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Reviews
Killing Vivian (2013)
"Killing Vivian" Killed Me
This film should be considered a national treasure! My friends and I haven't laughed this hard since "The Heat" with Melissa McCarthy. Why isn't Missy Pyle headlining every other comedy out there?! What TIMING! What a wonderful and innate sense of what makes for brilliant comedy. Although it seemed her romantic co-star could learn much from her, he was a RIOT, as well! Would LOVE to see these two work together in something else- even if it's just reading the phonebook. Mandy Fabian's direction was brilliant; her pacing restrained to build into a sweet and believable climax and resolution. Bravo!
Last Weekend (2022)
Meh.
I really wanted to like this! But it just doesn't build enough of a relationship with the audience before asking us to invest in its sorrow. Rob Nagle gives an effective enough performance as a heartbroken dad; Jennifer Carta is mostly bland and uncommitted; the young girls are adorable and natural- the best acting overall. If anything pulled at the heartstrings, it was via these two; their youthful ease was delightful. A gorgeous setting on the beach (Mandy & Patrick Fabian's actual home in CA!), as well as an apt metaphor: the unceasing tide and continuum of time- ready or not. Unfortunately, this time and tide prove trite. The direction felt timid; happenstance; only one toe in that beautiful surf.