Ivan's XTC. (***1/2)
review by Joe Swanberg

Danny Huston comes out of nowhere to give the best performance of the year as Ivan Beckman, a Hollywood agent who, on the crest of his big break, discovers he has cancer.

Peter Weller comes out of nowhere to give the best performance of his career as Don West, hot shot actor who begins to take over a project called, Weeds.

Lisa Enos comes out of nowhere to produce and give a great performance in this incredible film directed by Bernard Rose, who has been here the whole time making fantastic films that don't get nearly enough attention.

Ivan's XTC. is a modern adaptation of Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." The film questions the worth of Ivan's life, by examining his friends' and colleague's reaction to his death. We also get to see Ivan's last few days on earth, and how he spends them. He is charming, funny, pleasant, and good at what he does, but as a person, he is not so nice. You want to like Ivan, and a lot of that has to do with Huston's amazing performance, but it is hard to like such a snake. He double crosses people, abuses drugs, disrespects women, and is only out for himself, and in the end, which is the beginning of the film, no one really cares that he is gone. Life goes on and another snake slithers into Ivan's spot.

Ivan's XTC. was shot on high-definition video, and this, along with the often handheld camerawork lends to the films documentary feel. Almost as if the audience is an angel looking over Ivan's shoulder, deciding if we forgive him for his many flaws and allow him into heaven, or condemn him to hell for his evil ways.

Thanks to modern video technology, Rose and Enos were able to make the film for a modest budget and we as audience members are able to enjoy one of the most original and impressive films of the past few years. I cannot say enough good things about Ivan's XTC. and I really hope the film finds a theatrical audience and gets a large video release. If it were up to me, this film would be playing on every screen in America.

Hopefully Rose and Enos have paved the way for smart filmmakers to realize their vision on a small budget and actually get the project into theatres for an audience to enjoy. I urge everyone to visit the film's website www.ivansxtc.com and read Rose's production story behind the film. If it does not make you upset at the way Hollywood weeds out the intelligent films to make room for the lame brained sequels and remakes, I don't know what will. The only salvation is the fact that thanks to video technology, Rose is able to make a great looking film that he has total creative control over. After seeing Ivan's XTC. twice in the theatre, I finally feel comfortable saying, "Long live the DV revolution!"

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