Saturday, February 13, 2010

SBIFF: Chloe and 8 - Day One Recap

CHLOE


The first movie we (Denny, Sarah and I) saw was CHLOE, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried as Chloe. Getting in was hectic, we had a great spot in line, but when we got in it was already near full. We saw the movie from the third row - it just made it that much more gnar.

CHLOE is a sexual thriller. Think FATAL ATTRACTION - but hotter, so much hotter. Amanda Seyfried stars as a high class call girl whose yet to make a human connection. Julianne Moore plays a wife who suspects her distant husband is cheating on her and hires Chloe to find out. Chloe reports back to Moore, unexpectedly causing Moore to feel closer to her husband. Scared by the closeness, Moore tries to end things with terrifying results.

Well- that's what the movie would like you to believe. It is good, don't get me wrong - but leaves very little to the imagination (both sexually and in plot).

Subtlety is dead in CHLOE, hitting the audience in the face with clues (a.k.a. close-ups that the filmmakers are afraid you'd miss otherwise). Beats happen quickly, speeding through moments that should be slower, moments that need more tension, more build up, and more exploration.

Moments could have been pulled from a porn, just a warning.

The consensus among us was that we wanted to see certain moments explored more.

It's intense though, and the ending is wonderfully satisfying. Moore is gorgeous, and Seyfried has yet another versatile role. She's electrifying and proves, yet again, that she can act. Both have great dramatic moments, but I wanted more!

Should you go? Yeah. Worth seeing.




A documentary about Mormon involvement in the passing of Proposition 8. It was introduced by husbands who snuck in before prop 8 passed. Lucky them.

I went in thinking I wouldn't learn anything I didn't know. I went in thinking that it would recap everything I knew, but be great for those who are less informed about the current civil rights issue.

I was wrong. This movie went deep- tapped into a ton of shit I didn't know. It's wonderfully informative (skewed, of course - but every point made if valid.) I don't want to reveal anything, because I want you all to see it (the film got distribution) but I'll give you this fact: 22 million dollars came from the Mormons. Mostly from Utah (to pass a California Prop).

8 isn't the best made documentary- don't get me wrong, but everyone should see it to understand how the fuck prop 8 passed.

See it for the facts. Remember it for the emotion. It's strength is in the quality of information presented, and the connection it forces you to have with the victims of Prop. 8.

At the end of my day, the better film. I'm a little bit passionate about this issue, so a blog about that will come soon.

Happy Festivaling! More tomorrow...


1 comment:

Katie said...

I did some reading up on 8 today and it made me feel like my blog on the subject is brewing as well. I smile that we have same topic in mind, though I wish we could both be pondering something more fun.