Dot the I (2003)

Memorable, crazy movie

hyped garbage

As Good As It Gets

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

You can't watch this film while doing something else at the same time - it demands full concentration, which is probably why some reviewers have panned it - they missed too many clues and perhaps didn't even concentrate when everything (or almost everything) dropped into place at the end. While most of the story seems to revolve around Kit Winter, the unlikely hero, pretty everyone else has a part to play in the structure of the plot. And it isn't just the clever story - there are other gems, for example the Registrar's face when he explains that it's too late. In fact, the film is so packed with clever details that you should only watch it if you can stay wide awake for the full 90 minutes. Not for those who spend half the time eating crisps or fooling about with their mobiles. Highly recommended.

Writer-director Parkhill overcooks the pot in this heavily-plotted thriller about a young Spanish woman fleeing an abusive relationship only to find herself caught up with the most abusive creatures known to the ages: film-makers.Natalia Verbeke exudes hot Latin temperament as the put-upon Carmen, a flamenco dancer with a bit of a temper who seems to be settling for a safe but passionless marriage with the rich but sincere Barnaby. Along comes Kit, a sultry but slightly kooky Gael García Bernal, to show Carmen what real passion is, and complications ensue, though Carmen is deluded regarding their particular hue.It all twists and turns rather incredulously after that, which is fair enough, but the twists are also rather telegraphed, which is unforgivable. The inclusion of comic tropes Tom and Theo gives it a lighter edge than it might otherwise deserve, as if Parkhill is not taking events too seriously himself. That is a shame, because had the film opted to go much darker, it would have worked better. The palette is full of lurid colours, as if to compensate for the pasty video footage inter-cut into the main narrative. Again, subliminally Parkhill seems to be apologising for his film.What rescues this from its formulaic nonsensical plot is the performances of the leads. In particular, James D'Arcy shows a penchant for bipolar antagonists that is quite chilling at times. Talking straight to the video camera about killing himself, he is utterly convincing. It is a shame the script undoes his fine work later on.Mildy engrossing, utterly forgettable afterwards, this is formulaic fluff and nonsense that is worth viewing as a casting exercise for the three lead actors who put in stand-up shifts.

Crap until exactly 2/3's of the movie when the twist occurs. Then it turns brilliant. At least, D'Arcy gets to have some fun with the role.The setup took so long I nearly didn't wait around for the payoff. But it's a fun plot twist payoff.The inter-cutting between film and video was annoying in the early stages. It didn't really work as either happy home video footage or as clues leading up to the twist.The final third was delicious. Sadly, it wouldn't have worked to let it play out longer.The performances were generally mediocre, altho' Barnaby (D'Arcy) gets to shine at the end.Art direction was lovely - managed to evoke both London and somewhere ambiguously Latin.

Young Brazilian guy in London falls in love with Spanish girl about to be married to a rich English man. Featuring heaps of video cameras ...Preposterous and badly written, the visual style is jarring and too self-consciously cool for the story to make much sense. Films like this one are too easy to make. They are all about coming with with a new surprise twist every 15 minutes, and they don't even have to be good, so long as they keep us surprised they don't need to add up. And then, if you say that it is a meta-indie-flick, all opposition among cineasts must be stilled.Or ...? Well, I don't buy into it. The recent 'Wicker Park' tried to do the same, boasting a non-linear plot line that covered the fact that there was no actual story to tell. 'Memento' had something it wanted to convey, but that was the exception. Too many movies nowadays ape this faux-documentary style because they hope the jarring aesthetics will keep us riveted, but without substance I dare say they will not.The film's first-time director, who, alas, is also the writer (almost always a bad idea) insists on not giving away his secrets, knowing that his house of cards will tumble down first chance it gets.The lead character Carmen is utterly unsympathetic, in the tradition we know from fatal French cinema, 'Betty Blue' and so on, her English boyfriend is a convenient caricature of the rich papa's boy slash cynical rich fart. The most startling thing about the film, in a good way, was James D'Arcy's suicide scene which was really well-played, and I must say that he was the only actor to actually get something out of this venture, although his part stinks.Gael Garcia Bernal seriously needs a career counselor, he won't survive much more muck like this one