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GLITCH
IN THE GRID (director/writer:
Eric Leiser; cinematographer: Rory Owen Delaney;
editors: Eric Leiser/Jenny Leiser;
music: Jeffrey Leiser; cast: Jay Masonek (Jay), Eric
Leiser (Eric), Jeffrey Leiser (Jeffrey),
Marcus Stewart (Roommate), Linda Darnall (Jay's mom),
Patricia Darnall (Grandma), Homer Darnall (Grandpa);
Runtime: 82; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Eric
Leiser; Vanguard Cinema; 2011-USA/UK) "What's unique is the film veers seamlessly between live-action and stop-motion animation." Reviewed
by Dennis Schwartz Eric
Leiser ("Imagination") directs and writes this inspirational Christian
themed film, that tells about how three likable
twentysomething male artists keep their faith during
the recent bad days of widespread unemployment. What's
unique is the film veers seamlessly between live-action and stop-motion
animation, and its many mundane images are given a
spellbinding colorful look. There's a religious
message to a story about artists struggling with such
things as making money, fighting against their
loneliness, countering a fast-food culture, and
fighting their depression. The message sent is that
it's more important finding God than in finding a job. When Northern California
small-town artist Jay (Jay Masonek) feels bummed out,
which in this pic means stuck in a spiritual rut--not
able to find the key to unlock the glitch in the
grid--Jay's cousins and fellow artists, Jeff (Jeffrey Leiser) and
Eric (Eric Leiser), from Los Angeles, cheer the dude
up and hang out with him. The boys show Jay around
town and to such places as Griffith Park and a
Hollywood studio. The brothers also show the unhappy
dude how to navigate through the rough economic
recession with the help of the Lord. Influenced by the
good vibes from his kin, Jay reaches out to make a
relationship with God. With that, the re-energized Jay
fights the good fight against the stagnation of the
spirit (the grid) and we know he's winning that battle
when we see a dove onscreen. Now in God's hands, I
guess everything is cool, in this youthful, earnest
and simplistic look at finding hope in a world that
seems hopeless. Jay returns to his hometown a reborn
spiritual man and an ecology advocate working a "green
job" in the redwood forest. The point being that
connecting with God works for true believers who still
want to pursue their dreams and care about making the
world a better place to live in. REVIEWED ON 10/13/2011 GRADE: B- Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |