$9.99 is the latest film based on the short stories of Etgar Keret, the previous being the solid Wristcutters: A Love Story. Rather then examining the afterlife, $9.99 focuses instead on the meaning of life, as the film focuses on a booklet that promises to answer all of life’s questions, all for the bargain basement price of $9.99. Complete with a solid cast (Joel Edgerton, Claudia Karvan, Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush) and the nice twist of using stop-motion claymation makes $9.99 one of the more eye catching and potentially original films to be released this year.
Interest level: Pliable $9.99 opens exclusively at the Lagoon Theatre on July 31st.
Allow me for a moment, if you will, to wax rhapsodic about one of my favorite literary organizations, that being McSweeney’s. Every quarter McSweeney’s publishes their Quarterly Concerns, which is not only one of the coolest literary magazines imaginable, and the design of the magazine is often as amazing and fascinating as the works contained within it. McSweeney’s also publishes books from obscure and long forgotten authors, as well as works from widely read and respected modern authors, often times selling these works for ridiculously cheap prices (it is not uncommon that once a month a book be reduced to $.01) and often times donating much or all of the proceeds to various charities. McSweeney’s is an organization devoted to the advancement of art and literature and I am proud to give my money to such an esteemed organization.
Several years ago Nick Hornby (of High Fidelity fame) teamed up with several other writers to produce a new semi-monthly magazine from McSweeney’s entitled The Believer. It was filled with reviews and stories and original works and Amy Sedaris giving sex advice by proxy, everything one would want from a literary magazine. The Believer also accomplished two very important things, at least in my little corner of the world. The April ‘06 issue contained an interview with Paul Giamatti that was so fascinating and enjoyable I can safely call it the best interview I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The Etgar Keret interview in the same issue isn’t half bad either. But that was just the beginning, as later I would read their September ‘06 issue, simply referred to as the games issue. The issue was so captivating I have no qualms in naming it the best issue of any magazine I have ever read. Thus knocking off the July of ‘84 issue of Ranger Rick, a feat I previously deemed impossible. (more…)
Like many people I have had someone close to me commit suicide. It was difficult for me to understand why they did it, as well as wonder if I could have done anything to prevent it. For a time it left me bitter and jaded while reducing suicide to a subject that was bound to aggravate me. But as the years have passed my attitude and feelings towards it have changed. But in spite of this suicide is still one of those subjects that are nigh impossible to joke about, especially in movies. The only ones I can think of that it have pulled it off with any grace are Better Off Dead, Heathers, and Groundhog Day. So it was with trepidation that I went to see the suicide satire Wristcutters: A Love Story, knowing full well I could be walking into a complete disaster.
Zia (Patrick Fugit) is a very unhappy man. Having recently been dumped by his girlfriend Desiree (Leslie Bibb), he commits suicide in the hopes it will end his pain. Upon waking he discovers he was successful in his efforts to end his life, only to find out he now resides in a world no different from his previous one. Not long after he receives word that Desiree has also committed suicide, and taking it as a sign he enlists his roommate Eugene (Shea Whigham), and an odd hitchhiker (Shannyn Sossamon) who insists she is here on accident, in helping him find the love of his after life. (more…)
Allow me for a moment, if you will, to wax rhapsodic about one of my favorite literary organizations, that being 
Like many people I have had someone close to me commit suicide. It was difficult for me to understand why they did it, as well as wonder if I could have done anything to prevent it. For a time it left me bitter and jaded while reducing suicide to a subject that was bound to aggravate me. But as the years have passed my attitude and feelings towards it have changed. But in spite of this suicide is still one of those subjects that are nigh impossible to joke about, especially in movies. The only ones I can think of that it have pulled it off with any grace are 
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