{image1}Style over substance. That's the three-word version of this review of the new thriller "November," starring erstwhile "Friends" star Courteney Cox and directed by Greg Harrison.
Dark and completely gloomy, "November" is painted in shadows and is laced with a deliciously dread undercurrent that befits the story of Sophie Jacobs, a college photography teacher whose live-in boyfriend Hugh (James LeGros) is murdered at the corner grocery while fetching her some snacks on Nov. 7.
Lew Baldwin's music is eerie and the photography (reportedly shot on digital video for a mere $150,000) is alluring. Sporadically sonic booms shatter the creepy silence. Harrison clearly has no trouble with the technical aspects of movie-making.
Despite some skepticism about her skills, Cox also holds her own as a grief-ridden girlfriend. So, the problem doesn't lie with her. No, what sinks "November" are its own attempts at cleverness.
The script -- written by Benjamin Brand -- is sliced into three parts, each named for a stage in the grieving process and each showing a different take on the events of the night of Nov. 7. We watch as she waits in the car in "denial" and then we see her in the shop as a witness in "despair." When we get to acceptance we don't know what to believe.
Was Sophie having an affair and feels guilty now that her boyfriend is dead? Is someone after her or just toying with her? Is one of her students involved? Is she going mad? Is she more involved that she has let on?
All the while Sophie is talking to Officer Roberts (Nick Offerman), who is investigation the homicide, and to a psychiatrist (Nora Dunn), who is trying to sort out the source of Sophie's debilitating headaches.
If they're not outstanding, all of the performances are at least good enough, especially because Harrison doesn't appear to be aiming at painting detailed character studies. Instead he's setting an expressionist, often surreal, mood and mixing up the pieces of a cinematic jigsaw puzzle so we can sort them out and put them back together.
In those efforts, he has succeeded. However, without characters and some solid clues to latch onto, viewers may just abandon the puzzle altogether and seek satisfaction elsewhere.
"November" opens Friday, Sept. 9 at Landmark's Downer Theatre.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
