert a down-to-earth quality that we’ve come to love about him. I’ve been a solid fan since he starred in NUMB3RS with David Krumholtz. Morrow’s humanity is quintessential for the heaviness of Albert’s circumstances.
Zachary Gordon is the highlight of the film. Get him in more leading roles at this stage of his career. His effortlessly strong presence fills each scene. Gordon begs your attention.
The script is relatively predictable, except for one late reveal that had me simultaneously yelling, “WTF?”. It’s something you’ll have to witness to understand. Overall, the editing and storytelling style feels disjointed. Even at only an hour and thirty-plus minute run, the cuts feel like snippets of a Law & Order series rather than a single film.
That said, the performances are top-notch. They earn your views. The underlying message of hope, resilience, and redemption will undoubtedly resonate with a broad audience.
You can get tickets to Max Dagan at the Tuscan Film Festival Here
Max Dagan (Zachary Gordon) strives to exonerate his father, Albert (Rob Morrow), who has been wrongfully sentenced to 15 years for the manslaughter of a State Trooper. Armed with a vintage Fender guitar, Max faces a corrupt detective (Michael Madsen) and must confront painful family issues, including reconciling with his estranged uncle (Rob Brownstein) and collaborating with the daughter (Lindsey Dresbach) of the deceased trooper. As he seeks evidence for his father’s compassionate release, both families discover unexpected connections in their shared struggles.
We’re living in a world where we have an admitted sexual predator in the White House. We’re living in a moment in time where women are sick and tired of being trampled on, blamed, persecuted, broken, and made to relive their trauma over and over. In dark times we seek escapism. Movies and theater and art keep us grounded. They let us forget the shit and live in a world that can be, at times, as perfect as the fairytale presented. The new film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, All About Nina, is not that film.
A comic, trying to wade her way through shitty relationships and her budding career, invited us to ride an emotionally explosive rollercoaster right alongside her. As the plot rolls along, it takes a complete 180. Nina’s battle with her past finally comes to light in a very public way. Once this occurs, the script’s small, delicately placed moments have their full weight realized. The comedy is raunchy and appreciated. The cast is filled with comic greats, new and old, but it is Common and Winstead that make this story breathe. It took me a full 45 mins to buy into what Common was selling but maybe that’s just the cynic in me. One particular scene breaks that defense for me and it’s worth the wait. As for Winstead, if I thought she’d even be looked at for this role come Oscar season I would send a blimp with her name on it. She is brilliant in the way women often are but don’t have to balls to shows you, for lack of a better description. Although, once you see her in this film you will just realize it couldn’t be more perfect. All About Nina currently has a 100% fresh certification on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s genuinely difficult to achieve and I am thrilled about it.
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