Channels

You'll want to change the channel.
I don't write many reviews here, but this film had none and I just watched it and wanted to help others avoid wasting their time and money.

I watched two independent films in one weekend, Rain in the Mountains and Channels. The former suffered from bad acting and unskilled post-production, but had a charming story and acceptable writing. Channels was the exact opposite, with good acting/production but horrible writing. I found the former to be much more forgivable.

The film is a mess. It is about a man who finally finds happiness with a fictional woman from a soap opera who is magically brought into his living room every so often due to a lightning strike. Unfortunately, we are given no reason to care about the man or the woman. We have little explanation as to why they are so unhappy at first, and no real feeling that fate was justified in putting them together. They share a couple of tame dates with each other and fall in love, but the middle of the...

This is what I look for in an "independent" movie!
When I think of an independent movie, the operative word for me is "independent."

The movie, CHANNELS, is just that. And it is imaginatively very good. Watching a movie with an original voice, while observing some very fine actors such as our leads, Nat Christian and Kim Oja, along with Ed Asner, Taylor Negron, John Kassir and Joan Van Ark, is truly a joy.

Christian and Oja are a great pair. He is so compellingly real and natural, that you think the camera just peeked in on him. She is engaging as well with a delightfully reserved charm.

Christian is also the writer and director of CHANNELS. He brews poignant thoughts and some laughs, beautifully and skillfully wrapped to open for an enjoyable watch.

The romantic look of the movie is helped by cinematography (Michael Hardwick). production design (Dolores Piazza) and visual effects (Duane Condor).

There are several very funny scenes in the movie.
I hope to see more from...

A terrific love story
Loved the feel of this movie. Romantic, yet very thoughtful. I thought about it a lot after seeing it.

All of the actors did a very fine job. This is an intelligent movie. Not your typical genre type. I kind of wished the ending would be different, but I respect the writer/director's vision.

Actors, Nat Christian, Kim Oja, Ed Asner, John Kassir, Taylor Negron, Joan Van Ark give it their all. They are real and truthful in a comedy, which is what makes the comedy work.

The direction is superb, slowly involving us in a man's state of being, then having us get caught up in the romance, and then his decision on what to do next. The music, look and FX were great too.

If you're looking for something unique, then this may be for you.

I hope that, in today's climate, more films like this are made.

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