WERE-GRRL
PLOT-After speaking with a gypsy fortune teller, a woman learns she is cursed to become a lesbian upon the next full moon.
VIOLENCE-None.
SEX/NUDITY-Implied a few times, but nothing is shown (read on...you'll get it).
WHY I WATCHED IT-Debbie Rochon is in it. I don't feel I need to elaborate on that.
THE DOPE-Director Amy Lynn Best and writer Mike Watt crafted this extremely clever screwball comedy as a response to the over-abundance of lesbian-them3ed "erotica" that is very prominent on the indie horror scene these days, and it couldn't be more welcome (after all, I've seen more than my share of those kinds of flicks). The script and performances are absloutely perfect, with virgin-tight comic timing that puts a modern spin on a classic horror story. Basically patterned after THE WOLF MAN, lead actor Jasi Cotton Lanier turns in a refreshingly expert performance as the cursed "Leslie" (get it? LEZlie?), and her on-screen counterpart Francis Veltri is equally funny. The pair have a great chemistry and do not miss a beat of the popping, intelligently hysterical dialogue.
The transformation scene in WERE-GRRL alone is worth watching the film for, but the added attraction of indie powerhouse Debbie Rochon (in an understated but memorable performance as a bartender) makes the whole affair even more enjoyable. This film was a great idea, and is brimming with the kinds of talent and creativity I wish I saw more often. Here's hoping that Amy Lynn Best hangs around for many many years to come, continuing to jab her sharp wit into the side of complacent, retarded "erotica" masquerading as indie film. The scene definitely needs her!
MEMORABLE SCENES-That reminds me of my time in the circus. Yep. What a time that was.
NOTES-The DVD available from Happy Cloud Pictures features several informative, funny interviews with Best and her cast. Extra special thanks go out to my friend Kristy Langford, who scored me an autographed copy at the Twisted Nightmare Weekend convention.
(November 2003)