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Ciao
Aloysius J. Gleek:
http://www.hdfest.com/Gerald/ciao.html
Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
CIAO MOVIE REVIEW
http://www.hdfest.com/Gerald/ciao.jpg
Directed by: Yen Tan
Running time : 87 minutes
Release date: December 5, 2008
Genre: Drama, Art/Foreign (In English/Italian/Mandarin with English subtitles)
Distributor: Regent Releasing
MPAA Rating: R
Format: HDCam, Digital Betacam (U.S.)
CIAO is a tale of love involving a gay atmosphere, death, and the making of a sincere friendship from the origins of an online chat. The setting is Dallas, Texas--Mark (Chuck Blaum) dies in a car accident, and his best friend Jeff (Adam Neal Smith) is left to mourn. While Jeff mourns Mark's death and thinks about his close relationship with the late Mark, a carefree and warm-hearted gay man, Jeff checks the inbox on Mark's computer and stumbles across an online romance between him and an Italian named Andrea (Alessandro Calza). Jeff in a whim decides to correspond and exchange emails with Andrea and inform him of Mark's death.
The story develops as Jeff and Andrea exchange personal information about each other. A rapport grows and the film moves into a very sensitive and sincere film. The nature of the plot explores how Mark's life touched everyone. This is when the small cast exploit their brilliant and truly genuine performances. Andrea had planned a trip to Dallas to meet Mark personally. Jeff invites Andrea to Texas and a gentle pace in their relationship begins. The scenes move quickly with interactions with Jeff's stepsister Lauren (Ethel Lung) who is the only family member that lives near him. She consoles him as he reflects on his late best friends' life. All the while, Jeff finds a strong fondness for Andrea.
Over a short period of time during Andrea's visit, the film explores the witty conversations between the two men. Jeff, an American, is a reserved person and Andrea, an Italian, is a worldly wise young man. The opposites attract and their strong bond is linked to a tragic death.
It is hard to believe this light hearted story is also a story of grief, because gradually the plot takes the audience into a birth of a relationship upon the death of another. One of the unexpected stylistic elements of this fine movie is the fascinating technique the director employs in which he uses negative space in numerous scenes. This technique gives the actors more dialogue and more exposure to the camera. The theme of the film became clear it would be an emphasis of intimacy.
This a very thoughtful film with fine performances and has a clear message that often death brings new horizons to life.
FILM RATING (B-)
Artiste:
Ciao got honorable mention in Dallas:
HONORABLE MENTION: CIAO
DIR: Yen Tan (USA)
Starring: Adam Neal Smith, Alessandro Calza, Ethel Lung
http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2008/04/festivals_afi_d.html
Did you hear or post ?
Artiste:
Is this Adam Neal Smith , first time acting in a movie ?
I can not find his biography!
Do you know?
Artiste:
Guest, I see that you are posting!
You need to be a member to do so!
Binevenue, that's welcome!
Aloysius J. Gleek:
--- Quote from: Artiste on December 14, 2008, 11:44:01 pm ---Any information about the actor: Adam Neal Smith ?
I have looked on many sites and can't find.
He's the one in the red shirt as Jeff being hugged by Andrea !
Au revoir,
hugs!
--- End quote ---
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1124861/
Adam Neal Smith
Overview
Trivia: Is a member of the Los Angeles based band The Ethels .
NewsDesk: Ciao
(From New York Post. 4 December 2008, 9:29 PM, PST)
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12052008/entertainment/movies/ciao_142677.htm
Alternate Names: Adam Smith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filmography
Actor:
Ciao (2008) .... Jeff
Cowboys & Indians (2004) .... Father
Night Without Justice (2004) (as Adam Smith) .... FBI Agent Anderson
Snap (2002) (as Adam Smith) .... Winders
Composer:
"The Mortified Shoebox Show" (2006) TV series
Callback (2005/II)
--- Quote from: jmmgallagher on December 07, 2008, 10:21:42 am ---
From Ciao:
Adam Neal Smith (Jeff) and Ethel Lung (Jeff's step-sister Lauren) are two-thirds of the band 'The Ethels.'
Nice music!
http://www.myspace.com/theethels
About the ethels
The Ethels formed in the summer of 2002 in the upstairs bedroom of Adam's mom's house in Fort Worth, Texas. At the time we had an acoustic guitar and a $15 drumset designed for a child (ages 2-5). We wrote our first song in about 20 minutes, and with that, we were a band. A few weeks later we upgraded our gear (not by much) and played at Tom Prejean's open mic at Club Dada in Deep Ellum, Dallas. After a 15 minute set, Tom told us to keep playing. Unfortunately, we didn't know any more songs, so there was no encore. The following month, Ethel relocated to Los Angeles and Adam followed shortly thereafter. At a Halloween party in October of 2002 we met Gordon Bash, who plays bass for Mankind is Obsolete and for Marty and Elayne at the Dresden Room in Los Angeles. He came to one of our shows and offered to record a demo for us in the summer of 2003. We continued to play shows in and around LA, but the band decided to take a hiatus in the summer of 2004 to focus on other avenues. After a year of rest, Gordon joined the band as our bass player. Our first full-length album "Field Trip to Cakeland" is available at CDBaby.com and ITunes.com. We are old enough to be our parents.
--- End quote ---
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