Tuscon Filmmaker enjoys NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Phillip Lybrand, aka The Tuscon Filmmaker has sent us in this early review of NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST which played at the Toronto International Film Festival recently and has been, rather unfairly one would think, compared to last year's Academy Award nominated JUNO.If you're reading this, then you can clearly see that your hunger for block letters on movie posters will soon be fed. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST opens the first week of October, and fortunately, it brings with it a lot more than a hip graphic designer. Based on the the novel by the same name, 'NICK AND NORAH' chronicles the budding romance of two high school seniors searching the streets of NYC for clues that could lead them to a super secret show by their mutually favorite Indie rock band. And, as with all coming of age teeny love stories, they'll also find clues... to who they really are on the inside. [/trailer voice] The rom-com elements are predictable, but it never gets annoying. Peter Sollett, director of the film school favorite RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, brings a style to the genre that provides a really fresh take on the subject matter. There are several moments when the film takes a step backward, or maybe a step sideways... and we're treated to slow, deliberate beauty shots of the city - reminding of the best moments from AMERICAN BEAUTY. That's really not something one might expect in a movie that also tries to win over the SUPERBAD crowd by having a 3/4 gay band rename themselves A Fistfull of Assholes (formerlly known as The Jerk Offs, btw). There's a level of maturity that Sollett injects here that would have been lost on a lesser filmmaker. That said, some of the funniest moments in the film are not something I'd be comfortable calling "mature." One of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments comes from an odd cameo from everybody's favorite 'digital short' guru. I'm still not quite sure what he actually said (or meant), but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the loudest person in the room, nearly coughing up my Reece's peanut butter cup from earlier. The only low point of the film was Nick's ex, Tris. She's completely one dimensional and doesn't have any sort of character arch. Nick doesn't have much of an arch, either, but Norah's is strong enough to let him slide by association. Speaking of NORAH, actress Kat Dennings does a very nice job in the female titular role as the scenester daughter of an uberfamous music producer. Both her and Michael Cera do a fantastic job of portraying the way teens really deal with the 'this is it' kind of love - neither of them come off as being 100% authentic, as if they had somehow lived a lifetime of romantic experience and knew exactly what they want, and what to do with it when they get it. No, like most teenagers in love, they're authentic in their desire to have something, whatever it is, and hold on to it. They'll worry about the details later. Good times. NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST opens in the U.S. on October 3rd and in the U.K. on January 2nd.We have been tracking the project since the get go, I had my money on this being a big hit but only last month when the trailer was released, I was surprised how mundane and ordinary it looked. Here's Phillip's review, remember you too can send us reviews of anything you have seen HERE.
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