Just so...so bad

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Seven unconnected stories that offer a fascinating look at human nature.

I don't think this movie is for everyone. I like short stories and short stories about reality so it worked for me. Some movies are not meant to be fun or "enjoyed" in a way we may be accustomed to. Some are about reflection. This was just short snippets of events in the lives of various people. I found it interesting and worth the watch. You aren't going to get a full story. You are going to have to make your own inferences and decide what that means to you.

1. Awful. 2. Awful. 3. Awful. 4. Awful. 5. Awful. 6. Awful. 7. Awful.

I really admire this film. Well put together. It really worked for me. The interludes are fascinating. I was admittedly mildly distracted by the big names in the cast, but the quality of the acting made a huge difference - done by lesser actors it could've been rubbish. I've seen their contributions referred to as cameos, but to put it that way is to deliberately ignore the short-story structure of the film. The characters are enjoyable. Very individual and very real. The first story was perhaps the least tangible, which made it difficult for me to get past, and in that instance, I felt I needed more, but the others worked really nicely. Although the film works as a cumulative piece, especially if you can pause and have a bit of a think, for reach and accessibility I'd like to see it broken up into the seven parts and put on YouTube. I doubt whether anybody involved had realistic notions of garnering a high score on a review site or making a financial killing, but it is so good that someone is bringing what literature can do, to film. It is a film that makes me want to read the book, some other works by Robert Boswell, or watch some of James Franco's other recent attempts at literary conversion.