REVIEWS
Luke Franllin - Movies Online
Refuge of Last Resort will be an eye opener for many people and for others it will just be a confirmation of what they knew but couldn't prove - Seven out of Ten Stars.
Full Review - HERE
Maureen Herzog - Indie Slate Magazine
You haven't seen the whole story about what happened in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina until you see "Refuge of Last Resort" - the astounding and unsettling story that goes far beyond the images and sound bites endlessly looped on CNN and elsewhere. This remarkable and well-crafted first-hand account from James L. Bills, a New Orleans resident puts you in the middle of the Crescent City as the Katrina crisis unfolds. Through Bills' high definition cinematograghy, his own story and the testimonies of other survivors, you experience the insanity and surreal tragedy from the inside looking out, rather than from the outside looking in. Should be required viewing for all Americans.
Phil Dixon - myNetwork TV Affiliate Producer
The word reality has been bantered around the entertainment industry a lot this century. So much so that the viewing masses may have lost touch with what really is real. When you think of it how many people not involved in a cult have ever really swapped wives and how many of your problems could be worked out in a single hour? Documentaries and mockumentaries have gained a new status in motion picture outlets as films like "FAHRENHEIT 9/11" and "Supersize Me" certainly broke boundaries with their hard core looks at reality.
Now jump forward. Jump to a time and a place where lives are being threatened and a moment by moment existence is a struggle beyond your imagination. The people involved in the making of "Refuge of Last Resort" will take you there.
It is almost unimaginable that the filmmakers had the foresight enough to roll footage during the horrific Katrina disaster but their efforts have clearly made the grade of extreme reality entertainment. If entertainment is an appropriate
word.
"Refuge" takes us face to face with a horror that "F-911" was not on hand to document and "Supersize Me" could not come close to. A horror surpassing the
imaginary reality of "Blair Witch". This breaks a new levy of what documentary filmmaking will eventually become. With the advent of readily available motion picture cameras gone are the days of "looking back on the event".
The makers of "Refuge" have procured themselves a place in history with this film. While watching "Refuge of Last Resort" keep in mind the image of President Bush flying over New Orleans a day or two after the storm and the tormented look he had on his face during the photo op. Compare that mental image to the torment you see on the screen. You will for the first time experience what reality entertainment really is.
More Reviews:
Omar Becerra - Caller Times
"Wow....the images Bills captured on film are devestatingly incredible" and " Raw, random moments like this burrow deep in your mind forever"
Full Review HERE
Adam Scott - POP Weekly Magazine - Sooner Later
"Bills' film packs a good wallop... the camera captures many telling images of the disaster, it's aftermath and the shocking inadequacies of governmental and military relief efforts"
Full Review HERE
Ron Steinman - The Digital Filmmaker
A film worth seeing to remind us how bad things were in those first desperate, ugly days in New Orleans...
Full Review HERE
Ryan Harrington - A&E IndieFilms, Managing Producer
"Refuge of Last Resort" was very well made, timely and poignant.
©2006 Al Gomez Productions
Distributed by Anthem Pictures
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