The film also had a little bit of violence. There was some strong language, although I can't remember if the words were simply mouthed or actually said. It probably had a lot to do with the context. Even though it was sometimes intentionally presented in cruder forms, it felt like art in its entirety. However, the nudity was contextual and added an artistic element to the film. The graphic nudity and sexual themes probably came close to crossing some magic imaginary lines somewhere. A little more character development would have helped the film and given the rest of the cast an opportunity to be good.Ĭashback was rated R by the MPAA. They were one dimensional and their performances were equal to the roles. The rest of the cast had little to work with. She is attractive, but she didn't accomplish much in her limited screen time. It may have been the chemistry.something just didn't seem convincing with her. She was okay, but I think her role might have had some room for improvement. The illusion was managed well and it appeared that Biggerstaff added to the illusion. I enjoyed Biggerstaff's performance and he sold the concept. As the central character surrounded by quite a few flat roles, it was important that the lead be well cast. In one respect, it has artistic flair.īiggerstaff was excellent. Essentially, Cashback is a visual treat.and the nudity is incorporated into that visual aspect. Some of the other camera tricks that were not tied to the time topic also added visual appeal to the film. By allowing the character to move around a frozen set, we are treated to a surreal world (slightly perverse), but interestingly presented. The ability to freeze time is intriguing, but can be fun when you incorporate motion. I don't know how hard the effects were to create, but they were well done. Part of the success of the story rested on the incredible special effects. There are some minor side stories that are more distraction than anything, but the overall plot worked for me. The sidekick characters manage to keep things a bit off kilter. The story is a bit simple, but manages to be interesting. A practical joke back-fires and Ben ends up lucking into everything he dreams of.
The relationship has potential to develop, but circumstances almost steal that opportunity away. He draws her relentlessly until he becomes helplessly in love with her. During this time of standstill seconds, Ben begins drawing Sharon.
He learns he can stop time and weave himself in and out of the frozen seconds. The somewhat attractive cashier (Sharon Pitney, played by Emilia Fox) passes the day by refusing to look at the clock. They are flat characters that battle their work boredom engaging in whatever "grabass" game they can concoct. The supermarket is populated by a group of Dorm Daze cast-offs with accents. In order to fill some time, Ben takes a job at the local supermarket. Between his art, school and moping, his sleepless days drag past. After a brutal breakup, Sean clicks onto autopilot and lets the world around him pass by. In fact, I thought this film might quickly devolve into something "Lampoonish."īen Willis, played by Sean Biggerstaff (okay.now we could really go into the whole porn thing here again.with a porn name like that, he should have been in the Dorm Daze films), doesn't know if he has what it takes to make his girlfriend Suzy (Michelle Ryan) happy. While the lead has depth, there are several flat characters in support. The characters are engaging, although not evenly developed. Rather than bogging down in inane antics or weak situational pranks, Ellis managed to eke out a love story while incorporating some interesting special effects and keeping the saucy material contextual. Sean Ellis wrote and directed this film and seemed to have a clear vision of what he wanted to create. This is the film that the former could have been if any of the writers actually had talent. Dorm Daze 2 might very well be at the top of my list of worst films ever.Ĭashback has nearly as much nudity and sexual contact as the former film, but does it intelligently. If someone wants a porn film, they'll rent it.and they won't expect any Oscar-worthy performances. That film had no redeeming qualities, save the rampant nudity and sexual themes.
A couple of years ago, I reviewed a horrible film called Dorm Daze 2, that was (at best) a weak attempt to make a pornographic film that could manage an R rating from the MPAA.