Nicole Vicius Movies

A loud-mouthed lout has a less than cordial reunion with his brother in this independent comedy drama from director Drake Doremus. Sam Nussbaum (Andrew Dickler) is an insufferably opinionated loser who has somehow managed to charm a beautiful young woman, Steph (Marguerite Moreau), who has agreed to marry him. Steph is puzzled when she learns that Sam hasn't invited his brother, Tom (Ben York Jones), to the upcoming wedding; Sam doesn't want to talk about it, so Steph decides to surprise her fiancé by arranging for Tom to come to Los Angeles, where the couple lives. Sam and Tom had a falling out years before that neither of them likes to talk about, and as the siblings get reacquainted, the emotional distance between them is clear. When Tom mentions in passing that the only girl he ever loved was a classmate from grade school, Sam insists they drop everything and set out to find her; this leads to a grand-scale road trip that at once brings the brothers together and reinforces their opinions of one another, while also giving Sam a reason to postpone a wedding he no longer wants. Douchebag received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A secretary turns small-scale revolutionary in this satiric comedy drama from director Jamie Babbit. Anna (Melonie Diaz) is a woman in her early twenties who has recently graduated from college but is still figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Anna works as a receptionist for a plastic surgeon, but has mixed feelings about how he manipulates women's negative self-image for profit. Anna is also single and a lesbian, and is having a hard time meeting new women after breaking up with her latest girlfriend. One evening, Anna sees a woman spray painting graffiti on the side of the building where she works, encouraging women to not get breast enlargement surgery; Anna is intrigued and introduces herself. The vandal is Sadie (Nicole Vicius), the leader of a group of lesbian counter-cultural pranksters who call themselves "C*nts in Action," or the CIA. Sadie takes a liking to Anna and invites her to join fellow members Shulamith (Carly Pope), Aggie (Lauren Mollica), and Meat (Deak Evgenikos) as they deface billboards and put up homemade sculptures of feminist icons in public parks. Anna likes the CIA and their aggressive style, and she is strongly attracted to Sadie; eventually, they sleep together, but Anna soon learns Sadie already has a longtime companion, Courtney (Melanie Mayron), and she begins to wonder if she can support every position the CIA has embraced. Itty Bitty Titty Committee was voted Best Feature Film at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker Gus Van Sant wrote and directed this meditation on stardom and its costs, inspired in part by the life and death of rock musician Kurt Cobain. Blake (Michael Pitt) is the leader of an influential alternative rock band who has unexpectedly won a large degree of fame and fortune. Depressed and unsure of what to do with himself or his success, Blake wanders about the run-down mansion he calls home and the visits the woods nearby. While a handful of friends live with Blake, he prefers to avoid them, as they often seem more interested in money or help with their music than in his friendship; meanwhile, Blake is also confronted by a handful of fans, his agent, and a gentleman who sells advertising space in a telephone directory and has no idea who Blake is. As Blake goes through the motions of his day, he tries to decide what he should do next, and what might finally free him from his ennui. Shot and edited in the same languid, low-key manner as his films Elephant and Gerry, Last Days also stars Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, Scott Green, Ricky Jay, and Harmony Korine. Kim Gordon of the band Sonic Youth also appears in the film, while her husband and bandmate Thurston Moore was a consultant for the musical score; both were friends of Kurt Cobain and toured in tandem with Nirvana on several occasions. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi