First Snow
Directed by Mark Fergus
By Cam Lindsay

A salesman stammering and running around trying to prevent his imminent death is a scenario many people would pay to see on the big screen. Guy Pearce plays Jimmy, a fast-talking floor salesman looking to change direction and make a fortune in jukebox sales. When he’s stranded in the middle of nowhere after his car dies, he visits a fortune-teller (J.K. Simmons) to see if his expected financial gain will come true. Instead, Jimmy discovers a cloud of uncertainty about his future and the clairvoyant reveals his days are numbered.

Thus begins Jimmy’s descent into paranoia, turning over every stone and racking his brain for every person he’s burned in an attempt to uncover who will be responsible for his demise. After wrong guesses make his situation worse, he’s forced to dig himself out of holes that may just be too deep already.

First-time director Fergus and co-screenwriter Hank Ostby already have enough clout as writers, considering they were two-fifths of the team that adapted one of last year’s finest films, Children of Men, but there is something nagging about First Snow that never goes away. The usually reliable Pearce can’t quite dig his character out of the darkness, as he did in Memento or The Proposition, but then again, this is a much more junior script by comparison, and Fergus does little to help his star out.

Pearce’s Jimmy is written unsympathetically and it’s a sturdy disconnection that the viewer feels while watching the sordid salesman try and prevent his demise. The redemption “moments” are put forth but never are you meant to think, “See! He is a nice guy after all.” Instead, when the ambiguous radio announcement signals the end credits not only are we left in the dark drawing up our own conclusions but we’re left indifferent about what transpired over the previous 100 minutes.

First Snow has the power to lure you in with its nervous opening half-hour, and the barren New Mexico location is a helping hand, but once the script sets out to develop its intention we’re left with too many questions that are never answered. And for those of us looking to see a conniving floor/jukebox salesman meet his maker, the ambiguous closure is hardly worth sitting through the experience. (Alliance Atlantis)
Hot Fuzz - Dir. by Edgar Wright
At a time when zombie films were all the rage, the team behind hit UK sitcom Spaced introduced a fresh take on the undead with the “rom-zom-com” Shaun of the Dead. An unexpected hit filled with as many belly laughs as bites, the film established director/writer Edgar Wright, actor/writer Simon Pegg ...Read More
After the Wedding - Dir. by Susanne Bier
It’s ironic that Susanne Bier got her foot in the international door through the ministrations of Dogme 95, as her subsequent work has none of the rigour that such a movement supposedly represents. The most recent of these is After the Wedding, and for all of its stabs at relevance and Renoir-ian ki ...Read More
Black Book - Dir. by Paul Verhoeven
Blades of Glory - Dir. by Josh Gordon & Will Speck
Disturbia - Dir. by D.J. Caruso
Everything’s Gone Green - Dir. by Paul Fox
Grindhouse - Dir. by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez
Next - Dir. by Lee Tamahori
Offside - Dir. by Jafar Panahi
Perfect Stranger - Dir. by James Foley
Sleeping Dogs - Dir. by Terrance Odette
The Condemned - Dir. by Scott Wiper
The Hoax - Dir. by Lasse Hallström
The Lookout - Dir. by Scott Frank
The Reaping - Dir. by Stephen Hopkins
Who Loves the Sun - Dir. by Matt Bissonnette
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Commercial potential? The Avetts have it in spades, so don't be surprised if this disc blows up big. After building a grassroots following independently, the North Carolina trio signed to Rick Rubin's American label, and the man himself produced this, their fifth album. It's ready for primetime, as ... Full Review
Little Girls Didn't See It Coming
Sitting in a Toronto coffee shop the week before the release of Little Girls' debut album, 20-year-old Josh McIntyre is a little worried. After an opening slot for crazed Israeli rockers Monotonix the previous night, the band's guitarist had his guitar amp repossessed. "He had it for a little longer than he was supposed to have it," he says dryly. A replacement needs to be wrangled before the band set out for their gig in Hamilton tonight.... Read More
Capade - Dno’t Say It Mihgt Maen Somehitng
Aside from deliberately misspelling their entire lyric book, there's nothing I dislike about Capade's Dno't Say It Mihgt Maen Somehitng. This record is everything a sophomore album should be; it's a much more developed effort stylistically and construction-wise than their debut, Wake Me Up... Full Review
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the May 2007 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Questionnaire  •  Timeline • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews  •  SXSW Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews • Music School --> Meet & Greet  •  Need to Know  •  Where I play • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues