Change Your Image
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4MTY5NzU2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDc5NTgwMTI@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
drmmrgrrrl
Reviews
One Last Thing... (2005)
A beautiful film that made me laugh and cry and happy to be alive
I got to see "One Last Thing..." at the Toronto Film Festival while visiting friends. I loved Alex Steyermark's previous film, "Prey for Rock & Roll" - and couldn't believe my luck that I was in Toronto during the premiere of this new film (although I missed all the fun of the premiere and saw it at the second screening). I didn't know what to expect, but this film is completely different. I don't know how to describe it without giving out spoilers - this film is a complete surprise, incredibly funny and incredibly poignant - and you feel good about laughing at the jokes and crying at the sad stuff. It made me appreciate the people in my life. All of the acting is excellent across the board - and the three kids are the most real group of teenagers I've ever seen on film. The script strikes the perfect balance of emotions without getting sappy. The music is amazing. At the screening, the director said he expected a wide release next Spring (2006), so all I can say is go see it when it comes out.
Prey for Rock & Roll (2003)
The most authentic and real rock and roll movie I have ever seen.
This is the most authentic and real rock and roll movie I have ever seen. It's about women rockers who will probably never "make it", but they just keep on rocking anyway. I'm a musician, and I felt like I was living with a real band of musicians, and sharing all of their dreams, disappointments, and tragedies. Watching Gina Gershon really singing and rocking on film was truly inspiring. Her performance is amazing, so moving, and courageous. And you can really see in this film why both women and men find her so hot. All of the other actors are great too (including the guys, even the "bad" boyfriend of the Drea DeMatteo character). The directing is really strong: bold and elegant at the same time. I also thought the film was beautifully shot, and that the clothes and sets were great. The songs were really good and sounded great, and the film has some of the funniest dialog I've ever seen. Obviously, I loved the movie.
Regarding the depiction of the lesbian characters that another user talked about, I also saw the film at the Awards Night at Outfest, and everyone there seemed to love it; certainly, the people I personally spoke with afterwards felt it was among the best fiction films they had seen at Outfest. (Small spoiler coming up, so you can skip to the next paragraph, if you'd like). Yes, it's true that there is rape and a lesbian dies, and we've certainly seen that before, but in Prey for R&R it doesn't feel cliche: the lesbian who dies is happy and well-adjusted, not some cliched self-hating misfit, and as a result her death feels truly tragic. And the lesbian who is raped summons up all her strength and keeps on going, a true survivor. Maybe it's a lot of drama for one movie, but it still felt real and true to me, and I personally found it inspiring.
I also saw Rise Above (the Tribe 8 documentary) at Outfest, and I was struck by how much the films share in common thematically. This is probably because Prey for R&R was written by a dyke rocker (I think the story is supposed to be somewhat autobiographical), and Tribe 8 are the ultimate dyke punk band (someone should do a double bill of both films). But at the end of the day, Prey for R&R doesn't actually make a big deal about the characters' sexuality, they are all comfortable with whatever choices they've made -- the Gina Gershon character is Bi and the most sexually fluid of the group, but they all seem just fine with who they are.
This is a really enjoyable and original film that will appeal to people of all sexual persuasions and professions, anyone who's ever had a dream of success that didn't turn out quite the way they hoped, and to anyone who just loves watching strong women rock out on film.