“Joe + Belle”
The dark comedy from writer/director Veronica Kedar starts with great promise when two women accidentally kill someone and struggle to get rid of the body. The two women — Joe (Kedar), a drug dealer, and Belle (Sivan Levy), a suicidal mental patient — are different but share enough similar angst that they make a compelling pair. Their relationship slowly grows through the trials of their own making. Kedar just doesn’t have a good handle on how to end the movie. What starts at as a very smart “meet cute” turns into a serious of mismatched moments that meander to the end.
Grade: C+
“The Casserole Club”
A weekly get together in ’60s suburbia to compare recipes turns into a sexual foray sparked by booze and drugs. Each member of the group brings their own secrets to the event which play out as they play around. Everything about this film is clunky, from the choppy way it was filmed to the acting. Even the attempts to portray the rabid sexuality of the time comes across like a love making Mad Libs. The only saving grace is former Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson. His performance as a twisted and broken member of the dinner-and-debauchery group is the only one that shows any acting skills. Too bad he’s surrounded by the march of the wooden players.
Grade: D
Also new
“God Bless America”: A man decides to take out his rage on the stupidest people he can imagine: reality television stars.
“Barbarella”: The Jane Fonda sci-fi space romp is now available on Blu-ray.
“The Women of SNL”: Collection of comedy skits featuring many of the female performers from the NBC show.
“Planeat”: Documentary about making the right choices when it comes to what we eat.
Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)
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