Slipstream (2007)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Anthony Hopkins

Writer:

Anthony Hopkins (writer)

Release Date:

11 April 2008 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

I've got to get back.

Plot:

Aging screenwriter Felix Bonhoeffer has lived his life in two states of existence: in reality and his own interior world. While working on a murder mystery script, and unaware that his brain is on the verge of implosion, Felix is baffled when his characters start to appear in his life, and vice versa.

Plot Keywords:

Screenwriter | Reality | Aging | Actor | Murder Mystery

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Lana Antonova	...	Lily
Stella Arroyave	...	Gina
Lindsay Barth	...	Shelly's Sister
Marshall Barth	...	Harvey Brickman's Son
Dean Bitter	...	News Reporter
Gene Borkan	...	Mel
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Mort / Phil Henderson / Patrolman
Donna G. Earley	...	Wardrobe Girl
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Bette Lustig
Jennifer Anne Franklin	...	Shelly (as Jennifer Franklin)
Monica Garcia	...	Monica / Shocked Motorist
Saginaw Grant	...	Eddie
Gavin Grazer	...	Gavin / Ambulance Driver
Anthony Hopkins	...	Felix Bonhoeffer
Christopher Lawford	...	Lars

Also Known As:

Slipstream Dream (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent images.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA (2008) | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Strand Releasing

Movie Connections:

References Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

A flawed masterpiece

Most quick and flashy MTV-inspired editing is unbearable to me. Either it is one-dimensional like John Woo's 'Paycheck', where there is only one string of attention to follow, designed by the director, or it is a claustrophobic idiocy akin to the last fifteen minutes of Saw III - movies where the cutting of the movie or a camera movement has sound effects. I knew next to nothing about Slipstream when watching it, and was amazed to see a movie where quick editing felt open and refreshing. It is expertly made, with some of the most virtuoso sound editing you will ever hear, but instead of stress the quick cuts construct the brutal awareness of deep sleep. The movie itself is flawed, as it is a blend of two things. One is probably the original idea, a somewhat whimsy comedy about a movie writer interacting with his own movie. The other is the fantastic scenes that emerged, of which the early scenes with a traffic queue and a madman is the best example. It is made in a way that resembles the way our minds store strong memories, like those from the childhood. The acting in the movie is also great, with the exception of some overacting that is supposedly meant to show funny Hollywood movie producers and directors. But that belongs to the original idea, which Anthony Hopkins should have abandoned along the way, to instead develop the piece of art that this almost became.