First Snow

Tonight I saw a screening of First Snow, starring Guy Pearce.

This film was disappointing, despite an excellent performance by the always-good Guy Pearce.

Set in the southwest, the movie follows Jimmy (Pearce) on a personal journey of paranoia after a side-of-the-road fortune teller informs him he will only live until the First Snow.

First of all, the scenes where Jimmy consults with the 'psychic' are somewhat ridiculous because of the character they have painted him to be. Someone as slick as Jimmy would never take the word of a fortune teller as gospel and certainly wouldn't live his life based on the findings even if he did.

Second, the film feels like it's trying to be 'A History of Violence' meets 'Snatch' and it doesn't achieve the feeling of either. But the problem is not in the acting—Pearce and his supporting cast (a girlfriend, a few coworkers and a blatant enemy) do just fine. The issue is in the writing, which is shamelessly cheesy and undoubtedly predictable.

Lastly, although the movie has a clear, solid ending, it leaves you wondering what you were supposed to take away from the film.

Personally, I didn't take much.

The Namesake

This morning I saw The Namesake, starring Tabu and Kal Penn.

Michael and I reviewed this film on Cinebanter 25, which you can download free of charge here.

Zodiac

Tonight I saw Zodiac, starring Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal.

It will be the topic of Cinebanter 24, so tune in on March 23 for our review.