Suffering from "issue fatigue"? That would be an understandable response to the fall movie season, in which a flock of serious, issue-driven, adult-oriented dramas clamor for attention. In most cases, the filmmakers are sincere in their desire to convey a message or sound a warning. Too often, however, fictional films collapse under the weight of good intentions. Documentaries have an inherent advantage in that they ostensibly portray a measure of truth, while dramatic treatments are immediately suspect due to their obvious need to create a story arc that will obey the rules of narrative storytelling and provide a degree of entertainment value. It's far too easy to fall into the trap of melodramatic plot devices, Dickensian coincidences and third-act "twists" that surprise no one.

Holly, which opened yesterday in New York before expanding later in the month to other cities, does not entirely avoid conventions. A simple synopsis sounds like a thousand other well-meant movies: shady Patrick (Ron Livingston) agrees to do something for fellow American Freddie (Chris Penn). His motorcycle breaks down and he is stranded at a brothel overnight, where he encounters Holly (Thuy Nguyen), a 12 year old Vietnamese girl who has just been sold into prostitution. His heart goes out to her pathetic situation and he tries to save her. He also crosses paths with a slick, slimy brothel customer (Udo Kier) and an earnest welfare worker (Virginie Ledoyen).

My initial reaction was to recoil at the prospect of yet another movie in which a Noble White American Is The Only One Who Can Save Yellow (or black or brown or whatever) People In Developing Nations From Themselves And In The Process Save Himself. But director Guy Moshe and producer Guy Jacobson, who collaborated on the script, are smarter than that.

It might be hard to believe, but Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs turns 15 today. Now, before you haul out the abacus, you've probably noted that 1992 + 15 = 2007. Reservoir Dogs premiered in October of 1992 the last time we checked, and it seems like only yesterday there was much fanfare over the tenth anniversary edition of this film (which was released in 2002), complete with five different covers for the same DVD ... collect them all! Perhaps 14 just wasn't as sexy of a number, and of course Lionsgate wants you to double dip when the HD-DVD version comes out at some point, so that leaves us with a 15th anniversary edition a year early. Although if you want to get extremely technical with the dates, Tarantino actually workshopped some of the scenes from Dogs at Sundance in 1991, so is this the date they're shooting for?

At any rate, the packaging alone is pretty cool on this release. They've housed the DVD in a metal case that looks like a gas can, and when you slip the interior packaging out, it is in the shape of a huge matchbook from "Uncle Bob's Pancake House," which is where Steve Buscemi tells everyone "I don't tip" as Mr. Pink. The whole package is sort of a gruesome reminder from one of the scenes in the movie. When the tenth anniversary DVD came out, Lionsgate sent out fake foam rubber ears announcing the release, which have become highly collectible among fans. I guess they like reminding us how violent the torture scene in this movie really is.

Tarantino's now cult-classic film opened the door for ultra-realistic violence in films, but it also helped usher in a new era of non-linear storytelling. After this movie came out, writers and directors began to play with the concept of time a lot more often, using flashbacks and flash-fowards to help make a simple story a lot more interesting, to show it from different angles and perspectives, and to flesh out character development. Tarantino didn't pioneer this technique, but he made such extensive use of it that you can still the effects of it in movies today.

The film also helped establish Tarantino's visual "look," from the black suits with the skinny ties, to the minimal sets with dialogue-heavy scenes. It also showcased his love for vintage and 70s music through "K-Billy Super Sounds of the 70s," on the radio throughout the movie, and DJed by deadpan comedian Steven Wright. Additionally, he took chances on B- and sometime C-list movie stars who had either fallen from the limelight, or had not worked in quite some time, which is something he continues to do -- reviving the careers of John Travolta, Robert Forster, Pam Grier and others.

Tarantino is a self-proclaimed cinephile, and in this movie he has lifted several scenes and plot elements directly from other films, particularly from Ringo Lam's excellent City on Fire which stars Chow Yun-Fat. If you haven't seen it, rent it some time and you'll see how similar the two films are, down to exact scenes. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and while Dogs isn't a direct ripoff, it comes close at times. Tarantino has claimed that he steals from all of his favorite movies, and if that's the case, then Dogs is no different.

Today also sees the release of the Reservoir Dogs video game (featuring the voice and likeness of Michael Madsen), which promises to bring the same ultra-violence to your home gaming systems. It seems an odd choice to make a game out of this film, given the extreme violence and open and closed plot, but we've also seen Scarface and The Godfather made into games as well recently, so stranger things have happened. Just don't look for Jackie Brown: The Game anytime soon. We hope. ...

According to the coroner's report, Chris Penn died from a combination of an enlarged heart and a deadly mix of multiple medications. Though they're calling it an accident, even with the release of this report, there are still a ton of questions unanswered. Did Penn intentionally overdose on his medication or was he just being careless with his health, not realizing it would lead to his demise?

The coroner's office lists the primary cause of death as "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" which, in non-doctor terms, means he had an enlarged heart which was under the influence of a ton of medications  including promethazine with codeine. Yet, with a heart weighing a few hundred grams more than average, Penn's assortment of meds did not include any sort of remedy for that problem. Promethazine prevents vomiting, while codeine kills pain - so why the hell was he taking that if the real issue was his heart? Perhaps we'll be provided with a clearer explanation when the full coroner's report is released in a few weeks.

In a move that seems somehow appropriate, Sean Penn honored his brother's memory last weekend by confronting a photographer. Penn and his fellow macho man Mark Ruffalo are reported to have "got[ten] into a scuffle" with a photographer who was taking pictures at Chris Penn's funeral over the weekend. Apart from the fact that Ruffalo took the memory card out of the man's camera, details on the incident are few and far between. However, since The Guardian says that the photographer is the one who "disrupted" the funeral, it's safe to assume that Penn and his wingman will be portrayed as selflessly trying to protect the memory of the departed. God only knows what really happened.

In other news that involves hitting people, Joe Pesci is alleged to have also slugged a man who happened to be holding a camera, albeit nowhere near the Penn funeral. Apparently things in the Pesci case are a bit more serious, because he's been questioned by police about the incident - the actor could be charged with misdemeanor battery if the cops decide there's merit to his (alleged) victim's case.

Note to Pesci: next time you want to kick someone's ass for taking a picture of you, make sure there's a casket near by. If there is, you're home free.

A few hours after leaving last night's press screening of Finn Taylor's The Darwin Awards, my phone started blowing up with the news that the thing had been bought. Rights were picked up by Bauer Martinez – the new kids on the block, who came out of relative obscurity to pick up Harsh Times at Toronto – in a deal brokered sometime after the pic's Wednesday night public premiere. Darwin has an all-star cast, including Winona Ryder, Joseph Fiennes, the late Chris Penn, poet laureate Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Metallica as Metallica. The film, a takeoff on the website which "awards" those unlucky enough to get themselves killed in idiotic ways, was shot on video in and around San Francisco. Variety had no financial details to report, but we'll pass them along as soon as we can.

The LA county coroner has announced that the autopsy on Chris Penn was inconclusive, though it enabled him to rule out foul play as the cause of death. According to a spokesperson, the coroner speculated that Penn could have died as a result of a past illness (though he never said what the illness was) or the use of "multiple drugs;" the proverbial "natural causes" are also a possible cause. Since the toxicology screen won't be back for several weeks, it was not said whether the drugs discussed were prescribed or of the legal variety, but it's probably a safe guess that Penn had used both in the past.

When news hit the wires late Tuesday that the body of Chris Penn – star of over 50 films, from Footloose to Reservoir Dogs to Starsky and Hutch, and brother of Oscar winner Sean – had been found in a Santa Monica condo, most outlets didn't file the item alongside their coverage of Sundance. But Penn was fourth-billed in The Darwin Awards, the much-anticipated film by Finn Taylor which premieres here in Park City tonight, and the actor's death is already having an impact on that film's festival blitz. Out of respect for their co-star, the film's actors (including Winona Ryder, Joseph Fiennes and David Arquette) have cancelled all planned interviews and media appearences. Tonight's premiere will go through as planned, but sans press line. We'll be seeing Darwin tomorrow and will have a review up as soon as we can. There's also a Darwin awards party tonight, but with cast and crew in mourning, we imagine it probably won't be much of a party, despite the fact that Metallica is scheduled to play in a room the size of my black faux-crocodile handbag.

It's rare that I open my news feeds and am actually shocked by something in the "movies!" folder, but the news of Chris Penn's death this morning really shook me - and I can't imagine I'm alone in my affection for him. Though Penn made dozen and dozens of mostly unimpressive films, there was always something powerful inside him that, when called upon, could produce moments of greatness. From the bumbling buddy in Footloose to the brutally conflicted son in At Close Range; from the dim flunky in Reservoir Dogs to the out of control brother in The Funeral, his surprising, affecting performances made us regret all the crap that much more, and perhaps explain why so many of us were inexplicably on his side.

Penn was 40; the cause of his death is unknown.