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Friday, March 21, 2014

MQFF REVIEW: Jack and Diane (2012, Dir. Bradley Rust Gray)

Bradley Rust Gray's Jack and Diane is interestingly shot and it has a popping soundtrack.

Now that I've said some nice things, can I let you know what I really think? It's is a laughable mess. And an incomprehensible one at that.

Juno Temple, who plays Diane, one half of the film's titular couple, is wasted here. She's a vague, free-spirit(ish) English girl who is prone to nose bleeds and visions of stop-motion animation. After one of her bleeds, she meets butch(ish) Jack (played by a very Sherilyn Fenn looking Riley Keough) and the two get tight, which leads to more nose bleeding (apparently it's contagious) and more stop-motion animation. One of them kisses Kylie Minogue.

There's a lot of talent-squandering going on here. Writer/director Bradley Rust Gray doesn't do too badly on the director side but when it comes to the writing and narrative construction and character building and tension and sense making, he's well out to sea. And its a bloody, hairy, what-the-fuck-is-that-crappy-Stan-Winston-knockoff-doing-there sea.

That is all I've got for you. Jack and Diane is available on VOD right now. Find it and make sure not to watch it.



Trailer:

Jack and Diane screened as part of the 2014 Melbourne Queer Film Festival.


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