BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

jotix100 John Talia Jr. wanted to be a painter. He realized that coming from a humble home and having a homophobic father, he didn't have a chance to make it in the art world. What's more, John wanted to absorb all he could from a reclusive landscape painter, Nicoli Seroff, that lived near him. For that, he appeals to Nicoli himself, who at first is puzzled by what John wants, so he refuses the lad. Seroff becomes intrigued by the young man's ambition and takes him as his assistant when he goes to a Pennsylvania farm where he works.Nicoli is a nasty, vodka drinking loud mouth who takes any opportunity he can to berate the young man; he even asks his new apprentice to do menial jobs around the farm. If John thought he was going to learn a lot from this guy, he was probably insane, but eventually master and pupil come to an understanding of what each one brings to a point they will remember forever. Relief comes in the shape of Carla, a neighbor of Nicoli, who awakens in the youth to a possibility of love.George Gallo, a painter himself, wrote and directed this drama that might be autobiographical, for all we know. The film, which opened in Manhattan recently, seemed to have been shelved for almost three years, although we saw it some time ago in other markets and overseas.Trevor Morgan is the young aspiring painter. He is credible and his inter action with a veteran actor Armin Mueller-Stahl is the most interesting aspect of the film. Mr. Mueller-Stahl makes a wonderful and complex Nicoli Seroff. Ray Liotta plays the homophobic father and Samantha Mathis is Carla.The film is a nostalgic trip to the past.

vnikolaidis-1 John Talia, Jr. knows what he wants to do with his life. He also knows to really improve his talent he needs a mentor.Wisely he chooses the great Russian master, Nicoli Seroff.Big problem though, Nicoli has withdrawn from the world and wants to be left alone with his bottle of vodka.Angry, obnoxious and disappointed, Nicoli scares most people away. John perseveres and learns the best and the worst about what life has to offer.No Transformer-Robots here yet these two characters are transformed as they journey down a rocky road of friendship.At the end of the journey they are both ready to face with maturity the next portion of their lives.Do Not Miss This Movie!

Calvinxxx-1 I enjoyed the movie very much, emotionally, intellectually, and visually. It contains no violence or sex or drugs or special effects, and doesn't need them one bit, holding my attention the entire time with the visuals, story, and interspersed words of wisdom.However: [1] some of the foreign language accents made the dialog difficult to hear & understand; [2] there is unnecessary overuse of swearing (especially the F-word, which is the only reason this movie was rated R). [3] The movie is balanced with humor and emotion, but most of the emotion that holds you throughout the film, except the final resolution last minutes, is unpleasant due to the exaggerated long-lasting dysfunctional reaction of some of the characters to loss, living in the depths of bitterness and depression for too long. [4] I will not recommend this movie because of 5-seconds of background narration, which did not add one bit to the side-character it applied to, or the film -- it only turned me off to the movie and stuck in my brain through the whole movie and afterward: the main character's mother of German ancestry, when watching old WWII movies, "secretly roots for the Germans." There would be no "local color" or art if the Nazi's won the war. I don't know of any Germans today except radical skinheads who think the world would be a better place if the Nazi's won WWII.

hollyinthewoods Most of the time when I see a film, I instantly forget about it the minute I walk out the theater door. This movie is different. It's been three weeks now since I've seen "Local Color" and I can't stop thinking about it. There are scenes so poignant that I can still hear the dialogue echoing in my head. There's a scene in particular early on in the film when the old painter looks up to the sky and asks his young protégé, "What color are the clouds? You think that they're white, but look again". Since seeing this film, I too find myself looking around me, analyzing the color and beautiful nuances of life. This film has honestly changed the way I look at things.Furthermore, this film is very funny. The humor is very human and it takes you by surprise. I laughed out loud a lot. I love this film.