Flick of the Day

Film: GO

Director: Doug Liman

Actors: Sarah Polley, Timothy Olyphant, Desmond Askew, Nathan Bexton, Katie Holmes, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, James Duval, Jane Krakowski, William Fichtner

Year: 1999

Synopsis: Multiple stories centering around four supermarket employees.

This film tells the story of one night in the eyes of four friends: Ronna (who desperately needs to make money for rent), Simon (who goes to Vegas with a group of friends), Mannie (who takes a bunch of ecstasy pills), and Claire (who gets talked into hanging out with a drug dealer). It's definitely one of the cool flicks of the late 90s.

Did You Know...

... Brad Pitt and Sarah Polley were originally cast as 'Russell Hammond' and 'Penny Lane' in 2000's "Almost Famous". Pitt admitted to director Cameron Crowe that he didn't understand the character and Polley dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with another film. Billy Crudup was cast as 'Russell' and Kate Hudson (who was originally cast as 'Anita', and subsequently replaced by Zooey Deschanel) was recast as 'Penny'.

Flick of the Day

Film: THE WEIGHT OF WATER

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Actors: Catherine McCormack, Sarah Polley, Sean Penn, Vinessa Shaw, Elizabeth Hurley, Josh Lucas, Ulrich Thomsen, Ciaran Hinds

Year: 2000

Synopsis: A woman investigates a 130-year-old murder mystery, while trying to save her crumbling marriage.

Ten years before Kathryn Bigelow became the first female to win a Best Director Oscar for "The Hurt Locker", she directed this little-known independent film. The story revolves around two women. The first is Jean (McCormack), a journalist, who is simultaneously investigating a century-old murder case while trying to make her marriage to Thomas (Penn) work. The second is Maren (Polley), a young woman stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience. The stories constantly intersect and you begin to see similarities in these two women's lives, despite the fact that they live 130 years apart. The film draws you in with its unique plot, propensity for the unexpected, and wonderful (perfectly subtle and subdued) performances. I highly recommend it.