Press

 

THE WORLD'S BEST PROM
(for more go to www.worldsbestprom.com)

"Hilarious and poignant. Any town that would turn its prom into a televised red carpet event has either got something really right about it or something really wrong. The fact that I still can't decide made me love this film all the more. A smart and funny look at adolescence and its ultimate ritual."
- Bob Fisher, Screenwriter of WEDDING CRASHERS

"It's like your senior prom, plus the Super Bowl plus the Oscars all in one. Every town should have The World's Best Prom. You will LOVE this movie. If you don't then you are lying."
- Maya Rudolph, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

"I love the World's Best Prom."
- Susan Sarandon

"Taking the prom a lot further than even John Hughes could have envisioned...a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out."
- Gigi Stone, ABC News Now

"The World's Best Prom captures adolescent insight with wit and compassion. In cheddar's heartland, you might expect this full-on embrace of cheese, but you'll be surprised to find yourself cheering along."
- Entertainment Weekly

"Fun, touching and completely unforgettable-exactlywhat every prom should be!"
- Joey Bartolomeo, US Weekly

"The Epicenter of Prom Genius."
-Ira Glass, This American Life

"The Wisconsin town of Racine has turned prom night into an annual town-wide celebration, where teenagers are treated like movie-stars."
- NPR's Day to Day

"Sweet without being cloying, sentimental without being mawkish, and most importantly, funny without being condescending, after watching The World's Best Prom, you'll wish you were eighteen and in Racine."
- Heeb: The New Jew Review

"Prom is the final parade of youth, and The World's Best Prom captures all that is glorious and all that is idiotic about that parade. It's more fascinating than I ever thought prom could be."
- David Cornelius, eFilmCritic

"...it is a caring movie, the first of its kind on prom. I believe it will remain one of the best. I absolutely loved it."
- Richard Calo, Ph.D., Author of American Prom: First Love & Coming of Age, & creator of www.thepromsite.com

"Fascinating...irresistible...will amuse and probably startle you."
- The Wisconsin State Journal

"Heartfelt and funny ... the only film I can think of that made me want to run out and rent a tuxedo."
- Michael Lee, KUT-FM Austin, Texas

"One of those things you have to see to believe!"
- Jenny Jones, The Jenny Jones Show

 

THE GOSPEL OF CYRUS ACCORDING TO CYRUS


"A story told in sharp and funny rhyming couplets. It's an insightful and fascinating mesh of popular subculture obscurity with Biblical magnitude. The words have the rhythm for music that may be reminiscent of Arlo Guthrie's story telling, but Cyrus' own world more closely resembles the edgy consciousness of Tom Waits."
- TheaterScope, August 24 1997

"...a holy writ, an epic tale, a story of a prophet finding his message and gathering his flock..."
- Carl Skutsch, Propaganda, August 24, 1998

"A blooded, shirtless, seemingly deranged prophet bursts into a backwoods cabin and then bursts into verse... he also sings the occasional country tune to further dramatize his shocking tale...a peculiar evocative fable."
- Joshua Tanzer, Pick of the Week February 2000, OFFOFFOFF.com go to full article

 

THE WORLD'S BEST PROM (SHORTS)


"...the epicenter of prom genius."
- Ira Glass, June 2001, NPR's This American Life Find the full description here:
http://www.thislife.org/pages/descriptions/01/186.html

"You're not going to beleive this!" Jenny Jones
- The Jenny Jones Show, June 2001
Chris Talbott, Ari Vena, and scenes from "The World's Best Prom", were featured on an episode devoted to up and coming documentary filmmakers.

"Park alumni come home to make prom documentary"
- Marc Laehr Tenuta, Racine Journal Times, May 20, 2000

"Park Grads' film about prom wins award at festival"
- Dustin Block, Racine Journal Times, April 7, 2001

"The irresistible 17-minute "The World's Best Prom" recaps Racine's remarkable elaborate event...Even if you hated high school (or high school prom), Racine's annual glam gala will amuse and probably startle you."
- Tom Alesia, Wisconsin Stage Journal, March 23, 2001

"The World's Best Prom was co-directed by OVO...consisting of six multitalented individuals... Prom in Racine is Wisconsin's version of carnival."
- K.M. Kodner, Wisconsin Film Festival Program, March 2001
"Wisconsin's Own" Spotlight: Collective Filmmaking

"Filmmaker capture the magic of prom in Racine"
- Jeff Wilford, Racine Journal Times, May, 2004

 

LOVE RESEARCH

"Remarkable and revealing."
- Joanne Milani, Tampa Tribune, "Love From N.Y." April 25, 2004. Go to full article

"I wanna know what love is: A Midwestern transplant attempts to find out what New Yorkers have learned about the big L."
- By Carlene Bauer, TimeOut New York, October 2002. Go to full article

 

THE GIFTED PROGRAM

"Much more than That 80's Show meets Heathers...endearing and witty."
-Citisearch.com, February 2003

"Carbajal's humor alternates between lacerating and indulgent, and never slackens."
The New Yorker, February 17, 2003. Go to full article