The Center of the World

I thought this movie was a very worthwhile rental. However, it is not for everyone. Here is what I enjoyed:

1. Extremely convincing acting; 2. Sophisticated scripting and edits; 3. Intelligent dialog; 4. Interesting use of digital video (think grainy "Blair Witch" shots); 5. Some hot sex scenes; 6. Characters that interested me; 7. Deals with very raw and real emotions for these characters; 8. Director doesn't spoon feed the viewer. Some things in the scenes are better left unsaid, and they are left implicit for the viewer to grasp. I enjoy being treated as intelligent; 9. I appreciate the take on the dark side of Internet wiz-kids; 10. The movie succeeded in getting me to feel the mood of the characters very well. The feelings you are left with after watching the film--the ambiguity, the desire, the bitter-sweet frustration, even the slight weariness--enhanced the impact of the film for me.

What you May Not Care For:

1. Was I able to relate to the main male character only because I am a male involved in high-tech field?

2. Very slow pace. This is about burning emotions, coy dialog, and appreciation of believable acting. It's very cerebral. Not a typical drama by any means.

3. If you want to see even more sex, then rent a porn film. The sex here is not just about sex, but about adult loneliness and other adult themes.

4. There is a lot of subtle symbolism and fragments of dialog that you have to pay attention to get the most out of the film.

5. Many people who did not groove with the director as a whole would think the beginning, middle and ending was too slow and not satisfying.

6. If you don't appreciate the challenge of shooting realistic looking digital video in poorly-lit situations you may think the photography sucked. I didn't, it worked for me, but it's not for everyone.

7. Confusing cross-cutting scenes forward and backward in time. I thought it was very appropriate, but it could annoy others looking for simpler fare.

8. Too many things left unsaid in the dialog to be totally clear what is going on. I liked this, thought if very appropriate for what the characters were experiencing, and it made it feel much more voyeuristic, even kinky. Again, not for everyone.

9. You may not be able to get beyond the fact you are supposed to feel sorry for an Internet Wiz Millionaire and a confused young stripper who gets paid a lot of money for one weekend in Vegas. On the hand, they are still just two human beens and that is, I think, the whole point...

10. If you are a horny person looking for naked woman with big boobs I think the film will leave you, well, kind of flat.

In short, an interesting film for a young guy involved in high-tech and likes to think...

In the above mentioned movie it always seemed strange that a really rich and handsome guy resorted to a hooker, albeit a real knockout one? Now we see a possible scenario that might make the plot not just a fantasy. A "Dot-Com." millionaire, with the required "nurd-ness" uses his economic power to feed his...well I guess fantasies and the story results are pretty good. They are at least more realistic than the sterile grunting that most current movies use as "sex scenes". Hollywood does violence beyond scale, but they do "sex" in the taboo filled lock-ups of censors and religious heresies. A director takes a daring chance into these forbidden areas and he is either eviscerated or beloved. For this movie there has been some of each. I don't think it deserves either. I think the movie making is a bit lame but the story and the attempt at reality deserves credit where due. I wonder how "The Postman Always Rings Twice" would have been if it had been done this boldly? Rhetorical questions seem to serve little purpose but I wonder how this movies got to be "R" rated and "Midnight Cowboy" was rated "X"? A question for another time perhaps? This movie is not in the class of "Midnight Cowboy", but it is pretty good and should be seen.

It's hard to find a truly erotic movie made in America. Most mainstream films have little sex/no nudity and a whole lot of violence. And what constitutes "erotic art" in films is made up horribly contrived, unbelievable Cinemax/Playboy movies. That lack any real heat and are amazingly unsexy and boring.

So a film like "Center of the World" is a rare gem. It actually is sensual, erotic and the participants in the sex scenes seem comfortable and actually engaged in what they are doing. The scenes do not come off as awkward or simulated. Which is the challenge for any film director. To make the audience believe what they are seeing is real.

What's special here is that a great actress who one would actually like to see do nudity/sexual material, has the lead female role. There's no body doubles here and Molly seems really comfortable with the nudity and explicit sex scenes. She looks absolutely gorgeous throughout the movie. And is not the traditional, cookie butter starlet that is churned out in a 1,001 Cinemax skin flicks.

Hollywood should make more of these films. Unfortunately, I think during this age of "sexual repression" in the arts, our natural human sexual needs will continue to be hidden from view on both the big and small screens.

...Wayne Wang's notorious, controversial and explicit "CENTER OF THE WORLD" (Artisan, $.. is a much more polished piece of work than "Romance." It also explores the bleak terrain of emotional isolation. This time the protagonist is a rich internet geek (Peter Sarsgaard) who literally contracts with a rock and roll drummer and part-time stripper (Molly (Parker) for a sexual get-away in Las Vegas. The phoniness of Vegas and the impersonal internet are more than metaphors for what amounts to virtual sex in real life. The basic elements are familiar in countless other love stories, but here the physicality of the two main characters dominates everything. In many ways we root for them to break out of their protective shells and actually connect with the hearts.

Sometimes the walls we build to keep out the bad cuts us off from life itself. This film, shot on high definition video, evokes a more personal and immediate response and is much more effective on DVD than it is projected in a theater. Longing for intimacy but in the grip of a fear of letting go leaves the main characters with only the option of exploring physical sensations as soulless.

"Center of the World" is a very well photographed drama and is highly worth a viewing, but has several flaws.

"Center of the World", an almost mirror image of "Leaving Las Vegas" (better film), is about a computer whiz named Richard's (Peter Sarsgaard) three day escape from his everyday life to Las Vegas with a stripper named Florence (the lovely Molly Parker), who he pays to go with him under the conditions they won't have sex.

But Richard's promise eventually gets the best of him and he begins to obsess about having the best sex of his life with Florence. Florence, meanwhile, holds Richard back with teases and a "Fire and Ice" (Don't ask me) routine off screen.

With each tease, the characters' chemistry builds up and we begin to wonder if Richard and Florence are actually falling in love.

"Center of the World" has beautiful cinematography. The entire film was shot on tape and a few scenes are in one of the best shades of black and white I've ever scene.

Peter Sarsgaard is very good as the naive but extremely polite computer whiz and Molly Parker (although very better in "Pure") pours herself into the tough role of Florence almost as good as Jennifer Connely portrayed Marion in "Requiem for a Dream".

The film does have several flaws though. It has far too many sex scenes (often gratuitous), the chemistry between the two characters blooms and dies at any given time and the surprise ending is almost ruined by two scenes directly after the surprise (you'll have to see for yourself).

"Center of the World" is a good film worth watching once.