Trigger Cut

Over the weekend, thanks to good old Netflix, I caught the latest Don Roos film Happy Endings. I thought it was pretty fantastic, especially since it reminded me a lot of some of my favorite Robert Altman films. The way the characters lives intertwine and the decisions they make about one another feels very true to life; its the kind of film that makes you feel a little less stressed about being a human overrall.

If you've read anything about the film previously, you may already know that a big selling point is the relationship between the characters Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Arnold play. They both turn in quality performances, but the entire cast is quite good. Also notable are Steve Coogan (of 24 Hr Party People) and Jason Ritter, son of the late John Ritter.

Posted by Johnny Metro at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After I caught a free screening of the new Sarah Silverman stand-up film "Jesus Is Magic" last Monday night, I told my brother it felt like years ago since we had first watched the trailer online. In other words, we both highly anticipated this film and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.

I subscribe to numerous periodicals and it seems Sarah had a feature in every single one in the past few months: Black Book, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, GQ, even Radar. And I think the latter said it best when they outlined, "if you're in your 30's and own a Guided By Voices album, you probably have a big crush on Sarah Silverman."

I can't remember whether it was on Conan O'Brien or Bill Maher's late night program where I first caught a few minutes of her stand up, but I was blown away. She's the closest equivalent in my opinion, male or female, that I've seen to the late Lenny Bruce. Keep an open mind and go see this film, because I think absolutely everyone has something to gain from Sarah's unique "learn-edy."

Posted by Johnny Metro at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An instant contender for one of my most favorite films of the year is Me and You and Everyone You Know, written and directed by Miranda July. She has released a few records for Kill Rock Stars and also steadily released many short films in the past. "Me and You" has been hailed as this year's "Garden State" and whatnot, but I think its closest really to Todd Solondz's work with less of the shock factor. Highly recommended, check it out now on dvd.

Posted by Johnny Metro at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)