Film: Cold Weather
Cast includes: Cris Lankenau (Quiet City), Trieste Kelly Dunn (United 93), Raúl Castillo (Don’t Let Me Down), Robyn Rikoon (In Treatment)
Writer/Director: Aaron Katz (Dance Party, USA)
Genre: Light Drama/Mystery (2010)
In brief:Doug’s back in Portland, Oregon sharing an apartment with his sister Gail and looking for a job. It would be nice if Doug could find a job with some connection to his aspiration… something crime related. But for now, he’ll take what he can get. “An ice factory?” Gail asks. “I didn’t even know they had ice factories.” The work’s pretty mundane, but Doug doesn’t mind. He strikes up a friendship with Carlos, who moonlights as a DJ around town. Carlos thinks it’s cool that Doug studied forensic science in college. “So you want to be a detective, like on CSI?” “Not CSI. More like Sherlock Holmes,” Doug tells him.
When Doug’s old girlfriend, Rachel, shows up in Portland on an assignment, Rachael, Doug, Carlos and Gail get together to hang out. Carlos discovers that he and Rachael have some interests in common and asks Doug if it’s OK to ask Rachael out. Not a problem, Doug tells him. The problem comes when Rachael calls Carlos to say she’s on her way and then doesn’t show up. Carlos suspects something’s happened to her. And who better to get to the bottom of this than a detective-wanna-be. But Doug thinks Carlos has an over-active imagination. It’s not until some highly suspicious information comes to light that Doug starts getting the same idea as Carlos.
In our climate of high-tech, fast moving mystery/suspense movies, it’s amusing to watch one that uses everyday clues and tactics. (In fact, I remember some of these tactics from Nancy Drew.) This film casually drifts along until Rachael disappears, and then it turns up the energy by a couple of notches. Doug even tries getting into the head of Sherlock Holmes by buying a pipe… and then laments that the pipe’s not working. Maybe that $400 pipe would have been worth the money. This one has been getting some good press, and it does have some good qualities. But if you tend to favor high-action, mainstream mysteries, you may find Cold Weather to be a bit slow.
2 popped kernels
Amusing and enjoyable… but awfully low key
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Young adults
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Neither upbeat nor somber
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
