the_ethereal_siren Considering that most of the reviews I've read here so far glorify MOT because it was made with a low (no) budget, I thought I'd try to look at it from a different perspective.Yes, yes, WOW look at the great effects, the great cinematography, the great editing etc etc & all with such a petite budget!!! From this, definitely a 10/10. But I guess that's what you get when you teach at a film school: easy access to equipment, production and keen hands.Still, a film, no matter how pretty, no matter how well cut, fails to stand tall without the foundation of good storytelling. The storyline in MOT was predictable and rather dull: Bad person wants to forget his sins/past & to turn over a new leaf but past catches up with him with some dire consequences.Nonetheless, the director attempts to spice up the story with the way he structures it. This makes it quite interesting overall but risks the viewer's engagement with the characters. The flat and one dimensional performances from the cast doesn't help either. Notwithstanding the characters of John and, sometimes, Tanya, the others were merely cut-outs from stereotypical characters.Moolah or no moolah, MOT failed to engage me. The pretty pictures and pretty pictures only, made me into a lifeless observer and not the participant that I enjoy being when experiencing a film.But yes, I'd be lying if I said that Amit didn't have any potential. Of course he does!!! However, at this stage it's like a George Lucas scenario where, coming from a post-production background, he seems only concerned with the polished and shiny surface of his product.If he would take scriptwriting/storytelling as seriously as he does with the look of the film, then by golly, make way for the launch of a great director! And this is something moolah cannot buy.

media-6 This was one of the films I was very eager to see at this year's Microcinema Film Festival in Chicago, and I was not disappointed at all.Everything from the cinematography, to the directing, the acting, and editing was all near perfect, in my opinion. Amit proved that you can make a great film, with a great story, cinematography, and acting, on a shoestring budget.I hope that more indie filmmakers take the time to make movies like this. If we get a good solid group of young directors and producers like Amit (and some others that were at the festival this year) I think that we can slowly prove that there is a market for independent films.Overall, a very entertaining piece of cinema that I highly recommend viewing, it's a "MUST SEE" for everyone. Definitely one of my favorite films of the past few years.I can't wait to see the next film from Amit. Keep em coming.

Killerstraw As a fan of the British school of espionage films/TV, I enjoyed the "need to know" approach the film took in regards to the exact details of who was working for who. What could so easily have been corny held together well as a intriguing film. I think the director got some nice work from his cast and crew. The film looks great, has a decent soundtrack, and the actors didn't go to far in their roles - often actors can get carried away with an action/thriller film. They can forget that for the characters involved the rough and tumble violence is just part of the job. A professional doesn't feel the need to show off, they just get the job done and try and stay alive.For an imaginative thriller you can't go wrong giving this a try.

rockscribe Amit Tripuraneni's debut feature, the intriguing mystery thriller Memories of Tomorrow featured at the New Zealand Asian FILM FESTIVAL AOTEAROA 2005. John (Richard Thompson) and Tanya (Rachel Gilchrist) are a happy couple who seem to have it all: he's a writer, she's an artist, and they have the idyllic home, cars, boat, and love each other deeply. The only problem is John can't remember his past: a secret which comes back to haunt them when a mysterious stranger, Roger (Ray Trickitt), arrives and drags Tanya back into a world she thought they had left behind. As their dream life rapidly goes haywire John and Tanya have to reprise latent skills as they fight to extricate themselves from a very confused and messy situation. Shot in and around Auckland on DOP Lance Wordsworth's digital Panasonic DVX100a most of the film uses existing locations and natural lighting and props in the Dogme 95 style adopted by filmmakers like Lars von Trier (Idioterne – The Idiots –1995) and rather than being paid everyone worked on equity which kept the budget to an incredibly low $15,000 and dollar for dollar Tripuraneni's privately funded debut feature is light years ahead of Geoff Murphy's Spooked. Tripuraneni has done an amazing job with limited resources and I strongly recommend Memories of Tomorrow.