Excellent, smart action film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A family tragedy changed the lives of the Winters family. When we meet them, Jim, a landscape gardener, and his two children, Gabe and Pete, have not gotten over the death of the woman who held this family together. At this juncture of their lives, they appear resigned with what happened to them. The somewhat quiet family atmosphere is going to be suddenly changed.Jim, the father, who has not seen another woman since his wife's death, is suddenly awakened from his lethargy with the arrival of a well meaning woman who is house sitting for friends in the neighborhood. Molly is a fine listener; she hears what Jim has to tell her, as he opens to recount the anguish, he and his children, have been living.Gabe, the older son, is seeing Stacey, a lovely young woman who loves him in return. It comes as a shock when Gabe informs his father and brother he is moving to Tampa. Jim's immediate reaction is to ask "What about Stacey", to which he responds "I'm dealing with it". Gabe wants to leave the oppressive home atmosphere to re-start his life in a new area. His brother Peter, who was with his mother when the accident happened, can't express his feelings; he has kept his emotions bottled inside him. He is a bright young man, but does poorly in school, something one of his teachers, tries to get him to respond and participate in class.Josh Sternfeld created a sensitive and beautifully restrained film that shows that not all in life is rosy and that people suffer when tragedy strikes. The director, who also wrote the screen play, knows this family well. Not everything is gloom and doom because we realize, as we watch, things will improve, especially for Jim, who is attracted by a woman who clearly understands his situation.Anthony LaPaglia, who is also credited as one of the producers, shows he was the right actor to portray Jim Winters. This talented man doesn't make a false movement and stays true to his character all the time. Mr. LaPaglia, who worked with Allison Janney on Broadway in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge", is again reunited with his co-star and they feel right for one another. Ms. Janney's Molly, although not a showy role, gives her an opportunity to shine.Aaron Stanford is seen as the older son, Gabe, and Mark Webber is Peter. Both actors do a credible job under the sure direction of Mr. Sternfeld. Ron Livingston is the kind teacher who sees possibilities in Peter and Michele Monaghan is perfect as Stacey, the girl that is dumped without much logic, by Gabe."Winter Solstice" was beautifully photographed by Harlan Bosmajian, who captures the world of suburbia in all its glory. The atmospheric music is by John Leventhal. Josh Sternfeld created an intimate portrait about pain and anguish, as this family

This is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. I only continued watching it because I was sure it would get to the point. It never did. Its pace is glacial with no apparent redeeming qualities. This is the first review I have written and if it keeps one person from enduring what I did, then I will know my life was not wasted.This is still one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. I only continued watching it because I was sure it would get to the point. It never did. Its pace is glacial with no apparent redeeming qualities. This is the first review I have written and if it keeps one person from enduring what I did, then I will know my life was not wasted.

I think everyone should see this movie, it is an example of a inexperienced director who dangerously gambled on a script he authored, without consideration for the character differences in personalities and how these differences reflect their emotions. The minimalist direction throughout provided no pacing, no emotional highlights to carry this film along and provide us--the viewer-- with a needed satisfaction that all good movies deliver. There is an excellent story here and it was not developed to the fullest.What contribution Sundance provided besides financial, we the viewer will probably never know. They could have stepped in and provided excellent development ideas. The beginning 10 to 20 scenes could have given us insight into the mother who was the heart and soul of these men's lives. It never happened and the first part of this film suffered because of it. The cinematography was excellent but used mid range scenes almost exclusively, thereby avoiding closeups of the actors and the needed emotional development you can achieve with the more intimate closeup techniques. What contribution to the development of this film Anthony La Paglia provided as the executive producer and experienced actor remains a mystery. A great rewrite of the screenplay in the beginning scenes could have provided a needed lift and more dollars at the box office. I realize the minimalist aficionados will love this film, that is their privilege and no one will change their minds. Still this is a film that could have been a classic.

"Winter Solstice" is a quiet, almost all-male counterpart to "Imaginary Heroes," dealing with the same theme of family grief, and was even filmed in the same town of Glen Ridge, NJ.Debut writer/director Josh Sternfeld perfectly captures the inarticulatelessness of working class guys, particularly in father/son and brother/brother interactions.Anthony LaPaglia as the landscaper dad and Aaron Stanford as his restless older son add to the minimal script with on screen charisma. It's sweetly charming how absolutely clueless they are in their lack of communication with the women who are attracted to them, but Allison Janney and Michelle Monaghan are overly understanding minor characters in their intersections with the dad and older son, respectively. I presume this is to emphasize the hole in their lives caused by the absence of the mother.The problem is that without either more intervention by the women or the alcoholic violence of Sam Shephard's male family explorations, authentic looking and sounding guys hanging out together don't do very much or resolve issues. Pretty much the only plot point is the older son's gradual decision to leave --though I was surprised he has LPs to pack up--and how the other characters react to that.It was nice to see Brendan Sexton again, more filled out, but he looked distractingly like the younger son played by Mark Webber so that I was confused at first that he was the best friend not the brother.John Leventhal's intricate guitar playing on his original score is almost distractingly good. The song selections are beautiful sounding, though not particularly illustrative.