PRESS Archon's Bronx Paradise Review - May 3, 2009 Da Vinci Film Festival Review #2 - March 6, 2009 Da Vinci Film Festival Review - March 4, 2009 The Three Tomatoes - October 24, 2008 Bronx Times Reporter - October 16, 2008 New York Daily News - August 12, 2008 REVIEWS "Bronx Paradise" offers a you-are-there view of life among the drug dealers, small-time thugs, neighborhood mobsters and families who are just trying to survive in an urban jungle that is anything but a paradise. The film bleeds authenticity, thanks to a strong, unpredictable story line and a compelling cast. Wayne Gurman delivers an unforgettable lead performance that manages to fuse rampant aggression with comedic subtlety." Film Critic Jon Niccum "Violence, terribly foul language, and full of humor. My fourteen year old son and I thought it was outstanding. An engaging story and an endearing main character with a very direct communication style to compliment his anger management issues earns this film 5 stars." Mr. Phochfeld "Chances are, you've never seen a movie like Bronx Paradise, and you've never seen a character like Wayne Gurman. Wayne, a small time hood, is an exercise in dichotomy: a brutal, bigoted, misogynist with an African-American wife and children at home he loves. At times the film seems to step into satire, and it often makes strong, bold, memorable stylistic choices. While apparently based on Wayne's real life before he turned himself around, neither he (or ex-cop director William Lappe) play the sympathy card too obviously." Lake County Film Festival "Wayne, my name is Geoff Harkness, one of the organizers of the Chicago International Hip Hop Film Festival. I just watched Bronx Paradise. It is one of the most incredible movies I have every seen. Congratulations! I was absolutely blown away. You have a tremendous future ahead of you. I am interested in talking with you about including Bronx Paradise in our festival. Please contact me via e-mail or at 773-339-.... and we can talk more. Again, congratulations. You have a masterpiece on your hands." Best, For all you lovers of a great flick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You gotta check out this web site. Fantastic film go to you tube request this film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Powerful, emotional, great screenwriting, great production and great acting or was it really acting??? I think this is the next hit of 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great hangin' with you guys over the weekend. Look forward to hookin' up in March in Tampa! Dean Lopez (Drummadness) I saw first saw Bronx Paradise in November, it simultaneously transported me back in time to "Do the right thing" and "A Bronx Tale". Bronx Paradise completes the trilogy. I think the hardest thing to do in film (which Gurman achieves to masterful perfection) is to be scumbag and yet still get sympathy from the audience. With all due respect to the Bronx Paradise predecessors, Wayne Gurman has managed to examine several forms of racism in such an elegant fashion that completely transcends all other films to date. All the bases are covered: Middle Eastern racism towards Americans, homo bashing, loli-pop pedophiles, white racism towards American Africans, a splash of prostitution, coked out mafia drug dealer murderer's, and let's not forget completely originally twisted over the edge comedy. (the theatre awards and penis conference dream sequences were hilarious !!) My favorites scene is the the Middle Eastern deli scene. Wayne is able to show that the Middle Easterners are racists,(or at least act like it, in this scene) then, by brilliantly introducing the women, he shows that he has to keep his cool, and is remorseful upon exiting. The guilt and remorse left on deli-workers faces was a powerful statement that racism is taught, and that it is fake and futile. Other favorite scenes: basketball court, the mafia gambling club, "Gouls" heroin scene, and the homo's in park. My prediction is that this film will be as big as the "Rocky Horror Picture Show". This is real life shit, with a very simplistic motto: bad karma always comes back to take a giant size bite out of your ass. In Wayne's dear friend John Manfredi's case, (portrayed by a fantastic performance by John Palumbo) he pays the ultimate price with his life. Special kudos to Johnny Tsang, the hospital camera work is off the chainsaw, bravo Johnny !! Full props go out as well to Bill Lappe and James McSherry and Wayne for pulling this film off for under 200K. It shows that you don't have to have millions to out produce all the horse shit that flows out of Hollywood. Miles Del Ray "Wayne, Frank Monteleone "Brutal but hilarious. Not for the faint of heart. If you found "The Sopranos" amusing, you will like this." "Thanks for not pulling punches. I mean that figuratively. with the fight scenes. The sound level of the gun shots was restrained and I really liked that. I get so tired of the huge gun blasts that take over so many movie sound tracks. My favorite scene was at the playground/outdoor basketball court. It took just the right amount of time to unfold and it taught a good lesson too. The mob guys were some of the best I've seen on film... In the Indian deli scene: I needed to see the sandwich maker surreptitiously hock-a-lugy in our hero's sandwich. Then I needed to see our hero happily eating away at the spit sandwich without a clue. The pressure of watching this was intense. I know you put comic relief in it on a pretty regular basis but shit, it was still so intense. I guess that's why I liked it so much. Great scene near the end with the lollypop guy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars." "This actor is funny clever and knows how to draw in his audience. Loved the camera work. The dream sequences made me laugh. Didn't notice the offensive content...just thought it a good comment on societies 'ism's.'" "Vaguely being aware that this happens - that people live and act as portrayed in this movie - is the normal state for most of us. We get glimpses in news stories and sanitized dramatizations in TV shows. But seeing the movie and being presented with the raw impact of what it is like, the costs and sufferings - it makes me ashamed the way we as a society tolerate it. That we can be in a place of complacency and comfort even when witnessing the full inhumanity of this state of affairs. We can be so much better, and this film shows why. It is up to us to figure how." "Hard-edged, uncompromisingly honest, and occasionally outright brutal, Bronx Paradise goes far toward de romanticizing the criminal lifestyle. In a story based on his own life, Wayne Gurman stalks the Bronx bullying, beating and terrorizing a living out of populace, while desperately trying to steer clear of those who are even more brutal than he is." |