MBunge City Loop is the movie that answers the question – Are Australian teenage losers just as annoying and stupid as their American counterparts? And the answer to that question is…you betcha.The film is about 6 young people who work at a pizza place. Dom (Sullivan Stapleton) is the good looking rebel without a cause. Katie (Haley McElhinney) is the 20something "old woman" of the group still trying to pretend she's a teenager. Stacie (Megan Dorman) is the wild girl whose crazy behavior covers up her inner unhappiness. Misha (Ryan Johnson) is the virgin who almost gets to bang the girl of his high school dreams. Erin (Kellie Jones) is the girl who wants to sleep with her best male friend without realizing he's gay and Bert (Brenden Cowell) is the gay best friend.City Loop focuses on this group in a single night at the pizza place where they work. It breaks up the story into segments that focus on different people. There's a 20 minute section labeled "Dom's Story", another stretch labeled "Misha's Story", etc. with a bouncy technobeat linking them together. The movie also plays around with linear time, showing us the same events from different character's perspectives.As a film, it does differ from the typical American teenage loser comedy in that it doesn't have some contrived plot moving the story along, so it's doesn't have that artificial, formulaic feel. It's more naturalistic, like this is just a bunch of stuff that happens one evening. But like many other naturalistic films, that means it's not terribly entertaining. Real life and real people generally aren't that funny or interesting when you only get to observe them in ordinary conditions for less than a half hour in real time.The only genuinely compelling thing about City Loop is that it again raises the question of why people in foreign movies are so much uglier than in American films. O sure, we get a few walking goblins like Steve Buscemi in U.S films, but by and large the people on the big screen are vastly prettier than in American reality. Even the supporting characters and bit parts are usually played by folks handsome enough to model in the JC Penny catalog. In City Loop, however, only Sullivan Stapleton and maybe Megan Dorman are really that attractive. T he rest of the cast looks more like they should be working as cashiers at small town convenience stores, not acting in motion pictures. That seems fairly common in the rest of the world. Actors in Britain or France or Australia or Japan don't seem to need to be a beautiful as actors in America, and most of the prettiest actors from around the globe seem to eventually find their way to Hollywood. It's like American movies are a black hole of beauty, sucking in the most visually striking folks from around the world.City Loop is one of those films that really isn't bad in any way, but it's hard to think of why anyone would want to spend any of their time watching it. Unless you're an Australian teenage loser yourself, that is.

teeveeq2 I saw "city loop" at Toronto a couple of years ago and more recently on Cable here in Australia. The script is generally too smart by half and tries to be very sassy but the director just didn't pull it off.It probably needed some flesh to be exposed for it to have any credibility as a teen flick of any worth. Nice try folks and it's a valiant effort for a low budget film but in the end you have to ask - WHY BOTHER?

mikipe2 Let me start by saying that I am big fan of art-house films that are most interested in exploring characters, treating them as people, and discovering the reasons behind their actions. Consequently my all-time favourite directors include Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Pret-a-Porter) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights). These directors take a mosaic of characters, and mould them into a spiderweb of interconnecting lives and situations. Also, more importantly, They Do It Well...City Loop is a film that has the same feel as these films. It chooses characters such as: a sexually-inexperienced teenage guy who reveals his insecurity regarding sex; a girl who's in love with a gay guy; the promiscuous teenage girl always looking for attention - it seems that she just wants to be loved. The actors used in City Loop to portray these characters don't appear to accomplished actors in their own right, their dialogue isn't generally delivered realistically. What redeems their performances seems to be whatever techniques Chayko uses to access the emotional memory banks of the actors. She does it so well, in fact, that many of the scenes have powerful emotional charge. This is why I compare her to Paul Thomas Anderson, who uses actors who don't stand out in the sea of Hollywood actors, yet give outstanding performances in his films (eg John C. Reilly). This is one of the areas where she is a highly accomplished film-maker, giving her huge potential.I didn't actually find this film entirely enjoyable. I was certainly interested and intrigued with the characters from start to finish, but was left with an unpleasant after-taste. What lets this film down is the music, too many coincidental meetings in such a large city, and a lack of all the "bits" that "juice up" the film and make it realistic, bringing the environment to life. The music is dull, and far too infrequent. Music should be used to compliment and intensify the emotions of the characters. Another thing that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, is the emptiness of the city, and the pizza store. This may well have been a technique used by Chayko to represent the coldness of the city, but with no further reference to that concept in the film, I'll have to assume it to be a fault. All that is needed is extras walking the streets, and cars to fill the roads to give the city the life that it should have.In conclusion, though this film leaves a lot to be desired, I believe that Chayko may one day make a truly great film in the tradition of Happiness or Magnolia. Until then, I will certainly follow her career with a close watchful eye.

adsie i loved this film. it is a great piece which is set around a group of teenagers working in a pizza joint. the action is real and gets you involved, but doesn't try to fool you with any industrial light and magic. that's what makes it so good - the characters are developed well, and the "story" type segmentation gives a great travelling theme - and the stories are cut with just enough continuity to make it interesting. the power and intensity of teenage lust, confusion, identity, and hormones are all exquisitely captured in this film. it is a great piece of work which is a credit to the actors and director. look for more of their stuff!!