The SIFF Failures

I have been attempting to put down some thoughts about all the films I saw at SIFF, but there are a small pile that I just didn't like, and in addition have little to say about why I disliked them. Just trust me, there's nothing going on in these.

Pizza (2004, Mark Christopher) - If Welcome To The Dollhouse had been made by a Hollywood studio committe, it might have been this lame. A totally forced feelgood comedy/drama about a fat teenager whose life intersects on her 18th birthday with a moody left-wing pizza delivery guy. This was completely unbelievable from the word go, and it didn't get any better, although a couple of the actors do their best. There is one honestly painful scene involving a party and cocaine, but everything else just feels way too fuzzy and dishonest. Its a long way from 54 that is for damn sure.

The Writer Of O (2004, Pola Rapaport) - If you were making a documentary about the discovery of the author of the notorious French erotic novel The Story Of O copmplete with re-enactmens of some of the novel's most erotic scenes, you would think you could find a way to make it not be boring. Sadly Pola Rapaport could not, and even Zalman King would have made the sex scenes more interesting.

Max And Grace (2005, Michael Parness) - Almost completely without merit, totally plastic comedythat I would have walked from if I was alone.

Police Beat (2005, Robinson Devor) - This film is very pretty, and has lots of fun local color, but the story never engaged me much beyond being half-interested. The ending felt completely false and out of synch with everything we had learned about the character prior. Great use of Kinski's "Schedule for Using Pillows and Beanbags."