Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Brian Wright Grows on you, really fine piece of movie-making. Watch it a few times over the years, and you'll see what I mean. This is NOT a toss off film, it warrants a far higher rating than what I'm seeing so far on IMDb.Great mixture of real life drama, comedy, making tough decisions that every moviegoer can relate to. Love the performances of all the key players, especially Chris Pine and Bre Blair... and the ones playing the 'major eff ups' do an extremely fine job, too. That's how people like that truly ARE.Music is well integrated and appealing. Ryan Craig is a first rate writer and director, not just a good one. He has a fine touch for the human in us, while finding a sterling silver lining in the cloud.

PDXozoner Let me say up front that I think it's incredibly difficult and rare for a first time film director to have the discipline to effectively direct his own script. Granted Ryan Craig's written and directed a couple of TV movies, but things change a lot when you're doing a real grownup film. The chance to see your every word and decision on the big screen makes it agonizing to cut a single scene... hey! You wrote that! That said, there are some excellent performances from a cast loaded with accomplished actors, not least Shawn Christian who's best known for his soap opera career and Chris Pine who gets to indulge his hunky looks while playing some seriously downer scenes. I don't think John Hawke (Winter's Bone and The Sessions) is capable of a bad performance and this one gives him plenty of room.I gave it a 5 because of the writer-director's failure to make the fullest use of this wealth of talent, but since the film is playing on HBO and it's not a halfbad way to spend an evening.

Johnny_Hing From reading the reviews, I was expecting the standard, formulaic aspiring singer/songwriter story, loaded with mediocre songs and bad acting. As it turned out, there weren't any songs at all... well, not until the final scene. The acting was very good, IMO, and I especially liked John Hawkes (Donnie) portraying the good ol boy, ex-con troublemaker who really only wants to spend some quality time with his young child, now in the care of his ex and her lover. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, how the characters were related to one another, and their intertwined struggles for existence. No one has it easy in this small town. The mood is rather depressing and melancholy, which for me, is realistic and refreshing. It's a slice of life... nothing over the top or melodramatic. Simple people living routine and somewhat hopeless lives. There are several other story lines apart from Rhett's dilemma about moving to Nashville, and for me, this is what made this movie enjoyable. The signs inside the gas station/repair shop added a nice, down-home feel, as did the down-on-her-luck bar lady willing to turn a trick for 20 bucks.

Hellmant 'SMALL TOWN Saturday NIGHT': Three Stars (Out of Five) Chris Pine (of 'STAR TREK' and 'UNSTOPPABLE' fame) headlines this ensemble piece indie character drama. The film also features performances by Shawn Christian, John Hawkes (who also turned in an impressive performance in this year's 'WINTER'S BONE'), and Bre Blair. It's written and directed by TV director Ryan Craig, who also plays a part in the film. Pine not only acts in the film but also wrote the song 'Someday Came Today' for the movie (and sings).Pine plays Rhett Ryan, a small time country singer / songwriter with dreams of making it in Nashville. Just days before he's supposed to leave the small town of Prospect to follow his dreams his girlfriend (Blair) tells him she's not going with him and has decided that what's best for her daughter might be to stay with her father, Tommy Carson (Christian), the town sheriff. Tommy's brother Donnie (Hawkes) just got out of prison and has came back into town getting himself in more trouble again.The film is well made and the characters are all pretty believable and their drama realistic. The acting is all impressive, especially Pine and Hawkes, and the directing is adequate. The film isn't extremely entertaining or memorable and although the characters are believable it's not especially emotionally involving either but it's not a bad way to pass the time in my opinion. There's definitely nothing in it to really complain about. It's a nice little movie.Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN5KZOE7p28