Sand Castles (2016)

Very Cool!!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This film was not as good as some reviews and not as bad as others. However, in spite of some effort at good production values, I feel that more effort could have been made in the writing and casting of the film. Many of the actors just weren't believable in their roles. It had a community theater feel to it. And the writing was puzzling at times. There was a bonding scene in the film between the uncle and the nephew concerning a story about the nephew's father (who was deceased) taking him to school in an inappropriate vehicle. At the end of the story, the uncle delivers what is supposed to be a punchline by the father and the two characters laugh and laugh but I just sat their wondering how they found it humorous. It wasn't close to being humorous. All in all these folks made an earnest effort to make an interesting film and if you have a spare 90 minutes you might want to watch it.

I am only writing this review to warn others not to waste their time watching this atrociously trash film.Everything about this film was terrible from the costume to the casting to the story to the attempt at acting. It was absolutely awful. I am not the sort of person to write reviews but I watched this film because of the rating on here and am utterly disappointed. How this film managed to gain a whopping 7.1 is astounding. Easily the worst film I have ever watched. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.Do not watch this film if you value your time.To elaborate, the actors are made out of wood, the filming looked like something out of a gcse project and I have seen more believable acting in Hollyoaks. Overall, a terrible and gruelling 90 minutes of my life was wasted.

I usually do not write a review for any movies I watch, which will be obvious from this one. I will not claim to be anything more than a movie buff looking out for fellow buffs who find their time precious. I read reviews hoping to weed out the stinkers, as I cherish my free time. No thanks to the reviews on this film, I watched in amazement possibly the worst film of my life. The acting was unbearable. The casting atrocious. The storyline, screenplay, lighting, furniture...you name it and it sucked!(the dog was stellar, however)I could spend 5 or 6 paragraphs explaining the movie, which the synopsis does and yet the clowns leaving the reviews before me waste more time by doing. I will instead give you the advice that I only wish was given to me...grab a chair, turn on your faucet, sit down and watch for an hour and a half. At least you will be able to erase that from memory.

Ah Goshen, Indiana. Home to the second largest county fair in the U.S., nicknamed "The Maple City," and having the distinction of being the birthplace of legendary film director Howard Hawks. It was also the main shooting location for the top featured selection in last year's River Bend Film Festival.Sand Castles is said selection and it's every bit worth the hype. I mean, it's about as personal as a movie can get. After all, star, writer, and producer Jordon Hodges grew up in Goshen and believe me, he shows us the audience, that he never forgot where he came from. Now to be honest, this is a picture that starts out slow and really sneaks up on you. After a viewing, I declared it to be Prisoners meets Mystic River meets independent film making. That's another way of saying that it's part crime drama, part vigilante escapade, and part acting showcase. In terms of location, it is Northern Indiana personified. There's an earthy and grainy look coupled with low camera angles and dreary landscapes. Basically the town depicted, becomes one of the stars as well as its source of recognition. In fact, I haven't been reminded of a small Midwestern venue feeling a lot like the movie's primary voice since Three Oaks, Michigan took over the scenery for 1989's Prancer.Set to be available for purchase on DVD in 2015 (as voiced by two of the film's producers) and showcasing flashback kidnapping scenes via my hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan (Silver Beach to be exact), Sand Castles tackles the terrifying aspect of child abduction. The film begins with a young Lauren Daly (played by Anne Winters). She is abducted and I guess, sexual assaulted by an unknown assailant. After years of her family searching for her, she manages to escape and eventually returns to them. Lauren is traumatized, doesn't speak, and is in a state of shock. Her alcoholic mother (Marie Daly played by Saxon Trainor), her older brother (Jordon Hodges as Noah Daly), and her uncle (the veritable Randy Spence as Tommy Daly) are happy that she has come back and is safe. However, they want to find out who committed this horrible act. Tommy Daly takes on the role of unannounced detective by interviewing a car mechanic (Clint Howard) and stealing the badge number of a police officer (to get information on area sex offenders). This series of events is what kicks Sand Castles into high gear. The proceedings become more involving, more absorbing, and to a fault, more catastrophic.As for the performances, I had the pleasure of chatting with one of the stars of Sand Castles being the legendary Clint Howard. A self-proclaimed character actor, he told me about how neat it was to climb out of his Hollywood environment and fly down to the Hoosier state to make quote unquote, "a small independent film." His screen time is short lived but that's what he does (as does so well). He shows up in "Castles" for a couple of scenes, makes a swift impression, and is never heard from again. That's what you get from a Howard performance and that's okay with me. Then there's the star of Sand Castles being an up and comer named Jordon Hodges. As Noah Daly, he underplays his role a bit too much but relegates a strong amount of screen presence. He reminds me of a young Casey Affleck with the swagger of Aaron Paul. His screenplay is impressive and it gives "Castles" a lot of bite. The actors get a chance to spout off some unabashed, juicy free fall dialogue. And the top recipient for the strongest dose of this dialogue, is Randy Spence bringing to life the revenge minded Tommy Daly. He plays to perfection, a drug addicted, alcohol minded bad boy who takes the law into his own hands without any sense of just or justice. His rawness, confidence, and devil-may- care attitude only add to the spice of this powerful film. Overall, Sand Castles with a small budget, a small town feel, and an anti-Hollywood approach, teeters on the edge of amateurism. Thankfully, director Clenet Verdi-Rose avoids this notion for almost 90% of the running time. He channels a little bit of Steven Soderbergh with his camera-work all the while building tension with every careful inch. The film currently doesn't have a MPAA rating but believe me, after seeing the finished product, I garner it a hard R saddled with adult themes, adult situations, rough language, and some violent images. And to truly decipher the film's heart wrenching conclusion, you have to stay through the closing credits.To put it mildly, Sand Castles only falters when it goes off into tangents with certain scenes. When it's focused and heavy handed, watch out. You've got a fairly effective, hard boiled thriller on your hands. Thumbs up!