The Champagne Club

I've seen it twice. I had to see it twice. Just to be sure that what I saw was what i saw. The script is messy. And the film will incite a riot in just about any American suburb. After that, there's nothing but praise.

In terms of the cast, all do a wonderful job with some very difficult dialogue and awkward transitions. But, like the messiness of the script, it's easily overlooked. BRIAN DONOVAN brings a palpable, brooding reality to the main character in this ensemble piece. SARA RINDE deftly creates the character of May, who actually has the most well- developed arc in the script. Rinde brings haunting vulnerability as well as a wicked and hormone-inducing temptress qualities to the role. JAQUELINE MEYER does a fine job with the hollow, narcissistic Connie. But, the real find of this movie is ROBERT RIPLEY, who plays the devilish and delicious Bruce Wallace. But this actor is our generation's answer to Marcello Mastroianni, Tyrone Power and Cary Grant all rolled into one. There's an ease and enchantment to what happens in his scenes, something that's a rare commodity in films. HINT: Any director and/or producer out there who has a point of view that falls left of center (Cameron Crowe, Wes Anderson, Coen Brothers, et al!) get a script for this guy. Ripley's got THAT QUALITY and he's very, very good - a hell of a lot of fun to watch AND easy to fantasize about.

This film is a trial run for first time director JOAO MACHADO. And from the looks of things, we should keep an eye out for him in the future. He's definitely not your average 24-year old director - think Fellini, Polanski - Machado's got THAT kind of potential. His point of view in unique, the composition of his shots, sumptuous and rich. The overall look of this film is stunning - the food sequences in particular are nothing short of bacchanalean. Big kudos to Cinematographer JONAH TORREANO who also shows himself as someone worthy of keeping your eye on. He certainly understands what Machodo wants and delivers with a subtle and imaginative eye.

In the end, the story of The Champage Club is less than satisfying. But the strange, surreal and surprising journey will more than make up for it. Let's all look forward to Machado's next adventure.

Most film directors spend a lifetime honing their skills in order to create cinematic visuals with the power to instill deep feelings in the audience. Then, and only then, a select few take the film medium a step further and attempt to transcend all that has been done before, to create what has never been created. It is then, that filmgoers are graced with a few masterpieces that are bound to stand tall, proud, and alone in the history of cinema. Kubrick, Ferreri, Pasolini, Welles, Bertolucci, Polanski, Antonioni, Truffaut, Lynch, these are some of the men who have accomplished this feat.

Well, add another name to your list. At the tender age of 24, director Joao Machado makes his feature film debut and delivers an unparalleled masterpiece: "The Champagne Club."

"Madness is Priceless" as the film's tag line states so appropriately, is exactly what this cinematic experience is all about. At a recent showing in Brasilia a respectable older woman stood up mid-screening, looked straight into the projector and yelled out at the top of her lungs: "Tyrant!" At another showing in Los Angeles an audience member couldn't help but to track down the director, spit on his face, and exclaim: "Pervert!" Weeks after watching the film, people of different backgrounds, religions, and races seem to have similar statements. This is what one woman said: "When I saw the film I didn't like it. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience. I decided to dismiss it, but as the days went by I couldn't stop thinking about it. It entered my dreams and it haunted my days. Now, I don't know, I just don't know..."

Why are the reactions so strong? That is hard to answer. Perhaps because writer-director Joao Machado dares to look at things from the other side of the spectrum. To take a Devil's advocate stance and examine thoughts and wishes that most would like to leave unexamined. But perhaps it's something else altogether, perhaps this kind of honesty and openness in film is simply way ahead of its time, and we, the unprepared moviegoers are just that, unprepared for it.

Either way, one thing is certain: "The Champagne Club", a film by Joao Machado, will stand tall, proud, and alone, in a dark and glorious corner reserved for those who are unafraid to take their place in the history of film. Bravo!

This movie is incredible and breathtaking in it's ability to redefine our perceptions of madness. Personally, when I first started to watch the film, I thought it was going to be boring and drab...and I had no idea what to expect. I'm so glad, however, that I had expected those things, considering it allowed me to fully experience the surprise of the horror that lays waiting.

I truly find this film to be a in that it is so strange and bizarre, and I recommend it to everyone I know. Truly fantastic, and I'll never forget this movie 'til the day I die.

10/10 Stars * * * * * * * * * *