5 Star Day
Year: 2012
Director: Danny Buday
Stars: Cam Gigandet, Jena Malone, Will Yun Lee
Studio: Breaking Glass Picture
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 97 Mins.
Film Synopsis:
“5 Star Day” follow a young man (Cam Gigandet), who reads his horoscope to find out that he’s going to have a good day. Well, that doesn’t happen, as he gets laid off from work and comes home to find out that his girlfriend is cheating on him. Determined to prove that Astrology has no legitimacy, he embarks on a journey to find three people that were also born at the same time and place as him. The journey takes him cross country to find these people that will not only tests his beliefs on Astrology, but how life can take so many turns. Along the way on his journey, he learns an important lesson is life, love, fate and destiny and how these three people will change his life forever.
Film Review:
“5 Star Day” is one of those films that’s going to surprise you in a good way. Writer/director Danny Buday does a very good job making the film interesting from the way that he moves the film along and the performances. The film does a very good job moving along at a good pace. Buday does a very good job making sure that the dramatic action doesn’t get too boring or to the point that you don’t care about the film. What he does there, he makes sure the scenes serve a purpose. By doing that, it keeps your interest. The other thing that I liked about his direction, the way that he’s able to get performances. I thought, the performance here were very good. Buday does a very good job making sure that his lead has the chemistry with each of the characters that he encounters. This is a very important element in his direction, because if your not engaged with the performances, then this film is not going to work from a direction standpoint.
He gets some very good performances from the film’s lead Cam Gigandet and Jean Malone. Even though, Buday gets the performances that he needs, you need actors to make there characters work, Both Gigandet and Malone had very good chemistry with each other and also took the time to make their characters interesting and work within the context of the story. It allows for the characters to come off onscreen as interesting and you want to following them, instead of being flat our boring and dull.
Buday’s screenplay does a very good job making sure that the story is one that doesn’t make you feel bored or turn you off. One of the things that makes the screenplay work well, nothing feels forced. I liked, how Buday doesn’t force the characters to be in situations that make you feel that the characters are doing it to move the story along. I liked, how he is able to have the characters intersect with only the main character and not each other. By doing that, it makes the focus of the film on the main character’s journey, instead of having of focus on the characters that share the same birthdate. It made for a better movie. The other thing that Buday does well, the way that he develops the characters. I like, how he spends the time to get to know these characters. It makes the characters interesting and it also allows you to be interested in the material. You want to see that in a film, because the characters are one of the crucial factors for a screenplay to work.
Blu-Ray Extras:
First on the Blu-Ray is the audio commentary track with writer/ director Danny Buday and Cinematographer Jason Oldak. This was a very good commentary track. The two do a great job going into every aspect in the production and making of the film. From the acting aspects to the shortcuts that the filmmakers used, everything here goes into great detail. That what made this a very informational commentary track.
Next on the disc is the film’s behind the scenes featurette. This featurette going into the behind the scenes of some of things that went on during production. It would have been nice, if it included interviews. Sadly, there isn’t any here.
After that, there’s one of Buday’s earlier short films called “Dependency”. Different tone compared to “5 Star Day” The film follows a rockstar, who’s playing his first concert after rehab over a heroin addiction. He begins to have stage fright and is haunted by his addiction. This was a very good short film as this very dark and visually haunting. It definitely worth a look for those have this Blu-Ray.
Wrapping up the disc are seven minutes of deleted scenes, photo gallery and trailers for this film and other Breaking Glass Films releases.
Final Summary:
“5 Star Day” is a very entertaining drama that focuses on the characters and a very good storytelling from director Danny Dubay. It’s one of those films that’s worth your time, if you’re a fan of low budget independent cinema.
Film Review: Four Stars
DVD Extras: Three and a Half Stars
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