Here is the fella that came up with the theory of George Bush being Oliver Stone in make up... yup, one of them Lame Conspiracy Theorist, but he does seem to have a taste for film. He attended the... ahhh heck, I'll just let him tell ya...
Here's the first, and I believe the most important review. Word is so far that three studios have asked for screenings. My friend at the fest said it received the most favorable response from distributers, anyway, here it is, more to follow:
Recently attended the L.A. Independent Film Festival, now in it’s fourth year and growing by leaps and bounds. Truth be known, I skipped a bunch of the Sat and Sun afternoon screenings because it was GORGEOUS in Los Angeles and the first weekend without the wrath of El Nino in months. But I did see eight films over the course of the weekend and one in particular that stands out.
"Some Girls" is one of the more accurate portrayals of the vulnerable stage we all go through between adolescence and adulthood when we realize what it means to have adult feelings for someone and subsequently have our heart broken because the stakes are that much higher. Skillfully directed by Rory Kelly ("Sleep With Me" ), "Some Girls" walked away from the festival with Best Director honors and a considerable "buzz". Unlike either, but in a place of maturity somewhere between "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Singles", Brie Shaffer and co-screenwriter and lead actress Marissa Ribisi (Claire) are astoundingly adept at capturing the feelings of fear, hope, euphoria and rejection involved when we take a chance on what we think we’ve been looking for only to find out it wasn’t what it appeared to be at all. There was nary a woman in the audience who couldn’t relate to Claire’s initial apprehension, hopeful optimism and subsequent downward spiral of self-pity, rage and a thoroughly enjoyable attempt at retribution (however, the men in the audience were a little scared that the women were enjoying it so much). Juliette Lewis delivers as always in her portrayal of April, a loathsome, man-eating girl who seeks refuge in an endless string of one night stands rather than face her fear of having a real relationship with her long-suffering and blindly devoted boyfriend, sympathetically played by indie mainstay, Michael Rappaport. I could not help but cringe with both pity and disgust during the scene when without accusation, he picks her up one from yet another hook-up and drives her back to her car parked outside the bar from the night before. Giovanni Ribisi (Marisa’s twin brother), known from his work in "That Thing You Do", "The X-Files", "Sub-Burbia" and most recently as Phoebe’s brother on "Friends", plays Claire’s awkward yet endearing younger brother who finds himself stumbling over his own feelings for one of Claire’s friends but is perfectly willing to risk humiliation for the chance to tell her how he feels. Jeremy Sisto keenly portrays Chad, that guy we all want to be good but we know is bad. Charming and handsome, sweet and poetic, he woos Claire with lines that at thirty (31 next month) I know are B.S. but at twenty would have fallen for hook, line and sinker. The way he casually tosses Claire aside after he realizes she actually bought it, touches a nerve for any of us who have ever been discarded by someone before we even realized they were gone. With a contemporary soundtrack and the most commercial viability of any of the films I screened at the festival, look for "Some Girls" to pick up distribution in the very near future. But more than that, mark my words, in her standout performance both starring in and co-scripting "Some Girls", look for Marissa Ribisi to be Hollywood’s new "It" girl. Believe me, I’m a jaded Hollywood type and I never gush over anyone, but she really has got something.
Other film reviews to follow ivery soon include "Chicago Cab" a wonderful look at a day in the life of a cab driver which features cameos from Gillian Anderson, John Cusak and Julianne Moore, and "Starf*cker", starring Jamie Kennedy ("Scream", "Scream 2") a somewhat dark yet hysterically funny look at the underlings and wannabees in Hollywood desperate for the tiniest inkling of fame even if only by association and the lengths to which they’ll go to get it.
