mario.dimaio

Original and candid, this documentary represents our multi-cultural environment. Light in concept, it reaches many depths. The students make the most out of the notion of passing around video cameras to document their lives. The film touches on just about every issue teenagers have to deal with in today's world. It's multi-dimensional regarding gender, race and class. The kids are funny, totally honest and very real. The filmmakers respect their subjects and never trivialize their issues. This is the face of the world. The audience applauded at the end of the screening. Chain Camera is both riveting and heartwarming. You can't help but become involved with the subjects. Fantastic!

I saw this film because I was really sold on the description. I'm such a sucker. What starts out funny and light quickly dissolves into melodrama of the worst kind. (Did you see The Next Best Thing?) This is the director's self indulgent semi-autobiography. It has no depth. The sex scenes, though expectedly gratuitous, make the same statement over and over - Jack likes sex. They keep calling hottie Nestor Carbonell `Jack the Dog' long after we get the point. Nothing is funny. When Jack cries, you should feel for him, but all I could do was roll my eyes. I can't believe that this was only 85 minutes. It seemed much longer. A Swedish film I screened, The Restless, is everything this film is not.

Fantasy-drama takes a long strange trip to the end of the story. Audience is left wondering what the hell is going on – how do the surreal moments relate to the rest of the story. It all ties up and makes sense, but many people won't have the patience. They also won't like the dark tone of the lead character.

The performances by lead teen actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Mary McDonnell are outstanding. They drew me in and I cared about them. The film wouldn't hold up as well as it does without them. Drew Barrymore's performance, on the other hand, is laughable and took me out of the story. There are many literary references and a cool ‘80s soundtrack.

I heard that it may be edited from the two hour version I saw. It could use some tightening up, though the mood will definitely be altered -- and it needs its mood. In spite of its flaws, this film has a heart at its core that stayed with me long after I left the theater.

This is a Looking for Mr. Goodbar for the new millennium. Director makes a wise choice shooting it on digital video. It has the look of a documentary, allowing the viewer closer inspection of Samantha's life. Some of the dialogue is humorous and out of place but it lends to the realness of the film. Some women could be offended by Sam's behavior - she doesn't always make good choices - but this also gives her validity. She's in charge of her life, right or wrong, even as she clutches the nightlife on a trip of sex and drugs. It may not be easy for some viewers to watch. This film is real, challenging and never looks for the easy answers. Lead actress, Stephanie Bennett, is very engaging. She's also a co-screenwriter.

The boundaries of digital video are pushed to the limits. Shot composition and cinematography are original and outstanding. Acting is superb -- very engrossing. There are many industry `in' jokes and references. Very LA. The three women speak directly to the camera and never interact. They expose their bodies and, though occasionally appearing shallow, their souls. (I have to find out what Barbara Barrie furnishings are!) Fascinating, though a mainstream audience probably won't have the patience for all dialogue and no action, nor for this stylized form. This is exactly the kind of movie that I expect to find at a film festival (and nowhere else).

I'm a huge Samuel L Jackson fan but my high hopes for this film fell way below expectation. I thought I was just too aware of his presence but actually he's miscast. He delivers his lines with no fluctuation of tone and just simply isn't convincing. His braids look incredibly fake and a homeless man would never be able to afford extensions.

The plot goes from what could be a character study of a Julliard-trained homeless paranoid schizophrenic to an unbelievable murder mystery. His obsession with a murder is one thing but he becomes a new detective hero, Homeless Man, P.I. The fantasy/hallucinations work well enough (though they're like an African-American version of Madonna's "Express Yourself" video), but it's the reality scenes that don't. Samuel's love scene/subplot with Ann Magnuson isn't believable, doesn't progress the plot and could be totally eliminated. And how was he able to afford to go all the way out to the countryside to see her as many times as he did?

High production values can't save this film from being silly and it could have been much more. I loved "Eve's Bayou" and expected more from the director. Maybe next time. The homeless detective contrivance was hard to swallow. Suspension of disbelief is necessary to keep from laughing.