small time

Film Review by Kam Williams

H.S. Grad Considers Skipping College to Sell Used Cars in Fact-Based Father-Son Saga

            Although Freddy Klein (Devon Bostick) is about to finish high school, he still hasn’t decided whether to attend college in the fall. That’s because he’s considering taking a job as a salesman on his father’s (Christopher Meloni) used car lot.

            The very idea of it frustrates Freddy’s mother (Bridget Moynahan) to no end, since she divorced Al years ago for being such a slippery character and poor provider. For that reason, she raised her son without her ex’s involvement.

            Consequently, she’s dismayed at the prospect of his serving as a role model upon belatedly coming back into the picture on graduation day. Predictably-unreliable Al even proceeds to screw up that occasion, arriving with his girlfriend (Garcelle Beauvais) too late to see his son walk across the stage. Nevertheless, Freddy opts to work and live with his long-estranged dad, an ill-advised decision which prompts his mom to warn, “I will hang myself, if he ends up like you.”

            This is the intriguing point of departure of small time, a compelling, coming of age tale ostensibly inspired by a true story. The movie marks the directorial debut of veteran scriptwriter Joel Surnow, who is best known for the Emmy-winning TV series “24.”

            Putting a unique spin on the “last summer before college” genre, the film revolves around a father-son bonding opportunity as opposed to the familiar escapist theme of hedonistic teens nostalgically reminiscing while bidding each other farewell in wanton fashion. Instead, we have Al and his partner (Dean Norris) showing Freddy the slimy tricks of the trade as the kid immediately takes to the sleazy profession like a fish to water.

            Of course, this development is not lost on his worried mom who hates seeing her son emulating those slippery con artists. Ultimately, it all boils down to whether Freddy will continue down this checkered path or wise up and start school in September?

            A refreshingly-realistic, slice-of-life drama highlighting the plight of a teen with a hole in his soul who’s understandably torn between moving on with his life and making up for lost time.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for sexual references.

Running time: 95 minutes

Distributor: Anchor Bay Films/Freestyle Releasing

To see a trailer for small time, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hurvmhuwa1k 

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Bridget Moynahan
The “small time” Interview
with Kam Williams

Bridget’s Blue Blood!

Kathryn Bridget Moynahan was born in Binghamton, New York on April 28, 1971, though raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The statuesque beauty was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency which led to a successful career as a cover girl on Glamour, Vogue and other leading magazines.

After adding acting to her repertoire, Bridget made a memorable feature film debut as Rachel in "Coyote Ugly." Much more than just a pretty face, the versatile thespian followed that breakout role with a string of powerful performances which established her as one of Hollywood's favorite leading ladies.

She has appeared in blockbusters opposite many of Hollywood's finest leading men, including Nicolas Cage in "Lord of War," Will Smith in "I, Robot," Colin Farrell in "The Recruit," John Cusack in "Serendipity," Greg Kinnear in "Unknown," Tim Robbins in "Noise" and Ben Affleck in "The Sum Of All Fears."

Among her many television roles, Bridget portrayed Carrie's rival and Mr. Big's wife on "Sex and The City." Today, she is best known for playing prosecutor Erin Reagan-Boyle on the nighttime drama Blue Bloods opposite Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.

Here, she talks about new film, “small time,” a coming-of-age drama co-starring Christopher Meloni, Devon Bostick and Dean Norris.

Kam Williams: Hi Bridget, thanks for the interview.

Bridget Moynahan: Great, Kam. How are you?

KW: Fine, thanks. I’m a big fan of “Blue Bloods.” Congratulations on the success of the series.

BM: Thanks. We’re all excited that it’s going into its fifth season. I, for one, have never worked on a show this long, so it’s kind of exciting.

KW: Despite the presence of so many stars in the cast, I’ve really come to almost believe you’re really one big family. Such great chemistry!

BM: Yeah, and I think that happened for all of us on day one. We were kind of introduced to each other right before a family dinner, and we had to jump right into it, and it all seemed to fall into place. It’s also unique to shoot the show right in the city [New York], since we all live here. It’s so different from being away on location when you’re away from your family and away from home. In that situation, the cast tends to spend more time with each other. Here, we all go home to our families after work every day, but when we come back, it’s almost like it’s an extension of our family life. 

KW: Environmental activist Grace Sinden asks: Did you got to court or have a lawyer as an acting coach in preparation to play a prosecutor?

BM: We do have a couple people we rely on to ensure that it’s as credible as possible. We’ve had two on set over the years that I’m able to consult speak to about how a situation might be handled, because we do want to make the show as honest and as accurate as possible. We do our best and I work with them often. For me, a lot of it is learning the language of lawyers, because they have many words I would not use in my everyday life.   

KW: Well, I’m an attorney, and I’ve always found this show not only more credible but more enjoyable than any of the other nighttime legal dramas.

BM: That’s a good sign. Thank you!

KW: Lisa Loving says: In so many of our local communities, the police are mistrusted and even despised. Yet we LOVE watching TV detectives! Do you ever think about that disconnect?

BM: I do, because I think that many forget that police officers are people with real lives. They struggle with the same things that you and I do. They might be behind on their mortgage. They might have a family member who’s sick. So, they’re dealing with all that stuff, while also putting their lives on the line everyday. For us! Many of us don’t pay attention to them until we get a ticket for speeding, running a light, or letting a parking meter run over. It makes you angry, but they’re just doing their job. I think people love watching our show because you get to see the human side of their lives, their personal struggles, and also how the job and certain cases might affect them. It encourages you to think about what they see on a daily basis and how that might affect them. I’m sure that something most people don’t ordinarily think about when interacting with a police officer.  

KW: I had fun watching “small time.” Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier would like to know what interested you in the film?

BM: I really like to try to do something on my hiatus, and it was really nice to find a script that was so well-written. The characters just popped of the pages, and Joel [director Joel Surnow] did a really fine job of casting those roles. I had been late in getting on the Breaking Bad bandwagon, so I was unaware of Dean Norris’ role in that until literally six months ago. I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t know more about him at the time of the filming, because I’m now such a huge fan of the show. As far as ‘small time,” I was thrilled to be able to do that project. I recently saw it and was pleasantly surprised at how well it came together. So, I’m really excited for Joel, because this is his feature film directorial debut, and he did a great job.

KW: How did you prepare to play Barbara?

BM: I just thought it was really important to work on the relationship between her and Christopher Meloni’s character [Al], because there was so much history in there, and so much conflict. I think they loved each other, but there were circumstances that she didn’t know whether it was worth sticking around for the “maybe” or the “what if,” since they might always be living that way. So, I think they really cared for each other, and they shared a son, and did the best they could. It’s just a kind of a nice reflection of life, not so different from many lives today. I think it’s a story that many people could recognize and relate to.  

KW: The film was written by Joel, but inspired by a true story. Did you meet any of the people it was based on?

BM: No, I don’t think I met anyone connected to the story.

KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

BM: I think a true classic should never be touched, but I think it would be fun to be in a remake of Casablanca, or even of West Side Story.

KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?

BM: I have such a wide range. I’ve been wearing a lot of Martin Margiela lately. I’m sitting in my dressing room right now, so I’m looking at all my costumes. It’s funny, because we mix a lot so I might end up wearing some designers out of my character’s price range. But we do try to keep her clothes in a bracket of what would be affordable for someone in her type of job. It’s a wide range, but I do try to keep it realistic. Nowadays, you can great knockoffs of the higher-priced designers anyway.  

KW: also, a lot of TV characters in New York live in upscale apartments with expensive furniture they shouldn’t be able to afford, judging by their jobs.  

BM: I know. I have a new apartment in my storyline, and looking at it, I asked, “Where did we get this furniture?” But it was actually affordable, even though it looks nicer than my own apartment. [LOL] They were very conscious about that.

KW: You said you’re in the dressing room. When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

BM: Right now, I can’t see anything, because it’s covered with my lunch bag, which are meatballs. I have two places I get them from in this neighborhood. These are from The Meatball Shop. 

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

BM: Swedish meatballs. My son loves them, and that’s what he gets.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

BM: I can’t really say. I’m not one of those people who can’t remember stuff from back when I was 3 years-old. I have friends who can, but I can’t. Sorry.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Bridget, and best of luck with the film and the TV show.

BM: Thank you so much, Kam.

To see a trailer for “small time,” visit

The Railway Man
Film Review by Kam Williams

Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) served as a signals officer in the British Army during World War II. His unit was dispatched to the Pacific theater where it was captured by the Japanese when Singapore fell in 1942.

They soon joined the 60,000+ POWs subsequently forced to build the Burma Railway stretching from Bangkok to Rangoon. The Allies came to call the 258-mile construction the Death Railway, because so many soldiers perished along the way, including 6,318 of Lomax’s fellow Brits pressed into slave labor by their barbaric captors.

Their grueling ordeal has been brought to the big screen before, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, the Academy Award-winning classic starring Sir Alec Guinness which swept the Oscars in 1958. That fictional adventure revolved around the daring exploits of some heroic saboteurs in the face of overwhelming odds.

By contrast, The Railway Man is a relatively-introspective affair. This poignant character study is based on Lomax’s moving memoir of the same name. And although he survived the war, he remained mentally scarred long after his physical wounds healed.

For, he had been subjected to unspeakable torture ranging from brutal beatings to waterboarding, especially at the direction of one particularly-sadistic interrogator, Nagase Takeshi (Tanroh Ishida). Eric had aroused the suspicion of the Japanese when he was caught with detailed drawings of sections of the railroad on which he was working.

Truth be told, he’d always been fascinated by trains while growing up in Edinburgh and had sketched such maps throughout childhood. But since the frustrated Nagase still suspected otherwise, the punishment only escalated.

Upon the cessation of hostilities, Lomax returned home a broken man unable to readjust to civilian life. Sure, he could commiserate with former platoon mates at the veterans club, yet the memories of Burma nevertheless continued to haunt him.

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky (Better than Sex), The Railway Man is a heartrending, flashback flick set both during World War II and in 1980 which is when Lomax’s loyal wife, Patti (Nicole Kidman), urges him to track down Nagase. Her hope is that a meeting might help her traumatized husband exorcise his demons and thereby recover from his severe psychological afflictions.

Eric’s ensuing sojourn back to the Orient inexorably leads to a confrontation with the tormentor whose face he’s never been able to erase from his mind over the intervening decades. But the question is whether he’ll be able to resist the desire for revenge in favor of reconciliation.

A remarkable illustration of the human capacity to find peace through forgiveness.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for disturbing violence

Running time: 116 minutes

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

To see a trailer for The Railway Man, visit

The Retrieval
Film Review by Kam Williams

It is 1864, and the bloody conflict between the Union and the Confederacy is raging. Against the ominous backdrop of battle and cannon fire in the distance, we are introduced to Will (Ashton Sanders), a 13 year-old orphan ostensibly wrapped up in his own struggle to survive near the front lines.

Separated at birth from the mother he’s never known, the vulnerable black boy is trying to save enough money to track down his long-lost dad. He works as the assistant to Burrell (Bill Oberst, Jr.), a bounty hunter in the fugitive slave business. Will does the white Southerner’s bidding by first ingratiating himself with unsuspecting escapees, and then betraying them once they confess to being runaways.

Today, we find him on a mission in search of an ex-slave named Nate (Tishuan Scott). Will gains his confidence by offering to escort him back below the Mason-Dixon Line for a deathbed visit with a dying brother.

That establishes the absorbing premise of The Retrieval, a riveting road saga with escalating tension. Will Nate catch on before he’s turned over to Burrell? Or might the kid have second thoughts about striking a bargain with the devil?

Written and directed by Chris Eska, The Retrieval made a splash on the festival circuit including at South by Southwest last year where Tishuan Scott won the Special jury Prize in the Breakthrough Performance category. Besides being blessed with great acting, this atmospheric mood piece features eerie cinematography that manages to transport you back to the Civil War era more convincingly than either 12 Years a Slave or Django Unchained.

Slavery revisited as a sick institution making for strange bedfellows.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for violence and ethnic slurs.

Running time: 94 minutes

Distributor: Variance Films

To see a trailer for The Retrieval, visit