Tag Archives: Sasha Grey

6 Obscure Films Of 2013: The Call, Copperhead, It’s A Disaster, See Girl Run, UnHung Hero, Would You Rather

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time of year when I look at the list of the films that I’ve seen over the past 12 months and I realize that there’s quite a few that I haven’t gotten around to reviewing yet.  Here are my thoughts on six of them.

The Call (dir by Brad Anderson)

Abigail Breslin is kidnapped by a serial killer.  While trapped in the trunk of the killer’s car, Breslin manages to call 911.  Breslin’s call is answered by Halle Berry, a veteran operator who is recovering from a trauma that — by an amazing and totally implausible coincidence — was caused by the same guy who has just kidnapped Breslin.

Before it became a feature film, The Call was originally developed as a weekly TV series and, as I watched, it was easy to imagine weekly episodes that would all feature a different guest star calling 911 and needing help.  For the first hour or so, The Call is well-made and acted but undistinguished.  However, during the final 30 minutes, the entire film suddenly goes crazy with Breslin running around in her bra, Berry turning into a blood thirsty vigilante, and the killer suddenly getting very verbose.  However, those 30 minutes of pure insanity were just what The Call needed to be memorable.  There are some films that definitely benefit from going over-the-top and The Call is one of them.

Copperhead (dir by Ronald Maxwell)

Copperhead is a historical drama that takes place during the Civil War.  In upstate New York, farmer Abner Breech (Billy Campbell) is ardently opposed to both the Civil War and the union cause.  In most movies, this would make Abner the villain but, in Copperhead, he’s portrayed as being a man of principle who, by refusing to compromise on his views, is ostracized and ultimately persecuted by the rest of his village.  Abner’s views also bring him into conflict with his own son, who is pro-Union.

Copperhead is a slow-moving film that features some rather good performances along with some fairly bad ones.  However, I’m a history nerd so I enjoyed it.  It certainly tells a different story from what we’ve come to expect from American films about the Civil War.

It’s A Disaster (dir by Todd Berger)

Of the six films reviewed in this post, It’s A Disaster is the one to see.  In this darker than dark comedy, Julia Stiles brings her new boyfriend (David Cross) to Sunday brunch with 6 of her closest friends.  During the brunch, terrorists explode a dirty bomb in the city.  With everyone trapped inside the house and waiting for the world to either end or somehow revert back to normal, long-simmering resentments come to the forefront.

To say anything else about It’s a Disaster would be unfair so I’ll just say that it’s a very funny film, featuring excellent work from both Stiles and Cross.  If Jean-Paul Sartre was alive and writing today, he would probably end up writing something very similar to It’s a Disaster.

See Girl Run (dir by Nate Meyer)

Bleh!  That’s probably the best description I can give you of this film.  It’s just a whole lot of bleh.

Emmie (Robin Tunney) is unhappy with her boring marriage so she runs back to her Maine hometown, stops wearing makeup and washing her hair, and pines for her high school boyfriend, Jason (Adam Scott), who works at a sea food restaurant.  Jason also happens to be friends with Emmie’s depressed brother, Brandon (Jeremy Strong).  It’s the same basic plot as Young Adult, just with no humor and a lot more talking.  In Young Adult, it was hard not to admire Charlize Theron’s wonderfully misguided character.  In See Girl Run, you just want to tell Robin Tunny to take a shower, put on some clothes that don’t look like they were stolen from a hospital storage closet, and stop whining all the time.

It’s difficult to put into words just how much I hated this movie.  This is one of those films that critics tend to describe as being “a film for adults.”  I have to agree — this is a movie for really boring, depressing adults who like to talk and talk about how their lives haven’t worked out.  If See Girl Run is what being an adult is like, I’ll just continue to be an immature brat, thank you very much.

UnHung Hero (dir by Brian Spitz)

So, this is not only the worst documentary of 2013 but it’s also quite probably one of the worst documentaries ever made.  The film opens with footage of Patrick Moote (who claims to be a comedian) asking his girlfriend to marry him.  As Moote goes on (and on) to tell us, she turns down his proposal and then dumps him because, according to her, his penis is too small.  Moote spends the rest of the film talking to various people and asking them whether size really matters.

Well, he could have just asked me and saved a lot of time.  I’m sorry if this endangers any fragile male egos but yes, size does matter.  If Moote’s penis really is as tiny as he claims it is, I probably would have turned down his proposal as well.  Then again, Moote could be hung like Jamie Foxx and I’d probably still refuse to marry him because, quite frankly, he’s the whiniest and most annoying person that I’ve ever seen.  He’s like an even less charming version of Morgan Spurlock.  What Patrick Moote never seems to understand is that size matters but personality matters even more.

Would You Rather (dir by David Guy Levy)

Would you rather have a root canal or sit through this piece of crap?  Having seen Would You Rather, I can tell you that it’s not an easy question to answer.

Jeffrey Combs plays a sadistic millionaire who invited a bunch of strangers (including Brittany Snow, John Heard, June Squibb, and Sasha Grey) to his mansion and forces them to play an elaborate and deadly game of Would You Rather.  Unfortunately, none of the characters are interesting, the film’s sadism is more boring than shocking, and talented actor Combs is totally wasted as the one-note villain.

The Daily Grindhouse: Le Raisins de la Mort (dir. by Jean Rollin)

Posted on by Arleigh

The latest pick for the Daily Grindhouse should delight fellow site contributor Lisa Marie. I say this because I know of no one else who loves all things Jean Rollin as much as she does. I also picked this particular grindhouse flick because it has the lovely Brigitte Lahaie in it. Those who know need no explanation as to why that coulnts a lot in my pick and for those not in the know will just have to figure it out themselves.

I picked Jean Rollin’s Le Raisins de la Mort (also known as The Grapes of Death) because the title just spoke to me. A zombie (or at least zombie-like) flick with the word “raisins” in the title. What’s not to love and, not to continue repeating myself, it has the lovely Brigitte Lahaie in it even if for just a supporting role. A role that definitely shows her best front, sides and back (I’m a guy so sue me).

If there was ever a reason Jean Rollin has my undying props it’s for always finding a reason to cast Brigitte Lahaie in his films. Now, if Steven Soderbergh can just follow his lead and just keep casting Sasha Grey in all his future films then he’ll have my undying support as well.

This particular grindhouse pick definitely doesn’t make for a good way to promote France’s great wine traditions and their fabulous vintages. What it does promote is France’s own particular take on the zombie genre of the 70’s. Where zombie flicks were always seen as American and Italian provinces of the horror scene other countries had their hand in pushing the genre, but France (with some help from Rollin himself) added their own spin on it by shamelessly (one I applaud and am thankful for) keeping the lovely female performers in them in differing modes of undress.

For that I just have to say one thing: Vive la France!

Review: The Girlfriend Experience (dir. by Steven Soderbergh)

Posted on by Arleigh

“Sometimes clients think they want the real you, but at the end of the day, they say they don’t. They want what you want to be.” — Chelsea

In between his larger projects (the Che biopic) and studio work (Ocean’s 11 through 13), Steven Soderbergh has kept busy with low-budget, experimental films like Bubble and Full Frontal. His latest entry in this HD-shot, minimalist phase is The Girlfriend Experience. When it was first announced in 2008, much of the buzz centered on Soderbergh’s decision to cast real-life porn star Sasha Grey in the lead role. From that point through its festival run, discussion of the film fixated heavily on that choice. Yet The Girlfriend Experience is ultimately a more intriguing work than its casting gimmick suggests, attempting to draw parallels between the high-end sex industry and the power structures of modern capitalism.

First off, Sasha Grey is not the film’s weak link, despite expectations tied to her background. While her performance can be uneven, there are several moments where she displays clear presence and control. What some have interpreted as a flat or vacuous screen persona actually aligns closely with the character. Chelsea is a $10,000-a-night escort whose clientele consists of wealthy, powerful men—people accustomed to buying whatever and whoever they want. What they purchase from Chelsea is the illusion of intimacy: the “girlfriend experience.”

One of the earliest scenes illustrates this perfectly, as Chelsea spends time with a client in what initially appears to be a normal relationship between a successful man and a poised, younger partner. That illusion, however, defines the entire film. Chelsea is not simply selling sex; she is selling the performance of a perfect relationship. On the surface, everything appears polished and authentic, but beneath it lies something transactional and deeply artificial.

Grey captures this duality effectively. Where some may see a performer out of her depth, her detachment instead feels intentional—part of the character’s constructed identity. It becomes difficult to distinguish where Grey ends and Chelsea begins. Whether this translates into a long-term mainstream acting career is uncertain, but with the right material and direction, she shows potential beyond the limitations of typecasting.

Despite its subject matter, The Girlfriend Experience is less about sex than it is about the commodification of fantasy. Even Chelsea’s boyfriend, Chris (played by Chris Santos), participates in this economy of illusion as a personal trainer selling physical transformation and confidence. The film avoids sentimentality, and when it briefly leans in that direction, it feels out of step with its otherwise clinical tone. Its strength lies in exposing how fragile these constructed realities are once stripped away.

Chelsea herself embodies this contradiction. She is savvy and business-minded, clearly aware of how to leverage her work into future opportunities, yet she clings to a lingering naivete. As competition emerges and her client base becomes less secure, her vulnerability surfaces. Despite operating within a world of calculated transactions, she remains susceptible to the same power dynamics that define her clients’ world.

Shot quickly during the financial collapse of 2008–2009, the film subtly mirrors that instability. Soderbergh draws a parallel between Chelsea’s profession and the broader economic system—both built on selling aspirational illusions. Just as consumers were sold the dream of prosperity they couldn’t afford, Chelsea sells emotional intimacy that isn’t real. In both cases, the illusion eventually collapses, revealing a harsher truth underneath.

Soderbergh’s direction may be challenging for some viewers. The film unfolds in a non-linear, fragmented style typical of his more experimental work. Those familiar with his filmography will likely adjust, but audiences expecting something closer to his mainstream efforts may find it disorienting. Still, his continued experimentation with HD cinematography is notable. The image is strikingly crisp—sometimes to the point of artificiality—which reinforces the film’s thematic focus on surface versus reality. Beneath that clean exterior lies something far more complicated and unpolished.

Of Soderbergh’s work in this digital format, The Girlfriend Experience stands as his strongest effort so far. It is far from perfect—at times it feels visually and emotionally restrained for a filmmaker of his caliber—but it carries an unmistakable French New Wave influence, particularly reminiscent of Jean-Luc Godard. The film is unlikely to earn major accolades, and it may ultimately be remembered as a curious crossover moment for Sasha Grey. Still, its very existence speaks to a willingness—on both the director’s and the actor’s part—to take risks outside conventional boundaries.

In an industry often driven by safety and predictability, that alone makes The Girlfriend Experience worth noting. Whether or not it succeeds by traditional standards is almost beside the point; the film exists, invites interpretation, and leaves its audience to decide its value on their own terms.