Reviews

Edge of seat drama! The adults are suitably weird/ deranged, but the two young stars completely steal the show. It may have felt particularly compelling to me since they reminded me of some of the kids that I work with, but at any rate their performances felt totally honest. It's hard to know what to compare it to, but in terms of recent films, it feels cut from the same cloth as movies like Winter's Bone, Joe (the 2013 David Gordon Green film), or Mud (the latter two both also feature an excellent young actor, Tye Sheridan). Looking further back in time, maybe think of films like Stand By Me. Regardless, I would recommend this film even if you think you can't stand child actors...or Kevin Bacon...or cop films...or car chases. An exciting feature, hard to believe they packed so much in under 90 minutes. Not for the faint of heart, but if you like suspense, you'll enjoy the ride.

Not without its flaws, but this film gets it right in virtually all the ways that count. It does well to handle the subjects of mental health and suicidality with both humor and seriousness.

I thought the parts were generally well-cast. In particular, I thought the performances of the older character and the psychologist were memorable, and I was surprised to look online and not see more credits to their names yet!

The only minor criticisms I had were that at a few moments, either the script and/or some of the acting felt a bit mannered/ theatrical (rather than film-style), but that didn't take away from the admirable, scrappy, labor of love that really does come across. It's clear that a lot of thought went into this movie.

I do think it's really important to encourage up-and-coming local independent filmmakers, and I hope this work gets a broader circulation.

I thought this seemed intriguing, based on the previews and also interviews in print and on the radio with the director. Then a friend cautioned me about tempering my expectations. Even with this caveat, I have to say I was still disappointed.

I realize that this film is a long-term labor of love, VERY loosely based on a book, and intended as an art film that also makes a broader point (or at least, asks questions). Unfortunately, what it does is LEAVE the viewer with questions, and not the kind that are fun to discuss over a post-film coffee or glass of wine. I feel like they took the idea of "Show, don't tell" a little bit too literally. This film is largely style over substance. You might say meditative (toMAYto), I might say repetitive (toMAHto).

I can't honestly recommend this film to anyone, except possibly art students or people who are really into ambient noise. Or Scarlett Johansson, I suppose. I haven't decided yet whether to give her credit for her performance, because I vaguely suspect she was just sort of playing herself/her usual character, except in more of a daze and with a slight English accent. Several people walked out mid-film (one person even did this about 5 or 10 minutes before the end), and I didn't feel the need to go quite that far...but if I had been wearing a watch, I think I would have checked it several times. Sigh.

Amazing character portrayal, beautiful cinematography. A pure example of art imitating life- we were able to empathize with all of these people, who seemed so real. This movie may not be a big-budget blockbuster, but I think it's the best film I've seen in 2010.

We were totally puzzled by some of the other reviewers who felt that Britain (and its people) are shown as cold, unfeeling, or even inhuman. Without wanting to color a review too much with personal experience, I haven't experienced all or even most British people to be this way at all, in real life or in the film. If it's relevant, I have been living in the UK for just over a year, originally from New York City. Just like anywhere in the world, there are folks in the UK who are more compassionate, friendly, and empathic, and others who are not. The characters in this film really resonated with me, which I presume was the whole point. While there is an element of disharmony or desperation, there are also so many instances of kindnesses both great and small.

This is a movie about real life.

This movie had many of the problems of low-budget, independent film, but lacked that spark or charming quirkiness that makes the best ones so special. Think early John Waters in terms of the style/quality of acting, delivery of lines, and ridiculous dialogue...but without John Waters' impeccable logic, credible costume choices, or sense of irony. Minus creativity points since a) this is 30-odd years after John Waters made those films, and b) McCarthy was probably attempting more of a Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez script with a Sin City vibe (he mentioned that he was inspired by comic books and graphic novels).

Out of a group of five people, including myself, we all gave "Cigarette Girl" two enthusiastic thumbs DOWN. Incredibly, this version (which felt interminable) may have even been significantly edited down from a LONGER version, unless the plot holes were just there to begin with. The whole experience (seeing this film's European debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival) might not have been *quite* so cringey had McCarthy not been there in person...his Q&A after the screening must have been very sparsely attended, and not just because of the utter lack of ventilation, which made me wonder whether the whole experience was some strange social experiment. We wonder if it will become a cult classic just for being so bad, like "The Room." Too bad it doesn't have the acting or plot chops of "The Warriors," or the whimsical soundtrack of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

We figure *someone* must have liked this movie, in order to have included it in the EIFF. Fair enough- different strokes for different folks. However, something tells me its future as a wider release is doubtful. If it DOES come to a theater near you, I'd advise you to skip it...or at least go on bargain night...

Dillo con parole mie (Ginger and Cinnamon) is a fantastic little Italian film about learning to love people's foibles. A woman's niece tricks her into a vacation on a Greek island, on a quest to be deflowered at any cost. She zeroes in on a cute local baker...who happens to be connected by far fewer than six degrees of separation. Wackiness ensues. I also first saw this movie at the Open Roads film festival, though without the director present. I saw it with my best friend, and it's been a special little film between us since then- we even sing the song from the end (it's Ta-ra-ta-ta by Mina). Stefania Montorsi is brilliant, so much so that it makes you wonder how much the character of STEFY might be based on reality. "Megghy" can be a little annoying at times, but in a way that is so perfectly natural in her role. This is definitely a chick film, but so original. The boys are charming as they go along for the ride. I'm lucky (or spoiled!) because I also speak Italian and can get even more out of it, but I recommend it even if you stick to the English (or whatever language) subtitles.