Travis Fine'sAny Day Now is a well-intentioned, 1970s period piece exploring a gay couple's fight to retain custody of a child with special needs. Based on a true story, the film's aims are regrettably matched with an overly melodramatic, tin-eared script that isn't up to the task of breathing life into a scenario that really shouldn't require any punching up at all. It's a film that never surprises, always embracing the safest, most oft-trod path to describing its characters and their conflict. To make matters worse, actors Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt pour just about everything they've got into the portrayal of their characters. Their efforts do rescue several scenes from the bland, go-nowhere tendencies of the script, but it's not enough to combat Fine's worst impulses, which continually drag the piece through one tired cliché after another.
Cumming plays Rudy. He's living in a squalid, dump of an apartment building, barely making ends meet and putting up with the loud parties of the junkie (Jamie Anne Allman) who lives next door. When Rudy discovers that his neighbor has left her young son, Marco (Isaac Leyva), without adult supervision, he tries to comfort the boy. When he finds out that she's been arrested, he decides to take in this discarded child with Down Syndrome. Somewhere in between all this, Rudy and Paul (Dillahunt) meet at the bar where Rudy performs as a lip-syncing drag queen. Their attraction is immediate and they act on it. And, whad'ya know, Rudy soon pulls Paul, who works as a lawyer in the district attorney's office, into his attempts to hang on to Marco.
I know what you're thinking. All of this sounds compelling enough, but the film often feels like its trying to fulfill the time requirement to qualify as feature length. It's only 97 minutes long, but, if you took out all the filler (like the parts about Rudy's desire to be a real singer, or Paul's struggle to remain in the closet at work), it might only clock in at barely over an hour. Still, a more streamlined film that kept its focus on the couple's fight to retain custody in the face of rampant prejudice would have been a far more successful film, narrative-wise (witness the similarly-themed accomplishment that was last year's In the Family). What we have here instead is a sad story relayed in a manner that is always sure to indicate when we're supposed to feel sad; cue melancholic music. The cast and story deserved far better.
Any Day Now begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, January 4th.More info available here.
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Now, Forager doesn't go a lot of new places. Yes, as the title hints, it's about a couple who forages for wild mushrooms as a means of meager support, and I can't recall seeing any films about mushroom hunters in the past (no, I did not see Shrooms, but I get the impression it's about something else entirely). But, much like the characters in their film, directors Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin seem intent on returning to familiar patches of fertile ground; in the case of the filmmakers, it's earth that's been well plowed by similarly contemplative indie directors like Kelly Reichardt, Carlos Reygadas, Pedro González-Rubio, and others working within what A.O. Scott has termed the neo-neo realism movement.
Lucien (Cortlund) and Regina (Tiffany Esteb) are moving in different directions in their marriage. She's begun to tire of the small rewards that mushroom hunting brings them and is considering taking on a regular job in a small restaurant. Meanwhile, Lucien stubbornly deflects Regina's dissatisfaction, hatching plans to risk what little stability they enjoy on a road trip to forage in unknown territories. Cortlund and Halperin avoid hinging the film on the drama between the characters, choosing instead to display the couple's incompatibility through slow observation rather than with outward displays of their anger over it. Now, Forager allows us to see these characters together and alone, offering up access to both private and shared moments.
The long periods of time spent solely with Lucien or Regina yield a sense that the problems they have together are present in their individual struggles outside the relationship. Lucien, it seems, just doesn't play well with others, while Regina's flexibility only goes so far when working an out-of-state cooking gig. In both cases, these divergences from what appears to be the main story thread--the slow dissolution of their relationship--enrich our understanding of what's not expressed through words. For a film with only a few small degrees of plot development, it's surprisingly effective at wielding those micro-shifts in the dynamic between the characters, their environment, and each other.
In many ways, Now, Forager
unfolds as a paint-by-numbers, quiet indie meditation on the
reasons why some relationships just don't pan out. As it borrows liberally
from a wealth of contemporary, low budget influences, many viewers won't be able to shake
the feeling that they've seen multiple versions of this film before, but an
overfamiliarity with the patterns and modes at play here won't spoil the best
parts of an earnest little film that steers clear of being overwhelmed by the indie
cliches it so wholeheartedly embraces. It's a worthy, if not entirely original, view.
Now, Forager begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, December 28th.More info available here.
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I'm not sure if it was posting 10 times in seven days last week or just how busy things have been while shutting down my day job at Video Verite, but you might have noticed that the blog's been fairly quiet this week. Even without posting this week, we finally passed 30,000 hits yesterday, a small milestone for our humble, little film obsessed site, indeed. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, and encourage me to continue posting.
Even with all the other regular life distractions at hand, I was still able to catch a small handful of films opening this weekend at the local indie theaters. Here now is a sampling of just a few of the many options available in PDX for the cinematically curious.
In Search of Blind Joe Death, dir. James Cullingham
A documentary on the immensely, influential primitive folk picker John Fahey. The film brings together a wide swath of individuals, ranging from members of Calexico to Pete Townsend to musicologists and various associates, to heap much deserved adulation at the feet of the late steel string guitarist. Fahey's life and (especially his) music form a story worth exploring and I've often wondered why no one had made a film about him. In Search of Blind Joe Death is a compelling view for both fervent followers and those completely unfamiliar with Fahey's legacy.
In Search of Blind Joe Death plays one-night-only at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, October 21st at 7pm.More info available here.
A look inside the Bras family cooking dynasty as world famous chef Michel Bras prepares to hand the reins over to his son Sébastien. Although high-wire acts of culinary mastery are featured throughout the film, the food actually takes a backseat to the family dynamics in the film, distinguishing it from the overcrowded foodie doc scene.
Michel and Sébastien butt heads over both Michel's established recipes and some newer innovations that Sébastien hopes will help restaurant goers discern what it is that he brings to the table. Director Paul Lacoste wisely keeps Sébastien a mystery to the audience until very near the end of the film, allowing for a multi-layered, slow reveal that greatly enriches the viewing experience.
Highly recommended.
Step Up to the Plate begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, October 19th.More info available here.
Washington D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains were a complete anomaly when they first emerged in the punk scene of the late 70s. Being an all African-American punk group in a mostly white playing field was one thing, but Bad Brains was also the fastest, most technically innovative group that anyone had ever seen playing this kind of music.
Directors Logan and Stein tell the story of the band's formative years while following them on the road during a recent, tumultuous reunion tour. Their cameras don't stop rolling even when things get rough between the band (singer H.R. displays his notorious mental health issues for the camera, causing things to go sour near the end of the tour), adding much needed tension to a film that might otherwise just be an exercise in nostalgia.
Bad Brains: A Band in D.C. screens
at the NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium (in the Portland Art
Museum) as a part of the Reel Music Festival series on Friday, October 19th at 8:45pm. More info available here.
This 1971 fever dream of a film started the ball rolling for the Australian New Wave. Detailing the downward trajectory of John, a Sydney-based schoolteacher (Gary Bond) on vacation in the Outback town of Bundanyabba (referred to as "the Yabba" by the natives he meets), the film throws our hero into a volatile mix of gambling, alcoholism, and kangaroo death unlike anything I've ever seen. Donald Pleasence shows up about a third of the way through the picture as Doc Tydon, a drunken physician living in squalor. Once they meet, John and Doc's paths are tied together to the bitter, marsupial-wrestling end.
Recommended for those who revel in the weirder, more disturbing side of cult cinema (probably not ideal viewing for card carrying members of PETA).
Wake in Fright begins its run at Cinema 21 on Friday, October 19th. More info available here.
As I pointed out last week, without the success of the 1931 version of Dracula, Universal Pictures might not have continued producing what are now unquestionably a series of the best monster flicks of the silver screen. Taken on its own, though, Dracula is a masterpiece of the macabre, filled with more shadows than light and powered by an unparalleled and unforgettable performance by Bela Lugosi in the title role.
If you haven't seen the film in a while, or even if you have, there's no better time to revisit it than now while the Hollywood Theatre has a 35mm print on hand.
Dracula plays at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, October 20th and Sunday, October 21st at 2pm.More info available here.
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Oslo, August 31st might be the most depressing film I've seen all year; an honor that last year went to Steve McQueen's unnerving meditation on addiction, Shame. Plainly put, this Norwegian import isn't about to alter anyone's opinion that there's a strong proclivity within Scandinavian cinema to delve into dark territories; redemption isn't what this film is about, folks. It'd be a crime if its downcast subject matter ended up denying it an audience, though. While there's no doubt that this is an exceptionally bleak work, the film does far more in its 95 minutes than just gaze into the abyss. Oslo, August 31st is a work of great filmmaking, offering an emotional experience that lingers far after the curtain closes on the tale it tells.
The film follows Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a recovering drug addict who is given a day pass from his rehab program. Before he leaves the institution, he makes an unsuccessful attempt to drown himself by walking into a lake while clutching a heavy stone. Shortly after, he visits his old friend Thomas (Hans Olav Brenner) whose now domesticated existence runs counter to the days when the two men used to rage together. Anders soon confronts Thomas with the plan he's been harboring: he's going to deliberately shoot a lethal dose of heroin.
Everything that follows that revelation becomes sharply divided into arguments for and against the decision. Anders believes that it's too late to begin anew, despite only being in his early 30s; something that's reinforced by a botched job interview where his past seems to limit his future prospects. Rebutting that perspective are the multiple meetings he has over the course of the day with friends and old lovers, as well as a brief, beautiful encounter that hints at the possibilities available to him, if only he can muster the will to seize them.
Director Joachim Trier understands the necessity for the debate to unfold organically, allowing very little hope that Anders will be turned from his stated objective. We watch as he floats through Oslo like a disembodied soul, barely present as he listens in to conversations in crowded rooms, offering nearly the same presence when overhearing the interactions of others as he does in those exchanges in which he is actively engaged. It's frustratingly sad to watch. With all the reasons why Anders should choose life plainly on display, it's still impossible to shake the fear that he'll act on his grievous intentions.
With Oslo, August 31st, Trier gives us an incredibly powerful look at a dispossessed individual at the end of his rope. He's crafted a humanely rendered depiction that motivates, instead of manipulating, the audience to care deeply for what happens to its protagonist. It's moving, sorrowful trip through a city by a man who has given up on his life. And as difficult as it is to watch as the film dives deeper into hopelessness, it would be far harder to look away from a film as perfectly conceived as this one.
Highly recommended.
Oslo, August 31st begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, August 31st.More info available here.
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Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) and screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) seem to believe that they're working at a very high level of collaborative storytelling with 360, a dreadfully dull, overly serious multiple arc piece that spends much effort moving its characters around a global chessboard without ever bothering to develop most of them into relatable or even interesting human beings. Beginning with a voice over from Mirka (Lucia Siposová), a woman being photographed by the man who will become her pimp, the film announces its intentions (or is it pretensions?) to examine the rippling effects that choice has upon one's personal fate.
Mirka's entry into prostitution gives way to the story of Michael (Jude Law), a man looking to step out on his wife while away on a business trip. So, of course, he's meant to be Mirka's first client, but it's not meant to be, so the film quickly transitions to a short passage about his wife Rose (Rachel Weisz), who is successfully engaging in an affair with a much younger man. This is the pattern that the film sticks with for its entire running time; constantly flitting about from one semi-connected character to another, rarely allowing anything to stick other than the premise that life presents all of us with a series of "forks in the road."
Not too long ago, these kinds of stories involving interlocking characters connected through a series of coincidences and outlying forces were seemingly ubiquitous. There have been a few great films (Nashville, Traffic, Magnolia) that illustrate how one might achieve this kind of narrative high-wire act, but alongside these successful takes stand many poorer examples (Babel and, especially, Fast Food Nationcome to mind) of this particular mode of yarn spinning. Regrettably, 360 has its foot mostly in the latter category.
Like Babel, 360 takes itself far too seriously, but even Babel
had the decency to treat its audience to a couple of fully fleshed-out
scenarios (in Mexico & Japan) on the way to its overly high-minded and self-important
observation about how "we" are basically all the same. The best that 360 can muster is a halfway interesting interaction between a woman (Maria Flor) exiting a bad relationship and a grieving father (Anthony Hopkins) before abandoning those characters for yet another half-written story thread. It's ironic that a film that wants to talk about the choices we make feels like the product of some very creative folks who were not able to choose only those stories that would best serve their work. As it stands, 360 feels overstuffed and nonessential.
360 begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, August 31st.More info available here.
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A Todd Solondz movie is largely an in or out proposition. He doesn't make family friendly fare; regularly interrogating social taboos in his films, and there's little to no effort on his part to dumb down or soften his stories for wider acceptance. After scoring a cult following for divisive early works like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness, there's been a noticeable drop off in audience numbers and critical support for his subsequent releases. You'd be totally forgiven at this late date for writing Solondz off as a has-been miserablist taking out his angst on both his characters and viewers.
Chances are, if you hold that opinion, you didn't see his last movie, the darkly, funny Life During Wartime, and probably plan on avoiding his latest comedy, Dark Horse. That last move would be a mistake. Straight up, Dark Horse is the best film Solondz has made in over a decade and, without hyperbole, I'd go as far as to label it one of the funniest releases of the year.
Dark Horse takes place, like most all of Solondz' films, in the suburbs. Jordan Gelber plays Abe, a college dropout in his thirties, still living with his parents (Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow) and (barely) working at his father's firm. It's safe to say that Abe's a bit of a non-starter, an observation that is only reinforced when contrasted with his brother Richard's (Justin Bartha) success as a physician. Very early in the film, Abe encounters Miranda (Selma Blair); a thoroughly depressed woman with a similar living situation, at a wedding and basically sweet talks a phone number out of her.
An uneasy relationship develops between the two, due chiefly to Abe's persistence and the absurdly positive facade that he adopts whenever Miranda is present. Solondz explores Abe's mood swings through both simple observation and the relentlessly saccharine pop music that enters the soundtrack via Abe's cell phone and the stereo of his comically large, yellow Hummer. This highly obtrusive music serves a dual purpose, working as both an obvious (and hilarious) punchline and as a counterpoint to Abe's unacknowledged and growing angry, depressive state.
As it proceeds, the film ends up moving into areas that aren't necessarily meant to reflect reality as much as comment on internal damage wrought from years of not living up to one's potential. Some audience members might have difficulty taking the leap as the film transitions away from a more literal mode of storytelling. Personally, I wanted to watch Dark Horse a second time as soon as it was over. Solondz doesn't pull punches or make it easy to embrace his work but the humor he spins out of the wretched lives of his characters has a whiff of truth and authenticity that can't be denied.
Highly recommended.
Dark Horse begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, August 17th.More info available here.
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Way back in the early 90s, Nancy Savoca was making a name for herself as one of the rising directors in the indie film world. Thanks to critical hits like Household Saints and Dogfight, a lot of attention was coming her way and then...well, not much happened. Since then, Savoca has worked sporadically in television, producing only a few under the radar films (of which I've only seen the not so great Rosie Perez vehicle, The 24 Hour Woman). Now nearly a decade and a half past her initial success, Savoca's got a brand new flick hitting screens this week.
Union Square pairs Savoca with fellow "what's she been up to" girl Mira Sorvino (okay, to be fair, Sorvino's IMDb page reveals that's she's been working a lot, just not in many high profile pics) for a tale of longstanding strife between sisters. Sorvino plays Lucy, a chronically anxious and self-obsessed extrovert who arrives in Union Square with the misguided intention of spending some unscheduled time with her lover. He shuts down her plans before they can even meet up, generating a outsized dose of public phone rage from Lucy. Quickly formulating a backup plan, Lucy lands unannounced at the doorstep of her estranged sister Jenny (Tammy Blanchard) who lives with her fiance Bill (Mike Doyle). Jenny's got her own issues, hiding her Bronx origins from Bill and swallowing her anger like it's going out of style.
Sadly, the script is severely myopic about how the audience should view these characters. Instead of allowing us to observe their flaws honestly via their behaviors and interactions, the tone of the piece constantly modulates forcing the actors, especially Sorvino, to go from funny to sad and quiet to overblown repeatedly and without warning, dulling the overall impact of what actually works here.
In its favor, the first third of Union Square is incredibly funny and tense. Sorvino delivers a great performance, close to her best ever, and cinematographer Lisa Leone's handheld camerawork offers a perfect balance of looseness and intimacy. Ultimately, though,
it is the writing that proves too histrionic, leaving me wishing that the same
improvisational feel present within the look of the film had bled into
the telling of its story.
Union Square begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, August 17th.More info available here.
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There's a modest ambition coursing through the center of Take This Waltz, the latest film from actor turned director Sarah Polley. Her elegiac 2006 directorial effort Away from Her was among the strongest debuts of the previous decade. Take This Waltz doesn't quite reach the heights of that earlier work but its unerring focus on the sometimes dichotomous nature of domesticity and romantic love makes for a powerful interrogation that aligns the two films thematically. With this new film, Polley peels back the facade on a seemingly happy relationship, locating a deep longing widening an already present gap in the marriage of Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen).
Yet another film about a married couple whose friendship remains strong even as their physical connection is waning might not seem like anything new or special, but Polley is a gifted filmmaker who understands that showing us Margot's quiet moments of discontent is a far more effective storytelling strategy than having the character explain her emotional state. While on a business trip, Margot has a chance meeting with Daniel (Luke Kirby), a man who ends up being her new neighbor. Unsurprisingly, her instant attraction to Daniel only widens the gap between her and Lou and it's not long before Margot begins finding daily excuses to run into Daniel..
As is often the case when actors make the transition into directing, the film is truly an actor's piece; Williams is brilliant and Rogen turns in what might be his best performance yet, actually evoking a lot of depth behind the usual nervous joke-making that so often constitutes his on screen persona. Also of note is Sarah Silverman as a relative whose recently won sobriety casts her as a giver of sage advice, particularly when it comes to how not to live one's life.
Take This Waltz is a film that works on almost every level. There's a spare and lived-in quality to the writing and performances that betrays great respect for the audience. Plus, there's the pleasure of watching as Sarah Polley, long one of the better actresses working in independent film, continues to cement the impression that she'll grow into one of the indie world's best directors.
Take This Waltz begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, July 20th.More info available here.
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Playing out like a slightly more benign, Norwegian version of Welcome to the Dollhouse, Jannicke Systad Jacobsen'sTurn Me On, Dammit! was the best thing I saw at this year's PIFF that I didn't end up writing about at the time. Delving into the budding female sexuality of its protagonist, it tells the story of Alma (Helene Bergsholm) whose coming of age is further complicated when a mishap with a boy she likes results in her being ostracized by her peers (could there be a less desirable high school nickname than "dick-Alma?").
Turn Me On, Dammit! doesn't shy away from the more painful aspects of Alma's experience but, mercifully, it does temper the misery with humor and true insight into the adolescent condition. Funny, great stuff; don't miss it.
Turn Me On, Dammit! begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, July 13th.More info available here.
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There's absolutely no doubt after watching Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film I Wishthat his reputation for being among the best two or three directors working in Japan today is well deserved. Relating the story of two brothers, Koichi (Koki Maeda) and Ryunosuke (Ohshirô Maeda), separated by their parents divorce, this is a simply told and greatly observational drama that stands with the director's best work, including Still Walking and his 1998 masterpiece, After Life.
Living with his mother, Koichi quietly mourns the loss of his family life. Early in the film, Kore-eda allows us to see how the divorce has impacted his social life at school, where he's made to feel ashamed when a teacher doles out homework based around the occupations of each student's father. Koichi takes refuge in fantasy and denial and, when news of a new bullet train hits town, he (naturally?) theorizes that the exchange in energy created by the simultaneous passing of old and new trains will grant a wish to anyone who witnesses it.
In addition to the trains, Kore-eda cleverly plays with the dynamic between the old and the new in several places in the film. Koichi repeatedly holds up his current home life against how things were in the past. And his grandfather expresses their distaste for contemporary Japanese sweets by trying to replicate and mass produce a traditional recipe from his youth. Nostalgia is a hallmark in many of Kore-eda's films and, like in his prior work, it's never overemphasized here as much as it flows out of the material with a gentle honesty that's perfectly matched with the material at hand.
Best of all, this is a movie that excels at letting the child actors shed the appearance of performance; it allows these kids to be kids. No doubt, a film involving children dealing with divorce needs to have some gravity, but, thankfully, I Wish doesn't force the type of emotive trauma that's become almost de rigueur in contemporary coming of age cinema. This is a very good film that wisely applies a light and fanciful touch in lieu of the dark theatrics favored by others. And what a refreshing choice that is.
I Wish begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, June 29nd.More info available here.
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Portland certainly has no shortage of film festivals going on throughout the year. Blink and you've probably missed a few already. What our town doesn't have many of, however, is an influx of traveling festivals, curated omnibuses of cinematic goodness brought to our fair city from without. Enter HDFest, a "digital cinema festival" that's crawled all over the globe since its inception some twelve years back.
To quote the statement of purpose from HDFest webpage:
Since 2000, HDFEST has known that high-def and digital cinema are the future of the entertainment industry. Since that time, the festival has been at the heart and core of this revolution. HDFEST has been responsible for numerous historic digital cinema landmark events and technological firsts. Since HDFEST's inception, there have been 23 HDFEST events in 10 cities including LA, NYC, London, Helsinki, Seoul, South Korea and Sydney, Australia.
A still from Leh Wi Tok (Let Us Talk)
Well, add Portland to the above list, as HDFest kicks off this year's series in Portland tonight (5/15) at Living Room Theaters. Over the course of three nights, the festival will host multiple features, including Amy Alyson Fans, DisCONNECTED and Light of Mine (directed by Portland native, Brett Eichenberger). HDFest also has several themed showcases in store for PDX audiences: "romantic relationships & intrigue," hd indie shorts, gay-themed shorts, etc.
A still from Two Boys
Of the films that I was able to preview, I most admired fun and playful animated piece, Place Stamp Here. But I was also taken by the honesty and simplicity of Two Boys, a no-nonsense look at loss that overcomes its lack of visual flair via a commitment to emotional truths. Le Wi Tok (Let Us Talk), focusing on the healing process in the aftermath of war, was, likewise, gripping to encounter.
A still from Place Stamp Here
HDFest opens tonight, Tuesday, May 15th, at Living Room Theaters. More info about the festival available here. Remember to find and "like" us on our Facebook page.
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Meanwhile, 5th Avenue Cinema is hosting an event dubbed Visuals: A Community Film Festival on Fri. the 4th, featuring works by locals. Below is a preview from The New Debutantes, directed by Jarratt Taylor:
And, of course, there's this lil' super hero movie opening all over God's green earth this weekend, too. Looks like I'll be joining the masses by heading out to the 99W Drive-in to catch it tonight:
Until next time...
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