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Reviews
Strictly Sexual (2008)
Fantastic storytelling & film-making
"Strictly Sexual" is probably the sweetest, funniest sexually-themed movie I've ever seen. Not that the theme is just sex. It's really about four characters who you come to know, love and root for like none that I can recall in recent film history. No big orange explosions coming at you, but a rapport and chemistry between actors that is so rare in modern film, it feels like something new. All four leads grab you immediately. The film is brimming with bittersweet moments and belly laughs masterfully combined like the best of Woody Allen or Preston Sturges. The filmmakers are really on to something with this film, striking a (seemingly) effortlessly original tone and feel. One of the most honest and human films I've ever seen, "Strictly Sexual" is genuinely entertaining from start to finish. The ending just killed me (in a good way) but I don't want to give anything away. See it. -Alan Bernhoft
Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney (2008)
Charmingly Nostalgic
Loved it! This is a charming, nostalgic story, blended with a surprisingly brutal look behind the scenes of the contemporary "reality show" genre (that seems to be destroying television these days.) Bitingly satirical, I guess I'll never know how much of it is real and how much was fake. Even lead Ruth Anson, who the movie is all about, seems to be swept up in the momentum of the project. You get the feeling the only one who really knows is Director Marc Cushman,who plays his alter-ego, Director Marc Cushman, to maniacal perfection. Or is he playing a character? Ruth Anson's sweetness and charm carry the movie, and most of the cast seem to get genuinely angry, which is fun to watch. Beatles fans will enjoy the dead-on Beatlesque songs by Alan Bernhoft. Unexpectedly touching and uplifting on many levels. Quite a bit of originality and skill in the conception and production.