Crossing (I) (2007) User Reviews (12)

Reason Canadian movies are bad

[vickthesnake · 1/10 · 31 January 2007]

There are some great Canadian films. There are some crappy ones. Last night, I watched one of the crappy ones. It wasn't the typical Canadian film where it tried to be so different by being arty. This film tried to be some type of Hollywood gangster movie. It was terrible.

From the beginning I had a sense that it would be a bad movie. It had some of the cheesiest dialouge a movie can have. There was this voice over for one scene and then it never returned. That always bugs me, when filmmakers just use voice over when they can't think of another creative way to tell a story.

I know being in the Canadian film industry, I should support my fellow brothers, but this movie is junk. The premise is something like a Soprano's episode only not realistic. Some banker's mafia boss dad is on his death bed and orders the son to make the business legit. Not so original. And the workers complain about it, but they just take the fact that they will soon be out of jobs like nothing. To make it legit they use extortion. Irony. But not the good kind. Then some freak show girl who had an awful Elvis wig and birthmark that covered half of her face robs the main character and kinda rapes him. Anyways, this guy for whatever reason now likes to dress up as girls. Then this banker hooks up with a hooker, when he has a beautiful future wife at home. But he falls for the hooker because the hooker dresses like a man and puts make-up on him. She blackmails him with some photos of him wearing bra and panties. Yet, he still loves her. He also has no reason to leave his fiancé, but he does in order to be with the hooker.

For a movie about organize crime and sexual fetish, there was neither action nor sex. It was like a late night Cinemax porn movie without the good stuff. The would-be sex scenes weren't hot or sexy. It was all too amateurish. The movie had nothing going for it, just the lame plot.

I don't think it was the actor's fault. I think they had a terrible script to work with. What stuck out the most was the ridiculous characters. The bad guy's name was Uncle Bunny or something. But the name wasn't important. It was they all were cliché. The dialouge was laughable throughout the movie, and fellow movie-goers laughed aloud at some of the movies "serious" moments. Then, the worst of it all. It had to be the cheapest ending. If you can ever remember playing shoot out as a kid with either imaginary guns or toy guns. That was basically the ending of the movie. But I was more than happy it ended, and I had to warn my fellow Canadians to not waste time or money watching this film.

Not good enough of an effort

[JumpingBridges · 1/10 · 4 February 2007]

What can be said about a movie about a cross dressing gangster? Not that much. With the average indie style film-making, this film has the timing all wrong. Editing is just awful. As far as the gangster story, it might have been pulled off if the gangsters didn't lack character. Everyone just seemed to be there for some sort of punch line. None of which were funny. The usual suspects in this film are the hooker with the heart of gold, the dying mafia father that wishes his son would make his business legit, the best friend with the "zany" one-liners. But the main character, the gangster that likes to dress up like a girl. Only his motivation for dressing up like a girl is that he got mugged by a woman? Weird. The ending of the movie had to be the nail in the coffin. It was anti-climatic to say the least. I mean I understand how indie filmmakers don't have the equipment for a proper shot out, but they might as well been using water guns. Overall, I would say the hype leading up to it, (red carpet premiere in Vancouver), it was a disappointment.

Late Night on Movie Central, not worth it.

[ThrowmeaBeer · 1/10 · 6 March 2008]

Everyone knows that late night movies aren't Oscar contenders. Fine. I mean I'll admit that I was a bit tipsy and bored and figured I'd get to some skin-a-max. It's pretty bad when the info on the TV guide channel makes fun of the movie in the description. It even gave it half a star. To be fair, I did sit throw the whole thing cause man it was soooooooooo bad. I couldn't stop laughing. I mean the words coming out of these people mouth and how they were trying to be serious. Most of the time I think the people on the screen were trying their hardest to not to laugh. In fact I think in one scene they did laugh. Anyways the movie didn't make sense. It was like that one Sopranos episode with the fat gay guy. Only the Sopranos is great show. But it was terrible, I mean, no nudity, just sex scenes out of the 90's. You know the kind that use shadows and silhouettes instead of flesh. I gave it a two cause this flick makes for a good drinking game movie. I mean with all the cheese, it helps to get the wine out. If its late at night, and all that is on TV is this and that Tony Little guy and his exercise bike, then I suggest Tony Little.

Don't Waste Your Time.

[Dave-291 · 1/10 · 17 October 2014]

This isn't a good movie. It's just not. It's nonsensical, completely absurd (in a bad way), amateurish, and just plain bad. I'd go so far as to say it killed Sebastian Spence's career (poor guy). Even the boys from MST3K wouldn't be able to stomach this dreck enough to make fun of it.

Because I have to fill a certain amount of space in order to post this review, I'll describe a little bit of the inanity that they wasted celluloid on: the aforementioned Sebastian Spence looking consistently baffled throughout as he tries to both understand the hot mess of a script and figure out the best way to dispose of his soon-to-be-ex-agent's body; "Uncle Bunny," the least threatening mob villain in cinematic history; Michael Buble's untalented, aspiring actress sister, doing her best K-Stew impression before K-Stew was a thing; Bif Naked in the worst hair and make-up ever designed, playing a drag king with a terrible Elvis fetish; cross-dressing-- oh, so much cross-dressing-- as a story device, but for no real narrative purpose whatsoever.

Also, please note that all of the "positive reviewers" for this film have only, according to their account histories, ever conveniently reviewed one film: this gooey turd of a movie. Nothing suspect about that whatsoever (which, if you believe, then hey, I've got a bridge to sell you).

Seriously, go watch paint dry instead. You'll be more entertained.

A foray into dark Canadian cinema

[marble8780 · 10/10 · 1 March 2010]

A great piece of Canadian cinema. "Crossing" is not for the weak of heart, but it is one Canadian film that takes you on a wild ride. Sebastian Spence is enthralling as Daniel. His portrayal of a cross-dressing gangster (something that could be handle distastefully quite easily) is done without a hint of mockery or imitation. He is compelling, and one can truly sense the struggle he is having with himself.

This film host a cast of various celebutants. We have Crystal Buble (little sister to crooner Michael) in one of her first film's this reviewer has personally seen. Buble is enchanting and one cannot help but fall under her spell. Fred Ewanuick (of Corner Gas fame) is refreshingly diabolical, a step away from his usual bumbling, good natured characters we know him well as. Bif Naked also makes an appearance as the drag king extraordinaire, who we can personally thank for bringing about the internal struggle that drives the movie forward.

One aspect I personally enjoyed is the use of the Canadian local. In an age when everyone seems to be masking one city for another, this film embraces the Vancouver local, including the good and the bad. It is almost as though the city takes on the form of another character in the film, the omnipresent.

Overall an entertaining watch.

Dark Canucks

[sorcerersapprentice · 7/10 · 7 June 2007]

Set amidst the dirt and debauchery of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Crossing follows the son of a mob-boss as he discovers his own sexual kinks, and just maybe the love of his life, as he attempts to take the family business legit.

The charming Sebastian Spence stars as Daniel Cimmerman, a brooding heir to his father's Croatian-Canadian crime syndicate, struggling to honor his father's dying wish of legitimacy while finding that his wedding to the daughter of another local crime-boss approaches faster than he would like. Meanwhile, Davina (played by Krystal Buble, sister of crooner Michael), a prostitute with a penchant for photography, finds herself roped into the extortion schemes of her boarder-line psychotic pimp Uncle Bunny, after being promised her freedom once the job is finished.

The target: Daniel himself. The plan: Davina is to lure him into a hotel-room and use her photography skills to take compromising pictures that can be used against him.

After Daniel's bachelor party (for which Davina is conveniently hired as the entertainment) Daniel and Davina share an emotionally charged night together, during which Daniel confesses a new found interest in cross dressing (thanks, in part, to an earlier encounter with another crossing dressing street thug, played by Canadian music icon Bif Naked). This newly discovered kink of Daniel's gives the opportunistic Uncle Bunny all the ammunition he needs to move forward with his extortion plans. That is, of course, until Davina begins to fall for her fall guy.

The film itself is evenly paced and well balanced enough to keep all of its balls in the air, while the audience stays firmly in toe. Screenwriters Roger Larry and Sandra Tomc approach their leads with such grace and humanity that they can easily been forgiven for their morally dubious lives, and become very sympathetic protagonists.

Some of the supporting casts, alternatively, don't seem to get the same emotional attention that the leads do. The characters of Daniel's cold-as-ice fiancé and Davina's barely there lawyer boyfriend seem to be more convenient plot-devices rather than fully realized characters. While their addition to the story does seem to give it a larger scope, their scenes (especially those of the boyfriend) almost seem to come from another film.

The whole affair comes to a head in a climactic shoot-out between Daniel and Uncle Bunny and his henchmen (or, henchwomen, in some cases). While the gun battle may lack the intensity that the rest of the film leaves you expecting, the ride to the end is ultimately an enjoyable one. Rarely in Canadian cinema do we find filmmakers daring enough to attempt a proper noir piece, but with Larry/Tomc and Crossing, we've found just that. A darkly humorous and sexually charged Canadian noir about an unlikely Romeo and Juliet, although we're never really sure which one is which.

Excellent Character Piece

[saveferrisplease · 10/10 · 17 February 2010]

One would think a film about a cross-dressing mob boss would be some over-the-top comedy. But, in the case of Crossing, Roger Larry has taken a concept that could easily be farce, and turned it into a serious drama. I found Sebastian Spence's performance of Daniel Cimmerman, a mob boss who likes womens clothing, is compelling. It is a fascinating character study into the mind of someone who has been through an intense/ scary experience changes, and how their inner demons surface. Bif Naked was also very good as Bernie. Not many women can pull off a performance like that, and make it believable. The sex scenes are both tasteful and integral to the story, shedding more light onto Daniel's mindset. This is the kind of film Canadian cinema needs. It never tries to pass for American, nor does it wave a giant Maple Leaf at the audience.

Quirky and Endearing

[saint-teresa · 7/10 · 2 February 2007]

It's hard to take seriously the semi-literate post of my esteemed fellow Canuck cinephile, which dismisses this film as "the reason Canadian movies are bad." First of all, it's not bad. It bears some of the marks of low-budgetdom -- murky sound, occasionally jerky editing, and intrusive background music -- but it is unjust and unseemly to lay these sins (aside from the third, perhaps) at the door of the cash-strapped indie filmmaker. The script was admirable, full of quirks and tender moments and character-driven humour. Whence the charge that it was "full of clichés"? How many cross-dressing gangster flicks has this beleaguered reviewer been subjected to? The acting was quite good, even affecting, and the lead actor was hot. Hot, hot, hot. The sex scenes were sexy, and there were plenty of 'em. (Another curious charge -- would the previous reviewer have been satisfied only with hard-core penetration?) I liked the fact that the filmmakers refrained, almost strenuously, from showing a single pretty shot of Vancouver throughout the entire film. I wish they had continued to refrain until the very end: in fact, the ending is my only real complaint. Too sentimental, too pat, too Lions-Gate-Bridge-y. But getting there was fun, so it's hard to complain too much. Worth seeing.

Crossing is a fearless portrayal of gender bending fused with raw emotion.

[cndrollergirl · 10/10 · 12 June 2007]

Sebastian Spence is mesmerizing; his way of romanticizing darkness is fresh and new. Buble's unique soft approach to hard core compliments Spence nicely. Biff Naked's role adds a bit of unexpected urgency to this film.

Vancouver is finally made to shine by its own name. Never has this city been captured in such an artistic manner. The subtle humor throughout sets it apart from any other in this genre. The Croatian-Canadian crime syndicate is new territory; nothing about Crossing is familiar. Driving emotion paired with "so called" perversion, paints a beautiful picture. Crossing has ferociously re-examined sexuality.

JC

Not your average gangster thrill ride

[londonrain_84 · 9/10 · 2 June 2007]

Winner of the silver medal for Best First Feature 2005 at Cinequest film festival. Filmed in beautiful Vancouver Canada, Crossing is the story of Daniel Crimmerman (Sebastian Spence)the son of a dying small time gangster who is forced to turn the family business legit in this stunning film Noir from Canadian filmmaker Roger Evan Larry.

The key plot development occurs when Daniel is robbed/raped by a woman in a dark alley of his way to deliver a large sum of money that is meant to help put the family straight. This encounter will leave Daniel sexually confused as he will develop a taste for woman's make up and underwear.

Enter Davina (Crystal Buble)a hooker ready to get out of the life and start fresh, the only thing holding her back is her boss Uncle Benny who uses Davina to get her high profile clients to do strange things in bed then photograph them with hidden cameras. Thus using the photos at the appropriate time so then Uncle Benny can then blackmail. So for her final job she most entice Daniel into wearing woman's clothes working off information from Uncle Benny and Bernie (Bif Naked). And Daniel will discover he enjoys his new found fetish. Many twists and turns lay ahead for Daniel on his journey to self awareness and finding himself. Joined by a super supporting cast, Bif Naked (Bernie) and Alan C. Peterson (Uncle Benny) with a terrific soundtrack including music by Swollen member and Nelly Furtado as well as Micheal Buble. Daniel must learn to face himself and decide to live the life laid out for him or live the life he wants.

This film is an entertaining ride. With fine writing by Sandra Tomc and the use of some of Vancouver's most scenic areas make this thrill ride a must see. This film makes great use to a large group of Canadian talent and can not wait to see what else comes from director Roger Evan Larry.

A must-see!

[ellecee · 8/10 · 6 June 2007]

Roger Evan Larry won the silver medal for Best First Feature 2005 at Cinequest with his romantic thriller, CROSSING. Featuring Sebastian Spence and Crystal Bublé, this tale blends the dark underworld of the mob with eroticism, drama and suspense, creating a truly unique neo-noir sensation.

At his father's deathbed, Daniel (Sebastian Spence) promises his father that he will turn their family from petty gangsters to legitimate business owners. His good intentions are compromised when Davina (Crystal Bublé), a hooker who's trying to get out of the business by completing one last assignment, secretly takes photographs of him dressed as a girl. Daniel, confused and conflicted, begins to realize not only that he enjoys cross-dressing but also that he has strong feelings for Davina. Upon learning of the blackmail, he is forced to decide what is most important to him: the promise he made to his father or his own heart.

One of the strongest characteristics of this film is its bizarre yet captivating plot. Who would expect a criminal kingpin to fascinate in cross-dressing? It's an original and bold premise. It turns the notion of hard-edged and tough gangsters on its head. Scandalous is given an entirely new persona. The writing is brilliant and beautifully develops Daniel's and Davina's characters as they morph from who they are at the beginning of the film to who they become by its conclusion.

CROSSING is skillfully cast. Sebastian Spence, in particular, is outstanding as Daniel. He portrays the character with smooth ease. As a primary protagonist, one is drawn to him regardless of his flaws and fetishes. Sebastian's performance evokes empathy and compassion. He is equally comfortable and believable being the tough guy as he is being the vulnerable girl. Sebastian and Crystal's chemistry pops off the screen, both in their erotic sex scenes and their tender moments together. Crystal, with her baby face and doe eyes, carries an innocence and vulnerability that serves to create a powerful contrast against her wild and dangerous prostitute guise. Alan C. Peterson, as slimy Uncle Bunny, and Fred Ewanuick, as Daniel's best pal, deserve special mention. Bif Naked, while physically a good fit for the lesbian tough chick role, performed far better on the film's soundtrack and corresponding video with her song "My Greatest Masterpiece." Though she captures the mad quality of the character, her acting is at times jarring which distracts from her scenes.

In summary, this movie is rousing, enthralling, and engaging. In other words -- totally entertaining. It will make the audience look at cross-dressing in an entirely new light and gangsters may never look the same again. If you like drama, romance, thrillers or suspense, CROSSING will take you for an unforgettable ride.

Entertaining and thought provoking

[kathrynradmall · 10/10 · 15 August 2020]

Keen to carry out what he believes to be his father's dying wish, Daniel Cimmerman (Sebastian Spence) becomes engaged to the daughter of a business associate and starts the process of putting the family business on the straight and narrow. Wisely leaving the details of flowers and bridesmaids to Anika (Tara Wilson,) Daniel proposes acquiring a controlling interest in businessman Latham Hopkins' affairs by settling a substantial debt.

Ambushed in his way to the drop-off, Daniel's androgynous attacker, Bernie (Bif Naked) sparks a latent desire for cross-dressing. In an even shadier area of the underworld, Bernie relays this quirky tidbit to Uncle Bunny (A C Peterson) who, tiring of his nickel-and-dime extortion rackets, strong-arms his 'surrogate' daughter Devina (Crystal Bublé) into blackmailing Daniel for even bigger bucks. Using the villain's favourite carrot 'just this one last job', Devina is positioned first as the stripper at Daniel's stag do and then 'party girl on her night off' who shows up at his hotel room, armed with all the props required to persuade Daniel to both loosen and 'fess up. The hidden camera will do the rest.

Daniel and Devina are two sides of the same coin; shoehorned into playing a role over which they have little control. Straitjacketed by family obligations (in Daniel's case) and a manipulative father-figure (in Devina's) small wonder the pair gravitate toward each other. Given the fetishes that Devina has had to indulge with previous clients, she's accommodating of Daniel's passion for lacy underwear; an attitude he's unlikely to meet in the marital bed, judging by his fiancee's reaction to his (half) joking suggestion that he wear the lingerie she quite clearly rejects.

Devina appears to find a saviour in boyfriend Tom (Warren Christie) but a visit to his tony parents' house reveals him as a control freak in training; like father like son. Latham Hopkins (Michael Kopsa) is just Uncle Bunny with a classier kitchen. With this level of double-dealing on display and all interested parties converging for the rescheduled drop-off, it's inevitable there will be blood.

Sebastian Spence is excellent as the conflicted gangster's son, combining the hard-nosed attitude of the former banker with the vulnerability of a man caught out by his own honesty. Daniel's revelation to his long-time friend of his guilty pleasure is especially poignant. Crystal Bublé is equally convincing as Devina; her seasoned hooker sitting with ease alongside the would-be photographer, yearning for a life of her own.

'Crossing is definitely worth seeing to appreciate the solid performances of all concerned, in particular those playing the star-crossed lovers.