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Reviews
The Zero Sum (2009)
Rewarding, thoughtful film
I recently had the fortune to see this film at Winnipeg' NSI FilmExchange and left the theatre dazed, thoughtful and eager to see more.
"The Zero Sum" is simply one of the best Canadian films I've ever seen. Ewen Bremner delivers such a powerful, economical performance that paints the dilemma of a man trying to change his essential nature and find redemption for a life spent poorly. Sarah Strange is by turns vulnerable and luminous. She turns in such a powerful performance of a woman afraid of the world around her. I was fascinated by her relationship with the man who (unknowningly) brought her to such a state.
One hell of a story. I can't wait to see the next one.
Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Someone's Gonna Get Fired
I can handle the sister in law who needed to sit in the nosebleeds and complain until the movie started. I can deal with the guy three seats down who doesn't know his Inside Voice from his Outside Voice. I could even accept someone's ringing phone flashing violet at the half-way point of the movie. But:
How on earth could the director allow her little gem of a movie go to 2000+ multiplexes with an assortment of boom mikes dangling in almost every single shot? The movie is billed as "Jack & Diane." I suppose that's only fitting since as soon as a boom drops down to mess with someone's hair, you no longer see some potentially great performances and instead see some of yesteryear's finest actors rehearsing with all the precision of a little league softball pitch.
This was a story with some potential sparkle in the vein of "Down With Love," another story that chose to pit two strong characters against each other and trust the actors would zing. Nuh-uh. Not here. At least one more draft would have given the stars the chance for a little subtlety instead of thumping you every few seconds with the out-and-out "older women are sexy too!" mantra. And you just can't call them "plot twists" when the plot just meanders over and over for a half hour too long to deliver an artificial ending so contrived you just want to throw your hands in the air.
I give Keaton points for a magnificent performance that breaks the Hollywood mold for actresses of her generation, and their actual on-screen courtship was magnificent (until the boom mike dropped back in to say hello and simply spoiled absolutely everything.)
To wit: Script gets 6/10 for rushing unpolished material. Editor should be given a stern talking-to for allowing it to run 30 minutes too long. Director and sound guy should be locked in a room to watch the film over and over again until they pee themselves and promise to never do something so sophomoric again.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Wanting more, and not getting it
As a guy (even one who steps outside the lampooned trinity of guns, trucks and aliens) I was eager to see this film. On so many levels this radiated "romantic chick-flick" but the trailers did a great job of selling the immovable object and irresistible force qualities of the characters.
Great premise, great actors. "Hey," I figure, "maybe this will be one of those rare chick-flicks that even the men get a laugh out of."
I think it hit it's mark. I laughed out loud. I cringed in all the spots men were supposed to cringe at. I shook my head in gobsmacked disbelief at the scenes that had the women howling in laughter. Good movie.
But. The central premise of writing tight action for your characters is to ratchet up the tension and not give them an easy out. Herein lies the problem.
QUASI SPOILER BELOW!!
The situation the characters were in was a toughie. It appeared even the film's creators could not figure a way to get these two type-A personalities to forgive and forget. The climax was fair, but our boy Matthew never actually seems in danger of losing the big advertising account and dear Kate doesn't have to dump him to get her article. After their climactic argument and inevitable split, all it takes to repair the damage is for one of them to say "Hey, I think you should stay." "Ok." And that's it. It wouldn't be a romantic comedy if they *didn't* get back to together, but it should be under more convincing conditions than just having a couple days off to sit back and relax, shouldn't it?
Shouldn't it?
The film 7/10. Final five minutes: 3/10
One final note: ladies, the moral of this story is not that acting as mean and evil as possible will still earn you the love of the man you want if he's worth it. Please don't act as irritating as my wife did after this was over. She thought the lesson was that the teeth-grating guy-losing behaviour "was cute."