The third feature by Blaine Thurier, keyboardist for the Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, A Gun to the Head resembles nothing so much as a senior project by a film-school student who isn't quite as clever as he assumes. There's an amateurish look to much of this noirish dark comedy -- the blocking of fight scenes is especially maladroit -- and the derivative plot rather too obviously incorporates influences as diverse as Quentin Tarantino, John Cassavetes and Edgar G. Ulmer. But some of the deadpan dialogue and character eccentricities might amuse indulgent festival audiences and DVD renters. You can read my full Variety review here.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
TIFF: A Gun to the Head
The third feature by Blaine Thurier, keyboardist for the Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, A Gun to the Head resembles nothing so much as a senior project by a film-school student who isn't quite as clever as he assumes. There's an amateurish look to much of this noirish dark comedy -- the blocking of fight scenes is especially maladroit -- and the derivative plot rather too obviously incorporates influences as diverse as Quentin Tarantino, John Cassavetes and Edgar G. Ulmer. But some of the deadpan dialogue and character eccentricities might amuse indulgent festival audiences and DVD renters. You can read my full Variety review here.
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