Love and Hostages

I RARELY write reviews, because for the most part, there aren't that many movies that are enjoyable enough to recommend. I borrow LOTS of DVDs from my local library and 95% of them are not worth the time of the day.

Here, however, I got lucky as "Love and Hostages" is truly a refreshingly original movie. It explores many avenues of single life and single dating via a wonderfully original story line.

The first thing I did after this movie ended, was go on line and purchase a copy. The second thing I did, you are reading now.

If you are single and have had numerous adventures trying to find that one right person, I believe you will have fun watching this movie.

Couldn't make it till the end saw 2/3 of it of them sitting in apartment mostly arguing. Boring.

The actual film description is enticing. Two people are forced to stay locked down in an apartment after a one-night-stand, and neither of them can remember what happened, let alone the other's name. I thought some of the camera work (particularly the close ups) were strategic, but the movie itself didn't make a mark.

The first 30 minutes of the film were just filled with the "couple" arguing. It really felt like you were watching two drama kids showcase a skit. The main actress is quite pretty, but the way she delivered her lines was infuriating.

Some of the flashback scenes of the couple's date night were fun to watch, but overall I have to recommend that people skip this. I couldn't really relate to any character or root for their success.

I loved this movie! It was funny, charming, earnest and moving. Great writing with great performances by all the leads. Such a breath of fresh air to see an original indie like this! Congrats to the filmmakers and the cast! Keep it coming!

I found this film to be never less than entertaining and in many was fascinating for simplicity of concept (why didn't I think of this) and professionalism of execution. It is the type of story that within the first few frames you understand the journey and this should be attributed to the director's "economy" of shots and not a predictable story. The tale of a couple that goes from a one night stand to captives, a sort of collateral damage situation from a nearby hostage crisis, it maneuvers quite deftly between comedy, drama and sometimes very effective pathos. Carl Rimi is a standout as the brother of the male "hostage," a sort of Greek Chorus if you will that finds the perfect note of the character and plays him to perfection. Randall Core as Michael does a fine job though I might have toned down some of his more excitable moments and Natalie Stavola shows incredible promise. Hopefully she has already graduated to bigger projects. I would say the same about Sheena Colette who was on screen entirely too short! She's a find. It's a fun picture that doesn't hide its indie credentials and doesn't pretend to it's something it is not. Are there tonal missteps, a few, do certain secondary players forget the secondary, sure. But there is nothing here for anyone to be embarrassed by and much to be proud of.