rushpeters

Although I am no fan of the rom com, this film had me on alert as it's a unique departure to the usual clichés found in the genre. Once you get past all of the wild camera tricks and visual gimmickry, you arrive at the core of The Rules of Attraction and find out that it's really about something other than replicating the party life at a New England college. Avary's film uncovers an important truth about male/female relationships - that attraction isn't always mutual, and, even when it is, happily-ever-after is frequently not the result. The Rules of Attraction begins at the end, then, after moving forward a little, backs up (literally going backwards), then re-starts, following the actions of a different character. From a visual standpoint, The Rules of Attraction is a busy motion picture. The film is filled with flash edits, scenes played backward, and split screens. At times it works but, on other occasions, it's too much.

Quirky, offbeat and rather lacking- these are the words I would use to describe Michael Gondry's Be Kind Rewind. It takes a while for Gondry to get where he's going, but Be Kind Rewind eventually puts aside its romantic misfire, its half-hearted arguments against gentrification, and its comic book silliness about Magnet Man, and settles into an ode to low-budget filmmaking. In the end, Mike and Jerry set out to make their own movie and, in doing so, involve many members of the local community. It's guerilla filmmaking at its finest, and some of the best laughs come during these segments. But, to be honest, the whole thing is kind of a mess, although not an uninteresting one. Be Kind Rewind hits and misses with equal abandon. It frustrates even as it entertains, and that's not always the most satisfying or enjoyable of mixtures. Still definitely worth a watch, if for nothing else than for being an ode to independent filmmaking.

The middle film in the unofficial Man with no name films For a few dollars more is a fantastic chapter with certain shlock elements which seem dated. Eastwood returns as the bounty hunter as does a new dude played awesomely by the great Lee Wan Cleef. He is so good that you almost start believing he is cooler than Clint. Both meet one another and together they pursue the bandit El Indio and his henchmen who are planning a raid on the biggest bank in the region. El Indio is played by the great Gian Marie Volonte, who if you ask me should be equally well known and beloved as Le Cleef or Eastwood. It is a shame that such a great performance is not measured in the same words as the more popular ones. He was amazing as the middle brother Rojos Ramon in the previous film and just as devilish in this. The cinematography and look are fantastic- old film stock shot in hot, humid rocks. In a western the location is perhaps as important as the theme and Leone's films exemplify this. Unmissable film.