Film Reviews
Ghost World
Directed by Terry Zwigoff
2001
Based on the eponymous underground comic book by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World was adapted for film by Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff, the man behind the revelatory documentary Crumb. Enid (Thora Birch) is smarter than most, and so is her best friend Rebecca (a very young Scarlett Johansson). Their intelligence makes them outsiders and draws them together, but now that their high school days are over, Rebecca is showing signs of wanting to move on with her life. Enid only knows that going to college and getting an apartment are just such ordinary ambitions and, as such, part of that which she does not want.
Enid finds herself drawn to schleppy Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a much older collector of 78rpm records. She finds purity in his love for what he does and his devotion to such arcane subject matter. But their differences in age make a relationship inappropriate and their mutual discomfort with the contrivances of flirtation make their meetings kind of jerky and hamstrung. Everyone is wonderfully cast in this movie. Ghost World resists convenient closures and summaries and some may take issue with its open-endedness. But anything else would have been phony, and Enid would never have stood for it. (J.R.)
Talk To Me
Directed by Kasi Lemmons
2007
When Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene (played quite convincingly by Don Cheadle), realizes that he wants to spread his message of hope and political activism to a wider audience than that of his fellow prison inmates, he stops at nothing to take advantage of the opportunity “offered” to him by hotshot, “uppity Negro” Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor). His journey to the top of the broadcast radio industry will not be an easy one. He will have to overcome both internal and external obstacles, starting with the fact that he has no formal experience as a disc jockey other than the explicitly-worded observations he broadcasted over prison radio during his incarceration.
Don Cheadle leads an outstanding cast, conveying the story of a man who revolutionized the radio industry by speaking his mind truly and openly – as he’s always been compelled and encouraged to do. (J.B.)
The TV Set
Directed by Jake Kasdan
2006
Every screenwriter’s dream is to sell a script and have his or her story shot for film or television for as many people as possible to see. Every screenwriter’s nightmare is compromising his or her artistic integrity in order to make a story entertaining and marketable to a mainstream audience. At least this is the case for Mike Klein (David Duchovny), in the TV Set. After his very personal script is chosen to be made into a pilot by a major TV network, Mike must decide whether staying true to his original ideas and vision is more important to him than having a steady job and making money to support his growing family. (J.B.)
