Director
Richard Wong
Cast
Jake Moreno………Billy
H.P. Mendoza………Rodel
L.A. Renigen………Maribel
Sigrid Sutter………Tara
Brian Raffi………Julio
Larry Sogriano………Rodel’s Father
Gigi Guizado………Kattia
Jim Wierzba………Hulk Hogan
Kat Kneisel………Joanne
Allison Torneros………Amanda
DVD Release Date: November 20, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 100 Minutes
The Movie
It can’t be said that I’m not one of those people that enjoys independent films because a fair share have crossed my path not only for review but just to watch, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of them. Some of the most obscure and strange films line the shelves of my DVD collection and have become favorites of mine. Musicals aren’t exactly my cup of tea but I’ll give a film a chance because who knows, it could turn out to be fantastic. Still, you can’t go making a film that only you and your friends enjoy and expect the rest of the world to take to it.
Colma takes place in the small city of Colma, California. Billy has just graduated high school and has plans to head to college in the fall but for now is looking to get a job. He isn’t exactly sure what he wants to do and has a lot of “growing up” that needs to be done, but that will surely come in time. His best friend Rodel is gay and trying to keep it a secret from his dad. It’s blatantly obvious but for some reason his dad just can’t quite figure it out. The third main part of Colma is Maribel. She appears to be a bit of a princess that believes she is beautiful, but other then that, is clueless.
The three friends go all around the city of Colma just trying to live their lives in a nothing town that has cemeteries full of more bodies then the actual population of living people. Heading to some parties, trying to score some alcohol with fake IDs, and getting drunk appear to be the top priorities on their agendas. Although for the most part, Billy is straight-edge so he likes to keep things clean. Even though they seem like common everyday kids, they are faced with the fact that they must get older and start to act responsible. They simply don’t want to lose touch.
While it may seem like a touching story, it’s just incredibly boring. Colma is nothing more then a few art and music students getting together and trying to produce an artsy song-and-dance hoopla. None of the songs are catchy or even begin to offer inspiration, but they do include plenty of cursing so they can seem edgy and hip. Give me a break. At no point did I feel like tapping my foot or singing along. Waiting for the song to finish was a never ending struggle, but then unfortunately another one would start right up.
In between the musical numbers, the film just totally misses the mark. It tries to be funny but ends up being corny and even takes the production values down if you can understand that. Take for instance the scene where Billy interviews for a position in a retail clothing store. Billy is very nervous and fidgety while the manager (who looks to be all of sixteen) draws pictures of naked women, ignores Billy, and then acts all cocky. It felt like I was back in high school and watching a video two of my friends made in their living room when they were bored. That’s how the entire film plays out. You’re either bored at the absurdity of the lousy acting and bad writing, or you are bored by the awful songs and childish situations.
The Video
The film is shown in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it looks alright. There are times when the film just appears cloudy or scenes just seem to have a haze on them. Colors usually appear bright and clear otherwise.
The Audio
The film is heard in Stereo Sound and comes through perfectly. There’s no real need for surround sound and that’s good because hearing it from all around me would have been torture. But for the film, the sound gets the job done.
Special Features
Audio Commentary – Director Richard Wong and actor/writer/etc. H.P. Mendoza sit down and discuss the film. They pretty much go into how it came about and where all the songs originally came from. Each gives a bit of history of what they’ve been doing in their lives and how Colma was an inspiration to them simply by living it. Each scene is discussed and that’s about it. Just as boring as the film was the first time through.
Deleted Scenes – There are six deleted scenes all of which didn’t need to be in the film and were rightfully left out.
Trailers – Good Luck Chuck, Pride, Fido, The Wendell Baker Story, and Beyond The Sea
The Inside Pulse
If it’s a musical you want then there are plenty of other places to look besides Colma. With musicals, you should want to enjoy yourself and watch the film over and over again so you can sing along with your favorite parts. You want to be able to argue with friends over which song is better. You don’t want to stuff cotton in your ears or count the number of times a specific word is said. I don’t even drink and this film made me want to start a drinking game for every time the word “Colma” was uttered. With only a few and also unwatchable special features, bypass this DVD at all costs.
