Review of "Karma Cafe"

Other Reviews:
"Talk to Me" (movie)
"Eavesdropper" (play)
Alexandros Kapelis (piano recital)
"A Mighty Heart" (movie)




The first movies were all short films, and although the feature film has become the mainstay of the theater, shorts have never lost their appeal. Recent proliferation of film classes and access to equipment has produced an overwhelming flood of short films. Of the thousands I have seen, only a few have stuck with me beyond the Warner cartoons of my childhood. "The Secret Cinema" by James Bartel in 1968, the 1932 Oscar winning "The Music Box" by Laurel and Hardy, the George Lucas USC student film, "THX 1138" or "A Sense of History" by James Broadbent in 1992 are a few that always come to mind. Now I happily add "Karma Cafe" by Eben Kostbar to the list. In spite of the tens of thousands of entries to film festivals, Eben's movie has been lighting a lot of film festival screens and garnering well deserved awards.

At the “Karma Café,” every cup tells a story.

A Coffee Shop cashier instills confidence in a lonely, young man seeking love. Are they the words of “The Wise” or simply acts of coincidence? Welcome to the “Karma Café!”AWARDS
Audience Choice – DC Shorts FF
Honorable Mention – Beverly Hills HD FF
Best Short – Flickering Image FF
Honorable Mention – Smogdance FF
Audience Choice – East Lansing Children’s FF
Audience Choice & Best Entertainment Value – Pumelo Independent FF (India)

FESTIVALS (partial list)
Newport Beach FF
Rhode Island Int FF
Indianapolis Int FF
Cleveland Int FF
Memphis Int FF
Bahamas Int FF



Eben Kostbar plays Dustin, a lonely young man
Craig James Pietrowiak plays another lonely young man
Paige Jarvie plays Amber plays an attractive young woman seemingly out of his reach
Shawn Patrick O'Donnell plays the coffee counter clerk


Eben describes himself this way, "I am an actor and recently also a filmmaker, living in Hollywood. I grew up in Maryland, love football especially the redskins and for college, USC Tojans and the Maryland Terps. I enjoy movies of all kinds and good times w/ friends."

A reading of Eben's film and tv credits reveals a talent searching for his most fulfilling means of expression, first as an actor then as writer, director, editor and producer. In making "Karma Cafe", he succeeded in bringing quality to all the elements of good cinematic story telling, when measured by traditional standards, but added his own light touch to make it all fresh again.

The story is well structured, the humor well developed, the heart feelings genuine, the film craft clean and crisp. Some well meaning reviewers have called it charming or inspirational. Sorry, I didn't find the film charming or inspirational, anymore than I found it sentimental and maudling, no, to call it charming or inspirational is to miss the mark on the good natured sincerity of this work. Even the word "sincere" can be misread sometimes as an earnest failure, but I mean it in the beautiful sense of its origin in Roman law that only a perfect, unblemished work of a silversmith could be inscribed "Sincerus" (meaning unwaxed from sine meaning without and cera meaning wax). "Karma Cafe" is entitled to be enscribed "Sincerus".

Eben has recently partnered with another talented actor Joseph McKelheer to form Quality Time Productions. They not only produce their own works, but can provide production services as well, check it out.

Unless you're lucky enough to see it at a film festival, "Karma Cafe" can be purchased ($14.99) through paypal now on the website http://www.karmacafethemovie.com (dvd includes special features: commentary and movie slideshow). You can also see a web movie version of it, but it's best when you can see full resolution and surrounded by other people. One way or the other, this one you must see!

Other Reviews:
"Talk to Me" (movie)
"Eavesdropper" (play)
Alexandros Kapelis (piano recital)
"A Mighty Heart" (movie)