Directors: Jacob Kornbluth, Josh Kornbluth
Starring: Josh Kornbluth, Warren Keith, Helen Shumaker, Amy Resnick, Brian Thorstenson

- Reviewed by Linda

Despite its best intentions as a humorous commentary about "temping" in the urban corporate world, Haiku Tunnel has the unfortunate problem of coming 5 to 10 years after-the-fact. The cartoon "Dilbert" featuring office drones has been around several years, plus the whole temping angle has been done before (and done better) in a 1997 movie called Clockwatchers.

Josh (played by director Josh Kornbluth) is a temp who suddenly faces the horrifying option of "going perm" as a secretary at a law office. The story follows one week where, as soon as he's hired, his productivity goes all to hell, and one disaster follow another (usually involving deadlines, important letters to be mailed for his boss, etc.).

The success and failure of a comedy (or any movie, for that matter) depends on the appeal of the main character. Josh was just too darn smirky and eyeball-rolling for me to stomach after the first 5 minutes or so. There were a few funny moments, but the rest of the film very much felt like an awkward one-man stage show that didn't quite translate well to the screen. Which, funny enough (or not, as the case may be), it was.

The director responds... for real!

Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2001 00:47:43
Subject: Desperately Holding Eyes in Place
From: "Josh Kornbluth"
To: moviepie@yahoo.com

Dear Linda,

"Eyeball-rolling"? ... okay, I concede that. But ... "smirky"? I thought we edited out all those takes!

I agree with all three of your "guilty pleasures," though.

Take care,
Josh

(Thanks, Josh, you're a good sport! - Linda)

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