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'Callback,' written and directed by Chris Glatis, produced by Tony Serdarusich, and shot by Neal Fredericks, follows one day in the life of a Hollywood actor. He is a handsome, talented actor, or at least he thinks he is, who is chasing his own version of the American Dream. But unfortunately, isn't as successful as he thinks he is, or would like to be; and that gap between expectation and result leaves plenty of room for a very remarkable and very compelling drama on life in the Hollywood food chain. In nearly every scene, Richard Eden commands center-stage as the Hollywood actor, his superb portrayal of this character on the edge keeps your attention riveted to the screen, your eyes glued to his every move.

Other performances that were good were Katie Barnes, Scott Satenspiel, and Mick Page, whose tour-de-force as a movie director almost steals the film. I also highly recommend this film for Neal Frederick's incredible cinematography, his POV of Los Angeles alone is worth a viewing of this film. Regrettably, Neal died tragically in August of this year (2004) in a small plane accident off the coast of Miami's Dry Tortugas shooting aerial footage for a new independent movie. And 'Callback' is one of the last movies he shot in his lifetime. That alone makes it very, very special. Karen Rasch's editing also gave the film a provocative pace and structure.

And the soundtrack of edgy rock music motifs provided by Kim Kraft of Studio Kraft boldly uplifts the film. And Chris Glatis, a first-time feature director, deserves a special commendation for his inspired work in writing and helming this movie. He did a dynamite job in bringing this highly imaginative and insightful premise about Hollywood to the big screen.

I really hope he graduates from the independent milieu to direct bigger-budget commercial features in the near future.

I strongly believe that 'Callback,' dripping with industry slang, is a movie that deserves to be seen and heard by film audiences, and ones that truly appreciate the actor's art form. Aside from Oscar time, most audiences take the actors and actresses in the movies and TV shows they see for granted, not understanding the process the actors and actresses who give the performances that fill most movies and TV shows must go through. 'Callback' pulls the curtain back and allows the audience the rare opportunity to glimpse this unique world. Up close and very personal.

"Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story," written by Abby Mann and directed by Tony Bill and has to be one of the best telepics based on a real life story that I have ever seen. The theme of how the truth can be horribly disfigured by racism and racist hostility is horribly portrayed in that you just know that Clarence Brandley is innocent of the murder of Cheryl Ferguson, but the racist court system in Conroe is blind to that fact, and their racial hatred came only a few days away from being responsible for the death of an innocent man which was a very scary thought. It was just too easy for the town to convict a black man for this crime of the rape and murder of a white teenage girl, and how the witnesses shaped the evidence and testimony [if you can call it that] to fit their foregone conclusion. From the ranger to the various judges who tried the case (except the last one) could only make a bad thing worse.

Even though Courtney B. Vance as Clarence Brandley and Gil Bellows as defense attorney Mike DeGuerin are the stars, Richard Eden, as district attorney Peter Spears, truly shines. His performance as the district attorney in the later trials is both absorbing and riveting. His performance is not to be missed by any fan of this true-life events genre. And it was a good mystery as well, with twists and surprises throughout and an ending that is completely unexpected, when the real killers are finally exposed and Clarence Brandy is vindicated of the crime after so many years of being on death row, when his patience and trust in the legal system is finally rewarded. I thoroughly enjoyed "Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story," and look forward to watching it again.

I first became aware of this taut, action-suspense thriller on of all places, imdb.com, and was very lucky to find a used copy on Amazon from a video warehouse in Rochester, New York. 'Tear It Down' for anyone who is not familiar with this low-budget movie is a treat not to be missed. Almost like Rick in 'Casablanca', Matthew Weston's character arc in 'Tear It Down' goes from dead to alive. He begins the movie in such pain and anguish from his wife's adultery that he has no choice but to blow his brains out in the same room of a once prosperous hotel, now a destitute and dilapidated eyesore, that he had his honeymoon. Through a series a coincidental gunshots he meets Carrie, a protected witness who is read to testify against her ex-lover and crimeboss, Nathan. Herewith Matthew and Carrie begin an adventure through the dilapidated Eldorado Hotel trying to escape from Nathan's henchmen and a few corrupt L.A.P.D. officers. Only when Matthew relates to a very hip, and very insightful transvestite hooker does he reverse his slide into destruction and despair and begins to live again. The heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat and over-the-top climax between Matthew and the murderous Nathan each clutching at gunpoint the person most dear to the other tops everything that comes before it. I loved this movie for the dialogue too! Largely profane but very realistic and gruesomely hysterical and somewhat profound. The scene between Matthew and the transvestite hooker had to be one of the best scenes I've ever seen in this type of genre video. This is one gritty, riveting and compelling drama, and the cast of terrific actors, led by Richard Eden who comes off as good as Robert DeNiro in this movie, are amazing. Purchase this gem wherever you can online and watch it today!