Urbania dvd movie.|
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List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $12.99 You Save: $1.99 Features • Closed-captioned • Color • DVD-Video • NTSC In Theaters : 2000 DVD Release : 13 March, 2001 |
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Urbania description Jon Shear's film, one of the overlooked gems of 2000, simmers under a tense, disturbing air of inevitability. Charlie (Dan Futterman) wanders the nighttime streets of the city, a mournful lost soul determinedly pursuing a mysterious stranger whom he is convinced holds the key to his redemption. He encounters chatty bartenders, pompous pickups, and dying friends (including a biting Alan Cumming), and before long you are treated to that rare, great surprise of realizing that you have no idea where any of it is headed. Some of Shear and Daniel Reitz's play-based dialogue is stagy, but the mercurial Futterman, both subtly sympathetic and unstable, is superlative. The film surrounds him with loopy urban legends (the poodle in the microwave, the AIDS-infected one-night-stand, etc.), then cunningly lifts the veil on such stories to reveal the fear motivating them. Uncertainty and isolation create the need for fantastic terrors. Shear hauntingly suggests here how much more horrifying and heartbreaking real life can be. --Steve Wiecking |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | Urban Legends and Harsh Realities |
| "Urbania"
Urban Legends and Harsh Realities Amos Lassen Charlie (Dan Futterman) is spending a lonely night in New York City and is privy to a series of bizarre events all of which lead to the redemption he has been seeking. His stay in New York is an odyssey of grief. Some of the things that happened to him are planned and some happen by chance. He is in a city full of violence and legends and stories and he lives and tells these stories. This is a unique gay-themed film. It is unsentimental and does not give that feel good feeling that so many do. This is a film that challenges the viewer and even though the theme is gay, it is not overt. It is also a film that cannot be easily spoken about without giving the plot away but it does take its characters seriously and assumes that the audience will also take them that way. The characterizations are complex as they explore the darker side of human nature especially those issues that have to do with being gay. I am not sure that I can say that I enjoyed this movie as it is difficult. Perhaps that is a plus when we consider how many gay films that are made are totally silly. This is a film that provides a lot to think about and is quite a leap forward for gay film. It does not deal with our sexual orientation or coming out issues. Sexuality is here but it is not the core of the film. Directed in a non-linear style, we learn only gradually about Charlie and the climax is breath taking. Disjointed flashbacks mean it is absolutely necessary to pay attention and the use of a stylish and dark cinematic style makes the film cinematically intriguing. Dealing with tough issues in a complex way, director Jon Shear (in his directorial debut), allows us to know Charlie and see how disillusioned he is with society. As he searches for love and redemption, we find that we do also. It's a simple story that deals with hard issues. As Charlie, Dan Futterman is a heartbreaker who works with his role with action and feeling. Even when the direction is moody, atmospheric, suspenseful and scary, we maintain our sympathy for him. Incidentally, when the movie gets too serious, the director throws in something to relieve the tension. "Urbania" grabs you and holds you hostage until the final credits roll. We are forced to examine some of the disturbing sides of life. When the movie ended, I found myself in tears even though there is a happy ending. |
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