Why you can trust 12DOVE
A low-fi, star-high riff on filmmaking and reality, Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal bombed in the US, leading to a much-delayed UK bow. Now sneaking out in the slipstream of Solaris, which was shot after Frontal, it's not so much of a misstep by the auteur as a conscious shuffle backwards, to his years of indie oblivion (Kafka, The Underneath, Schizopolis).
Billed as a thematic sequel to his Cannes-conquering 1989 triumph Sex, Lies and Videotape, it was shot on DV with a frugal $2-million budget in a mere 18 days. Perhaps it's because these restraints were self-imposed that the result was so blasted in America. How dare a newly crowned Hollywood king abdicate his throne so quickly and take Julia Roberts with him!
She plays Francesca, an actress playing a journalist playing games with Nicholas - - who is, in reality, Calvin (Blair Underwood) - - in the thriller Rendezvous. Confused? You will be. This is one of those movies-about-the-movies, a movie-within-the-movie movie. The Who's Who?/What's What? issue is further mixed up when Francesca falls for a crew member. Is Roberts, on top of everything, really playing herself?
Whatever. Her story is just one strand in a narrative rope that includes David Hyde Pierce's writer, Catherine Keener's career girl, her masseuse sister Mary McCormack and, in turn, her client David Duchovny. Oh, and a stage show of a travesty called The Sound And The Führer - starring Nicky Katt's self-obsessed actor (is there any other kind?).
Chances are, you're scratching your head. Get used to it. There's much to ponder in this tricksy caper. Not least, whether any of it matters. It's funny and daring and confusing, leaving the viewer with the feeling that you have to admire what it's trying to achieve - - even if you have no real idea what it's trying to achieve. Hmm... Can we have Ocean's Twelve now please?
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
9 months after their not-MMO died and tanked their studio, The Day Before devs are "asking for a second chance" with a new crowdfunded game that's "free from embellishments"
New Metal Gear Solid Delta footage looks gorgeous and faithful, but the 2004 voice acting just doesn't look right coming out of 2024 character models
A 12-year arc of The Simpsons comes to a close as EA shuts down city builder The Simpsons: Tapped Out after 308 updates, 831 characters, and 1,463 questlines