CQ (2001)

Every once in a while you stumble across a film you never knew existed, take a chance, and discover something quite enjoyable. That's the case with this recent little gem entitled CQ, which I recently found (can't even remember how now!), rented and watched all in a matter of a week, something I rarely do. It was the combination of the film's poster, the trailer and the ever so strange combination of drama and B-movie science fiction that had me from the get go.

Written and directed by Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola), CQ is the story of an aspiring film maker named Paul (Jeremy Davies of Lost) who moves to Paris in hopes of gaining some inspiration for his self documentary where he is attempting to find the real truth in his life. To pay the bills Paul is the editor of a science fiction spy B-movie entitled Dragonfly, but nearing the film's end of production it still has no suitable ending and has gone through two directors. Paul having the most hands on time with the film is called in to finish the picture, but he's having difficulty coming up with a memorable ending as his personal life is crumbing in front of him and his reality is becoming blurred with the world of Dragonfly and the film's sexy actress.

Not being a big fan of any of the Coppola families prior films, which I have tended to find overly artsy instead of entertaining, I didn't know what to expect from a film that calls itself a drama, yet focuses heavily on the creation of a campy science fiction spy film. Luckily drama is a little bit of a stretch I'd call this a dramedy with a little more emphasis on comedy.  My favorite parts of the film are the spliced in scenes from the B-movie Dragonfly, which plays a large role in Paul's life.  Dragonfly is a mix between Barbarella and James Bond, extremely campy  but at the same time very cool.  I almost wish it had been an actual film, luckily they do allow you to watch the entire 14 minutes straight through on the bonus features.

The casting worked out well with Jeremy Davies being a good pick for the character of Paul, sort of quirky and reserved.  Other than Lost I've never seen him in anything else before, so it was a little surprising to see him in a starring role, and come to find out he's had a pretty decent sized movie career.  The best character is Valentine (Angela Lindvall) she also plays Dragonfly, she was perfectly cast for a B-movie maven.  This was her first acting role, her full time being a model.  Overall, CQ is an interesting conglomeration of genres, I really can't guess who'd enjoy this film, frankly I took a gamble myself and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

7/10