Python Hyena Me and You and Everyone Else We Know (2005): Dir: Miranda July / Cast: Miranda July, John Hawkes, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff, Natasha Slayton: Impressive debut for director Miranda July about connecting to others. She casts herself as a lonely artist whose mother is ill and her father accompanies her to a shoe store where she meets a salesman played by John Hawkes. He is separated with two children but he cannot function when July shows interest in him. His oldest son is targeted by two teenage girls who use him for sexual experimentation. His seven year-old discovers Internet chat sites, which leads to a few chuckles. When Internet chats become sexually suggested by an adult to two teenage girls then things can be divert but July handles the material like a pro and delivers a film of intelligent nature . July also goes further and acts in the film playing off Hawkes's romantic interest. July and Hawkes succeed because they are established with decent backgrounds thus presenting a starting ground to their meet cue. Supporting roles are also well written and provide perfect backup to July and Hawkes. Well crafted comedy that is much more honest than most mainstream films. This film addresses connection and relating to those around you or just casually within everyday routine. It is an excellent film and should be be recommend to me and you and everyone else we know. Score: 10 / 10

konabeaner I only wish I could have given it less than one star. The writing, dialog, and acting were stiff and wooden and unbelievable. Looking past that, it was pathetic. I can't believe I spent 90 minutes on this but I guess I was hoping something would happen to redeem it. It didn't. Several of the actors need speech therapy to correct their sibilant "S". Macaroni? Really? Ellen Geer might have been the only believable actor in the movie. There were a couple of good lines in the movie, such as when the dad took off his bandage and invited the sons to go with him to take his hand for a walk. But I was so overwhelmed by the stiffness of everything else I couldn't quite appreciate what little humor there was. The sexuality of the children was especially unbelievable. I understand that children are curious but I just can't imagine in my wildest dreams anything even remotely akin to what happened in this movie. Sorry, maybe I just don't have any imagination or sense of whimsy. Oh well.

hellraiser7 Whenever were alone we always seem to construct a little world for ourselves as sort of a safety zone from what's around us but as the old saying goes no man is an island, we can never be a whole person unless there is another presence to fill that empty space in our lives let alone share our world with us to make it complete.The name of the game in the film is about connection and as the title suggests it's about more than just two people but about other couples involved which all parallel one another. This whole film I can't honestly say takes place int he real world but seems to be one foot in the fantasy world due to the quirky nature of it. The whole film plays out like a surrealist painting certain things that happen around them are strange in a way but so are the characters themselves sometimes all have some strange unique quality to them, they all have something in common their all living in their own little world in a way are are lonely but are all human and just struggling to break free to connect. These characters through their conversations truly understand one another and make sufficient progress.I'll admit the only flaw with the film had to be the one subplot involving those two teenage girls and Richard's friend with that whole internet stalker scandal doesn't work and felt completely out of place, I honestly felt the film could have done without it.This film is all told mainly in three stories that sand out and revolve around the theme: 1. The Performance Artist Christine Jesperson (Miranda July) and Richard Swersey (John Hawkes). Richard as we see is a recently divorced single dad who is struggling to get over it, let alone the fact his self centered ex wife cheated on him and made him feel like crap. His hand injury from a magic trick gone wrong reflects this internal damage he carries. We feel pathos for this guy and most of all understand him, he's funny, strange in a good way, responsible, loves his kids, and is just trying to get back on track when he forms a bond with Christine. She is an eccentric performance artist who is lonely and is pretty content with what she has but as we see in her eyes as well as what she says in the performance art she constructs, she needs someone to make her soul whole. Despite little time both characters spend with one antoher they understand each other and are by first meeting subconsciously already in love with one another. In one memorable scene both walk while talking about relationships, how it could last for the longest time possible but could end if your not looking at the sidewalk your walking on and the direction and length it goes. This is not a foreshadowing it's a common truth were seeing. Another stand out moment for her character was when she see the ex at the department store once again make Richard feel like crap for no reason, once he's gone Christine then gives the ex one of the products in the store a picture frame that when you press a button says I love you. Christine says this "May'be you should've press the button more." I felt in that moment she stated the general reason to why most people divorce or some divulge into the amoral cheating is simply because they've forgotten their love for the other or didn't work hard enough to keep that love alive.2. Richard's older son Peter Swersey (Miles Thompson) and a girl Sylvie (Carlie Westerman) who is at least about 3 or 4 years younger than him. Like most people at different ages their relationship is that common bridging the gap foundation. Both enjoy each other's company, Sylvie is wise beyond her years as she shows Peter her chest for things that she hopes to give to her future husband and daughters/sons (could be Peter in the future as time goes by). There's even one scene where their bondage is challenged when one day he expresses doubt in their interaction due to their age and of communications; he then encounters two teenage girls about his age, interacts with them as well as engages in some risky activities with them. But as we see this goes nowhere and these girls are not very nice and rather immature toward him; you can tell from his eyes he'd rather spend time with Sylvie again because their relationship seems to make the most progress as well as interesting. I feel this is another common truth about love presented if your going to have another in your life, have someone that's like a best friend to you.3. The younger brother Robby Swersey (Brandon Radcliff) as well as the art director have this online chat relationship. At first for Brandon it's a prank but we see it turns to more. In a strange way what is good about their relationship is both of them are giving each other an idea which carries hope for the future for both of them. For Brandon that he's capable of getting a beautiful woman in his life and actually engage in a deep intimate connection with her. For the art director to actually be able to have someone to love again and not be lonely anymore.We all live in our own little worlds but it doesn't mean we can't share it with another person, because it's truly people who make the world go round.Rating: 4 stars

ItsAlwaysSomething I know I'm probably in the vast minority, but I really didn't think this film was all that great.I understand that "MAYAEWK" was meant to be kind of a sociological study of how people relate (or, completely don't) to one another. Having said that, I don't think that alone can carry a full-length movie. A full length movie generally requires a plot to make it work; unfortunately, this movie doesn't have one.In fact, this film felt like a disjointed compilation of really corny student films where the actors make cryptic metaphors, perform nonsensical stunts, and say or do so-called shocking things merely to make the audience think, "Wow! This film is SO poignant and edgy!" Yawn.I found myself watching this movie waiting for the punchline or, at the very least, some kind of resolution to the characters' stories, but there weren't any. In the end, the shoe salesman and artist never go on their date, we never find out why the little girl keeps a dowry, we never find out why the man who left signs hides when the teenage girls go to his door, etc.To me, the reasons behind why the characters act the way they do is 1000% more interesting than merely presenting a superficial view of how they act. I felt kind of betrayed when I made it to the end of the movie and thought, "That was it? That was 'one of the year's best films' according to Roger Ebert?!" It was kind of like waiting in a line at an amusement park only to get to the end and realize that the line WAS the attraction; such a letdown.At best, the movie is mildly entertaining because of the weird things the characters do. The little boy's "poop back and forth" scene truly was priceless, but in the end, that doesn't save this plot-less pointless movie.D+