It's difficult to be objective about a movie in which your daughter appears, and in which you were an extra, and she gets a credit and you don't. Oh, it's "A Star Is Born" time around our house.
Local filmmaker Patrick Coyle's "Into Temptation" had its cast-and-crew-and-investors-and-friends premier last night at the Riverview.
The main stars Kristin Chenoweth, Jeremy Sisto, and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin from The Office) weren't there, but everyone else was, including former Twin Citian Russell Holsapple, who wrote the score, and all the moms of my daughter's Brownie Troop. That's how it works: one of the Moms is producing a movie with her husband; they need angelic little girls for a scene in a church; the girls get their badges in Retakes, Blocking, and Yelling at their Agents on Pretend CellPhones Which Are Actually Full of Candy. I've never seen a movie with the people who made it or were in it, and it makes for occasional applause as the audience recognizes a friend, a location, a scene that turned out better than anyone thought.
Big chestal-area swelling when everyone hooted and clapped at the words FILMED ENTIRELY ON LOCATION IN MINNEAPOLIS.
But was it good? It was wonderful. The premise sounds grim: priest looks for prostitute who confessed that she was going to kill herself, but if you're thinking some DeNiro wannabe arguing with a cross in a darkened church, scenes of Grim Spiritual Torment intercut with Gritty Secular Realities, well, no. Can't quite think of a single word that does it justice, it's funny, but it's not a comedy; it's suspenseful, but it's not a nail-biter. It's quiet, genuine, and heartfelt, with a kicker at the end I would have never seen if I hadn't been an extra in the last scene. Loved it. Now comes the struggle to get it distributed. File the name away: "Into Temptation." If you see it on a marquee, a DVD box, a cable listing, watch it.
Let's share some favorite small, independent movies this morning. Make your recommendations for weekend viewing. I love the big-budget stuff when done right, but for every gigantic production with credits that roll for nine hours, there's a movie like Patrick's. Tell us: what have we missed?
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