Andrzej Sekula – Cut To The Chase

Directed By: Rory Kelly
Written By: Duane Dell’Amico, Roger Hedden, Neal Jimenez, Joe Keenan, Rory Kelly and Michael Steinberg Cinematography: Andrzej Sekula
Editor: David Moritz

Cast: Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, Craig Sheffer, Lewis Arquette, Todd Field, Parker Posey, Vanessa Angel, Susan Traylor, Dean Cameron, Thomas Gibson, Joey Lauren Adams, June Lockhart, Adrienne Shelly, Alexandra Hedison, Quentin Tarantino

Sarah, Joseph, and Frank are BFFs. Joseph and Sarah get married but the evening before she tells Frank with a kiss that it could’ve been him. Frank continues to have a thing for Sarah.

Six different writers wrote a scene each of this romantic comedy featuring the marriage and turbulent relationship of Joseph and Sarah, with Joseph’s best friend Frank trying hard to cope with letting the love of his life marry his best friend. An interesting experiment though it might also explain why it

Seems like a bit of a mess. That seems endless and single-focused. After a while it feels like small talk, about a lot of things said but nothing of any depth that can be called interesting. It might have worked better as a play.

A 1990’s relationship drama with some very little comedy thrown in. It seemed dated even when it came out. It feels like a dramatic episode of the television show FRIENDS.

The film involves a group of friends who are all married and/or in serious relationships and only seem to hang out with each other. They are still young and hip with no kids in sight.

So, of course, they have only one friend who is single and this film Explores all the different couplings in relationships. The one that gets the most attention is Meg Tilly who is usually a joy to see on screen. As she is rather obscure. Whose character is engaged to Eric Stoltz’s character. Who is kind of a ladies’ man whose best friend, played by Craig Sheffer with some Ill-advised facial hair and even worse hippie wardrobe is in love with Tilly’s character and she knows it.

She comes across as cruel because she knows yet every time he brings a date to their get-together. She interrogates and then insults them.

When she suspects her fiancé of cheating she sleeps with Sheffer’s character out of spite and when he thinks they have started a relationship she begins to feel bad and have feelings. When Eric finds out and informs her he didn’t cheat. So now the two guys are competing for her.

Imagine the Andrew McCarthy-Ally Sheedy-Judd Nelson love triangle from ST ELMO’S FIRE. Only if Nelson didn’t cheat and it was the main part of the movie, only more dramatic and you are on the same page as this film.

The film tries to be a broad comedy type of movie played subtly seriously. It comes across as a bunch of self-important characters. Who think they are cool but aren’t coming to grips with growing up and making it seem more dramatic and meaningful than it actually is.

It’s a shame as the film has a good cast and could have really been good under better circumstances.

Somehow here the direction just seems to drain all the fun and interest out of not only the scenes but the characters. The script seems fine if not indulgent and self-important.

One only wishes for a more skilled director. Who could have better handled the material and made the scenes a little more vivid and exciting. At least give it a kind of sense of humor about itself.

Maybe also allowing the film to be more of an ensemble and not focus so much on the leads and give the side characters more nuance and more to do. So the love triangle could have been more of a side caper or we see how it affects the dynamics of everyone in the group.

After a while though it seems Like every woman throws themselves at Stoktz’s character. This is easy to see when Sheffer’s Comes off more as creepy and he is the single available one. Who seems to mess up any chance he has with other women. While Stoltz’s Character is already married has nothing to lose. As he already has a wife. So he can talk to these women without seeming like he wants to bed them Or looking for something. Which in turn seems to make him a challenge for them

The only true noteworthy scene is the cameo by writer-director Quentin Tarantino giving a rant or his theory on how the movie TOP GUN is really a movie about a man’s struggle with his homosexuality. (This was before the internet introduced many people’s wild outlandish film and television theories)

In fact, that is one of the only reasons I watched it. The other is Eric Stoltz and Parker Posey, actors I am a huge fan of.

GRADE: D+

Directed By: Nimrod Antal
Written By: James V. Simpson
Cinematography By: Andrzej Sekula
Editor: Armen Minasian

Cast: Columbus Short, Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Skeet Ulrich, Fred Ward, Jean Reno, Milo Ventimiglia, Lorna Raver, Amaury Nolasco

The war veteran, Ty Hackett, is hired to work as security guard by the Eagle Shield Security where his old friend Mike Cochroone works. Ty is having financial difficulties after the death of his father, and is raising his brother Jimmy alone. He teams up with Mike’s brother-in-law, Baines, and their coworkers Quinn, Palmer and Dobbs. One night, Mike invites Ty to join in the robbery of two armored trucks transporting forty-two million dollars. The reluctant Ty accepts after Mike promises that nobody would be hurt in the heist.

The directing by Nimrod Antal is solid that is one of the few good things I can say about this film. The story plays out more like action oriented theater. It has limited locations and most of the film takes place at a single one.

The action feels only necessary to dispatch characters and fill out the story. It helps the audience to feel more intense moments. The film feels more like it would play better in the 80’s or 90’s. with less dramatic cast.

Don’t get me wrong Matt Dillon and Laurence fishburne are good (Though Laurence Fishburne is often given to overacting in the film) This feels like a film Mr. Fishburne probably would have starred in, in his youth. Considering the cast involved this film should be much better then it is. They aren’t really given that much in the form of dimensions for characters.

It’s a shame that this is one of those High concept plotted films that could make a interesting big screen film, but feels like a b movie potboiler that is more at home making it’s premiere straight to dvd and/or Cable. The big names Deserve better roles then they have here and the up and comers. Who work out in the leads but shouldn’t be playing stock characters so early in their careers.

I wish we could have seen this cast in the film TAKERS and the cast of takers in this film instead as this film isn’t exactly rich with ideas or situations. This film has only one female speaking role. So this is more of a man’s only film.

The script could have been a lot better. If you are going to limit the action there should be more great dialogue and story or something or somebody to focus on. To take us out of the claustrophobic atmosphere by being interesting. Or add story to make this situation more intense and make the audience feel it.

Maybe tighten the claustrophobic atmosphere so they each must act in their own interests faster. Maybe make the character older so that these are his friend more or less that turn on him. Instead of just being the new guy in need of money and a steady job.

GRADE: D+

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