Dance Party, USA

A teenager (Gus) confesses to a young woman (Christie) at a Fourth of July party that he raped a girl while she was unconscious. This must be one of those films Martin Scorsese was referencing when he said if you want to make a film about the soul it could only be made for two dollars. The budget of this film doesn't seem to be much higher. But what it's missing in budget it makes up for with excellent naturalistic dialogue and several affecting scenes. If you like any of the mumblecore films (Funny Ha Ha, Puffy Chair) you'll probably dig this one as well.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

John McCabe is a gambler who opens a brothel in a near non existent town with Ms. Miller, a "madam". Like just about all Robert Altman films, tone takes prescience over plot. We get to see Warren Beatty act like Warren Beaty with a beard, actively gambling, smoking stogies and expanding his business enterprises. When he refuses to sell his business to a mining company, three bounty hunters are sent to kill him. The soundtrack by Leonard Cohen adds to beautiful shots of the countryside. There is not one damn thing wrong with this film. It seems to have oozed right out of Altman's head. The ending is the same as the Shining. Well, sort of.

Inception Deception Frustration

I watched the first 30 minutes of Inception and do not even want to finish the damned thing. It's about these dudes who spy on people by entering their dream states and extract information from them. It sounds like a giant headache to me and even worse to watch on screen. The film gets even worse when that annoying actress Elenn Page enters the film and is hired to be an architect for the dream landscapes. It's already way too high concept for me. Hopefully I'll be able to gather the strength to continue watching the film. Can any of these so called brilliant commercial filmmakers make a movie that doesn't involve the concept of a trying to complete a puzzle? What would this film be if it were merely about a guy who wants to clear himself in the murder of his wife? Of course she shows up in his dreams to annoy him. This film is so high concept I am waiting for someone to yell cut offscreen to reveal Christopher Nolan who yells out "print it". We follow Leo and his acting pals go to lunch and discuss the various problems of their lives and whatever projects they are working on when the film wraps. Perhaps leo could brake the fourth wall
and tell us how important it is to recycle. I am going to eventually finish the film, but I don't think my above fantasy will happen, although it would prove to be much more interesting.