To me, this movie is perfection.

the audience applauded

Fresh and Exciting

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A screwed-up family, a screwed-up life, and the self-destruction of the future due to the need to consume drugs. But, it's the family that saves tomorrow. A better film than the ratings indicate.

Some thoughts on this dog of a movie: Cary Grant and George Clooney, both of whom could act charmingly on screen never attempted to carry a film just with that quality. Mr Franco, you don't have the restraint, judgment or charm of Grant or Clooney. Give acting via characterization a try. Poor Ms. Heard, seemingly a naif, is to be believed to be a crime reporter for the NY Times? More likely that she is a children's book reviewer limited to books for ages 3 and under. Also highly laughable was the amount of free time she had while on the Times' nickel. Cynthia Nixon had what can be described as a thankless role; that of a slavishly loyal agent who still 'believes' in Franco's cosmic talent even after he's caught publicly in a massive lie. And we're to believe that a major publisher would still back this liar after such a damaging disclosure? The straw that broke the dromedary's back for me re screenplay however was when the barely-in-control father (Ed Harris), looking like a bum, was somehow able to find out the address of a N.Y. Times reporter and tape a post-it to 'her door'. Enough. I surrender. I turn off the player and go watch a real movie, "Chicken With Plums" in this instance.

This movie is journey about coming to terms with who you are and how you became that person. The enigmatic Franco plays a deeply troubled writer who is trying to come to terms with his traumatic past and the heartbreakingly tumultuous relationship he had with his father. Along the way, he meets the beautiful Amber Heard. This is why I did not give the movie more stars. If it was the writers intent to portray her as damaged as he was, it was an epic fail. She came across as strong and self-assured -almost cocky at times - not what you would expect from someone reeling from childhood trauma. It was no fault of Heard's - her character was just badly written. Ed Harris rocks the screen, as usual, as the domineering father who haunts his dreams and creates the clouds of his past that he can't see through.The mind is amazing - we can do all sorts of things to protect ourselves. The ability to alter our memories is only one tool of many. This one is worth your time.

Hans Reiser gets hooked on a Russian asset, a woman from Saint Petersburg. Reiser is the golden boy from Linux with his Reiser file-system and company Namesys. He has two children with Nina, but "Before her disappearance, Nina Reiser had obtained Russian citizenship for her daughter and son in 2005 and 2006 respectively" . Forensics and LAPD play ball with the Russians and Hans Reiser is arrested for traces of Nina's blood in his car and charged with 1st degree murder. This was a total setup by LAPD and the Forensics department. The charge won't go away and a plea bargain for 2nd degree murder is given if Reiser leads the police to the body of Nina. This then happens (which amazes me to this day) : "Reiser's attorney, William Du Bois, who was handcuffed to Reiser and accompanied by a heavy police guard to the site, said that the remains were found buried on the side of a hill between Redwood Regional Park and the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve, less than half a mile from the home on Exeter Drive where Reiser lived with his mother, and where Nina Reiser was last seen alive on September 3, 2006.(Lee, Henry K.; Jaxon Van Derbeken; Chronicle Staff Writers (2008-07-07). "Wife-killer leads cops to body in deal with D.A.". SFGate. p. A-1.) Forensics of Nina's body conclude that she was strangled to death. So what was the fuss with Nina's blood planted on purpose in Hans Reiser's car ? Reiser gets 15 years to life in San Quentin State Prison and has been transferred numerous times across the California prison system ever since. "In July 2012, a jury awarded Reiser's children $60 million against their father for the death of Nina Reiser." The Russians have not stopped drinking vodka in Saint Petersburg ever since. The day will come that royalties, copyright amendments and ownership are due for the work of Hans Reiser. The Russians already know today that they will be the sole heirs and beneficiaries to the work of Hans Reiser. In other Linux related news it was reported that on 28 December 2015 the founder of Debian Linux, Ian Murdock, was killed in his apartment under suspicious circumstances. On 9 Mar 2016 Linux hackers were kindly summoned to put their coffees down and listen up as Microsoft had just launched a Debian Linux-based switch operating system.