Reviews

There have been a few recent romantic comedies that take a unique, almost sci-fi premise to make a low budget romantic comedy. Wristcutters falls into this category and does it pretty well (another one is TiMER, which was also quirky and fun). Set in a purgatory reserved especially for suicides, it's a romantic comedy that takes a fun look at the afterlife.

Available on Netflix watch instantly, this one is worth the time if you're looking for something quirky.

Donnie Darko is a strange movie. With a rather hot-shot cast for an independent movie, I will say that it's quite well acted. The movie is about a high school boy who has become schizophrenic and it sort of follows the path that his delusions take him down. He commits acts of vandalism at the request of a giant bunny with an evil face named Frank. All along there are hints of some other sci-fi twists, but you can't really tell whether those are part of Donnie's hallucinations. I wouldn't really recommend this movie, but you shouldn't necessarily avoid it.

This movie was interesting, but not particularly great. The acting was good and the lead character (Gallo) reminded me a lot of one of my cousins. Gallo plays a young man who went to prison to repay a gambling debt with the movie starting on the day he gets out. He heads home to visit his dysfunctional parents, kidnapping Ricci's character on the way to act as his wife. The movie basically follows their developing relationship.

My main problem with this movie was the lack of character development. The lead isn't that likable a guy and I think you're supposed to start to feel sorry for him... he's just not very nice. Also, you never really figure out what is motivating Ricci's character. She just kind of falls for this mean guy and you don't understand why.

Overall a well-made movie but lousy characters and slow plot.

All the Real Girls is a very good and convincing look at a young couples struggle to find out what it means to be in love. The movie is set in a mountain town where the economy, which was dependent on a textiles factory, is floudering. The effects of the dying town are reflected in the personalities of the people who live there. The lead characters are expertly portrayed by Schneider and Deschanel. Their convincing performances add to a story that is wholely believable, making this a real gem.