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STUDIO: Genius Products
MSRP: $19.95
RATED: Unrated
RUNNING TIME: 87 min
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
The Pitch
Cereal turns New Orleans into something out of a stoner’s fantasy circa 1993.
The Humans
Zooey Deschanel, Aaron Stanford, Kier O’Donnell, Izabella Miko and Christopher Lloyd
How does this work in real life? I’ve tried and ended up getting a chin plant on the asphalt.
The Nutshell
Flakes is the tale of two kids trying to get their life straight in New Orleans. Neal (Aaron Stanford) manages a cereal shop called Flakes, while his girlfriend Miss Katz (Zooey Deschanel) tries to find integrity in an insane world. Miss Katz tries to take over for Neal at the shop, so that he can take some time off and cut an album. The problem is that a new shop is opening across the street. A new shop that is dangerously close to the kind of deal that Flakes has carved out for itself.
Still #2: Zooey and the Tadpole
The Lowdown
Michael Lehmann hasn’t really done many good films since Heathers. Hell, half of Heathers belonged to the strength of Daniel Waters’ writing. Lehmann is felled by this film’s script. Taking way too many cues from the artistic temperment of the grunge movement, a story has been crafted that seems more appropriate for the age of Empire Records. In post Katrina New Orleans, I don’t suspect that you’d find too many people complaining about selling out.
Flakes works as yet another outsider artist vs. the man style movie. Stuart (Keir O’ Donnell) is the only character thinking responsibly, as he initially approaches Neal and tries to get him to step up. Neal taking on way too many liberties in such a poor environment thinks that he can stay above it all by being cool. But, the economy of the cool rarely pays the water bill. Thus, we enter upon Miss Katz.
Oh, Zooey. Oh, oh, oh….Zooey.
Zooey Deschanel is a workhorse that keeps the film from turning into forgettable shit. Miss Katz is a strong character that works her ass off to force change in the maladity that is her life. Hell, from her introduction into the film, she’s the only one with a realized goal. She knows what she wants and she’s willing to play the pawns in her life off of one and other. When you take the film apart and place the focus upon Katz, you see more doors open. Doors that show off the never-ending aspect of integrity and interpretation. What can be learned from the willingness to be a vagabond Machiavelli in a hyper-capitalist society.
There’s something about the film that keeps it from being good. It’s a pretty average film that tries to rise above upon the performance of Zooey Deschanel. Yet, it’s not quite the feminist power play that her arc seems to demand in the film. It’s another slacker hero redemption quest. Upon that bearing, it’s a failure. So, what more should you expect?
Welcome to the line to get a shot at Kim Kardashian’s snatch.
The Package
Flakes arrives on DVD with a standard edition. You get the trailer and some deleted scenes. The deleted scenes are a quick breeze that goes nowhere. If you wanted more, well you probably should’ve picked up a better movie. That’s the greatest special feature of them all.
The
A/V
Quality is pretty decent for an indie release. The picture is done with limited noise. It’s just that the audio didn’t seem to be mixed that well. Crowd and music scenes get this level of annoyance in the back channels, so I would recommend sticking with a Dolby 2.0 surround setup if you can. Other than that, I’ve got nothing.
In the end, Flakes
is a rather lackluster film that starts off high and then turns into a milky pool of shit. The final act’s moment of redemption during a legal pow-wow is ridiculous. But, Zooey and even Christopher Lloyd try to turn lemons into lemonade. If you have the chance to catch it, then give it a rental. Otherwise, let it pass you by.
I would hump the shit out of her. I don’t mean that to be creepy. I just wanted to share my feelings.