strauss12

There is admittedly some potential in the concept behind this film -- in the hands of Jonathan Demme or David Fincher, this story could have been something great. But this, unfortunately, is not the case with Merhige at the helm: the film meanders and stutters with pointless cliche. I felt so badly for the talented cast who were obviously struggling to get through this dreck. There is no way to identify with any of the characters' motivations -- it plays like a bunch of unrelated vignettes strung together (I had similar feelings about the semi-successful 'Shadow of the Vampire'). The pacing is slow and tedious, not unlike the equally insufferable 'Begotten'. There is nothing to grasp hold of and take from this movie. Skip this one.

I really liked this one. It had some great characters, and it managed to avoid many of the pitfalls that are so prevalent in the cookie-cutter dramas that Hollywood churns out these days. It was a small film, but I felt it was solid. There were times when it seemed a little too "made-for-TV/movie-of-the-week", but this was easily forgivable. I imagine that this would be a hard film to market, as it does not seem that it would cut into an exciting 30-second trailer -- which is exactly what I liked about it. It requires an investment from the viewer, but the payoff is there.

I've seen this movie countless times and I think it's fantastic. Perhaps you have to live in Los Angeles and/or be connected with the entertainment industry to fully appreciate this film, but the characters are pitch-perfect. After watching this, I often feel exhausted, as if I've actually attended this party. I put this move in the same category as I do 'Permanent Midnight' and 'Laurel Canyon' -- (sometimes) harsh but loving tributes to L.A. and the "industry".