Glacier Bay----"For better or for worse?"

A tender yet often shockingly funny portrait of two combative seniors. This poignant gem explores the enduring nature of love and relationships. At a posh family gathering, Artie (James Noble) tenuously holding on to the present as Alzheimer's encroaches, and Connie (Dorothy Bryce), still vibrant and hopeful, revisit a lifetime of anger and regret as they spar over the hors d'oeuvres. In its crowd pleasing 27 minutes, Glacier Bay takes the audience ride on an emotional roller coaster ride that is both hilarious and touching.
"Funny and sad. Beautifully acted and directed."
--Jack Klugman
"A very touching and unusual film that brims over with humanity."
-- Allan Knee, writer whose play was released as the Oscar nominated, "Finding Neverland"
"Poignant yet funny, heartbreaking yet hilarious"
--Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate
"Dorothy Bryce lights up the screen at every turn, while James Noble delves into a character both lovable and shameful at the same time. Colleen Murphy's portrayal of their niece aptly rounds out the family dynamic in this unique dramatic short."
--Notes from Amy Brenneman
"Director Douglas Moser has crafted in incredible little film here, and along with an amazing cast, has created a story that will have you laughing one minute, and shedding a tear the next. ".
--Jordan Garren--RogueCinema.com
"Moser and Stroppel's dramedy about life, unrealized desires, and old age is a sweet and utterly compelling portrait in the vein of "Harry and Tonto".
--Cinema-Crazed.com
"It’s remarkable how in the short time that "Glacier Bay" has for itself, the arguments between Artie and Connie are nearly tragic and the surprise is cathartic. It's impossible to forget, no matter how much time passes after seeing it."
--Rory L. Aronsky--FilmThreat.com
"Glacier Bay is one of the sweetest and most poignant short films I've seen on the festival circuit, and I've seen dozens. It recently played the prestigious Sedona International Film Festival. Chances are you'll see your life, or those around you, reflected in Artie and Connie."
--Larry Richman --IMDB.com
"At times quite funny, "Glacier Bay" is just as often a powerful, tender and difficult film. As the elderly man losing his grip on reality, Noble offers a remarkable performance of tenderness, sweetness and, at times, downright hilarity. "Glacier Bay" is a spirited film with an important message about a subject that touches thousands of lives every year."
--Richard Propes--IndependentCritics.com
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GLACIER BAY Review-By Jordan Garren--RogueCinema.com
I have a confession to make... I love... writing for Rogue Cinema! There, the secret is out! But why do I love it so much? Because I get the chance, every single month, to watch films from some of the best and brightest in the indie film community, that's why! Which brings me to Glacier Bay, an emotionally moving and oft-hilarious love story. The film takes place during a circumcision.... err... um... a confirmation for a young boy named Michael. But that point is moot because the film revolves around two guests at Mike's confirmation party: an old married couple named Artie and Connie. Artie is suffering the effects of memory loss which he waves off as a side effect of old age, but Connie (and us viewers) know that Artie is clearly a victim of alzheimer's.
Connie is constantly "babysitting" Artie and moments after they sit down to eat, both of the senior citizens begin a back and forth verbal battle. At first the blows are light, but the argument quickly escalates, resulting in hurt feelings and one heck of a plot twist! (Not to mention a bellyful of laughs for viewers!) However, rather than give away any more of this excellent short film's plot, I'll just tell you that the aforementioned plot twist is heart-wrenching. As I stated a while back in my review for "My Christmas Soldier," I'm a big softy and I get choked up easily, but rarely does a movie cause me to shed a tear. Glacier Bay is one of those few films that managed to yank a few drops of salty liquid from my eyes. Connie's startling revelation toward the end of the film, coupled with a an overly positive speech by Artie about his degrading memory, made for a tear-jerking experience.
But just when you think that the film is going to end on a serious note, "Alzheimer's Artie" manages to save the day and delivers a few chuckles before the credits role. Glacier Bay is an immensely well done film and proves to be an emotional roller coaster ride! Director Douglas Moser has crafted in incredible little film here, and along with an amazing cast, has created a story that will have you laughing one minute, and shedding a tear the next. Actor James Noble plays the role of Artie in this film and he just hits the ball out of the park! James was so convincing and without him, I don't think that this film would've been half as good. (Kudos to you James!) Also excellent is Dorothy Bryce as Connie, Artie's stressed out wife of many years. Dorothy believably conveys a variety of emotions throughout the film and jumps from annoyance, to forgiveness, to intense anger, to confusion, and finally to sad acceptance in the movie's final moments.
I truthfully cannot praise this movie enough and it truly is a strong film debut for Open the Gate Pictures! The film is not currently for sale, but here's hoping for a DVD release in the very near future because the American public, nay the world, needs to see this movie! For more information regarding Glacier Bay and upcoming productions from Open the Gate Pictures, visit the OGP Website! Great job guys and gals, I can't wait to see what else your independent film productions company churns out next!
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GLACIER BAY Review -by Rory L. Aronsky--FilmThreat.com
I know this couple, Connie (Dorothy Bryce) and Artie (James Noble), who attend their niece’s (Colleen Murphy) son’s confirmation celebration. I suspect others will too.
Connie is pleasant and almost loving towards her niece when she stops by their table in another room at the rear of the elegant banquet hall. When Jill leaves after talking up the importance of family in an ironic tone, Connie has a lot of derisive comments built up and trickling out. That’s my paternal grandmother, Sandra, whose observations of certain people she had talked to are sometimes that way, but absolutely dead-on.
Artie has no compunction about saying what he wants to say, social setting be damned. He’s fiercely honest, and even though Alzheimer’s disease confuses him about what he remembers, he just goes with it. That was my late grandfather, William, though it was never certain if he had Alzheimer’s. There were days when he didn’t remember things, but there were also days when he was lucid and back to who he was: Sometimes sardonic, incredibly sharp, and a man to emulate because of his honesty, which never wavered.
Connie and Artie also argue extensively. There are declarations of love built up over the years that soon dissolve into bitterness, as Artie dredges up an affair that Connie may have had. Oh, it gets nasty, and these performances by Dorothy Bryce and James Noble (best known as Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling on “Benson”), and the script by Frederick Stroppel cause frozen wonderment at how striking and deeply emotional these arguments are, and at how Connie and Artie have made it this far together.
Besides cinematography that elegantly captures the sumptuous essence of gatherings designed to celebrate a major achievement within a family (earwax-colored balloons, presents with bows, women wearing loud dresses, stoically-designed buffet spreads) and a spirited, piano-led score, “Glacier Bay” has a twist that is genuinely surprising, rare in films nowadays that claim to have twists that will cause shock. Screenwriter Stroppel and director Doug Moser perform this high-wire feat ever so gradually, with words as their strategy, and it’s not a shock that happens in a second and then it’s over. This is the kind of shock where mouths gradually open, until the full reveal, and then they fall flat on the ground. It’s remarkable how in the short time that “Glacier Bay” has for itself, the arguments between Artie and Connie are nearly tragic and the surprise is cathartic. It’s impossible to forget, no matter how much time passes after seeing it.
This is also Noble’s first appearance since his role as a farmer on a British TV series called “Where the Heart Is,” and he ought to do what Louise Fletcher does: Appear in independent films often. Just now I recall his performance as the Reverend John Witherspoon in the film version of the musical “1776,” and back then, just as in “Benson,” his presence always commanded attention because he was and still is an engaging actor. He would be of great value to indie filmmakers who want to enhance their visions of what they want to make.
They should start by watching him in “Glacier Bay.”
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GLACIER BAY Review by Cinema-Crazed.com :
The Good:
With the sheer volume of filmmaking and the easier functions of getting a film out there, it's a blurry line between serious filmmaker, and a putz with a camera. With eyes that have seen many, many films it's gradually easier to see where serious meets putz. Thankfully Moser's film "Glacier Bay" is a stern and thoughtful allegory about old age, and existentialism that uses the comedy to pepper the rather insightful message that takes place during the short run time of "Glacier Bay." In Moser's film, the term "Glacier Bay" is more of a MacGuffin, a goal that was never to be. Connie and Artie are a bickering couple at their family's party celebrating their son's confirmation. Artie's grip on reality and his fading memory becomes a topic on which Connie just doesn't let him live down.

Bryce and Noble give very good performances as this crotchety old couple who argue almost incessantly more about their memories than actual current events while they partake in the buffet. Moser and writer Stroppel do not sentimentalize, or humor these two characters; they make them as genuine as possible, and their arguments are funny because they're awfully realistic.

We sit and watch these two bicker and rant about their health, and Artie's deteriorating mental state, and suddenly things turn dramatic. Moser doesn't manipulate his audience, but instead veers the comedy to drama ever so gently, and it works well. One interesting little plot point is that, though, Moser doesn't openly explore it, these two are ignored and brushed into the background of the party throughout the film which is an interesting reflection on their age.

This well written duo is played with very much effectiveness. These two characters are unlikable yet compelling at the same time; they're two people without any sense of decency or manners who find each other with no small coincidence. With the surprising plot twist in the climax, we discover Moser's film is about unfulfilled desires, and wishes that manifest unusually with circumstance, and ask the audience to reflect on our own lives through these characters.

Summary:
Moser and Stroppel's dramedy about life, unrealized desires, and old age is a sweet and utterly compelling portrait in the vein of "Harry and Tonto" that paints its two principles as unlikable but entertaining individuals who are basically just waiting for their minds to fade away and forget what they never accomplished.
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GLACIER BAY Review by Larry Richman on IMDB.com:
Glacier Bay is one of the sweetest and most poignant short films I've seen on the festival circuit, and I've seen dozens. It recently played the prestigious Sedona International Film Festival. Chances are you'll see your life, or those around you, reflected in Artie and Connie.

Artie (James Noble, who also produced) and Connie (Dorothy Bryce) are in their twilight years, sometimes forgetful and often abrasive, yet somehow managing to elicit some hearty laughs that literally had me falling out of my seat. Attending the confirmation of their cousin Michael, they appear to be the typical aging old codgers with which we are all so familiar. But things are not what they seem, and you are sure to be touched by the give and take of these two marvelous actors and the direction taken by this film.

Glacier Bay is beautifully and elegantly directed by Douglas Moser from a Frederick J. Stroppel script, and shot with loving care by veteran cinematographer Christo Bakalov. Mostly a two-person dialog, the theatrical feel and focus on our two protagonists is so compelling that Glacier Bay will leave you wanting more.

Try to catch Glacier Bay as it makes its rounds of the best festivals. It's a surprising little gem of a film that hit very close to home for me, and will likely do the same for you.