Maybe I'm overselling a bit here because of all the negative reviews I've seen here but I thought this bizarre little flick was amazing. It starts off on a bizarre, off-kilter note and manages to maintain the charmingly weird vibe right to the end.
The movie take place in the nutty world of indy comic books with people like Peter Bagge (who designed the opening title font (yes, I noticed right off) and Chester Brown (who one oddball character seemed to resemble) the reigning champs of cartoon brilliance. The movie does seem a little out of step with modern times (do comics like that even exist anymore?) but the screenplay is completely convincing in its detail.
The film has sort of a GHOST WORLD vibe. There are similarities, too, with the CRUMB documentary. Writer/director. Owen Kline knows his stuff! The oddball characters that keep showing up are distinctive, vibrant and totally convincing. The standout performance is by Matthew Maher as an intermittently violent ex-Image colorist who is embarassed about his past.
The only real flaw in the movie is the weak ending. I'm willing to forgive it because of how completely I became immersed in this detailed and original world. Here's hoping Kline gets to make many more movies. I'm really hoping for a sequel, dare I say trilogy? A great antidote for all the current comic crap in movies.
The movie take place in the nutty world of indy comic books with people like Peter Bagge (who designed the opening title font (yes, I noticed right off) and Chester Brown (who one oddball character seemed to resemble) the reigning champs of cartoon brilliance. The movie does seem a little out of step with modern times (do comics like that even exist anymore?) but the screenplay is completely convincing in its detail.
The film has sort of a GHOST WORLD vibe. There are similarities, too, with the CRUMB documentary. Writer/director. Owen Kline knows his stuff! The oddball characters that keep showing up are distinctive, vibrant and totally convincing. The standout performance is by Matthew Maher as an intermittently violent ex-Image colorist who is embarassed about his past.
The only real flaw in the movie is the weak ending. I'm willing to forgive it because of how completely I became immersed in this detailed and original world. Here's hoping Kline gets to make many more movies. I'm really hoping for a sequel, dare I say trilogy? A great antidote for all the current comic crap in movies.