"A nice surprise!"
Directed by Gary Yates (Seven Times Lucky, High Life).
Written by George F. Walker, and Dani Romain and based on a story by George F. Walker. The great cinematography was by by Ian Wilson. Music was by Guy Fletcher.
The film stars Craig Ferguson as Phillie, The Motel Caretaker. Caroline Dhavernas as "Lorie" Loretta the waitress, Anna Friel as Denise the ex addict / hooker, Peter Keleghan as the unemployed Henry, Damir Andrei as Boris, the Serbian Niagara Motel / Riverside Grill owner, Wendy Crewson as Lily wife of Henry, Kris Holden-Ried as R.J., Denise's main squeeze, Kevin Pollak as Michael the "agent," Catherine Fitch as Sophie Boris' daughter, Tom Barnett as David the Mormon, Krista Bridges as Sandy the hooker, Normand Daneau as Gilles. With Pierre Collin as Claude, and Janet-Laine Green as Helen the social worker.
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| Craig Ferguson as Phillie |
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Caroline Dhavernas as "Lorie" Loretta the waitress
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| Anna Friel as Denise the ex addict / hooker |
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Wendy Crewson as Lily wife of Henry and a maybe wannabe hooker
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Peter Keleghan as the unemployed Henry
Kris Holden-Ried as R.J |
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| Kevin Pollak as Michael the "agent" |
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Catherine Fitch as Sophie Boris' daughter
Krista Bridges as Sandy the hooker
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| Tom Barnett as David the Mormon |
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| Damir Andrei as Boris motel / grill owner |
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Janet-Laine Green as Helen the social worker
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| Normand Daneau as Gilles |
Story
Niagara Falls. Canada. During the credit's we get the Falls, a humorous promotional V.O., and we also get introduced to Phillie's back story. We see him with his wife in yellow rain slickers at the falls. Phillie has a camera and is posing his wife. She steps backwards slips and goes into the torrent.
Cut to Phillie in his room at the Niagara Motel. He has a perpetual haunted look on his face. Credits end.
We cut to the outside of the Niagara Motel. A beat up econovan belonging to Henry and his wife Lily, pulls up outside the office. Henry goes in to grab a room.
There's nobody in the office. He hears loud yelling nearby. Boris is scolding in Serbian Phillie about his lackadaisical habits. Boris storms out past Henry and tells him that Phillie will be right out.
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When they get to their room Lily notices that they have a hooker, Sandy, working out of her room next door.
We cut to R.J. and Denise in their motel room. Denise is on edge while R.J. is watching a documentary about lions of the Serengeti. They were requested to leave the area and were on probation, but are now back. Denise wants her baby who was placed in foster care.
They are waiting for a call from a welfare worker.
We cut to the Riverside Grill. Lorie and Michael are conversing by a booth. Lorie asks about Tokyo, Michael tells her that he knows she would be a big hit in Japan because she would give Japanese men instant erections.
Michael assures her that he knows what he's talking about because the minute he first saw her she gave him instant "wood." Michael is Lori's "agent," he operates out of a strip joint. As Michael leaves, Dave the mormon, who is sweet on Lorie comes in. When Dave joins Lori and Sophie, he asks them who was that. Sophie tells him Lorie's pimp.
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| "...ezz pimp" |
We cut back to RJ and Denise who are still waiting for a call from their social worker Helen, while Lily and Henry are arguing over there money problems.
Henry has been desperate to find a job.
Back at the Grill, David overhears Lorie talking to her ex "boyfriend" Gille in French. He wonders what is going on.
We cut back to Denise and R.J. Denise is getting antsy, and worked up. R.J. tries to calm her down.
When Denise threatens to go to the social worker, R.J. appeases her by saying that he will call her instead. When he picks up the phone he finds it dead. They go to tell Phillie and ask if any calls came in for them, and they find out that the social worker did call, and wants them their by 4:00 PM.
Back in the diner Lorie and Sophie are talking about Michael. Sophie asks Lorie if "pimp is giving her this naked dancing job?" Lorie replies its exotic dancing.
Soon David comes in to pick up Lorie for their date. When Lorie goes into the ladies room to change into a dress, Sophie fills in David on the latest gossip.
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| pimp wants to give Lorie job as naked dancer... |
Sophie reveals that Michael wants to get Lorie a job as a naked dancer. Boris interrupts, as he comes storming through the grill yelling unintelligibly in Serbian to Sophie, and heads out the front door
When Lorie comes out of the ladies room and is just about to go with David, she gets a call from Michael but as soon as Lorie says hello Dave grabs the phone away and listens to Michael spiel.
He listens to Michael. who is thinking that he's still talking to Lorie, telling her that he' got wood just talking to her. When David slams phone down, Lorie is furious and refuses to go on their date.
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It all goes delightfully Noirsville, as Lorie's various boy -toys begin to go into rut and the various storylines merge and cross.
Noirsville
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Gary Yates and Christopher Wilson expertly realize seamlessly the ever twisting story by George F. Walker, and Dani Romain. It just draws you in. Why haven't we heard of these guys?
The mood inducing direction, lighting, and color pallet beautifully ranges between Hopperesque to Lynchesque with an eye for dingy puke yellows, intestine greens, carnal reds, dead body blues, tand dry bone whites that are juxtaposed with the majesty of Niagara Falls. A shout out to Art Director Ricardo Alms and Set Decorator Stephen Arndt.
The film really seems to tap into the same picaresque Noir humour vein that Lynch, the Coen's and Tarantino have given us over the years. It reminded me also of the recently viewed Last Stop In Yuma County by Galluppi. Yates and Galluppi get it. I'm definitely gonna screen more of their films.
The cast of unknowns to me, is great. Anna Friel really shines, Caroline Dhavernas is just a sweetheart, Kevin Pollak reminds me of the type of slimy characters Dan Duryea used to play, Craig Ferguson is great as the often zoned out. sad sack alkie, while Wendy Crewson, Peter Keleghan, Catherine Finch, Kris Holden-Ried, and Krista Bridges, along with the rest of the cast are all equally entertaining.
If you read this first before watching you will identify the characters easier. For instance you never hear Sophie's name until almost the end of the piece. Bravo! 8/10.
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