Slash

I saw this movie, with friends, at the 2016 Cucalourus Film Festival. The movie's name was interesting enough to make me want to see it, as well as the premise of fan fiction (PS I didn't know what Slash fiction was before seeing this movie). So, I entered the screening not even knowing what to expect (which sometimes works, and sometimes not so much) and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the film was funny and sweet. I also thought the two leads had chemistry. I recommend this movie

A film that showed me slash fiction and the whole nerd course teen women take to find "acceptable" ways of exploring sexual feelings whether producing or consuming it, and how it is important that parents should fully provide a beneficial support; whereas many male teens are able to explore their feelings from mainstream to Victoria's Secret catalogues without penalty. The film also inserts scenes of popular notions of what the majority thinks of teen culture and exploring sexuality from Julia's sex-obsessed friends and Neil's oddly normal parents. At least his older sister challenges gender assumptions and social ideas about masculinity and femininity. Very good performance from Teen Wolf alum Michael Johnston and Hannah Marks from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. This is a smart, compassionate coming of age story, as LA Times writer Katie Walsh says "The nerd-sexy tale the Internet age so desperately needs." Its a delightful feature from writer-director Clay Liford (Earthling) with a oft-misunderstood high school student who thinks he's the only one to pen online homoerotic vignettes that center on his favorite character from a sci-fi series and a titillating classmate who treats him with enthusiasm that's so infectious. Also, Michael Ian Black in a memorable cameo graciously defending Neil at the Houston Comic Con's Rabbit Hole when he's exposed as under-age while reading an excerpt. It grabs me in my gut occasionally but it's infectious with much-needed counterpoint to the view that fanficcers are nothing but talentless deviants.

Paid for this on demand. I liked the premise, liked the lead characters and the actors that played them. Michael Ian Black was good as well. Couldn't get into the characters motives. Weak screenplay or direction or both. Wait for this to come to Netflix and judge for yourself. It's like a movie anyone could basically make on their iPhone. The question is should they. There's much better teen comedies out there than this wannabe. I really wanted to like this and the redeeming parts are because of the genuine warmth and chemistry of the two leads. Felt like the slash part was written in for the sake of being different. It was irrelevant and almost upstaged the characters and story. If it was just another element of story it could've been something better and maybe an actual teen comedy.

Someone else posted something about "fake reviews" so I felt the need to write one.

I just saw this movie last night, and it is fantastic.

It's not fast paced, there's no hero or villain, it's a nerdy romance, teen angst, wallflower story all wrapped up into one little package.

There's no happy ending, there's no great triumph, there's only life and the things that happen in it. There's confusion, mistakes, and great adventures in between.

I feel like these pieces of cinema rarely get a fair chance, because they're either too real for a mainstream audience or people can't relate.

Freaks and Geeks / Undeclared were both victims of this, as they portray real life emotions in a light that isn't too easy to take lightly.

Slash is very akin to these "reject triumph" stories, minus the quirky sitcom jokes.

Don't watch this expecting some great story arch, some great soundtrack, or anything of that nature.

It's real, and it speaks to the outcasts. It speaks to those who realize that the world is not a happy place, and there are mistakes that you cannot take back. Having said that; there's also truth and the self manifestation of happiness.

This is a story about acceptance, where we get a small glimpse into these people's lives and that's it. A glimpse. Life keeps going for the characters, just as it does for all of us, just the same as it always does.

5-10 years from now; I'd love to see a sequel depicting where our broken heroes ended up in this word

"I don't want to wake up in a year and stab my parents to death with a kitchen knife."

"Well that makes one of us." (dialog, Michael Johnston talking to Hannah Marks at the 1:01 timestamp.)

Despite the relatively low IMDb score, Slash 2016 is a joy.

If you read the third-party reviews, you will note a tug of war between critics who think it is some form of uber-social commentary, and those who look at it as a sweet and engaging love story or rom-com.

The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but this reviewer was more engaged by the teen rom-com.

For two reasons.

One, because the "classic" age of the teen rom-com seems to have passed -- remember Freddie Prinze? -- and this genre is neither as popular as it once was, nor as well done. Two, because that aspect of the film does not merely work, it actually spreads its wings and soars.

Credit writer/director Clay Liford for getting this recipe right. As I have noted in other reviews, a lot of what used to considered movie fare is now being done on TV, and a lot of the more personal creative work we used to see on some TV shows is migrating to film.

The dialog at the top of this review is typical of the film -- sharp, funny, and oddly reminiscent of the old Woody Allen rom-coms (with Johnston doing the neurotic Woody character, and Marks doing a wonderful collage of Diane Keaton liberally mixed with early Angelina Jolie.)

Marks is the revelation in the film. For these rom-coms to work (and this one does) she has to go beyond merely playing a character, she has to be (for the male viewer) every idiosyncratic girl in high-school that you wanted to get to know better -- but didn't.

Marks engages, holds the attention, and carries the film. An actress to watch down the road.

Recommended.