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bethantheperson
Reviews
R.S.V.P. (2002)
Rock and Roll Hitchcock
I was lucky enough to see a sneak preview of 'R.S.V.P.' whilst attending the 2002 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah and I was pleased that I had (I almost went skiing instead). Refusing to embrace the Sundance staples of misery, angst, prejudice and dysfunctional families living in abject poverty, director Mark Anthony Galluzzo instead contented himself with actually entertaining the audience with this achingly, hip, witty, black comedy thriller .....Veering sharply from uproarious laughter to clean cut tension and back again, there wasn't a single second in the film where I got off my emotional roller coaster ride (or out of my seat to use the restroom) - especially when I realised how ridiculously smart the film was, and how, if I could summon up the mental energy to figure the damn thing out, there were thousands of little plot clues intricately woven into the set, dialogue and very fabric of the film. Whether you are a lazy watcher like me or an intellectual who wishes to fish around in the film's intricate underbelly (where incidentally some of the best jokes are lurking) you cannot but be impressed by the gorgeous cinematography and attractive young cast - the standout performance has to that of Jason Mewes ('The 'Phat Buds' of 'Jay and Silent Bob' fame) who has a softer edge to his comedy persona than arguably is found in the Kevin Smith films...heck, the man is such a natural born comedian that he can bang on a pot with a carrot and make it seem funny. Jay is the ultimate in wisecracking heros for the younger, occasionally slacking generation. But that doesn't mean that this film isn't for everybody. 'R.S.V.P.' appears to follow the basic plotline of young attractive twenty-something throws party. Invites several other young attractive twenty-somethings (and a couple of older, well known character actors). Young twenty-somethings begin to die in increasingly unnatural, humorous and inventive ways. Heroine begins to suspect foul play and....any further might be deemed a spoiler. Whilst all this might appear to pidgeon-hole the film as a teen chiller thriller, the reality is very different. The cleverness of the plot, the beauty of the set and the what can only be termed intellectual content of the dialogue, not to mention the irony and the wisecracks mean that 'R.S.V.P' is so much more than this - an irreverent black comedy of Hitchcockian proportions. And did I mention that it features the first known cinematic example of 'Death by Bong'?
Trash (1999)
Who would have thoughta low budget coming of age drama could be quite so entertaining?
I am amazed to say that I enjoyed this movie immensely.My surprise is rooted in the fact that I am not usually much of an independent movie fan, preferring to lean, no matter how erroneously, towards big, expensive, explosion-filled blockbusters rather than films I might actually learn from (and no, I'm not proud). Despite being dragged kicking and screaming to see "Trash" by my more culturally sophisticated friends, "no, no, please not another well meaning Indie, let me go home quietly and watch The Terminator" I found to my astonishment that five minutes into the first reel I would not have left for the world. This film manages to have the excitement and appearance of most big budget movies, yet miraculously retains the heart of an independent. It is a captivating and charming combination that singles this movie out from most low budget films I have seen. The plot was one that resonates with many of us who have naively meandered into trouble (and occasionally a police cell) during our youth, and was beautifully brought to life by Jeremy Sisto and Eric Michael Cole respectively. My one potential criticism might be that the ending was rather excessive, but then again, for those of us with a penchant for the overblown action flick it was perfect. To sum up my feelings in one concise sentence, who would have thought a low budget coming of age drama could be quite so entertaining?