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JETLAG GRAB BAG
I'm just back from two weeks in Barcelona
and Rome, and a serious case of jetlag plus a
nasty cold is inhibiting complex neural connec
tions. So this week's set of films is grab bag.
These three movies have little in common except
for the fact that they have been recently seen by
me: a rather disappointing release from a genius
mockumentary director, a graphic film about sex
and intimacy, and a French thriller about shaving
it all off.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (PG-13) 2006. Not
For Your Consideration is a better title for this
long-anticipated release by Christopher Guest
(Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show). I person
ally worship the ground Guest walks on when
it comes to his mockumentary masterpieces. So
what's wrong with FYCl
Guest attempts to
satirize a subject that
is one, too broad, and
two, needs no satiriz
ing: Hollywood. His
characters, instead of
coming out as like
able and quirky, come
across as awkward
exaggerations that are
hard to believe exist
even in the narcissistic,
awards-obsessed film
industry. The characters
are so unbelievable
that it is easy to drift
off and lose interest in
the "cute” story. Then
there's the fact that
the film, unlike his previous offerings, is not
a mockumentary but, instead, an attempt at a
straightahead, narrative comedy. True, he should
be given credit for trying something new. But, a
failure is a failure.
It's brave for Guest to so blatantly take a
skewer to the hand that feeds him. But, the bot
tom line is this: he should stick to what he does
well. His strength as a director is emphasizing
The film is full of real sex, focusing on the
sexual activity of the film's three main charac
ters: Severin (Lindsay Beamish), a dominatrix;
James (Paul Dawson), a former hustler; and
Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee), a couples therapist. The
cast comes together at a so-called "Shortbus"
party—a gathering where New Yorkers of all
walks of life leave their social mores at the door
to drink, rub elbows, make out, or even join in
an orgy. It also serves as a sort-of psychiatrist's
couch for the protagonists to work out their own
intimacy issues.
Mitchell skillfully balances his characters'
explicit sexual shells with revelatory dialogue
about societal expectations, creating a film that
isn't about "just sex," it's about the important
role sex assumes in human identity.
I reviewed this film a few months back after
attending a sneak preview followed by a Q&A
with Mitchell. However, as the film received such
a very limited domestic release, I feel obligated
to announce its DVD rollout. And, if you have not
had the opportunity to see it yet, I highly rec
ommend you make good use of your Netflix ac
count and put it at the top of your rental queue.
Grade: A+
For Your Consideration
La Moustache
the eccentricity of small, distinct subjects, the
minute trappings of which are unfamiliar to the
majority of humanity (dog shows and under-bud
geted community theatre, for example).
So I end this review with a dark confession: I
turned the film off after 45 minutes. Sometimes
things just so go wrong there's no point in sub
jecting yourself to further torture. Grade: D- (a
mercy grade only because I love Christopher
Guest)
SHORTBUS (NR) 2006. In director John Cameron
Mitchell's own words, "Shortbus. It's everything
you need to get through two more years of
George Bush.” Mitchell may have been cheekily
understating the explicit nature of his graphic
film about sex and intimacy, but, he's right. It is
the perfect knee-jerk reaction to America's recent
Neo-Conservative debacle.
LA MOUSTACHE (NR) 2005.
Who would have ever
guessed that something
as simple as shaving off a
mustache could send a man
down a psychotic rabbit hole
where crucial elements of
his past cease to exist, and
his future is presented with
the menace of an advanc
ing storm cloud? Better yet,
who would have guessed
that a movie about shaving
off a mustache would prove
itself to be a thriller of
which even Hitchcock would
be proud?
Marc (Vincent Lindon),
lounging in a steaming bath,
asks his wife Agnes (Emmanuelle Devos), "What
would you think if I shaved off my mustache?"
Having sported the 'stache for most of his adult
life, he makes a face-altering shave. Exiting the
bath with a bald upper lip, he is frustrated by
Agnes' refusal to acknowledge his change in ap
pearance. He thinks she is simply playing a trick
on him, until he realizes that no one else notices
a difference. Marc's angst mushrooms as his past
disintegrates. His dear mustache exists only in
old photos and in his memory. Friends begin to
disappear, and, even worse, he discovers that his
father died over a year ago.
The subject might sound ridiculous, but this
suspenseful work of Emmanuel Carrere keeps the
viewer on the edge of the couch throughout the
film. Grade: A+
Robin Geddie
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