Few Options (2011)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Loved George's "adjusting to life on the streets after long term incarceration with extraordinary complications" movie. It took me in against my will through timing, plotting, and subtle like a velvet covered sledge hammer intrigue, and there I was, involved. Not necessarily pretty, but very satisfying to me. I will watch it again. Novice nonreviewer cooookie summation. Low key shake hands while tickling the palm beginning; Eerily seductive; And strangely believable middle; bang up, bang down, bang inbetween ending. Bang, Bang, Bang - You got me!!! I will watch this movie again, and maybe twice more. Then it will be like The Green Girl, watched three times, and the enjoyment and satisfaction will grow each time as I wonder and marvel about how it was made so well.

I attended the screening of this movie last year and very much enjoyed it. It follows the experiences of an ex-con just released from prison as he attempts to reintegrate with society. The cast features such notables as Kenny Johnson, Rainn Wilson and Brad Dourif. Excellent acting, directing and screen writing! It's amazing what the cast and crew has done with a limited budget - the film has some really exceptional storytelling and you become fully invested in the success of the main character despite the feeling that all the odds are stacked against him. If only more movies made this kind of effort to develop the psyches of their main characters!

"Few Options," a film by emerging writer/director George Pappy, is one of those movie gems that can pop up unexpectedly from time to time - all the more affecting because audiences get to discover it for themselves without being force-fed by the Big Time film distribution system. This passion project from a movie artist currently outside the mainstream was made with no budget but lots of guts and touching human insight. Clearly, Pappy just said "Damn the torpedoes!" and shot his honest, fulfilling movie on credit cards. But cheap here does NOT mean unsophisticated. This is smart Film-Noir going back to its roots to tell an intense story from the point of view of an ex-con who lives in a murky world of moral ambiguity, no easy answers, and no way out. Pretty much the human condition as we find it today. Bravo, Mr. Pappy. We eagerly await your next.

Few Options is a drama of moody temperament with solid acting, particularly from the star, Kenny Johnson. It is a fish-out-of-water redemption story set in present-day Los Angeles.After serving a 22-year sentence, Frank Connor, played by Kenny Johnson, exits the gates of Terminal Island and steps out to navigate a new world of uncertainty exhibiting a strong case of culture shock. Having no exit plan upon his release and less than two-hundred dollars, no car, phone, or comforts characteristic of the modern day, Frank asks his cousin (Rainn Wilson) for a place to stay until he gets back on his feet. Cousin Don agrees to let Frank stay in his garage for a short time, despite his wife's thinly-veiled disapproval. Having spent half his life in prison, Frank confronts immediate challenges that make finding honest work difficult.Aptly titled Few Options, this story culminates into an unpredictable twist after Frank gets reacquainted with his once friend/partner in crime, Russ (David Marciano), who offers him a doorman job at the seedy strip club he manages, which leads to distraction from the alluring (and somewhat strung out) exotic dancer Helen, played by Erin Daniels. Chris Pendler, the owner of the "gentleman's club," is a ruthless criminal, but one who never seems to get his hands dirty. Pendler's role is played by veteran actor Brad Dourif, a true standout in the movie.Few Options gets a four-star rating from its well-written script and photography. The movie is George Pappy's debut as both writer and director, and the acting throughout the majority of the story is top notch.