the joy of eating and the folly of thinking

It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012) – Dir: Don Hertzfeldt (Rejected, The Animation Show)

Never before has hand drawn animation been so raw, so artsy, so bad. It is minimalist to the extreme – one supposes this is a conscious effort to draw the focus to what is more important than flashy spectacle, the fireworks. The story matters more. And it is cleverly and at times beautifully told.

It’s Such A Beautiful Day is sometimes incredibly morose, other times terrifyingly traumatic. This is the story of Bill as he struggles to survive day after day with severe mental illness. There are moments of clarity in this film, which mirror the insecurities, fears and neuroses of many of us.

The story is told in a pretty, yet simplistic stick figure opera – which is narrated in third person perspective. The narration is funny, pointless at times, but most often it tells us who Bill is, why he is and how he is.

The narration voiceover has a deadpan voice, but a sadistic sense of humour. Bill’s neuroses are evenly matched with the style of this film – disjointed, insane, absurd, disgusting, bloody and depressing. The precise choices of details in the narration and the stream of consciousness style, the ongoing rhythmic beats and rants, are pure poetry.

Though all people are stick figures, the images are creative and at times interestingly grotesque. Bill’s descent into madness is the most realistic depiction I have witnessed on film. Less glamourous than a trip like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Bill faces and endures the prospect of death – he faces the dismantling of his life. And then he discovers that he is not dying. This entire time being from the perspective of a drug-addled, certifiably insane and pure deceitful point of view character.

Even the endless rain is beautiful. There are other characters in this film – Bill’s ex-girlfriend, his mother, his neighbours. But most of the film focuses tightly on Bill – and vaguely on the people he meets at the bus stop (however most of the time, these people are demonic figures.)

Death hits suddenly. Time is not linear in this story.

Bill tries to pick his life off the floor, and piece it back together. His girlfriend tells him it’s over. Bill is a bit of a pushover. He is self-conscious, insecure and neurotic. But this is only the beginning of his problems. His grandmother as he remembers her, is funny and crazy.

This film is a serious drama, a tragic story about the failure of medicine to save the nut job from his downward spiral into crazy and death. But it’s a really funny story as well – with sparks of miserable humour and hope.

Start watching it and Bill’s world sucks you in and consumes your attention. I absolutely empathise with this crazy character and his ambitions, his wasted opportunities, his lost life.

Kind of reminds me of a minimalist cartoon version of 2001: a space oddysey.

Every complicated emotion in life is finely expressed in this style, in this story.

5 stars

Hard Candy (2005) – Dir: David Slade (Twilight: Eclipse, 30 Days of Night)

Ellen Page injects her whole self into this role, a prepubescent siren in Hayley Stark. Patrick Wilson plays Jeff, the clueless predator wannabe with unfortunate tendencies – a predication for the prepubescent. She drives the hunt, despite the fact that she very convincingly plays the victim.

The sexual implications hover beneath the flimsy surface, which holds the appearance of a perfectly innocent coupling – two friends hanging out. But we began with a nicely timed and executed instant messenger conversation which was anything but innocent. Subtext of serious illicit flirtation.

In a way, it’s disgusting to watch him fawn over her. Whenever they are in public, he pretends his role is innocent. But he is transparent to them. To her. She has a surprise waiting. They both pretend that their relationship is not targeted at sex, but for her there is more going on.

She puts up with his plastic face, his sickeningly pretentious lie, which he uses to seduce her while seeming harmless.

“I am aware of the legal boundaries.”

It is cat and mouse until the tables turn, and they switch places to continue the game. The story itself is very simple. However, there are some brilliant images – the look she gives him when she has him on the table, his helpless pleas, the comfortable ordinary way we see them together in the cafe – which is anything but an ordinary meeting.

She gets closer with him, letting the conversation evolve. She caresses, and masturbates his ego. She spikes his drink and he reveals too much about himself, about his truth.

He wakes up restrained. In a way the conversation becomes more intimate when he realises his helplessness. She is enjoying dismantling him, for the fun of it. She has two voices, her victim voice and her satire of the victim – the hunter voice. She has the control, the power, dominance over him.

He manipulated his online approach of her. He faked interest in obscure pop culture. She busts him. She lectures like an adult, while bringing the point to a close that he is a sexual predator and she is the wrong girl.

He keeps trying to control the situation, but she is not an amateur. Jeff lies on the mat while a fourteen year old girl cuts off his balls.

5 stars

A History of Violence (2005) – Dir: David Cronenberg (Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises)

This is one of the most effective films I’ve seen. A small town, a simple world – a simple story for it, a study of violence – performances that hit you like blunt instruments. The heat is first, a lazy Summer day. The temperature is palpable. The violence doesn’t wait. These characters are brutal and deep. The style is a contrast to the graphic novel it is based on. Quiet, simple, edgy realism. Not cartoonish at all.

Packed with harsh images. Young Jack Stall (Ashton Holmes) creates trouble for himself when he beats an overconfident jock in gym class baseball. He’s clever but nervy, making jokes when the inevitable confrontation takes place in the boys’ locker room.

We establish a loving, passionate relationship between Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife, Edie (Maria Bello.) And Tom is a quiet, strong and supportive father to his kids.

This family is about to get a violent shakeup. The dynamics will have to be re-established. The organised crime element, Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) comes to town when a media story blows up, about the violence at the cafe, and Tom is hailed as a hero.

Carl thinks Tom Stall is this other guy Joey Cusack – and others begin to question it as well. Surely it’s just a case of mistaken identity, but then again how is it that Tom is ‘so good at killing people?’

An intense suspense drama which reveals secrets gradually – flipping the world of the characters upside down. A story about the argument between the violence and the family unit.

The haunting music and surgical cinematography draw out the violence in layers of beauty. Richie Cusack (William Hurt) is impressive, intimidating. The quiet tension is exhilirating. The terse performances are expertly delivered.

Some of the action is actually pretty disgusting. The ferocity of the no holds barred fighting with guns, wire, foot and fist. It gets bloody.

They think that they are going to live forever, right up until the moment when the bullet hits the flesh. And the life drains out.

Powerful ending, like the ending to a song. Profound in its volume of questions, giving no conclusive answers, but provoking thought. Sliced off clean, fade to black.

5 stars

5150 Elm’s Way (France: 2009) – Dir: Eric Tessier (The Pee-Wee 3D: The Winter That Changed My Life)

A young filmmaking student moves into a new flat in a suburban French neighbourhood. He rides his bike around town. And tapes his new location. A fat black cat crosses his path and with a squeal of brakes he avoids the cat, but crashes his bike – breaking the bike chain and his phone in the process.

He notices a taxi parked at a house nearby, but he finds that the driver is off-duty. He asks if he can borrow the phone to call a taxi, the man offers to call for him, leaving the boy to wait outside. The boy, Yannick realises that he is quite wounded and instead of waiting, invites himself inside to clean up his hand and his forearm.

That’s when he notices something strange and gets sucked into the torture chamber of blood at 5150 Elm’s Way. The suspense has a calm approach. Alot of the early violence and gore is subdued. The father Jacques Beaulieu (Normand D’Amour) is cool, calm and controlled. A master of the situation. And a chess champion. Yannick, the boy, is in panic mode from the beginning.

Yannick Berube (Marc-André Grondin) is however enough of sound mind to attempt escape at every opportunity. Meeting failure with repeated failure, and yet his instinct for survival, his keenness to escape never calms, never falters. He is a hundred times stopped, and he is just as hopeful, just as optimistic.

The cinematography is pedestrian, but the drama comes from the consistently building story and its events and surprises. We follow Yannick’s plea for help in the form of a video cassette as it makes its way out into the world.

Will someone find it and save him?

“A clean kill, with no pain! Don’t you get it?”

Until Yannick has a broken leg and it is as if he has a broken spirit. He still tries to escape but his heart is not in it.

Jacques is a believable villain but with not a very strong presence. The girl, Michelle (Mylène St-Sauveur) seems obedient if a little boring – no character in the eyes. The wife is ordinary.

The game is essential to the plot in the middle half of the film. Not the most exciting cat and mouse, but a match of wits is intellectually interesting. Yannick is outmatched and outgunned. Still he tries to win.

The longer Yannick stays trapped in that room, cabin fever begins to set in. His visions consume him and yet he still hopes to win. The family falls apart around him and still he is locked up tight. A strange turn of events towards the end of the film has the invalid wife wanting out while the young Yannick wants to stay so he can challenge Jacques and beat him finally.

The ending mirrors American slasher films with everybody desperately killing everybody else. With one unexpected shotgun blast to the head schocker. And then a surrealist solution: one last vision, one last game.

“We have to finish the game, okay?”

2.5 stars

Goal: the Dream Begins (2005) – Dir: Danny Cannon (Nikita, CSI)

This is a made for TV movie. This at first should be understood. It actually has a lot of heart and it’s not morally superior or patronising.

Goal is a story about soccer/football. Tension between father and son as the Munez family, illegal Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, California, struggle to make ends meet.

Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) his real passion is soccer. His dad thinks it’s a meaningless hobby, trivial. Munez is talented.
He puts savings away for a dream of his own. Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane) is at a game to support the kid of his daughter, he notices Munez – who dazzles him. Glen used to be a player, then a big time scout, now retired from football.

“You dare to dream, you get screwed.”

It’s a simple story with two fascinating characters – the agent who is dazzled by the kid’s talent, and the boy whose distance from his dream is staggering, yet he never gives up hope – which inspires Glen to keep trying to help him.

The boy’s faith, character, determination and raw talent impress everyone he meets. If he can get to England, Glen convinced Newcastle United to give him a tryout. He has to save up for the trip. But everyone knows where he hides his savings. His dad steals his money and spends it on a new truck.

Munez is a passionate and charismatic character – sometimes over the top as emotional drama, but his friendship with Glen and his faith in people is engaging.

His emotions ride the rollercoaster of the plot and bring the viewer along with him. The angst is toxic and eloquent. Juxtaposed with the attitudes of some of the now famous players – those who have achieved the grand dream.

Munez’s situation now seems dire, with no money for the trip, but his Granny gets him the money to go to England. He leaves without saying goodbye to his father, shows up in England and Glen takes him in.

England is another world to him.

“He’s never seen mud, before.”

He screws up his tryout but he’s never played in a wet environment.

He still manages to show a little magic and Glen pushes on his behalf.

There are enough antagonistic forces in the story to test his mettle.

Munez has his dreams ripped from him repeatedly.

This is a story about hope in the face of adversity. Less about football than it is about a man’s character.

And he meets a girl – a nurse. She is cute and clever, perhaps brighter than him. She’s a football fan mainly because she’s a Munez fan. She’s not a groupie.

Glen is a cool, interesting, powerful character.

Munez has a lot to learn, through the course of the film, change is applied to him and his friends. He becomes a more complete and happy person by the end of the film. It’s not epic or grand, but a subtle and enjoyable little sports film.

3 stars

We Bought A Zoo (2011) – Dir: Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire)

A tear came to my eye the first time I saw this film, I was choked up. Not streams of tears – but that kind of tear jerking emotional effect from a film or from anything is rare for me.

The relationship between the young single dad and his son is familiar only because I am a son. I think anyone who is or was a son or a father can relate to these emtional scenes.

We Bought A Zoo is in a way, an instructional manual on how to grow up.

Benjamin (Matt Damon) is more grown up than we’ve seen him before and he still manages to show the struggle.

He has a close connection with his kids but they need a change. There is subtle humour – verging on quirkiness, but it’s mostly just charming. Because the film is about the way it touches your heart.
When the daughter, Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) can’t sleep because of loud neighbours in close proximity to her bedroom, our inciting incident is that Benjamin is inspired to make a significant life change. A new house, a new life.

This film is an emotional adventure about the reality of adventure – it’s difficult, it hurts, it will change you and it’s meaningful. There will be challenges and there will be moments of regret, but fight through it and it might just be worth it.

The new place, it’s a zoo. And when Benjamin finds out that it’s literally a zoo, he doesn’t instantly jump at the opportunity, until he sees the light in his daughter’s face.

The boy, Dylan (Colin Ford) is not impressed with his father’s decision to uproot and move away from his friends. He thinks the zoo idea is ridiculous and he’s probably right.

The cast of characters are ecclectic. The pirate type, Peter (Angus Macfadyen) ‘visionary Zoo architect’ was Robert the Bruce in Braveheart. So I’m a fan of this guy. The character doesn’t get much play unfortunately, or much development.

Probably because they wanted to sell Scarlett Johannsen and Matt Damon as a leading force. Even Scarlette is likeable. She plays her role and commits to it. She is charming, tough, staunch but still pretty, and a real fresh and unique character.

As far as native Zoo characters the key role is young Lilly (Elle Fanning) who plays awkwardly attempted love interest to Dylan, who seems to take advantage of her kindness.

He expects her to keep coming back regardless of his appreciation of her. His excuse is that he is confused, frustrated and inexperienced in matters of the heart. At which point he turns to his father – up until now he has been disappointed with their connection, but he finds the obligatory sage advice.

These are the key scenarios which set up all of the most powerful heartbreaking moments for the viewer.

Dylan, with the help of his father, is the unexpected and extremely unwilling hero of the story.

The zoo crew are resistant to Benjamin at first because he’s an outsider with no experience, a noob. They are confused and curious about his intentions and motivation.

Dylan, don’t open the snake box!

The troubles ie bills keep stacking up, but Benjamin is earning their respect. It’s not even about respect to him. It’s about being sincere, making an effort to build something real and taking responsibility.

Dylan screws up the thing with Lilly, he breaks the girl’s heart because he doesn’t realise and therefore show that he values her. He hasn’t appreciated her and that causes her pain when she discovers it.

Benjamin doesn’t want to put down the big cat – tied to this is the memory of losing his wife.

An overheard conversation with scarlett spawns a verbal faceoff between father and son, my personal favourite scene in the movie.

A very rewatchable tear-jerker for the guys. Not a very cerebral film, a small film. A nice film.

3.5 stars

Argo (2012) – Dir: Ben Affleck (The Town, Gone Baby Gone)

The one thing I liked about this film is Ben Affleck’s performance as Tony Mendez. However, overall I hated this film so much that I was forced to give it zero stars.

This film is introduced as a political thriller, it does not achieve this. It feels as if the film can’t decide whether to be silly or serious. And fails at both.

A storytelling decision is made to avoid qualifying as a good film of a certain type and to focus on the six victims. However we don’t spend enough time getting to know these shallowly written characters, for that approach to be effective. Affleck’s character, though less important to the story, is a better performance.

The opening scene is relevant, informative and emotive. The uprising in Iran of a justifiably angry, and violent mob – due to the US government’s manipulation of their distraught political system and the asylum of their ex-tyrant, results in an overthrow of the American Embassy.

The film, Shooter (2007) comes to mind as a more effective political thriller on the topic of being frustrated by the red tape that strangles a first world government in its attempt to provide justice.

Clerks working at the embassy are trapped in a political war zone. They decide to flee. They take their time, but they do eventually escape. This is all great concept so far, the escape is dramatic, there is an effective setup for a political thriller/spy film like perhaps Spy Game (2001).

The army are playing it safe, deciding not to shoot anyone, so they lose to the mob. Probably they would have lost either way. The innocent clerks are sufficiently scared and as a viewer, I sympathise with them.

Their indecisive panic could have been played up more or been more fluid and relevant/raw/realistic.

While the movie is probably the most effective story about the topic, it doesn’t work as a film. Affleck is believable and charming as the bearded CIA agent Mendez. He’s the one who comes up with the brilliant plan.

The film could have worked as a black comedy/political thriller if it had been effective emotionally and intellectually in both genres. This I think may have been its intention, unfortunately it misfired. Perhaps too ambitious.

No attempt was made to design its form, content or structure with a story that could have been suspenseful, surprising and cerebral – which are the goals of a good political thriller.

As well as the goals of a good black comedy – sadistically funny.

The humour was neither dark, nor persistent.

I understand the political reasons for liking it, lauding it. But even the politics of the situation were such a small part of the movie.

This movie has no core, except Affleck, whose performance, I’ll admit was spot on.

But I disagree with a voice that says this is a good film.

So the six escapees hide at the Canadian Ambassador’s house. Nobody knows that they were at the embassy. Unfortunately, one of the agents at the embassy was keeping a file on all who worked there. It was shredded, but the rebels have sweatshop kids putting the shredded pieces back together. Soon they will know who worked there – specifically that six escaped and what they look like. The rebel motive is to trade the six for the ex-tyrant.

The US government stance is that they must honour their agreement so that their credibility remains intact. They have a relationship with the ex-tyrant, so they are stuck with him. They can’t make the deal.

CIA plans to rescue the six. The plan is to make a fake movie and get the six out of the country as film crew. The other failing of this film is that it doesn’t work very hard at selling the process of being an unskilled, untalented filmmaker which is supposed to be the humorous part of the story.

0 stars

The Rocker (2008) – Dir: Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty)

Rainn Wilson from the American version of The Office (TV) stars in this lovely and silly piece of rock trash. A beautiful parody with a soft heart. Wilson as Fish is hilarious. Fish is loud, gross and brutal. He is a satire of rock/metal attitude.

The movie is infinitely re-watchable. The music is cool, the satire is friendly. Glam rockers or caricatures of glam rock? They still come off as cool – and over the top, disgusting in places. The Rocker is funny all the way through, with the odd breathing-break to get deep.

These motley band of characters – the post-modern punk edgy redhead girl Amelia (Emma Stone), the brooding young male frontman Curtis (Teddy Geiger), the nerdy nice guy keyboard player Matt (Josh Gad: Keep watching this guy he’s excellent – Woz from Jobs and Headphones from The Internship) and the freakish geezer Fish, the heart of the band.

Christina Applegate as Ms Powell, Curtis’ mom is effortless and funny. Curtis is awkward, heavy – the hurt and angry artist.
Fish is the driving force. Attitude of a rock star in a world well past rock stars. Fish’s sister, Lisa (Jane Lynch from Glee) is hilarious as the tough love for his man-child problem.

While the story is not particularly original, the writing is full of laughs and is both fresh and quirky.

All the kids get grounded and Fish gets kicked out of his sister’s basement for stealing the car to attempt to drive out of town for their first gig.

The band decides to practice via laptop network – like a Skype or Google hangout.

But Fish’s new pad beneath a Chinese Takeaway restaurant is stiflingly overheated. Not realising that the PC is a camera as well as a microphone, he plays the drums in the nude. The keyboard player’s little sister sees the video – and as a naughty prank, she puts the video online.

This movie has heart and a real rock soul. Fish is goofy, wears his heart on his sleeve and wants more than anything, to be a legitimate rock star. He is immature, naïve and loveable. He is sloppy, silly and brilliant at helping the littler rockers climb the ladder of rock and roll success.

This is not without its challenges. Their manager is a real nasty piece of work – intent on elbowing Fish out of the band, because he isn’t photogenic – totally missing the point of Fish, and of rock and roll. His sharp and biting insults are funny and though a villain, he is not a throw away character.

Most of the film produces a number of conservative adult sources of pressure trying to get Fish to grow up – but he only sees the negative connotations of that – which are to give up on his dream (of being a rock star – like his idols whom he never mentions, but obviously influence his attitude, persona and ambitions. Possibly clues are hidden in the soundtrack.)

He tests his body to the limits, breaking himself repeatedly in the name of rock.

There are some great moments in this movie where Fish shows how generous his heart is, and how wise without realising that he is. When the band get arrested, he gives Curtis some sage advice and a heart to heart. There is a real relationship growing there. A friendship of substance amidst the crazy of rock stardom and the struggles – of Fish’s out of work drummer, of Curtis’ emo desire to be a recognised artist.

So many funny bits in this movie – quirky characters and odd moments. With at its centre, the drama of some really strong friendships formed. The Rocker is only a silly little comedy – but it’s got a lot going for it. It’s fun to watch and has depth that is missing in a lot of little comedies of its type about the struggle for success and silly jokes.

Romance is in the air for all of our misfit characters. Eventually, Fish is forced to succumb to the conservative workforce – the Hell of a buttoned down, short hair, suit and tie, soul-crushing office job.

Without Fish, the band has no heart – and the real friendship at the heart of the story drives the band and the movie towards its climax.

Wilson is the star of this movie; all the other characters do their part. But without Fish you don’t have anything special.

3 stars

Super High Me (2007) – Dir: Michael Blieden (Melvin Goes to Dinner, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Starring Doug Benson as himself. Benson is a funny guy and a legitimate pothead. His quest to do thirty days of dope smoking is a fun concept. Especially when to be truly scientific, he has to abstain for thirty days prior to the experiment. And attempt to function in the world and in his rather appropriate stand-up comedian job. Will he be as funny without weed?

This doco is interesting and it’s also insightful in that we get to see different phases of Benson’s weed-influenced life. His comedy routines, his health – interviews with his doctor and his therapist. And their impressions of how weed affects the brain.

The comedy snippets are great and relevant. Different marijuana-related points of view. The experiment is approached in a truly scientific method – or it at least tries to. As a viewer, I appreciate this. Even laws on legal marijuana restrictions are considered.

This is a film that covers a lot of bases. The interview with the Prince of Pot is intense. This guy is eccentric, but he’s a machine of exciting monologue.

When day one of the pot experiment hits, it’s so exciting.
Benson tries vaporising weed. And gets high with a bunch of celebrities. He also discovers and documents a number of pro-weed institutions such as a 420 church, how weed can affect psychic ability and medicinal marijuana businesses.

Some really great comedians in the movie discussing weed, from Sarah Silverman, Brian Posehn and Patton Oswalt. But there isn’t as much interesting material that actually covers marijuana.

As a documentary this feels entertaining for a while, but not ground-breaking. Benson is charismatic, kind and quirky. His humour is genuine and he speculates in a mode which alternates between the silly and the complex.

Benson is fun to watch. And if you do like this movie check out his podcast, Doug Loves Movies, because he’s good fun to listen to, as well.

This film lacks expression of a strong idea or emotion. It’s a little bit silly, but funny. With breaks for documented political rebellion.
The process of getting high for thirty days legally (because he’s doing it on film,) is refreshing to see – so much weed, so much variety, so much choice. He is able to explore many different methods for smoking many different types of weed. But we never see him do a bucket bong.

Benson looks depressing when he’s not smoking weed, but he says he feels fine. He’s anxious about the idea of smoking weed constantly for such a long time, but he’s also excited. Through his experience, we the viewer also feel intrigued and looking forward to the experiment.

Benson’s comedy style is youthful and a little provocative, but mostly he looks like he’s having fun on stage and this transfers to the audience.

His comedy and his approach to the experiment are the most enjoyable aspects of the film. However, the direction of this movie is a little aimless – sometimes political, sometimes philosophical, sometimes ironic. But never enough to be meaningful.

2.5 stars

Last days of disco (1998) – Dir: Whit Stillman (Damsels in Distress)

We all know that disco sucks. However, this is the second disco film that I have enjoyed. It is intelligent, peculiar and unique. It celebrates disco as an era, and its end.

Alice (Chloe Sevigny) is beautiful, naïve, tragically burned. There is a lovely juxtaposition of the nervous pre-coupling rituals for men and women. The tales drawing our neurotic characters together.

With disco fever at its centre, this film might be more interesting than Saturday Night Fever – but that’s just one man’s opinion.

Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), the bitch, is funny and as lovable as the misogynist, Des (Chris Eigeman) who pretends to be gay so he can more easily shoot down girls he’s already slept with. I think he enjoys doing it this way. He’s something of a habitual liar.

An intellectual portrait of the attitudes that people had towards the end of the disco era. Painful to hear the somewhat judgemental line coming from the lovely Alice – that she doesn’t consider the guy who writes the spiderman comics to be a serious writer. And then says that Uncle Scrooge is sexy. She seems as intellectually absent as Des is ethically vacant.

Alice is consistently bitch-slapped by her friend, Charlotte. And she takes it, submits, even agrees. Charlotte’s is a point of view which will ruin Alice. Alice is a beautiful person and not confident of it.

The bouncer – God of elitism. On the dole when disco dies.

The cruel Charlotte is a perfect match for Des, who really doesn’t want to go to prison.

The idea that disco wasn’t about the bad music, it was instead about dancing and finding connections with other people. Sharing ideas. Connecting intellectually, emotionally, and sensually through dance.

When the girls dance, it’s something special. Their joy is infectious. As they play the old OCD management games, organising their romantic interests, following traditional and post-conventional rules. Testing their choices on their friends.

The guys are clueless. Everything will fall down around them as secrets and coupling drives an emotional plot with elements of intellectual speculation – philosophy and romance. A rival to Swingers.

Sevigny plays the virgin with grace and passion, hesitation and regret. Anxiety, paranoia and fearful interdependency. Alice is too agreeable – she seems to evolve by the end of the film.

A short, sharp, cynical peek into the publishing industry via the day jobs of Alice and Charlotte. They are as artificial in their work as they are in their relationships.

One moment, Charlotte is hassling Alice’s choice in men, the next she openly steals one of the choices. Ferocious pairing off is a bit of an understatement.

The elitism is attractive even as it is devious. In the midst of a criminal conspiracy, drugs and sex, happy victims and despicable characters. A portrait of horrible people seen through a different, more tolerant lens.

This is one of those stories that meanders, but in a fun underground and jazzy way. The dialogue in this film is funny and doesn’t seem to go anywhere except to speculate openly and interestingly about a number of obscure topics, perhaps simply to entertain each other enough to get laid. An artfully made film even as it is fairly trivial.

3.5 stars