Maria D
Loved this movie. All around brilliant- Strong characters. Really hilarious at times. It's like being on an amusement park ride as these characters go through their everyday melo drama. Much better than the Florida Project. I could appreciate the unapologetic renegade characters in this movie but it just didn't work for me watching those kids in F. Project. This was brilliant.
aarosedi
It is easy to assume that just because some movie comes from Hollywood, that it is somehow a by-product of the Hollywood film industry/machinery, especially for those who are intellectually challenged or perhaps just plain uninformed that it is also as place where people learn to just agree to disagree with each other, just like everywhere else. There is a remarkable simplicity in the story. A cleverly structured screenplay that covers a 12-hour period during Christmas eve 2014 in the life of two trannie working girls, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez as Sin-Dee and Mya Taylor as Alexandra, whose banter right from the get-go makes sure the viewer gets the gist of who they are. Though unapologetic and doesn't care for other people's judgment, it is a take-it-or-leave-it-attitude that contradicts the two "girls" real desire in getting the attention of the "right people". The tautly edited 88-minute movie has a superb soundtrack, and a cast that boasts an eclectic mix of professional and non-professional actors who all gave excellent performances, none of them could be regarded as superfluous to the narrative, each one an essential component to the story.James Ransone (The Wire; Generation Kill) as Chester, the guy that Sin-Dee searches for through the course of the movie. Mickey O'Hagan as the girl Sin-Dee drags along with her in that search. Karren Karagulian as Razmik, the taxi driver that is way too familiar with the rounds in his route and has disdain for his mother-in-law, Ashken, Alla Tumanian, who is in town to visit her daughter Yeva, Luiza Nersisyan, for the Christmas eve dinner. Then there's Shih-Ching Tsou, the lady manning the doughnut shop, and Arsen Grigoryan as Razmik's fellow taxi driver. And there's notable cameos from Clu Gulager as a taxi passenger and Scott Krinsky (TV series Chuck) who is Alexandra's potential john.Though the use of iPhone 5 gives it a grittiness that makes it feel way too real, the use of Steadicam reduced the shaky feel that people would usually get from cellphone footage helped create that needed awareness of the unreality of the movie watching experience by giving an indie film a professional feel to it.The delicacy in handling the issues facing people who work the oldest profession face and the showing vantage point of transvestites was sucg masterstroke. Though these people are portrayed as defiant in not being presented as victims, this could be seen as a necessity for those who are living on the fringes of the fringes of the society. The dark humor that the characters exhibit is only a means for survival in their dog-eat-dog existence.For all the superlatives that could be said, there is somewhat an anomaly that lurks beneath the surface. Or perhaps the hole on the conventional doughnut metaphor is good way to describe it, not used as a lame-glutes pun or sexual euphem. The hole in the sweet pastry makes it distinct, wouldn't be as noticeable without it, giving its identity. It is a foible that is like an off-key tune that is very jarring yet even that serves a purpose of getting the public's attention and doing it without stirring too much controversy and thus, handing in the movie's triumph. But oddly, it is also the same thing that drags this film back from becoming an almost flawless comedy/drama from being a modern-day classic that it deserves to be. Mainstream Hollywood need not to tell these stories anymore because having talents like Baker would do the unseemly subject matter involved more justice, giving it a more intimate, making it more personal experience for the cast and crew and eventually, the viewers. Mr. Baker has achieved in this movie to give the world an exquisite glimpse of L.A. in a very self-deprecating light, a much needed counterpoint to the existence of the Tinseltown's creations.And a perfect denouement was thrown in that serves as a sobering reminder, to punctuate and make sure that this movie sticks into the viewer's consciousness, by pulling away the rug of humor from under the movie's bare feet. Brutal.My rating: B-plus.
info-3508
I'm not so concerned with "high-concept" in motion picture as in the execution of it. So much hype surrounded this film. Long-standing indie journalists and industry professionals urged me to see it. I tried. I realize that we're talking about hotbed issues. Well, controversy may be enough to sell a movie, but it isn't enough to make it great, or even good. The movie felt amateurish. The acting was so bad that I found it unwatchable. David Lynch is correct. Here is an example of how the motion industry has effectively destroyed itself. The emperor isn't wearing any clothes. Renaissance is needed.
tmfc-65132
This film shocked me at how it can show how bad some people have it while still making me laugh. There are some moments that are sickening and hard to watch but are necessary to really display what the characters go through. The film starts slow and I found the characters almost annoying at the start but as the film goes on your start to see who they really are and then feel some kind of sympathy for them. There is a lot of dark humor in here not the sort of jokes everybody will find funny. Overall this is really not an easy movie to watch. This is a film all about characters so I suggest you only watch if your very open minded. This is not an action film or comedy it's a depressing drama so be ready for that.
