9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SEARING PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAIT, October 5, 2003
I was one of the few people to see this film in theatres upon it's limited threatrical release, and i am glad to now be able to purchase the dvd. Basically, this is a hyper realistic thriller about a man who is beset by mental illness - or is he? I have never heard of Michael Risley before, but his performance here, the restaint and intensity, makes a lot of celebrity actors look like children. spalding gray is hilarious as usual. i highly recommend this beautifully photographed indie film to anyone who would like a dose of anti-hollywood filmmaking at it's finest.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
When things fall apart, November 17, 2007
It's heartbreaking to see actress Adrienne Shelley--who turns in an excellent performance--on screen here, knowing she was murdered earlier this year. As the fiancee of James Jackson--played uncommonly well by Michael Risley--she's lends solid support to a young man whose mind is rapidly disintegrating.
Suddenly beset by paranoid fantasies, Jackson starts accusing his co-workers of moving things around; then his pre-teen nephew of doing things he's nowhere near capable of doing; finally, his fiancee. He traces his mental collapse to a TV commercial and then finds the individual responsible for making the commercial--Spalding Gray, in a wry performance as a still photographer full of himself who was given the opportunity by a perfume company to shoot a TV spot for their flagship product, Revolution #9.
Spalding Gray himself committed suicide; it's really eerie that two of the lead cast members are no longer with us, specifically having lost their lives very recently.
The pacing of the film is perfect. Tim McCann, the director, knows how to not only get the best out of the actors he's working with, but also is expert at camera angles, capturing the most powerfully subtle nuances of expression and emotional import. His frequent use of close-ups works well here; it's often annoying to see close-ups in a film because it feels like the director is using them having run out of other ideas. But McCann is a strong filmmaker; he fuses his smart dialogue with exactly the right moves by the actors and the right shots, the right camerawork to make the film as powerful as it is.
The supporting cast is also strong--in particular, Callie Thorne, who perfectly captures the half narrow-minded mentality of a suburban wife. The ending of the film is supremely disturbing, as is the film overall, which is McCann's intent.
A superior piece of work; highly recommended.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Film, March 18, 2004
One of the few films that addresses relationships in an intellegent manner, whereas the focus isn't "sex", but everything that makes up why people care about others, why they fall in love, and how hard it is too give up on someone when it starts to head south.
Great Film.
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