kelso-bee Saw it in Las Vegas as part of a film festival here. Head and shoulders above all other films in the festival and it received a best picture award which was deserved. It was the best film I have seen in this festival so far (I've seen I think 30 films so far). This was a big step up in the theater and this film had the best photography I have seen in a theater in a longtime. It didn't rely on shaky cam or other tricks but instead was like a painting come to life. It reminded me of the paintings in the michael mann film manhunter. creepy and unbelievably vivid and colorful. the acting was surprising, although my expectations were low based on the other film's in the festival. Mike Pare was excellent. I usually find him dull and wooden but in this movie The guys a movie star. Clare Kramer was so gorgeous to look at that she was seductive and frightening in the same moment. Definitely up there with Antony hopkin's as hannibal the cannibal. same level of performance. she was so creepy and scary but fascinating at the same time. its was weird how violent and ruthless she was yet I found myself feeling sympathetic towards her. She has real talent. Her partner in crime was really great as well. Loved seeing the actress from Warriors again. another nice performance. believe pare, kramer and the warriors actress all won awards that night. so even though I never heard of streets of wire, the film did a good job of setting up its world and all the drama from the character's past. the amazing thing is how they used rock music all the time to tie the film and characters together. I think there's been a films in the past 10 years that tried this but this was the best rock music movie i can remember, by far. as the credits played at the end there was a lot of clapping and big smiles everywhere. i think everyone was glad they could let out a breath and it was very up feeling in the theater. hat's off to everyone who made this film. finally something entirely original and unexpected. not a moment where you could relax and nothing predictable in anyway. I would love to see it again.

girl-that I saw Road to Hell recently, on opening night of the Pollygrind Film Festival in Las Vegas. i really didn't know what to expect because I had seen several clips already, some of beautiful moments and some that looked pretty disturbing. There was one scene in particular that I was concerned about, which I won't spoil here, but I told myself I would just close my eyes and power through it. I'd remember my son telling me it is "only make-believe". I could not have been more happily surprised. The story is engrossing and edgy. While it does take some very dark turns, you can see that there is more to Tom Cody than a man with nothing left. He seems to have lost all sense of compassion, but really, there is still a spark of human spirit in him that won't let him give it up completely. We are given a look at both deep despair and redemption. Michael Paré creates a deeply touching and emotional persona for Tom Cody. This actor can give us more depth and understanding of a character in a brief glimpse on camera than many can muster in the entire length of a movie. He is fascinating. I feel a little silly now, but I admit, he brought tears to my eyes.Clare Kramer and Courtney Peldon are gorgeous and terrifying. That was their intention and they definitely pulled it off! I would not like to meet either of their characters in a dark alley, but I hope to meet the actresses at the next Film Fest!Roxy Gunn is breathtaking on the big screen. I was overwhelmed by her performance. She was perfect in the role of Ellen Dream, a talented and beautiful rock and roll legend-to-be; and in that sense, art imitates life. The soundtrack, performed by the Roxy Gunn Project, was amazing. The in-studio videos and "radio-play" tied the whole movie together, building the anticipation for her performance at the end. Everything about her concert scene brought back the feeling of the original, with an updated and contemporary point of view of the fantasy. Every member of the band is so extremely talented. I know they are going to skyrocket!I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that the entire audience was moved to give the movie, and the filmmakers, a standing ovation when the lights came up.The script, the style, the pace, and the transitions kept me completely involved from the first moment to the last. The movie won nine awards, among them Best Picture, Best Actor for Michael Paré, Best Actress for Clare Kramer, Best Supporting Actress for Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Best Screenplay for Cynthia Curnan, and Best Newcomer for Roxy Gunn. Albert Pyun, the director, also received a Lifetime Achievement award.I can't wait to see it again in San Francisco!

jake_closs I saw this Wednesday night at the Rave Movie theater in Las Vegas. It was part of a local film festival and it was a big crowd. I actually snuck into the theater early to make sure I got a seat! The stars of the movie were there and the director reminded me of a long haired crazy kid because he was so excited. As they introduced the film, I hadn't realized it was inspired by another movie which I had never heard of. But they had a sort of time machine opening which definitely set you up for the main movie. What did I think? I think the audience knew more about it because they started cheering and applauding right from the start. So the feeling was really good, like when you go see a much anticipated blockbuster at midnight Thursday. Everyone seemed really into it. That got me into it too. The movie was like an LSD acid trip (though I have never taken any). It was the most intense colors and images I have seen since Into the Void. Like that film, this movie spent a lot of time taking you into its world and its reality. Highly stylized dialogue and acting it was not like anything I've ever seen before. Its the first movie I think I've seen where you could not assume where it was going second to second. It had moments o genuine shock and it was super disturbing at times, then towards the end it really switches gears and it carries you from the shock and horror into an almost joyful place. So it ends upbeat. I won't describe what happens as I think it doesn't translate to words. But I enjoyed it and the film was awarded a lot of awards after and I think its well deserved. The two main actors I had seen before but never like this. Its a film where you leave the theater exhilarated and energized by the style and story. Is it an art film? Yes, in the best sense, because it takes you to where you've never been and never expected to go. It's demanding on your brain and stomach. Not for those who want it all predictable and easy to digest. It's waaayy out there on the margins in the best way.

jackburden I saw this film earlier this month with Michael Pare and its makers in attendance. They all got up on stage before the film started, and it is amazing in retrospect how enthusiastic they were about this "unofficial sequel" to Streets of Fire, which we had all just watched Before RtH began. Road to Hell is an experimental film at best, and that's being kind. The cut we saw was just under an hour, so it was too long to be a short and too short to be a feature. It was entirely green screened, and lots of the shots came off looking like poorly constructed car commercials or automotive trade show sets, as nearly every shot in this "movie" centered around a jeep. The Jeep looked too new, as if they lacked the budget to rough up a Jeep for the production and used their own daily driver instead. Also, it's difficult to tell when you watch this whether there are two different jeeps or just one--did Tom Cody have his own Jeep in addition to the female lead's Jeep? I couldn't tell. The dialog was laced with f-bombs to the point of absurdity, and there is a needless and inexplicable exploration of violence against women which appears to me to be completely incongruous with the Tom Cody character. Mind you that I'm not in the least squeamish when it comes to seedy characters--I think Bukowski is great literature. In this case it's just that the makers of Road to Hell have only invested about 5 percent of whatever scant talent they have in this production. I give a 1/10 very rarely, but this film really does make another 1/10, No Holds Barred, look like Citizen Kane.