Sundance. The Nines.

"Screenwriter John August (Go, Big Fish, Charlie's Angels) makes his directing debut with The Nines, an interlocking metaphysical puzzle that amuses, engages, frustrates, and leaves audiences with a lot to chew on," writes Annie Frisbie at Zoom In Online. "August is going way, way conceptual with The Nines, and gives Lost a run for its metaphysical money."

But for Mike D'Angelo, writing for ScreenGrab, August is "squandering his first shot as an auteur by indulging an idea so breathtakingly stupid that I personally witnessed it get shot down twice in undergraduate screenwriting courses at NYU, in both cases by professors who cared enough about their students not to let them waste their time on anything that inane."

Dennis Harvey, writing in Variety is far more upbeat, admitting that, yes, "The Nines arcs from witty Hollywood insiderdom to a climactic metaphysical leap that may leave many viewers nonplussed. Nonetheless, there's more than enough intelligence, intrigue and performance dazzle to make this an adventuresome gizmo for grownups - albeit one whose complexity presents marketing challenges."

But here's the thing for the Hollywood Reporter's Sura Wood: "August initially conceived of the project as three separate ideas, and therein lies a problem: The three sections, which feature the same four actors playing different roles with overlapping phrases and ideas, don't coalesce into a cohesive whole or stand on their own."

Via Ray Pride, a few pages from the screenplay.

Coverage of the coverage: The Park City Index.

Posted by dwhudson at January 24, 2007 3:49 PM