I recognise three things, that I personally enjoy this film. And the second is that it’s pure rubbish. Third, I appreciate the topic. With a very cool concept and the topic of a creative struggle through filmmaking politics.

The soundtrack is gorgeous, supporting a vast array of silly characters. The story is kind of sweet, as is the progression of the hero – Kevin (Jordan Bridges) from naive screenwriter hopeful to disillusioned glorified secretary for the ignorant, yet powerful Hollywood executives.

It’s funny in a restrained and cheeky cringe-worthy way. Mostly it’s just a bit of silly fun to watch. All of the characters (which could have been artful portraits, but were instead jokes,) you would ordinarily hate – there is something likeable about each one of them.

The ignorant boy scout is also a genuine, decent guy. Passionate about movies and maybe even an artist. And we like him more as he grows as a character. And this is the story’s hero, even the hero is both likeable and horrible.

The old agent lady is a bitter cynic and totally useless as a source of advancement. But she has a good heart. She’s also a liar.

The girl, Marianne (Marisa Coughlan), a producer wannabe and a man-user but she goes out of her way to try to help the boy scout, which in a small way redeems her.

Probably the truest line in the film, ‘You’d do more for your career in Hollywood by going out and schmoosing than staying home and working on your script.’

The chauffer is slick, and underneath all the bravado a truly noble character and a voice of reason. Creative and possibly the only non-plastic person in Hollywood. He considers himself a karmic Robin Hood. He is also one of the most manipulating forces in the system and still he can’t break through.

The bullying executive boss is a horrible little man, but we see him in a different light when he himself is bullied by his nemesis. The bullying just rolls downhill and seems to be the very foundation of the system.

Marianne and Kevin are a perfect match it seems. Both struggling to get noticed and negotiate the politics of working in the industry.

The two producers hate each other officially, they are both fairly despicable characters – but easy to sympathise with at the same time, because of the amount of shit they have to eat every day.

Trey (James Marsh – Brainscan) is excellent as one of the group of ‘elite’ assistants whom Kevin hangs out with to discuss scripts which they pretend they’ve read and talk about buzz – which they almost unwittingly create (with totally unqualified judgement.)

When a brilliant idea occurs to Kevin to invent a script and a screenwriter merely to fool his friends – the plan snowballs and the buzz gets out of control – in a similar situation to And She Was (with Kirstie Ally.)

Marianne is not entirely unlikable despite the fact that she consistently uses Kevin. I enjoy the consistent satire of the formulaic, or if you like manufacturing approach that Hollywood seems to have taken for the filmmaking process: Writers are cattle, producers are whores, nobody knows anything and films are chocolate bars and Burger King. Rather than gourmet pasta and handmade sorbet.

The producers are bullies – but they are also neurotic, anxious, helpless and suffering. In a way we feel for them as much as we despise them.

Marianne and Kevin make a great team once the buzz becomes real. Some of the scenes are emotionally tragic and jazzy – which is cool. The performances seem polished at times, quirky but melodramatic. However, this isn’t as effective as it could be and the film isn’t artful.

It’s a nice parody of a grasp for success as moments of a life, in film.

2 stars

A wonderfully original con movie about traditional martial arts. Not Mamet’s best script, but still quite excellent. The viewer is a naïve child, totally unexpecting the hit from tragic event after event, to build the spiral downward. Totally unaware that this negative thrust is designed.

A warrior, purist sensei, Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave) teaches in a small martial arts school. Mike struggles with the day to day running of the business. Leans on his wife – who can’t take the pressure.

Joe (Max Martini – Lie to Me/Pacific Rim) is a cop, a noble passenger of faith in Mike’s school. He wishes only to honour Mike and progress up through his ranks.

Mike, as someone so sensible, seasoned and wise, he should be more cautious when accepting gestures of thanks from strangers. Especially when he has assets that he is emotionally invested in – if they were taken, how much would it hurt?

So be more careful. And if these were taken from him, how would he fight back? A dramatic expression of the intellectual concept, how does one fight when he is partially paralysed?

I try to avoid spoilers, but you need to understand that this story is an intricate conspiracy – the treasure at its core is an idea, a subject close to a writer’s heart.

The fight is something many of us feel. And it often feels hopeless. The weakness of the wives is a fear and perception that many men feel.

The cinematography is ordinary, yet the performances are excellent – especially our hero, Mike and Joe the cop, reserved but purposeful. Beautiful fight scenes.

This is a perfectly simple drama on the surface – just a great story, directly and carefully told. Mike is a calm person, an honourable man, a noble warrior who chooses peace when he can. Even when the world falls down around him, and he sees the evil in his enemy’s eyes.

When fight is the right choice, nothing can stand in his way. He will take it all back. Nothing left to lose. The girl, Laura (Emily Mortimer) is so believable you may forget it’s a film for a moment. She is sweet, damaged, strong in her own way, struggling but loyal and genuine. Another amazing performance.

However, the performances are nothing without great writing – which Mamet has achieved here. Joe Mantegna is a cool, slick bastard. But everyone in this film is a villain, pretty much.

It’s all about money. And who do you trust, when everybody needs money?

Redbelt is a beautifully sad film, because despite the attempt to achieve victory, even if the good guys win, a man still died. With a lovely, spirited, silent ending.

This film leaves one feeling affected, it makes you think about fighting. About the place of violence in life and the need for fight, the need for struggle, the best way to trust. Some of these questions aren’t as explored as the struggle to do the right thing. But sure, it’s a thinking person’s movie, plus there are some really great fight sequences. If you appreciate martial arts and theatrical performance, it’s doubtful you’ll be disappointed.

4 stars

This is a story of innocence and betrayal, a lovely little story by Spike Lee. Very nearly Shakespearean. It’s the Summer of a famous American serial killer, Son of Sam.

The real Adrian Brody – a fresh, engaging character. Before they turned him into a pretentious, arrogant, passionless leading man.

Disco is disgusting, however as merely setting it is sweet, and this girl loves to dance.

Leguizamo is great as Vinny, the full of himself, disco king who fucks anything that moves.

Son of Sam steps into this world, unnoticed.

Dionna (Mira Sorvino) is cute, the wronged girlfriend, the dancing princess. Richie (Adrian Brody) is a naïve soul, wannabe punk.

This is a great little story about lost fools and their circles of relationships, in a hot, sweaty and shitty little section of New York, amidst the search for a murderer.

A serial killer – a fat, moronic creep (the kind who would get bullied a lot as a kid.)

It is funnier and more sentimental than a thriller. A dark, indie romance juxtaposed with Leguizamo’s anti-romantic personality and religious guilt. A drama surrounded by sexual complications.

The beautiful Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) is sweet, as the romantic harlot with a heart of gold, who is fully accepting of Richie’s perverted alternative income.

Dionna is a sensual dancer. Disco still sucks, but there’s so many other antagonistic forces in this film, it’s worth the watch. There are plenty of punk outcasts to love, despite the disco.

Next minute we have Leguizamo freaking out and snorting coke in his tidy whities. Sorvino trying with all her heart to meet her husband’s needs. But he’s a pervert who believes that God hates perverts, he also fears God neurotically.

Betrayal (to foreshadow the final betrayal,) due to misguided conservatism. And the romance of the anti-establishment deviants – who connect intellectually as well as spiritually. They’re fair prey for the mob that hunts the killer.

Anyone different, strange, is challenged by the laughable Italian slobs, the wise guys who think they’re rebels, but are just another mob of suits.

Being too big of heart, unique and full of passion gets you noticed in the jungle by the weasels and wild pigs.

The saddest victim at first is Sorvino, the quiet, loving wife, who knows she’s being betrayed but stays silent and loyal. She does all she can to serve her man – she even humiliates herself by asking an ex-girlfriend of his, how to fuck her husband.

He doesn’t deserve her. That’s what is felt. But she loves him. A swinger’s orgy which Vinny isn’t emotionally prepared for leads to a breakup of the heavenly couple. The recurring theme of sexual complication.

The final tragedy is gay Bobby (Bruce Springsteen lookalike Brian Tarantina) overreacts to Richie’s threats, because of a previous severe beating. He narcs on Richie to the fat bastard and his mob, this leads to the lynching of Richie.

And a friend against friend betrayal.

3 stars

Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti) is a loser, the downtrodden, but there is nothing lovable about him. He’s interested in a different kind of comic book – more realistic, more neurotic, autobiographical, miserable. His work is unique and he is unique, but most people can’t see on the surface what is so special about him.

It’s fun the way the film flips between different styles of telling the story and the way the film is aware of itself. Harvey’s life is shit from his perspective, but it’s always been shit. He’s a bit crazy and fixated on collecting and the lifestyle, the people that collecting involves.

Robert Crumb (genius cartoonist) is a character Harvey meets, while scavenging for jazz records. Crumb is played by the almost retarded, always brilliant James Urbaniak.

Considering that this film is about comic books and collecting, and crazy neurotic, anti-social, anti-cool, anti-poser losers and with a miserable, rebellious plot, I’m somewhat surprised that I didn’t like it more.

I totally dig the point of view of Harvey the character – his stubborn anti-plastic, anti-bullshit way of making art and telling stories. He’s so anti-establishment as a creative – but the kind of person he is makes me uncomfortable. Harvey seems like the kind of guy who very few people could bear to be around.

His inspiration to start making his own comic book is a cool sequence. The annoying old Jewish lady at the supermarket – and old Jewish ladies in general, and how much they piss him off.

Harvey Pekar – catalyst for the comic book’s answer to the beat generation. Unfortunately, this is a story that doesn’t really go anywhere. And we don’t get to see the inside of his creative process or how the maker-process works.

This is a miserable movie about a miserable man, who for some reason can’t make ends meet, but is a successful comic book creator. In a word – depressing. Harvey misses a vital lesson with Alice Quinn (Maggie Moore). “Just keep on working and something’s bound to turn up.”

That mentality is mistaken. It is possible that life will throw you a bone eventually, however unlikely. The key to fighting loneliness seems to be to not give up on a potential friendship just because it provides no sex, money or food.

The more people you know, the more chances you have to find people that you can get genuine connection with, even if that still doesn’t provide you with sex, money or food – though it usually will.

This is key – You should especially not turn down a potential relationship with someone you truly connect with, just because they’re married or otherwise neutral to your seductions.

The social game is hard work but it pays off quicker than merely hoping. And it’s even more difficult if you’re a fucked up loser, but not impossible. Maybe you don’t have to lower your standards, or maybe you should be more realistic. Or perhaps, that married woman who likes you, she knows a bunch of nice people who can help you forget for a while that you’re lonely.

Maybe there are people out there who are a perfect social match for you – can give you as much as you have to offer a relationship, but because you’re a lazy bastard, you’ll never connect to them. Sometimes you need to make a proactive material and emotional investment in your social life. Or get used to being alone.

Or maybe Harvey Pekar is right – keep on working and maybe something will turn up.

The movie is about an artist, but the movie itself is not a work of art. It feels artificial, perhaps even silently pretentious. Joyce (Hope Davis) is a bit cute and as a gift from fate might be a sincere hookup for Harvey. Despite the inevitable constant wave of explosive arguments, attacks and sulking fits – more material for his next comic book.

Most people would consider this kind of relationship to be negative baggage. Not Harvey, to him it’s an asset. The film is funny, but not satisfying. It leaves one wishing there was more of it, not a longer story, just more meat.

I would have liked it to explore more truthfully the mind of the neurotic – through writing or acting, rather than superficially as a character’s flaw.

The jazz soundtrack is a little mundane and sleepy.

Harvey attacks movies the way I do – I love that about him.

Harvey is a hero for the man against a home-life dominated by women. He is a hero because he speaks his mind, no bullshit. And when he makes a stand he is stubborn like an ass. He won’t take bullshit from anybody.

A fascinating, yet terrible film.

Possibly Paul Giamatti’s most interesting role. Though he doesn’t quite nail the absolute ordinary of Harvey Pekar.

2 stars