The United States of Leland
Directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge
By Erin Oke

With its interconnected characters mired in tragedy and the dreamy quality of the direction, The United States of Leland is sort of like Magnolia for the teenage set. The story revolves around the killing of a mentally-challenged boy (Michael Welch) by the film's title character (The Believer's Ryan Gosling), which lands Leland in a juvenile detention centre and destroys the lives of both his and the victim's family. While behind bars, Leland is befriended by his teacher Pearl (Don Cheadle), an aspiring writer whose interest in the youth is not purely altruistic.

Director Matthew Ryan Hoge wrote this script based on his own experience teaching in a California juvenile detention centre. The point he's trying to make (which he sometimes hits you over the head with) is that there are no stock answers for these horrible crimes, no monsters to blame, just surprisingly ordinary and all-too familiar kids who make terrible, incomprehensible mistakes. It's an interesting and refreshing take on the often sensationalised moral quagmire of teen violence. It's also a well-crafted film, with a non-linear storytelling technique that reveals the events and relationships piece by piece.

The cast of the movie is a phenomenal who's who of American indie film, at least partially due to Kevin Spacey's role as producer. In addition to Gosling's compelling turn as the detached yet vulnerable Leland and the infinitely watchable Cheadle as his teacher, the film features Martin Donovan and Ann Magnuson as the victim's parents, young stars Chris Klein, Michelle Williams and Jena Malone as Leland's peers, and Lena Olin and Spacey himself as his parents. (Paramount Classics)

The Ladykillers - Dir. by Joel and Ethan Coen
The brothers Coen (Joel and Ethan) have yet to make a film that didn’t involve a criminal element of some sort. They also haven’t made any that involve competent criminals — the best laid plans of idiots and their accomplices are what creatively drive this pair. And so it is with The Ladykillers< ...Read More
13 Going On 30 - Dir. by Gary Winick
Broken Wings - Dir. by Nir Bergman
Connie and Carla - Dir. by Michael Lembeck
Distant - Dir. by Nuri-Bilge Ceylan
Ella Enchanted - Dir. by Tommy O’Haver
Envy - Dir. by Barry Levinson
Go Further - Dir. by Ron Mann
Godsend - Dir. by Nick Hamm
Greendale - Dir. by Bernard Shakey
Kill Bill Vol. 2 - Dir. by Quentin Tarantino
Mean Girls - Dir. by Mark S. Waters
Seducing Dr. Lewis - Dir. by Jean-François Pouliot
The Alamo - Dir. by John Lee Hancock
The Cremaster Cycle - Dir. by Matthew Barney
The Girl Next Door - Dir. by Luke Greenfield
The Punisher - Dir. by Jonathan Hensleigh
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion - Dir. by Tom Peosay
Toronto Punk Finds A Voice
If you've ever wondered why Toronto's first wave punk scene lacks the oral histories, band biographies, and memoirs pouring out of similar scenes, Treat Me Like Dirt is for you — as evidenced by a first printing selling out a week before its release. "I didn't know that any of this had happened the way I knew that New York and London had these great punk movements," says author Liz Worth.... Read More
The Hurt Locker Dir. by Kathryn Bigelow
Taking a break at about the halfway mark of director Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq war drama, The Hurt Locker, I realized my jaw was sore. I had been unconsciously clenching it from the first moment of The Hurt Locker, which chronicles a three-man team of explosives ordinance disposal (bomb s... Full Review
The Nope (Moka Only & Psy) - Melba
Vancouver, BC rapper/producer Moka Only has always been diverse, dropping everything from dusty underground jams to shiny commercial songs, but Melba might just be his most out there yet, invading Kool Keith's turf. Most of Moka's beats for Melba are made with emphasis on the low-end o... Full Review
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the April 2004 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Point of View  •  Questionnaire  •  Research  •  Timeline • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews  •  CMW Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews • Music School --> N/A • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues