Directed and written by Miranda July
2005, U.S., 90 min. Rated R

Performance artist Miranda July's debut feature film,
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, is a charming, quirky
romantic comedy that is entertaining from start to
finish. Writer-director July stars as Christine, an
offbeat performance artist who becomes instantly
smitten with Richard (John Hawkes), a brooding
department-store shoe salesman who is having trouble
dealing with his divorce and his separation from his
two kids--the shy, private Peter (Miles Thompson) and
the very funny Robby (Brandon Ratcliff). Christine is
trying to get her latest work accepted at a major
museum, but first she has to get through mean-spirited
Nancy (Tracy Wright), who is not necessarily very
interested in her submission. Meanwhile, Natasha
Slayton and Najarra Townsend are a riot as a pair of
teenagers who think they're ready for sex as they
tease neighborhood pervert Andrew (Brad Henke) and
consider experimenting with Peter. Amid all the
tender, comedic, well-acted, and well-written scenes,
Ratcliff nearly steals the film as Robby gets involved
in a dirty, hysterical online chat with a mystery
person. July's marvelous, surprising movie won the
Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the
2005 Sundance Film Festival in addition to
well-deserved prizes at the Philadelphia and San
Francisco International Film Festivals and Camera d’Or
at the Cannes Film Festival.

))<>((Forever

Official Site and trailer:
http://www.meandyoumovie.com/

Directed and written by Craig Brewer
2005, U.S., 114 min. Rated R

With roots that run deep into the southern milieu from
which it comes and characters that are rich,
consummately drawn, and full of life, Craig Brewer's
Hustle & Flow is a revelation and a delight. Energized
by an enormously charismatic central character and a
performance by Terrence Howard which is quite simply a
breakout, Hustle & Flow creates engagement from its
first frames and reaches its peak without a missed
note or sidestep.

Djay is a pimp suffering a midlife crisis and although
nominally successful, he yearns to record his flow and
become a respected rapper. Galvanized by a gospel
song, he sets his dream in motion--recruiting his
motley crew and building a studio in his home. And
though he succeeds in putting his rap, "It's Hard for
a Pimp," onto tape, the barriers to fame and fortune
are many, and getting there becomes an elusive goal.

Brewer succeeds in imbuing this streetwise yet
romantic film with a dimension and a profundity that
one doesn't normally associate with its perhaps
less-than-refined subjects. But the voices it evokes
and the clarity of its vision are as accomplished and
memorable as any you've seen. With elements you don't
anticipate and characters that play against
stereotype, Hustle & Flow is a masterful reframing of
the world that creates hip-hop and a succinct and
humanizing portrait of the wellspring of contemporary
music.— Geoffrey Gilmore

Official Site and trailer:
http://www.hustleandflow.com/

Directed and written by David LaChapelle
2005, U.S., 84 min. Rated PG-13

The renowned fashion photographer makes his foray into
feature filmmaking with this documentary look at
"krumping," a dance-form emanating from the streets of
South Central Los Angeles, with movements including
quick syncopated body gyrations fast enough to warrant
a disclaimer that the film was not sped up. It centers
around "Tommy the Clown," and focuses on the form of
an expression as a positive alternative to the
stereotypical hip-hop images and criminal pursuits.

Official Site and trailer:
http://www.rizemovie.com/rize.html