THE QUEEN

I'm convinced that Helen Mirren is capable of anything: She can quietly steal scenes in a Robert Altman ensemble piece (GOSFORD PARK), turn a recurring role into an icon (television's PRIME SUSPECT) and even survive an embarrassment like CALIGULA (I still can't wait to see her as an assassin in SHADOWBOXER). One year after her award-winning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in an HBO miniseries, Mirren fearlessly takes on Elizabeth II in director Stephen Frears' intriguing film about Princess Diana's untimely death in 1997 and the strange days that followed.

Not really a biopic of Elizabeth (or Diana), Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan have instead crafted an intense, revealing examination of the British political climate of that time. Just months before the accident, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) became the country's first Labour Prime Minister in nearly two decades. When he first meets with Elizabeth at the film's onset, he's not entirely familiar with the precise customs required between the Queen and her subjects, exemplifying how the public's attitude towards the monarchy has shifted in the late 20th Century. As national mourning over Diana swells, the monarchy's refusal to even submit a public statement about the dead Princess they've disowned (she and Charles divorced only one year before) makes them appear remote and out of touch. At Blair's urging and guidance, it's up to Elizabeth to address the public, respond to their outcry against her and reassure them during this national crisis.

Frears deftly incorporates a lot of news footage into the film, giving it a chilling, unforced authenticity. It also provides an interesting, if sometimes jarring contrast to the delightfully wrought conversations between Blair and Elizabeth. The screenplay has that carefully composed eloquence and wit of a stage play which most of the actors nail perfectly—especially Sheen (a breakthrough performance that aims to restore the success and idealism of Blair at his first term), James Cromwell (wonderful as grumpy, snide Prince Philip) and Heather McCrory, a scene-stealer as Blair's smart, acid-tongued wife Cherie. Still, Mirren effortlessly towers above them all. It's a role of a lifetime that she inhabits with subtlety and complete control. Her Queen is not a doughy Monty Python stereotype but a woman capable of driving a Range Rover across rugged terrain. Elizabeth II was born into a lifelong "job" she didn't entirely want, and here she's believably baffled by her country's reaction to her non-action. She eventually emerges triumphant, but not unscathed, and Mirren makes her small but significant transformation a beautiful thing to witness.
(4.5 stars)

THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED

I approached this documentary with some skepticism, given the hype and glowing praise a number of my friends gave when they all saw it in Provincetown in June. Well, believe the hype--this is an absorbing film that will resonate with anyone who champions independent cinema. Director Kirby Dick has made a smart, provocative and ultimately disturbing expose of the MPAA. He examines the organization from all angles, using everything from the infographics and talking heads interviews to hiring a private eye to reveal a slew of alarming discrepancies between what the censors think we should see and what the public actually wants. His investigation is balanced yet intensely personal. The result is like a Michael Moore film without the cheap shots and incessant narcissism. Don't miss it. (5 stars)

HALF NELSON

Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling), a young, white history teacher and girls’ basketball coach in a mostly black Brooklyn middle school would seem like the ideal mentor. Eschewing the required curriculum, he genuinely inspires his students to think about and apply historical events to their own lives. Lest you think this is going to be another DANGEROUS MINDS, however, it’s not long before we find out that Dan is also a drug addict. He tries to keep these two worlds separate, but isn’t always successful—before long, one of his students, tough, stone-faced Drey (Shareeka Epps), walks in on him getting high in the girl’s locker room after a game. Drey doesn’t rat Dan out, but she does tenuously forge a friendship with him.

The film’s crafty title refers to a wrestling move that consists of an opposing, interlocked force between two players that’s nearly impossible to break out of. We easily see the metaphor in Dan’s struggle to isolate (and compromise) his professional and private lives; it also applies to Drey. With her father’s absence unexplained, her mother working double shifts as an EMT, and her older brother incarcerated for dealing drugs, she drifts between Dan and her brother’s friend Frank (Anthony Mackie). He’s a fellow dealer who reaches out to her as a father figure, but like Dan, he’s not an entirely appropriate one for her.

After writing this film’s screenplay, director Ryan Fleck and his producer/co-writer Anna Boden adapted it into an exceptional short film called GOWANUS, BROOKLYN which I saw at the Independent Film Festival of Boston in 2004. Focusing primarily on Drey rather than Dan (Epps was in it but Gosling had yet to be cast), it was refreshing to see a filmmaker taking a cue from the minimalism/realism of Jim McKay’s wonderful OUR SONG, and it left me with high hopes for a feature-length version.

Fortunately, HALF NELSON doesn’t disappoint. With his brave, intricate, award-worthy performance, Gosling proves himself the ideal match for this material and newcomer Epps is a real discovery: both are so assured, yet so natural to the point of disappearing into their roles that they each seem startlingly real and make a challenging premise plausible. Mackie is also impressive; he gives depth to what in a lesser film would be just the rote part of the charming drug dealer. Tina Holmes (best known as Maggie from SIX FEET UNDER) is also good in a small role as Dan's ex-junkie ex-girlfriend.

Fleck has noted that the screenplay was born out of a frustration with the malaise hanging over America following Bush, 9/11 and the Iraq War. It’s referenced explicitly just once and subtly numerous times (particularly in a superb late scene where Dan visits his suburban family that’s absolutely heartbreaking for being so restrained yet dead-on), but this bleak, intelligent character study is not really about placing the blame for this malaise on anyone. For Dan and Drey, possible redemption and mere survival comes down to the strength and balance a friendship can provide. That the film carefully reaches this hopeful conclusion without ever seeming bogus or lapsing into cheap sentiment is what truly inspires. (5 stars)

HOMETOWN TRAVELOGUE (PART 2)

As promised, more pictures from my Milwaukee trip. We return on an idyllic Sunday morning devoid of the previous two days' humidity and overall grey milieu.


A stroll down Lafayette Hill towards the Lake, blocks away from my parents' first apartment.


Alterra at the Lake, a coffehouse in what was once the historic Milwaukee River Flushing Station.


The newly opened Milwaukee Public Market: certainly the city's most striking recent addition since the Calatrava wing at the Milwaukee Art Musuem.


The Boerner Botannical Gardens in Hales Corners. Perhaps the most beautiful, serene place I know...


Particularly this meadow, which makes me want to run off and frolic through it for days.


Finally: What the world needs now is submissive flora.


Scout Lake Park in Greendale: you can just imagine how lovely the autumn foilage is.


Downtown skyline from a passenger seat window on 1-94. The smokestack in the right foreground has an ad for Sprecher, the city's finest microbrew (and root beer).


Sadly, all the super-cool vintage shops are closed on Sunday evenings.

Some are permanently out-to-lunch on Mondays, too.

Speaking of lunch, we dutifully saved some room for homemade blueberry pie at Lulu's diner in Bay View. Not to mention some Sprecher root beer.

As glorious as any old ocean, in my opinion.

Treasure awaits those who seek it in the otherworldly ravines of Grant Park.

I leave the park and the city, anticipating strange, new adventures and possibilities.

HOMETOWN TRAVELOGUE (PART 1)

I returned to Milwaukee two weekends ago. I went primarily to see an old friend, although I guess I could also consider the city itself one at this point. I was last there in 2003, when I spent more than enough time (nine days!) flailing about old haunts, trying to recapture something long gone. On this visit, I knew better and stayed for just four nights. Having no expectations (apart from consuming as much frozen custard as possible) made the trip much more enjoyable. What follows is an abbreviated, idiosyncratic tour (is there any other kind?) in two parts. First up: Friday and Saturday.


We used to call the city buses Green Limousines because of their uniform color. The rickety older ones were decidedly un-tank-like.


Schlitz hasn't been brewed in the city it made Famous for nearly a quarter century, but the iconic signage remains omnipresent and celebrated.


Brady Street continues to gentrify, but we'll always have rummage sales and Peter Sciortino's Italian bakery.


Laura spots (and captures) a mighty sunflower on an unassuming city block.


The Times Cinema on Vliet St. We saw RUSSIAN DOLLS there on Friday night, and they even had an employee who somewhat resembled my theater's former programmer.


The hours I spent as a child searching for cool stones along the shores of Lake Michigan.


Klode Park in Whitefish Bay: overcast skies leave the winding path and the beach eerily empty on an August Saturday afternoon.


We were encouraged to "sign this car" (with magic markers) at Gallery Garage, an art show in someone's backyard where Laura had work on display


She purchased a funky, retro hat. But the even funkier car was not for sale... a shame, as they went so well together.


Given their tendency to make like two particular place setting items in the old Mother Goose tale, the massive spoon and maraschino cherry had to be fenced off at the Kopp's Frozen Custard in Glendale.


I take pride in my ethnic heritage on a street corner in Riverwest. Sadly, there was no bowling that day.


Do most of her clients struggle in vain to keep from making fun of her name? Is that to blame for the reduced price?


A moody stroll through gloomy Lake Park, along the bridge over the ravine; I can't imagine it appearing any other way.


And back to the Lake: light pokes through soupy grey skies as revelers gather to watch the gulls.

GROOVY LENGTHY MUSIC SURVEY

I saw this survey here two weeks ago and naturally had to do my own version. I omitted some of the questions, mostly those regarding emo and hip-hop (as I own next to none of either genre). If anyone else is inspired to complete it, let me know...

Name 5 wistful/bittersweet songs that come to mind:
Steve Wynn, “Morningside Heights”
The Kinks, “Waterloo Sunset”
Saint Etienne, “Teenage Winter”
Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Christmas Time is Here”
Ivy, "Edge of the Ocean"

The 4 Best Songs Ever Written:
The Go-Betweens, “Bye Bye Pride”
New Order, “Temptation”
The Magnetic Fields, “All My Little Words”
Belle and Sebastian, “Lazy Line Painter Jane”

3 Current Favorite Songs:
Marit Bergman with Cecelia Nordlund, “Adios Amigos!”
Pet Shop Boys, “Integral”
Goldfrapp, “Ooh La La”

Classic Early Evening Drinking Music:
Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Live From Las Vegas

3 All Time Faves That Never Get Old To You:
The Buggles, “Video Killed the Radio Star”
White Town, “Your Woman”
Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, “The Girl From Ipanema”

Song You Want To Play At Your Wedding:
The Hidden Cameras, "Ban Marriage"

Song You Want to Play At Your Funeral:
Jeff Buckley, “Hallelujah”

4 Records You Really Dug from 2005:
Saint Etienne, Tales From Turnpike House (UK version)
Kate Bush, Aerial
The Go-Betweens, Oceans Apart
Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs

4 Favorite Records From This Year So Far:
Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
Roisin Murphy, Ruby Blue
Regina Spektor, Begin To Hope
Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

5 Good Angry Songs:
Calexico, “All Systems Red”
Nellie McKay, “Sari”
Violent Femmes, “Kiss Off”
Kate Bush, “Get Out of My House”
Cibo Matto, “Birthday Cake”

One of Your Favorite Lyrics:
“Terribly rude to waiters / Overtips like Sinatra / Quite fond of Stiv Bators / She drops acid and goes to the Opera”—Stew, “Giselle”

5 Cover Songs Arguably Better Than the Original:
Emm Gryner, “Breathless” (The Corrs)
TV On the Radio, “Mister Grieves” (The Pixies)
Bryan Ferry, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” (Bob Dylan)
The Flying Lizards, “Money (That’s What I Want)” (Barrett Strong)
Johnny Cash, “Personal Jesus” (Depeche Mode)

Great Dance Song You Maybe Never Realized Was a Great Dance song Back in the Day:
Talking Heads, “Once In a Lifetime”

Good Albums To Workout To:
XTC, Black Sea
The Disco Box
LCD Soundsystem

Good Album to Clean The House To:
Junior Senior, D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat

Good Dining Music:
Sam Phillips, A Boot and a Shoe

A Good Album To Have Sex To:
Massive Attack, Mezzanine

A Good Album To Put You In the Mood (that is Not Sade, Marvin Gaye or Barry White):
Junior Boys, Last Exit

Good Album To Sleep To:
Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See

5 Good Rock Songs That You Can Dance To:
The Smiths, “What Difference Does It Make”
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?”
The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”
The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
Ani DiFranco, “Shameless”

4 Good Dance Songs (any kind):
Madonna, “Ray of Light”
Toni Braxton, “Spanish Guitar (HQ2 extended mix)”
Saint Etienne, “He’s on the Phone”
Deee-Lite, “Groove is in the Heart”

Songs That Are Too Damn Sad:
Jill Sobule, “Rock Me to Sleep”
Portishead, “Biscuit”
Mr. Airplane Man, “How Long”
Rufus Wainwright, “Go or Go Ahead”

4 Happy, Life Affirming Songs:
Heaven 17, “Temptation”
Sleater-Kinney, “Step Aside”
Stars, “Reunion”
Puffy AmiYumi, “Love So Pure”

5 Great Love Songs:
Velvet Underground and Nico, “I’ll Be Your Mirror”
Lou Reed, “Satellite of Love”
The Judybats, “Ugly On The Outside”
The Delays, “Nearer Than Heaven”
Mekons, “Last Dance”

An Album Full of Tenderness:
Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

Song To Cheer Up A Friend:
Pet Shop Boys, “Se a Vida E (That’s The Way Life Is)"

Song To An Ex That Isn't Meanspirited:
Yaz, “Only You”

Song To An Ex That Is Kinda Meanspirited:
Fiona Apple, “Parting Gift”

Song to Listen to While in The Country Looking at Stars:
Pernice Brothers, “Discover a Lovelier You”

Song to lose your Mind to:
Troll, “Western”

Songs That Make You Feel Amped and Inspired:
New Radicals, “You Get What You Give”
Ivy, “The Best Thing”
Pizzicato Five, “Happy Sad”

Great Semi-Obscure B-side:
Blur, “Black Book” (from the Music is My Radar single)

Song That Makes You Miss Your Mom:
Carole King, “So Far Away”

Tough Break-Up Songs:
Tompaulin, “Slender”
A Girl Called Eddy, “The Long Goodbye”
Dionne Warwick, “Walk On By”

So Happy It Makes You Wanna Skip:
The Free Design, “I Found Love”

Feel No Shame: Great Current Pop Songs:
Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy”
Nelly Furtado, “Maneater”
KT Tunstall, “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”

5 Desert Island Discs off the top of your head (30 sec clock):
Ivy, Apartment Life
Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
Brian Eno, Before and After Science
The Avalanches, Since I Left You
Saint Etienne, Smash The System: Singles and More

3 Artists That Were Your Faves 10 Years Ago:
Aimee Mann
Tori Amos
They Might Be Giants

Fave Electronic Record You Own:
DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…

Random Album You Loved In High School But Are Afraid To Admit It:
Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation 1814

Album You May Have Listened To More In High School than Any Other Album:
The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing

If You Could Enter A Wrestling Ring to a Song It Would Be:
Europe, “The Final Countdown” (thanks to Arrested Development)

Album To Clear A Room With:
Need New Body, UFO

P-TOWN LOW DOWN

My reviews of what I saw at the Provincetown International Film Festival are up on the Chlotrudis website. I managed to catch 13 films in four days, including five documentaries, two mockumentaries, and only one foreign language film.

PIFF isn't nearly as expansive a festival as Toronto (which I'm skipping this year), but that doesn't matter when half the incentive to go is P-Town itself. Still, in its eighth year, it's one of New England's better film festivals, and possibly the best place in the region to see queer-focused cinema. Two of my three favorites don't yet have theatrical distribution; oddly enough, the one that does is the least commercial offering I saw at the fest.

MIX: THE TRIP (PART ONE)

March 2005: CD-R

01. The BellRays, "They Glued Your Head On Upside Down"
02. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone"
03. Scissor Sisters, "Take Your Mama"
04. Kings of Convenience, "I'd Rather Dance With You"
05. Moloko, "The Time is Now"
06. Mark Mothersbaugh, "Ping Island/Lightning Strike Rescue Op"
07. Roxy Music, "Love Is the Drug"
08. Heaven 17, "Temptation"
09. Basement Jaxx, "Red Alert"
10. Bjork, "Triumph of a Heart"
11. Jennifer Trynin, "Better Than Nothing"
12. A.C. Newman, "Miracle Drug"
13. The Dandy Warhols, "You Were The Last High"
14. Tegan and Sara, "Take Me Anywhere"
15. Hello Goodbye, "Pussycat"
16. Junior Senior, "C'Mon"
17. PJ Harvey and Gordon Gano, "Hitting the Ground"
18. Belle and Sebastian, "I'm a Cuckoo"
19. The Futureheads, "Hounds of Love"
20. Santa Esmeralda, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

For a friend's 30th birthday (exactly one day and one month after my own), I made a double disc mix CD. It was blatantly modeled on a series of commercially available mixes with the same title. Each set was curated by a particular band or DJ, including one of my favorites. The general concept behind each edition was for the first disc to consist of peppy, upbeat music you'd hear in a club, while the second disc would include songs to "come down" to--stuff you'd want to hear after you returned home, kicked off your shoes, and lounged on the couch with a glass of pinot.

Thus, this is the party disc--or, as I originally wrote to the recipient, "music to listen to while preparing to get out of the apartment". With the one-two blast of The BellRays' Aretha Franklin-fronting-a-garage-band rave up and Ted Leo's raucous, rollicking tribute to The Specials, Thin Lizzy and Pete Townshend, this is also an exemplary mix for waking up to. I admit to playing it on my iPod on more than a few saggy-eyed morning commutes.

Despite the concept, this feels like a true, varied mix to me. What kind of logic puts a sweeping, quiet-loud-quiet electro/orchestral instrumental track from THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU next to Bryan Ferry's finest moment, a dated but irresistibly funky/geeky critique of the mid-70's singles bar scene? Why does The Futureheads' exuberant, jagged post-punk cover of a Kate Bush anthem lead into a ridiculous yet sublime ten minute flamenco-disco cover of an Animals song? How to explain the existence of Hello Goodbye (an obscure, squeaky, delightful trash-rock combo I had to review for Splendid) or Junior Senior (straight/gay, thin/fat male duo that actually had a great minor hit with "Move Your Feet")? Well, in that last case, they are two quirky tastes that taste fabulous next to each other, plus both are Scandanavian, love The B-52's and are completely bonkers.

It all goes back to feeling; the goal was simply to not be able to sit still while listening to this mix. Hearing it now and struggling in vain not to physically give in to PJ Harvey singing the shit out of a song Gordon Gano should've saved for the next Violent Femmes album, I say mission accomplished.

HEAD ON!

Once upon a time, it was merely a song by The Jesus and Mary Chain (later covered by The Pixies). Then, it became a rather bleak film about a young gay Greek-Australian man. Six years later, it was a considerably more intriguing, yet even darker film about Turks living in Germany.

Now, it's something you APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!

I first saw this commercial last week. It popped up at the end of Jeopardy--you know, that run-through of brief commercial-lettes for the show's sponsors that appear between Final Jeopardy and the closing credits. Amused and a little frightened, I nearly choked on my turkey dog as it whizzed on by. It's a minimalist masterpiece--a mantra, eight words inexplicably repeated three times by an obnoxiously perky female voiceover. She then repeats the product name once more and signs off by letting us know that it is "available without a prescription at retailers nationwide".

However, she regrets to explain exactly what the hell the product is. We see an apparently hypnotized, possibly lobotomized Teri Hatcher impersonator incessantly rubbing what resembles a glue stick back and forth across her forehead, and that's it. The altogether bewildering spot feels like it was made by someone who was taught how to properly make a television commercial, but had never actually seen one.

I couldn't find a website for HEAD ON! (which is essentially a "headache gel": an alternative to Tylenol, perhaps?), but I'm far from the first person to write or talk about its bizarre, low-rent marketing campaign. My god, it even has its own Wikipedia page. And a parody. Or two.

I just don't know how I subsisted for so long without seeing this strange, maddening, wonderful ad.

A DOZEN 2006 SONGS WORTH DOWNLOADING

When I posted my midyear report last month, I included only films, no music, because I just haven't acquired as many new CDs as in years past. Currently, I can't even construct a full mix CD of favorite tracks of the year so far (let alone a meaningful top ten albums list). As an alternative, here's a dozen tracks worth downloading from iTunes or wherever you can find them (in alphabetical order by artist, with the parent LP in italics):

• Belle and Sebastian, "Dress Up In You" (The Life Pursuit)
• The BellRays, "Third Time's The Charm" (Have A Little Faith)
• Calexico, "Cruel" (Garden Ruin)
• Neko Case, "Hold On, Hold On" (Fox Confessor Brings The Flood)
• Nelly Furtado, "Maneater" (Loose)
• The Futureheads, "Skip to the End" (News and Tributes)
• Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" (St. Elsewhere)
• Roisin Murphy, "Through Time" (Ruby Blue)*
• Pet Shop Boys, "Integral" (Fundamental)
• Sparks, "Perfume" (Hello Young Lovers)
• Sufjan Stevens, "Dear Mr. Supercomputer" (The Avalanche)
• KT Tunstall, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (Eye To The Telescope)*

* these two songs are technically 2005, but the albums weren't released in the U.S. until 2006.

SEVEN VIEWS OF MAINE

WATCH THE SUNRISE

I'm trying to finish up my reviews for everything I saw at this film festival (one month ago!). In the meantime, expect a picture-heavy blog. I took this one in York Beach, Maine two weeks ago, approximately 5:00 AM at the Short Sands beach; if I lived there, I'd want to get up and see this every day (or maybe once a week, given my tendency to stay up/sleep in late).

AVALANCHE ORGY

Hoo-boy, the summer heat's already getting to me: earlier this week on an impromptu CD shopping mini-spree, I picked up the following two discs from Newbury Comics. I didn't even realize they had the same title until the next day.



First, an unexpectedly consistent odds-and-sods assortment of leftovers from one of last year's best albums. Second, a young Irish-born, England-based folk/rock songstress I've been meaning to check out ever since catching a glowing, intriguing review of this album in Mojo nearly three years ago.

Now, if only this band would get their shit together and complete a follow-up to this one-of-a-kind record:



And while we're on the subject of 'lanches, I have to reference the place in the picture below, a legendary dive bar on the Marquette campus that closed for good a month before my graduation. I only visited it once, not long after I turned 21. That was enough, although if it was still in business, I'd go back in a heartbeat to revel in its scuzziness, if only for one drink and a game of pool. BTW, this pic makes it appear much cooler and classier than it actually was.

A SCANNER DARKLY

In 2001, Richard Linklater’s WAKING LIFE merged live action with animation via a process called “interpolated rotoscoping”, creating a fluid visual tableau that one could best liken to watching a painting coming to life. Much of its appeal came from the initial excitement that you were seeing something dazzling that hadn’t been attempted before. However, the style was also a perfect fit for that film’s equally fluid, experimental narrative and playful concern with dreams and ever-shifting states of consciousness.

Used sparingly since then (mostly notably in brief snippets of Jia Zhangke’s THE WORLD), Linklater returns to it for this adaptation of one of sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick’s best-known novels. Five years on, that technology's initial excitement hasn’t worn off—actually, it’s what nearly saves the film. Set “seven years in the future”, Dick’s convoluted, cyclical narrative about Bob Arctor (a well-cast Keanu Reeves), a drug addict secretly posing as his own narc, seems almost like an afterthought. As an ordinary live action film, it might play like a more cerebral, rambling rip-off of THE MATRIX.

Fortunately, the rotoscoping adds significant layers to what we see, and not all of them are merely aesthetic. Sure, the technology makes possible a score of things that live action can’t, from the opening credits’ suitably creepy aphid infestation to the mind-boggling “scramble suits” that appear throughout. Still, the animation’s surreal contours fittingly emphasize and heighten Dick’s dystopian outlook to the point where you could describe it to your stoner friends as the ultimate head film, but only if it weren’t so pessimistic about the negative effects of addiction.

A SCANNER DARKLY has that neat yin/yang structure, along with a good supporting cast (Robert Downey Jr. is superb as—get this—a paranoid, motormouthed dealer!), and all the subtlety, ecstatically talky dialogue and humor (though a few shades blacker than usual) you’d expect in a Linklater film. So, why does it ultimately impress me less than SLACKER, WAKING LIFE, or even a comparative trifle like THE SCHOOL OF ROCK? Maybe Linklater’s not a convincing pessimist, or perhaps the problem is Dick—I’m not familiar with his novel, but it's possible that even the most intuitive filmmaker could never fully translate what made Dick tick and resonate to his readers. Either way, so much of this film was impressive, but it left me feeling a little cold and uninvolved in the end. Was what I enjoyed just due to a temporary contact high? (3.5/5)

SLACKER AT 15

Certainly one of the more original (and influential) films of its time, Richard Linklater's SLACKER was released fifteen years ago this month. To celebrate, there's an excellent oral history on Salon with new commentary from the director and various cast members, including Teresa Taylor (above-left), forever remembered and loved as the Madonna pap smear pusher.

As for the film, it really captures a subculture (however fractured) with precision, without being portentious about it. It doesn't exxagerate, either--I've met a few people over the years whom could've easily been plucked from it.