Above: Poster for The Mentor from IMDB used for promotional purposes only.
(Global Exclusive Review!)
Greetings
valued Dan's Movie Report readers across my desk today comes a film
called 'The Mentor'. Watching the film, reminds me of a mix of 'Eyes
Wide Shut' and a very wordy yet intellectually dark and Sardonic
comedy, that turns into a thriller. Producer/Writer/Director Moez
Solis, really has an excellent script, actually the dialogue is far
above the skill level of most of the actors, yet one incredible
standout performance that is so good, and aggressive, I promise is
worth watching. Liz Sklar as Clair Adams breathes fire into her
character. Actually if Moez had additional funding, and found more
pro theater actors like Liz 'The Mentor' really would have more
impact.
The
acting is not bad by any means, but this level of intellectual and
nuanced dialogue really requires a pro delivery. Brandi
Nicole Payne as Nilah, does an average job as the lead character who
is supposed to be playing kind of a newbie. The other acting is decent, not horrible, but the emotional level shown really needed to be
ramped up. In the defense of the actors, towards the end of the film
it does get better.
Above Photo: (C) 2020 Wind in a City Films - Liz Sklar in The Mentor
Liz
Sklar emotes, when she is scared she shows it, when she is pissed off
she shows it. When she gets angry curse words don't just come out,
they come out with panther like aggression. Due to her experience,
her body language tells the story. Liz has physical acting prowess,
not just delivering the lines with her voice but her movements belay
her emotions. Please someone get her a lead in a big budget horror or
action flick.
Actually
Brandi's aggressive nature comes out a bit, but it seems that the
level of talent is just not up to the standard needed to carry 'The
Mentor'. She does some voice over work to tell her story, I kind of
wish the narrative would have only been in the beginning to set up
the story, almost superfluous as the story unfolds.
Many
of the characters wear masks, and much of the film takes place in
only a few locations, which is fine as the less distractions are
better for the enjoyment of the terse, vituperative, and slightly
disjointed story.
I had
to watch the 74 minute film two times to give it a rating. A first
pass skewed lower, the second viewing reveals the more subtle madness
of The Mentor. I mean the copious amount of times Liz says Mother
Fu@$er are damn cool, and I envision her as this crazy blood soaked
villainess in a film.
Above Photo: Brandi Nicole Payne (R) Liz Sklar (L) in The Mentor (C) 2020 Wind in a City Films
The
Mentor gets crazy in the second act, no spoilers, but I dig the
developments, and interplay between characters. Brandi Nicole Payne
gets into the acting and unleashes her performance skill, still
though I was searching for more emoting and impact.
The
behind the scenes accouterments on this budget are quite good, clear
audio, all the scenes are well lit, and the ADR is clear in the
headphones. Scenery and costuming are very basic, but in this case,
The Mentor is all about the dialogue.
Overall
The Mentor is a mixed bag; Liz is damn amazing, some average
inexperienced acting, and a wonderful script. The Mentor rates a 6
out of 10. I would say the film has a very specific audience,
intellectuals, Warner Herzog, and dark comedy fans.
The
film releases on several platforms April 22nd. More
details will follow.
Liz
Sklar has been in many stage productions, check out her
