greatdeceivah Alex Ferrari is the king of what i'll call "turd marketing", an olive oil salesman, passing himself as some kind of filmmaking guru. The truth is that Mr. Ferrari is so skillfull at BSing and marketing his turd movies and products that people are actually fooled into thinking they are good. He now has a "podcast" where he tries really hard to sell himself as a "hustling" filmmaker and director.. and yet in his "20 years of experience" he only made a few horrible shorts.... which is really a good thing, because the world is already cluttered with too much garbage..His first short, "Broken" is so laughably bad, that i thought i was watching a parody or a comedy. The directing of the actors is non-existent.. the actor's performances are so cheesy and over the top, and the plot is so juvenile, that the whole thing could pass for a freshman filmschool project. The action scenes are laughable.. the only thing that saves this cheesefest from being a complete wreck is the fact that Mr. Ferrari colorized the whole thing to give it a more professional look.I felt bad for whoever got taken by this turd salesman, and the five star reviews left here by his sockpuppet accounts and purchased this piece of garbage on DVD...what a ripoff.. I have seen teenage film students put out better and more interesting shorts than this laughable waste of digital bits. The other two shorts done by Mr. Ferrari feature more-of-the-same horrible overacting and juvenile plots.. so obviously this genius hasn't learned poo-poo in his "20 years of filmmaking" Mr. Ferrari is an inspiration to everyone, because if such a talentless hack like him can pass himself as a "filmmaker" ; anyone has a chance!!!To top it all off, the ever fat and lazy Turd salesman is now selling a "film school" video series in Udemy, that is comprised of ten-year- old, outdated, rehashed and recycled "behind the scenes" and "making-of" videos of his cheesy shorts and his idiotic podcast videos, so anyone can now learn the difficult art of making terrible, overacted movies with amateurish plots.. with plenty of guns and cheesy FX, of course! You too can now learn the secrets of the turd marketing!!Remember kids.. no amount of turd marketing, special FX, stunts, guns and props, concept art and iphone apps are going to make up for competent actor directing, having a good story and an interesting plot. Mr. Ferrari's horrible shorts and failed career as a "filmmaker" are living proof that there is no replacement for real talent.

Film Geek Lover PRICING ====== I have to take issue with those who have a gripe with the price of the DVD ($20 plus shipping and handling?!?!). While I understand getting the most for your dollars concept, a perspective must be used. An indie filmmaker that puts up his own (and friends) money would like to recover SOME cost in their production. They will charge what they feel and want. How many movies have you seen at the theater in your lifetime that you wish you got your money back as well as the 2 hours you spent watching pure trash? If you look at the $20 for a 20 minute film, then yes, it is a higher cost. But to me, the 3 hours of behind he scenes and how-to-make-your-own- flick was worth the money. Heck, I would have paid $30! You really can't compare indie films and Hollywood produced films. They are 2 different animals. Shorts like BROKEN have a smaller amount of time to show their story compared to a 2 hour feature. I'm not saying that the story has something to be desired, I'm just saying that their needs to be some leeway. REVIEW ===== BROKEN is a great testament to what can be achieved in independent film-making. Any of the software editing programs and computers can do the job of larger productions. That is clearly evident in this film. Wardrobe and props gave this film some great production value (love the wheelchair), and the visual effects were very... effective.As far as the story, I feel confused about it probably because I felt like I wanted to know more about the characters (thus, one downfall of a short film). That aside, I am happy for these filmmakers that seem to be getting a shot at a feature version. I would draw similarities to BROKEN like FIREFLY to SERENITY (not in terms of story, but more what the potential is). FIREFLY ended way too soon, but fan support got 1 feature length movie out of it after cancellation of their TV series. I don't know what other show has gotten that kind of push after only one season. Personally BROKEN is inspiring and engaging. Could the story be better? Sure. Is it a victim of eye candy? Maybe. But that's not what I bought it for. I bought it as a fan, and want to be able to say "I was with them from the beginning." --Darren

JC Macek Alex Ferrari had been a production assistant in television before he decided to become a director. But Ferrari is not that typical dreamer who "wants to be a director", he is one already. His debut short film Broken is a big movie with a sitcom running time, and no less than one hundred visual effects shots before its nineteen minutes have elapsed. Might I say that's pretty impressive? Might I add, do bears bear, do bees be? Somewhere out there a young woman named Bonnie (Samantha Jane Polay) finds that she's not alone in her little apartment and that she's got a few more things to worry about than just whether to watch Survivor and tape Friends or the other way around. Nope, Bonnie soon finds herself in a mess that makes The Matrix look like Smurf Village! Her apartment has gone bye-bye, her boyfriend Christian (Derek Evans) is one MIA BMF, and she finds herself duct taped into one of those Francis Dolarhyde wheelchairs surrounded by people who want to kill her.The ring leader is a scarred, silk suited psychopath with the attitude of Bruce Campbell and a penchant for harmonica tunes and bullets, but looking around at the rest of his too, too motley crew, our boy Duncan (Paul Gordon) just might be the most normal one of the bunch. Scarier prospects have rarely been pondered.But what is this place, and why was Bonnie brought there? Why can't she remember who these people are and why they want to either kill her, or just find out what's... well... Broken? Ferrari and co-writer Jorge F. Rodriguez (who also produced) leave the answer truly ambiguous and clearly in the eyes of the viewer. Yep, this just might be the best surreal mystery of 2005 that you never saw! Under one hell of a microscope Broken shows the flaws that a nitpicker who misses the point might focus on. The occasional line sounds like it must have looked better on the page than coming out of the actors' mouths. At least one surprise could be seen ahead of time by the watchful eye and there are one or two moments left so ambiguous one might wonder what the hell the true intention was here (to be fair... that might just have been the point, boyos).Let me tell you, the special effects are almost universally fantastic, and never used as an actual crutch to prop up poor writing (because there ain't any, kids). However, there is the occasional moment that feels slightly over-post-produced. It feels almost as if Ferrari has decided that because he can throw in a visual effect here and there, he should in order to show what a good film maker he is.But he does that anyway, and while the visual effects are a beautiful part of a strong whole, it's clear that Ferrari as writer and director could pull off a great short with or without the computer assistance. His talent with the camera, daring camera angles, and lack of mimicry to the current trends show what a different kind artist he is. Hell, he could probably pop a tape in a camcorder, film a square dance documentary and actually make it watchable! And, let's be fair, this is a good director breaking out of the television production and commercial directing niche he's in, and by God he's going to put in everything he can to show he's got it. He does. As a student flick, a short, an indie... it doesn't matter, Broken is a quality film! It's up there with the best of The Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt in its quality (and run time), but taken for the indie short that it is, and judging it most fairly, Broken gets Four Stars out of Five! Yep, this is one ambitious production, but Ferrari and company actually deliver on their promise. From the grabbing beginning to the twist ending Broken has the feel of that good book you can't put down, and if anything, I only wish it had been longer. If I might be allowed just one more of my many bad, bad clichés: "If it's Broken, don't fix it!" Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my Welbutrin and Adderall right quick. My neighbor keeps playing his harmonica, and it's starting to creep me out, man! I'll see you in the next reel, ya lunatic ya!

Cin3ma TV I am not accustomed to watching every movie out there. My job, school and multitude of hobbies (sleeping counts damn it) prevent me from doing so–I mostly catch the big hitters and, ever and anon, the sleepers. However, I always welcome requests to critique independent film projects, and Alex Ferrari's Broken is a very pleasant surprise. It is one of the few short films that coerced me to repeatedly utter "Dude…""What is Broken?" is the flashing question of the day. It depends on whom you ask–from one perspective it is an eight-grand-a-pop 15-minute film featuring an abbreviated story, a band of unknowns and over 100 visual effects. From another, it is an attempt at an uppercut directed toward Hollywood to prove that no-budget films can pack enough juice and luster to rival the best of the best that money grubbers can squeeze out of the nonstop grinder.Assaulted by a nightmare, a girl wakes up in the darkness of her bedroom. As she steps toward the kitchen for a sip of something, her life turns upside down. She is abducted by a clownish fellow and his hell-bent subordinates. Restrained and oppressed, she does hold some unnatural power to push back. Is it a dream? Is it a manifestation? The ending gives several possible explanations.For a 15-minute picture, the story is more than decent. It does, in fact, fit the profile of a chunk taken from a longer film, with compressed events. Besides that of Samantha Jane Polay and Paul Gordon, the acting does leave a bit to be desired, more so in the inflexibly robotic action sequences. Also, a small number of the edits were awkward, but presumably necessary due to fixed resources.The major highlight of Broken is twofold–the amazing visual effects and the photography. The dark yet vibrant green-toned claustrophobic atmosphere reminded me of a mix between The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, and Sin City. Equally magnificent are the photography and camera angles. They were insanely aesthetic and captivating, throwing you right into the mix. These are what prompted me to go "Dude…" a number of times over the course of the short.In general, I do not expect average moviegoers to see Broken yet. However, true film fans, including new converts, will undoubtedly enjoy it and I suggest they get their hands on it ASAP. It underhandedly gives a quick overview of where the passionate are headed with respect to film-making and technology, and how much of a gap those talents can nowadays bridge between what's aspired to and what's ostensibly impossible.In spite of its few flaws, Broken is a major accomplishment in visual artistry. To the people behind the film: Kick-ass job!Cin3ma TV