20th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival I
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Special Report By Andrea Chase
When given the option of which I want first, the good news or the bad, I always pick the latter. It gives me something to look forward to. And so, dear readers, it is in that order that I clue you in on what to see and what to avoid at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival.
"The House of Yes" is a wannabe sophisticated play turned film about consensual incest between fraternal twins. What could have been a challenging story questioning societal taboos is, instead, an exercise in tedium. The parts of this story that are not annoying are boring.
"Two Girls and A Guy" allows James Toback to demonstrate his complete misunderstanding of the female psyche, not to mention the tensile strength of rice paper, in this self-indulgent celebration of misogyny.
The saddest report I have to make is about "How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate," an Irish film that promised subversion, anarchy and biting social commentary. Alas, the premise, cheating on university qualifying exams, is handled with such a heavy hand that I was forced to throw in the towel on this one early on.
As for "Fame Whore," the title is the only good thing about it.
© 1997 • Andrea Chase • Air Date: 10/01/97
