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Reviews
Starlet (2012)
Not to be missed
STARLET is a bold and original independent film. It's not afraid to go places most indies would shy away from, mostly due to not landing a distribution deal etc. That is just one of the many reasons why STARLET has true independent spirit.
I saw STARLET at SXSW earlier this year and it was the most exciting narrative to come out of the fest. Sean Baker is a fearless filmmaker that has already established himself with a diverse body of work. He's one I'll be watching for a longtime to come.
And of course this short review/praise would be incomplete without mentioning the breakthrough performance by Dree Hemingway. You could tell she had complete faith in Baker and it showed in her performance. It's a risky role that she seemed to handle gracefully.
STARLET is a film that challenges it's viewers. It challenges our prejudices and preconceived notions, but it does so with a heart.
Honorable mention: The brilliant, and almost effortless, performance by the dog, "Starlet".
The Money Shot (1996)
This was a great film!
This was a really good, raw and entertaining film. Why it never got released I do not know? It's a shame...a waste. I saw this film at a film festival in California and really enjoyed it, The Money Shot was easily the best film at the festival and ever since I saw it I've been searching for a copy, but it almost seems impossible to find. If anyone knows anything about how to get a copy of this film please post it on here because this film is way too good to be locked up somewhere. It really sucks when films like Scooby-Doo are being made and making millions of dollars and films like this can't even get a distributor to enable this film to be seen. Damn shame. Anyway, as far as recommendations go, if you see this movie anywhere, rent it, buy it, just watch the film because it's a rarity and you should take advantage of the opportunity. To the filmmakers and actors, good job, good work and it wasn't completely wasted cause I saw it and really liked it. **** (out of 5)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
a complete masterpiece
David Lynch is the master of mystery.
This film must be viewed at least two times to even get a taste of how extraordinary it is. In my mind this is definitely the best film of the year and Naomi Watts deserved best actress and she wasn't even nominated.
David Lynch is the only director out there that really makes good mysteries that you really have to pay close attention to if you want to solve, he doesn't tell you at the very end the lead character is really dead or that the best friend turns out to be the villain, he makes you work, he doesn't hand you the solution, you have to find the solution by solving the mystery.
** Spoilers & Clues ** Many people think the car crash is a main event and they can't figure out what is real and not. The car crash never happened it's all a dream and I'm sure everyone's had a dream involving a car crash. At the beginning of the film we go into a pillow. We are in Diane/Betty's dream. The blue box is the escape from her dream, when club Silencio reveals that everything is an illusion we are taken into the blue box, therefore out of the dream. We are put into reality for a short time and than shot right out into flashbacks.
Notice the coffee cup and the robe that Diane has. When she goes onto the couch the robe is gone, she does not have her coffee cup and the ashtray that was recently taken is still there. We are now in past events. These are real, but flashbacks.
The whole dream sequence has a lot of significance and mostly portrays everything the way Diane wishes it was, which is what we do when we dream. When we go back to the coffee cup and Diane is in the robe we are back into the present and soon to the end. I don't want to give away everything, but that is the basic structure that will maybe make things a little less confusing and help you focus on other things that tell a lot more about the story. Also notice how Blue and Red play very significant parts in the film.
My interpretation of this is that Blue represents everything that is negative and completely an illusion, created only from the dream. Red seems to represent everything positive and everything that is associated with reality. Red and Blue mix together in club Silencio and that is when the dream ends. This film is amazing and to get to all the details this message would be ten pages long.
Tomorrow by Midnight (2001)
Good Future
I saw this film at a film festival and met the filmmaker as well as the actors, all of which were very bright and I think have a good future ahead of them. I'm not much of a teen-movie fan, but I'm a huge independent-film fan and this film was pretty good. The acting was surprisingly really good, all the actors played the characters perfect. The plot was a tad bit cheesy, but it was very entertaining and it could probably be considered a comedy anyway. Compared to all the crap teen movies this one is actually watchable. I think the director and the actors have a good career ahead of them as long as they get their hands on some good material. Excellent effort!
Trapped (1999)
This is horrible.....
This film is being praised by the people who made it. That is horrible.
At least give it an honest review. This is basically like a crappy version of 'Albino Alligator' and even that film wasn't too great.
I (an honest person who actually saw the film, but did not participate in making it) saw this film at a film festival and thought it looked pretty cool, judging from the posters and what not. I met the director, he was a nice guy, but a little full of himself, as proved in his own review of his film. The film wasn't a bad effort and I don't want to criticize it too much because it is independent, but I just think that it could have been done better.
The plot seemed like it was written by a 6th grader. The judge is caught doing the same thing he wrongfully accused someone else of doing?
Cheesy! The acting.....I'm sorry, but it was really bad. It is all set in one very dull, very badly lit location. It just seems like this guy had somewhat of a budget and willing actors, that he could have at least made something entertaining. All I can say is I really support independent films, but this could have been better, it was trying too hard to have an audience-acceptable plot. Be raw, create something original and you'll be fine.
The Butcher Boy (1997)
Brilliant!
OOOOOOOOh, what a brilliant film. Neil Jordan truly does give the Irish a good name. This film is just superb. Another Irish lad you may want to look out for is Titus Richard, I saw the boys film at a festival and it was fantastic. A young lad with a good eye and a good sense of story. His film was titled 'Premorbid'. Keep an eye out for it and other films to come by the young (19 yrs. old) laddy.
Buffalo '66 (1998)
"Don't do evil."
You really have to see this film more than once to really appreciate it. The first time you see it, you are shocked and can't get it out of your head, some turn that into a negative response, but my advice is to really just rent it and watch it again. It has that same affect as other films such as 'Gummo'. What can I say about Gallo other than he is brilliant. Everything from the writing to the superb acting as well as the great score and original directing, this guy amazes me. But I'm sure I don't need to say any of that since he probably already knows it. The guy has an overwhelming ego and a selfish wit. Although it annoys me, I think he has good reason. He is a very, very accomplished person and grew up with absolutely no encouragement or support so I think he compliments himself to try to boost his own self-esteem. He is talented, but despite what he may say he's not a God and %80 of the films he condemns are actually really good.
Le fils du requin (1993)
Shocking!
Great film!.....or should I say crazy film! This is a good film, that has a lot of meaning. It has the shock value of 'Man Bites Dog' and is definitely worth seeing. Certain scenes reminded me of 'Romper Stomper' the younger years. I give this film ***1/2 (out of four