Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla

I was lucky enough to see a (sold out) screening of this at last year's Monster Fest. I went in not really expecting much. The trailer on the Monster Fest site had intrigued me but I still wasn't 100% sold. I couldn't quite put my finger on what genre the film was and whether I would like it.

That all changed as soon as it started playing. From the start, I empathised with the main character, Warren (played by Glenn Maynard), whose life revolved around his ice-cream business and Katey George (played by Kyrie Capri), an actress from a Neighbours-esque soap drama.

The film blurred the lines between reality and fiction as Warren daydreamed of what his life would be like with Katey George.

There were dark elements that were startlingly juxtaposed with comedic ones. One second I was relaxed and jovial and the next I was clutching the arm rest. Usually I'm pretty good at predicting story lines but not this one!

I would recommend this to anyone who is sick of mainstream films and the same plots over and over. This is one twisted and funny little film that kept the surprises coming. I hope to see more from the writers and the director of this film soon.

I watched this movie for the first time yesterday with my mum. Although it was entertaining enough and technically not a bad movie, it was extremely depressing. Both my mum and I were genuinely upset by the end of the film. One good thing though, because we bought it on DVD, we watched the commentary with some of the cast and crew. Although we know it was only a movie with actors, it was nice to see them out of character, discussing their roles and just being lighthearted. This was good for a movie like this because its main character was very lonely, and someone the viewer would most likely feel very sorry for, so it was great to see the actors talking and having a bit of a laugh in the commentary.

Long story short - I would NOT recommend this movie due to its depressing nature (my mum and I watch a LOT of movies, and this is the first time we felt this upset by the end of a movie), but of course, this is just our opinion.

So this won a lot of awards... if the awards are for: DULL. LIFELESS. BORING. SLOW. GO NOWHERE STORY. MIND-NUMBING. WHAT THE HECK IS SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPENING. I'd vote for it in an instant! I can't believe that one of the best magazines around, Rue Morgue, said this was worth watching. Maybe under the influence of cannabis or other harder substances. I watched it and wish I could apply bleach to the brain cells that will never let me forget this. The main character, a creepy ice-cream man, obsessed with a soap star, is creepy from the moment he walks on camera. How creepy? Know how in the first shining, Jack Nicholson looks like a maniac from the second he appears? Well that creepy. Other than that, and waiting and waiting for something to move this along, it's just a dull, dull, dull movie. But, in today's world, where everyone gets a trophy... I can see how this won some awards.

So, I came across this by accident. I never saw a trailer or promotional for it. I almost never like anything the first time I watch it. You can't help but think Warren is a little creepy at first, but as the movie progressed I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He's a nice guy, slightly delusional at times, but a bit misunderstood. Long story short, when we see Warren's situation getting worse, I couldn't help but to have empathy for him. People can only be pushed so far before they get fed up. Without any coping skills, Warren goes off the rails in a full blown trainwreck. The best way to describe it would be, Bljork stalker-like. I can understand why some people won't like it but I thats why they make chocolate and vanilla, and maybe strawberry<........ugh lame pun, sorry.

An Australian b-movie! This low budget feature concerns the shy and socially awkward Warren that runs an ice cream truck. Being the product of heavy bullying and social isolation (seen through his own in-camera confessions), he is obsessed with a television actress of a local TV-show and gets completely euphoric when she shows up at his van to buy some ice cream. In the meanwhile he encounters several people who mock him or are themselves quite weird. After numerous setbacks, Warren gets Travis Bickle-like crazy. Luckily, the pretty predictable plot and rather conventional cinematography are outweighed by the authentic DIY feeling and an awesome over-the-top performance by Glenn Maynard (Warren), but it's too close to make a real impression. It seems like Maynard and Addison Heath (the writer of Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla) are on an underground crusade though. After their collaboration on this movie, two others will follow: Under a Kaleidoscope and Bubblegum: A Detective Story. I wonder how those will turn out to be!