Director: Michael Almereyda
Starring: Karl Geary, Shalom Harlow, Clarence Williams III, Ally Sheedy, Josephine Martin, Gloria Reuben, Liane Balaban, David Arquette

- Reviewed by Vickie

Paging David Lynch. David Lynch to the fuscia courtesy phone. David Lynch? Not sure if he ever got the call, but director Michael Almereyda clearly channeled the weird and wacky Blue Velvet helmer while making this bizarre little suspense film.

Liane Balaban (New Waterford Girl) stars as Amelia, a young woman searching for her sister, Muriel (Shalom Harlow), who disappeared from New Orleans without a trace. The simple-enough premise then takes all kinds of twists and turns as Amelia delves into the world of online chats, the Internet and virtual reality in the name of tracking down her missing sibling. As if that wasn't enough, there are more quirky, eccentric and inexplicable characters tottering around than Twin Peaks' Log Lady could shake her lumber at. There's Amelia's loopy aunt (Ally Sheedy), her could-be-boyfriend (Clarence Williams III), an eyepatch-sporting fireman's widow (Gloria Reuben) who wanders around looking sullen and whom everyone seems to avoid, and a frenetic exterminator (David Arquette) with dreams of directing a film live on the Internet.

Nevermind that the creepy factor goes up considerably by having the entire story set in N'Awlins.

Tackling the themes of image vs. reality, self-imposed "blindness" and the inherent danger of getting sucked into either, the movie takes it limited budget and squeezes out what it can. The story itself isn't entirely plausible or coherent but, like Lynch's work, it isn't really meant to be, I guess. It's got the requisite number of dream sequences and clever uses of various cinematic media, but overall feels a little disjointed and rushed. Also, the technology that serves as a centerpiece of the mystery is never explained, so the audience is left to guess and assume... which, we all know, isn't necessarily a good thing. Still, it's an interesting film to watch... just maybe on video instead of at the theater.

Agree? Disagree? Go to the Forum!  |  Back to Currently Playing | Back to Toronto 2002

Home | Currently Playing | For Rent | Video Obsession 
Movie Forum | Guestbook | Links | "Get to know us!"

©2002 Moviepie e-mail us