Urbania

Rating:
Summary: Unusually Thought-Provoking
Review: Urbania requires a great deal of thought from a viewer, and for this, as much as any reason, it is definitely not a film that I would proclaim to be a popular favorite. Nevertheless, it is an extremely worthwhile film, and repays the viewer's investment. This is not a light-hearted, "fun" film. It is demanding. It is emotionally grueling. It is a bit disturbing. And it is though-provoking. This is not a film for those who like neat and tidy happy endings.

On the surface, the premise of silly Urban Legends seems completely at odds with the main plot. The small and often incomplete side references to many well-known and oft-repeated Urban Folk Tales seem simply "dropped in" to the film. But as the main story unfolds, the purpose of these slight diversions becomes more comprehensible (though I will not claim it to be "obvious.")

The horrific, improbable, and nervously funny content of Urban Legends is a foil for the horrific, all too probable, and tragic experience of the protaganist, Charlie. As the film unfolds, the viewer must ask "just what is real? What is believable? How can I tell?" In "Urbania", the border between the real and the imagined is not so precise as one might hope it to be.

Because "Urbania" depicts scenes from a gay couple's relationship, plainly but by no means pornographically, and because the crisis that befalls the gay couple is key, some find this to be a gay agenda film (I would suppose that by this standard 1990's "Ghost" would have to be classified as an agenda film!) I found that the characters' sexuality was natural and necessary to the film's story, but was neither sensational nor affected. Still, realistic depictions of gay male sexuality are not for everyone, however naturally they fall in the plot. It is notable that I have not yet encountered a review that complains of the graphic depictions of violence in the film, and these were far more upsetting to me than any sexual situation. The violence is not gratuitous, but it is graphic.

I was well impressed with the acting. The minor players in the Urban Legend side lines were, of course, pure stereotype, and they played it to the hilt. The wide-ranging main characters were strikingly well-cast.

Dan Futterman delivers an outstanding performance in a notably challenging role. The supporting cast is remarkable as well: Alan Cumming is wonderful as Brett. Lothaire Bluteau, in a very small part, adds surprising depth. Matt Keeslar, in the role of the idealized Chris, plays his part with a deft touch. Sam Ball's Dean is chilling yet, unexpectedly, evokes compassion. I think this is one of the best "sleepers" I have ever watched, and I am quite pleased to have made the purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Dark, depressing and disturbing...
Review: These three words sum up my impression of URBANIA. I had read several articles about the film in magazines and thought it would be worth a look. It's not a film I'd watch a second time.

To be fair it has its good points, namely Dan Futterman's deeply affecting performance which was missed by 95% of the moviegoing public last year. Because of its gay storyline, it got very little mainstream press coverage. It's nice to see gay characters who have lives and emotions that go beyond just sex. Too often the mainstream film and media industries focus on sex and nothing else. URBANIA goes much further in showing how the consequences of life affect all of us, gay and straight.

Alan Cumming's performance as always is compelling and haunting. I haven't see him in a film where he didn't completely embody the character's motives and psyche. I think Dan Futterman will be recognized as being of the same caliber as Alan Cumming. The entire cast is excellent.

However in the end, the film left me with a great feeling of unease, which I'm sure was the director's intention. Shear maximizes the "darkness" of the storyline through the film's lighting and editing.

A haunting film and not one I'd revisit anytime. Recommended nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: Hard To Get Into - But Worth The Effort
Review: I recently watched "Urbania" on DVD. After the first 15 minutes or so, I was ready to give up on it. I had no idea whatsoever what was going on. Even though I didn't understand it, I recognized that the acting was good, so I decided to stick with it, and I'm glad I did. As the movie went on, I gradually began to figure out what was happening. In addition, I began to see how some of the unconventional elements in the movie did serve the story and weren't just weirdness for its own sake. Once the movie ended, there are still some things I didn't understand, but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the movie. It's a heck of a story that was very well acted throughout. This is also a movie where the DVD format really has a chance to shine. The supplemental material on the DVD is excellent and helped to explain what the screenwriter/director was going for. Although not everything about the movie succeeded, it was still very good, and I applaud him for having the courage to go for soemthing out of the mainstream. I'll definitely be on the lookout for his future efforts.

Rating:
Summary: Dark and gloomy, a real buzz kill!!
Review: Okay I will admit that I did not hate this movie, but it really depressed me. I am the sort of person that does not watch a film to induce depression (that is what family is for). So if you happen to be in a jovial mood and just want to kick back with your special squeeze and watch a light and airy movie....then don't go near this film!!!! You might end up soiled and in a pool of blood hallucinating about dead people.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult -- but definitely worth it!
Review: Most of Urbania keeps you on your toes wondering what Charlie is going through. The resolution pulls everything together in a very touching ending. The first viewing can be difficult and confusing, almost Hitchcockian; it is definitely a movie that continues to improve on reviewing. Dan Futterman (Charlie) is excellent, hot ... especially in his underware. The use of "Urban Legends" weaving their way through the movie is a great pleasure. If you view a movie just once, it's a movie worth watching. If you are a movie rewatcher, Urbania grows better with each watching.

Rating:
Summary: Biggest disappointment since Being John Malkovich
Review: I must admit to being surprised by this films relative popularity. While I did not care for it I feel some of the previous reviews do a disservice by focusing on it as an agenda-piece. Every film is an agenda piece in some way whether the messages are overt or subliminal and hopefully most people are beyond judging works with certain themes differently than they would judge any other film they see.

Urbania has been heralded by some as one of the overlooked sleeper gems of 2000 but unlike genuinely great films that did deserve a wider exposure this past year such as Beau Travail or Tigerland this is the kind of art film that gives the art-film genre a bad name. From first frame to last a majority of the scenes ring false and the extremely showy and overemphatic directorial style tends to exacerbate the already unconvincing nature of the material. Even considering the mental state of the main protaganist (which explains many of the more surreal aspects) this film lacks adequate grounding in the real world for the kind of drama it wants to depict. In particular, the protracted final act whereby the protaganist exacts violent humiliation and revenge on his lovers' murderer is very awkward and forced despite the seemingly therapeutic intention.

Taken at surface value the film does appear intended to be an anti-hate-crime piece but if anything the films morbid, garish look at gay life and a cast of amazingly unlikeable and unsympathetic characters (excepting a bartender) makes this a good deterrant for anyone questioning their sexuality. As a comparison, in the very impressive gay-themed indie film Head On the more extreme characers are balanced out by the more conventional giving the work a certain realism whereas in Urbania just about everyone is bizarre and most situations evoke only equal measures of discomfort and disbelief. Instead of drawing the viewer in with convincing characters, believable dialogue and a perceptively evoked milieu Urbania is like some unholy mixture of the overwrought urban paranoia of Scorsese's After Hours with the empty visual virtuosity of an early Lars Von Trier work like Zentropa.

Rent Beau Travail, Head On or Tigerland to see what great indie cinema is all about.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Movie
Review: I rented this movie at the behest of a colleague--yes, a gay colleague--who raved about it....Last time I trust HIM to recommend a movie! I rented it, and was very disappointed. ... Those who love it seem to object to this movie being judged as an "agenda flick."

But it seems entirely fair to judge it as an agenda flick because it IS and agenda flick. So whether you love this movie, or hate it, may depend largely on whether you like your movies to be agenda-oriented, and, I suppose, on whether you are sympathetic to the agenda.

I seriously doubt, though, that any discerning person who is not MAUDLINLY (is that a word?) sympathetic with the the anti-"homophobia" agenda this movie promotes can fairly call this a good movie. Without its agenda, it is simply bad art. ([heck], it's bad art anyway.) It's full of cliches, needless obscurantism, utterly horrible dialogue, sentimentality, and mediocre performances: the sort of silliness you see on the Lifetime Channel! (Despite what many others have claimed, Dan Futterman's performance is good, but hardly Oscar material. The other performance ranged from bland to embarrassingly amateurish.)

It seems that the filmmakers have tried to create a pseudo-Cyring-Game effect, here, too. ... Importantinformation is withheld, for no discernable reason. It's a cheap, unearned surprised. (Compare to "The Crying Game," in which our own shock is Stephen Rea's--there is a reason for withholding vital information.) It is a surprise that changes this movie from one type of movie (a wandering, nonsensical and boring non-narrative) to another type of movie (a gay genre flick that beats the same tired old themes).

There are a couple of witty moments, but but they are low comedy, and, regretfully, fleeting. Mostly, this movie is just boring. It is not amazing. It is not groundbreaking. It's not unforgettable. It's....***YAWN***STRETCH***Zzzzzzzzz....

There are some unwholesome, fairly explicit sex scenes in this movie--no, you would not see them on network television, and if you did, shame on the networks. The titillation factor--assuming that's why they're there, for they seem to add nothing significant--will appeal to a very limited audience. They did not appeal to me.

To be fair, though, I don't want to give the impression that this is a propaganda movie...it promotes and agenda without being bumptiously propagandistic. I would say, in other words,that the filmmakers have made an honest effort. It is an effort, sadly, that fails.

Simply put: This movie barks.

Rating:
Summary: not what it appears to be
Review: I, unlike most people who seemingly love this movie, did not find it very appealing at all. i took a viewing of this movie based on all of the reviews i have read, but the movie dragged. i was not kept in suspense by the 'urban legends' that were suppose to move me. and though daniel futterman did a wonderful job playing his role, i don't think he was given enough around him to help the movie move beyond bland.

try and borrow a copy from someone. save money for a real gem.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: Reading the critical reviews, customers might get the wrong impression that this is an explicit movie which it is not (or at least no more so than what appears on t.v. nightly). Rather, using the device of urban legends, the stories told by a gay insomniac become so compelling the viewer doesn't know whether to disbelieve or be confronted by their awesome reality.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable head trip
Review: This movie is for everyone who likes a movie to take them somewhere they've never been and brings them back a different person. The director lets us into the mind of a distinctive character brought to unforgettable life by Dan Futterman. The reviews I've read on this site have by and large been perceptive, but I have to respond to a few of the negative notes which site the film's "agenda" and "depravity." The film seems so curious about all kinds of people and the way in which they express their character through their sexuality. I found this so complex, layered, and opposite to the reductiveness and cynicism implied in such criticism. I find it interesting that the positive reviews are richly detailed in their response to the film, while the negative reviews are by and large knee-jerk and summarily dismissive. The movie demands to be grappled with. The one detailed pan gets so many details wrong, it made me feel that some viewers put the movie in a mislabelled box in order to more easily dismiss it. The review says its a film in which the characters talk about "us, what we had." No such scene is included in this edgy, adventurous film. The reviewer sites a scene where the lead and his pick-up are in bed and the lead says "I'm afraid if I stay in your space you'll be in my dreams." The viewer gets the line and character wrong. The scene is a mythic flashback where the lead idealizes his former relationship and says, by sleeping on his love's side of the bed, "I hope if I sleep in your space you'll be in my dreams." Overtly romantic yes, and in the context of a hard-edged flick, most welcome, but if one doesn't like it, at least get the situation right. The fact that the viewer gets the line and situation complete wrong makes me feel that the person wasn't watching too closely, so I hope others aren't dissauded from watching this darkly funny, heart-wrenching, sexy, and stunningly made and acted work of art. Perhaps it isn't for everyone but I recommend it to people interested in one of the only films I've ever seen which is as much a mind twister as a heart warmer. Bravo to those who made it -- Dan Futterman in particular -- and those who are open to experiencing it.