Andrew Charas Movies

The story of Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann's Turning Green concerns a 16-year-old American who finds himself living in Ireland with his aunts after the death of his mother. He longs for nothing more than to return to the States, but he is without the means to do so. After a trip to London brings him into contact with pornography, he gets the idea to sell it in order to raise the necessary cash. When he starts to become more successful in this endeavor than he expected, he must make a momentous decision about his life. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Five friends who nursed their dreams all through college are having a hard time making them come true in the real world in this independent comedy drama. Darrin Michaels (Brad Beyer) is a struggling playwright whose father is more than happy to keep him afloat financially, but he's trying to find a way to succeed on his own terms while battling writer's block. Darrin also carries a torch for Rebecca Moscowitz (Morena Baccarin), a beautiful actress who is willing to read for anything, but keeps coming up against dunderheaded casting agents and sexist directors. Mickey Cancoon (Michael Parducci) is a would-be filmmaker looking for a break while avoiding the real world in graduate school; he used to date Rebecca, but even though they've split up, their break-up sex was so good they're still sleeping together, much to Darrin's chagrin. Rebecca has also occasionally fallen under the spell of Jay Green (Forbes March), a talented guitarist with a fear of success who prefers to sponge meals and nights on the coach from his friends rather than make something of himself. And Ethan Willard (Jordan Gelber) is another grad student who teaches an English course; self-conscious about his weight and his inexperience with women, Ethan wants a girlfriend but can barely bring himself to answer questions in class from his female students. Way Off Broadway was the first feature film from writer and director Daniel Kay; while the film began making the rounds of film festivals in 2001, it didn't win a theatrical release until 2004, after Morena Baccarin earned a following for her role on the television series Firefly. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Can two men, one straight and one gay, find happiness together writing a cheesy action movie? Alex Andero (Michael Parducci) is an aspiring filmmaker who makes ends meet by working in the restaurant founded by his father. Alex has dreamed up a character named Jagger Stevens, a James Bond-style undercover agent who is trying to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring operated by super models (hey, are you sure that movie didn't play on Cinemax last month?). Alex's cousin Norman (Bill Cohen) works in Hollywood as a producer and actually thinks the Jagger Stevens idea has potential, so he asks Alex to write a script. However, Alex doesn't know the first thing about screenwriting; he signs up for a class in writing for film, but he hasn't made much progress beyond attracting a girl named Gwen (Judy Prescott) whom he isn't even sure he likes. However, there's a new waiter at the restaurant, Joey (Kerr Smith), who is good looking, gay, and has an admirer named Elliot (Peter Jacobson) who happens to be a screenwriter. Alex and Elliot meet through Joey, and before long begin collaborating on a script, although Jagger Stevens is a good bit different after Elliot gets through with him. Hit and Runway was the debut feature for director/co-screenwriter Christopher Livingston, and was screened at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A handful of Minneapolis teenagers, just out of high school and on the cusp of adult responsibilities, try to sort out their messy romantic and emotional lives in this independent comedy/drama. Greg (Sam Trammell) is a cocky aspiring photographer who has already been accepted for a job at a major magazine; in his spare time, he takes nude photos of his sister Clhoe (Bridget White), while discussing her physical flaws with a highly professional detachment. Greg is friends with the cynical Denise (Colleen Werthmann), who is attracted to other women. Denise confesses her lesbianism to a shy classmate, Rebecca (Heather Gottlieb), who responds with enthusiasm to Denise's advances, even though she's already written Greg a letter in which she declares that she's infatuated with him. Greg does some confessing of his own when he tells Denise's mother, the recently divorced Evelyn (Cameron Foord), that he's long had a crush on her. Evelyn responds by leading Greg to his bedroom and seducing him; She is soon involved in an ongoing affair with Greg that she sees no reason to hide, which causes much tension and misunderstanding among Greg's friends, especially Denise. Childhood's End was the debut feature for writer/director Jeff Lipsky. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi