Compliance is a troubling, true-crime drama set at a fast food joint. No, it's not about a drive-thru robbery. Instead, director Craig Zobel (Great World of Sound) has a far more insidious tale to tell, one that confronts blind adherence to authority while asking the audience to endure to some fairly icky developments. He's crafted a complex cocktail that raises far more questions than it ever intends on answering and doesn't shy away from interrogating the audience's response to the nightmare it presents.
Zobel opens the picture with a convincingly mundane depiction of life in a fast food restaurant. Most of the workers there are, predictably, teenagers. It's plain to see how the much older manager, Sandra (Ann Dowd), wearily deals with the daily disappointment of still working around fried chicken, barely masking her condescending tone as she leads her crew through a morning meeting. What seems like an average morning shifts abruptly when the phone rings in Sandra's office.
The voice on the other line identifies himself as Officer Daniels (Pat Healy). He claims that one of Sandra's employees, Becky (Dreama Walker), has stolen cash out of a customer's purse. Daniels says the theft has been confirmed because Becky is already under observation for "an unrelated investigation." Since all police personnel is currently tied up with that other investigation, Officer Daniels tells Sandra that she'll need to detain Becky in her office until someone for the department can make it down; which is all fine and good, if somewhat questionable, until the voice on the other line asks Sandra to strip search their suspect.
The request destabilizes our understanding of what's going on here. It's like the film is letting us in on a dirty secret and the impact of that revelation ripples throughout the remainder of the film. What follows is a test of Sandra, the other employees at the restaurant, and the audience itself. Each time the instructions of Officer Daniels are followed, another more invasive command is issued and the tension grows. And we're left to watch as it all unfolds.
This is not a feel-good film. There were moments when I wondered if I'd accidentally stumbled into a torture porn film, such is the level of degradation on offer. Compliance rises above the pointless sadism of that horror subgenre by actually having and coherently delivering a well-organized interrogation of how culpable we are in the structure of evil, refuting the notion that such phenomena ever springs from a single individual. Let's just say that I don't think it's a mistake that Zobel has cast a chicken restaurant as the setting (the incident it's based on happened at a McDonalds).
Bottom line: this movie will be rattling around in your head for weeks after viewing, so powerful are its themes, accusations, and the level of filmmaking on display.
Highly recommended.
Compliance begins its run at Cinema 21 on Friday, September 21st. More info available here.
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It seems like nowadays there's no end of films about folks unable to make it in the adult world. A good deal of these narratives are aimed directly at a male experience (y'know, like most films produced) of arrested development. Refreshingly, Hello I Must Be Going, like last year's Young Adult, has its eye on unpacking the life crisis of a woman in her thirties dealing with a post-divorce depressive spiral.
Amy (Melanie Lynskey) has landed back at her parent's home after being jilted by her ex-husband. There's little indication that she's ready to move on with things anytime soon. She constantly wears a ratty old t-shirt around the house and has developed sleeping patterns more akin to a teenager on summer break. Her mother (Blythe Danner) is reaching the end of her rope with Amy, while Amy's father (John Rubinstein), perhaps due to his own economic worries, appears distracted, willing to allow Amy to figure it out in her own time.
Things begin to shift as Amy encounters Jeremy (Christopher Abbot from Lena Dunham'sGirls), a significantly younger man, at a dinner held at her parent's home. The social engagement is meant to lubricate a possible business arrangement between Amy and Jeremy's fathers, one that would allow Amy's dad to recover enough financially to be able to retire. There's a instantaneous spark between Amy and Jeremy. Despite Amy's sense that the relationship is inappropriate, she quickly gives in to their mutual attraction and begins sneaking around at night with Jeremy.
Directed by actor Todd Louiso (probably best known for playing Dick in High Fidelity), Hello I Must Be Going is an actor's piece. The story doesn't stray too far outside the basic setup and viewers probably will guess how it will all work out fairly early on in the film. The real attraction here is the performances, especially those of Rubinstein and Lynskey who create a believable, organic father/daughter relationship out of very little. Watching them interact, one can easily draw a line between the way he deals with his failures and how she reacts to her own. Whenever they share the screen, there's an intimacy between them that's breathtaking in its quiet, emotional depth.
Overall, Hello I Must Be Going is a modest piece, well-drawn, not too flashy, and peppered with fine, measured acting by its small ensemble. It compares favorably with other unsung indie fare of the past like Tully. It's a film waiting to be discovered by a small, enthusiastic few. With a little luck, perhaps word of mouth will carry it far. Maybe not. Those who do stumble upon it will be pleased that they did.
Hello I Must Be Going begins its run at Regal Fox Tower 10 on Friday, September 21st.More info available here.
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Portland's own Jackpot Records knows how to throw together a music-themed film festival. They've been cobbling together one classic lineup after another for the annual Jackpot Records Film & Music Festival for nine years running now. Past highlights have included hometown screenings of Alan Zweig's fascinating and shocking documentary ode to hoarding Vinyl, a live TV Carnage event, the PDX debut of Jandek in concert, and, of course, enough psych and garage goodies to thrill even the most jaded record nerds in attendance.
This year's fest is "dedicated to misunderstood geniuses and visionaries. The ground breakers that weren’t afraid to reveal the vision of their true selves, their true sound, or their truly irreverent music-loving souls." From the looks of it, the schedule stays true to the intended theme. I saw Jobraith A.D. when it played earlier this year at QDoc; you won't want to miss it.
Pretty much all of these look great, from the tale of record store madness that informs Rhino Resurrected to one man's late-in-life play for a music career in Charles Bradley: Soul of America there's certainly something for everyone (my enduring love for Mudhoney, for instance, will surely be sated by Tuesday night's feature, I'm Now: The Story of Mudhoney).
Admission is a paltry five smackers per night. You can't beat that with a stick.
And now, here are the trailers:
The Jackpot Film & Music Festival runs from Monday, September 24th through Friday, September 28th at the Bagdad Theater.More info available here.
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Is it already time for another installment of Kung Fu Theater at the Hollywood Theatre? Man, this year is just slipping through my hands! Well, back to the good news: KUNG FU on a big ass screen, projected from a rare 35mm print! And, boy, do Dan and the crew at the Hollywood have a real treat in store for faithful attendees this month. It's a Shaw Brothers classic directed by Kung Fu Theater favorite Chang Cheh: 1978s Crippled Avengers.
As per usual, buying tickets in advance is advisable, as these events regularly sell out.
Here's the details courtesy of Kung Fu Theater's release:
On Tuesday September 18th at 7:30pm, Kung Fu Theater presents an extremely rare 35mm print of the martial arts classic Crippled Avengers.
The Venom Mob star as a group of men each individually attacked and left crippled. One is blind, one is deaf and mute, one legless, and one mentally challenged. Now they must each learn unique kung fu to overcome their disabilities and exact revenge on the person responsible: the ruthless man with the iron hands! Get ready for non-stop martial arts mayhem, wild acrobatics, and homoerotic funky style (did ancient kung fu masters really roam the Chinese countryside bare-chested, sporting huge sideburns?) Directed by Chang Cheh.
35mm kung fu trailers before the movie.
Crippled Avengers plays one-night-only at the Hollywood Theatre on Tuesday, September 18th at 7:30pm. More info available here.
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Okay, the general rule of thumb: if a local theater plays a film by legendary Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa, you go. No overthinking it, no waffling necessary: JUST GO! Beginning this afternoon, the Hollywood Theatre is offering up an excellent opportunity to practice your adherence to that basic movie going principle. Once again proving their brilliance at repertory programming, they've wrangled a 35mm print of Seven Samurai.
Yes, Seven Samurai is almost 3 1/2 hours long and it's in Japanese; sure, you could spend that time downing quite a few Hamms while playing Tiddlywinks (or whatever you kids get up to nowadays). Here's the skinny, though: your life will have far more meaning if you forgo the routine and dive into the deep end with A.K. and Mifune (Toshirô, if you're nasty). This is some serious top shelf cinema here. So put down the remote, get off yer duff, and get thee to the Hollywood for what may be the greatest film ever made. Seriously, this film's got mileage...can I get an amen?
Seven Samurai begins a three day engagement at the Hollywood Theatre beginning on Saturday, September 15th.More info available here.
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Several months ago, I came across an article on Laughing Squid about a quirky looking, new documentary called Bible Storyland. The film deals with the discovery of conceptual artwork and plans for a large, 1960s Bible-themed amusement park by one Harvey Jordan, an art-collector/dealer from Southern California. Although (or maybe because) the park was never built, Harvey's interaction with these long-forgotten artifacts send him off on a journey to learn the behind the scenes secrets of Bible Storyland. Driven by his own doubts and fears, Harvey chases after the abandoned dreams of the park's would-be-entrepreneurs to the detriment of his family and, perhaps, his own best interests.
I'll be running a review of the film in the very near future, so keep an eye out for that posting. In the meantime, Bible Storyland director Stephanie Hubbard took some time to speak to me about the film. Here's how our conversation went down:
NICK: Can you tell us a little bit about how you became involved in telling the story of Bible Storyland? Did Harvey Jordan approach you with his discovery of the design sketches, paintings, and a forgotten tale of 1960s Americana or did you stumble upon the subject matter some other way?
STEPHANIE: Harvey came to my workshop then as I worked with him on ideas of how to make the film - he suggested that I be the director. I said no at first, but he persisted, and ultimately I took on the role, and I'm glad I did.
NICK: What elements tend to be present for you to begin thinking about telling a story via a film or documentary treatment?
STEPHANIE: I'm always looking for transformation...and funding.
NICK: Your film is ostensibly about Harvey’s quest to research a biblically inspired theme park that was never built. But a fascinating thing happens as the story moves forward: the focus shifts from Harvey’s detective work to become a portrait of Harvey himself, his fears and relentless drive to solve the mystery at the heart of Bible Storyland are all laid bare.
Was there a moment during the production when you began to understand that the story was moving in a whole different direction? And, if so, was there some initial discomfort at coming to the realization that the project would be much more of a character piece than an investigation of Bible Storyland itself?
STEPHANIE: Well thank you - I'm glad you found it to be fascinating.
When I was first exposed to the material and to Harvey - I knew that Bible Storyland was a jumping off point for something more - and that more had to be there to make it a film worth making. So before production began I knew it had to be bigger than Bible Storyland. I also knew from talking to Harvey that there were issues afoot in his household - that his wife was not being supportive - in fact, before we started shooting, he came very close to quitting. So - in answer to your question: I had no discomfort at the realization that it would be more of a character piece - I knew that's what it needed to be. Fortunately Harvey and Debi trusted me and themselves to tell the story.
NICK: Obsession appears to be the main theme forwarded by the film. As we follow Harvey, he encounters what begins to feel like an endless series of dead ends to finding out the truth about Bible Storyland, none of which discourage him enough to abandon his investigation.
Far more curious is Harvey’s admission that he’s developing a sense of kinship with Nat Winecoff, the forgotten early Disney exec turned chief instigator of the Bible Storyland project, even going so far as to begin talking as if he plans to break ground on the long-abandoned Bible Storyland construction himself.
How many years did Harvey end up devoting to this project? Do you think it’s fair to say that at a certain point along the line that the quest began to take over Harvey’s life?
STEPHANIE: By the time we finished the film - Harvey had spent 10 years - now it's been eleven years.
Yes it's fair to say on the one hand that the quest took over Harvey's life. On the other hand, Harvey has a variety of interests (including his meditation - he goes on one or two ten day silent meditation retreats a year in the time I've known him) (and Debi doesn't like him to go on those either) that he finds engaging and interesting.
NICK: Do you see his particular form of obsession as pointing to a larger, societal trend or issue?
STEPHANIE: I think that it's fair to say many many people don't like everything about their daily lives, and are looking for ways to escape. A lot of folks just watch TV - and get really into a show (I have friends who both work on The Bachelorette and others who seem to live for it) or into movies - other people get into complicated hobbies - like Live Action Role Playing - or motocross - or what ever that might be.
One thing that struck me about Harvey's quest is that it was essentially very lonely. He was the only guy going after the Bible Storyland Story - and I think he really liked the uniqueness of his quest. Other people get a hold of something and it makes them part of a group and that's the appeal. That was not the case with Harvey.
NICK: Okay, so do you feel that Harvey’s compulsion becomes easier to identify with because, to a certain degree, so many of us are driven by passions that aren’t always rooted in reality?
STEPHANIE: Well, as a filmmaker - I really related to Harvey's quest.
Most of the people I know here in Los Angeles are driven by similar passions, though I'm happy to say that in my community I think my friends are increasingly rooted in reality. But to be an artist working to make art - especially an expensive and essentially speculative art form like filmmaking - the passion almost has to be detached from reality.
It's interesting - because as I was making this film about Harvey becoming unhinged in an artful quest for Bible Storyland, the protagonist of my second book (a novel) was feeling that all this time spent and dedicated to pursuit of her art form had actually been a betrayal to herself - now she was past 45 years old, still an artist, and still struggling in a rotting rent controlled apartment, seething with jealousy at anyone who had health insurance much less a pension. It was almost as if the Harvey project was success enough to free me to explore this angry aspect of the life I'd created for myself as a working artist.
I think that it's very important in my work to explore the domestic, the struggle to express oneself amid the daily constraints of paying the rent or picking up the kid. That's what I think is interesting, and what I think Bible Storyland managed to explore just a little bit.
NICK: Harvey really commits to putting himself out there as a subject, allowing the audience to see some fairly unflattering and tense moments in his domestic life, as well as more than a few confessional and crisis-driven moments along the way. I’ve got to say that it’s really inspiring to see his growth as a character from the time we meet Harvey until the point where the film reaches it’s conclusion.
Was featuring so much of Harvey’s personal life a process of negotiation between you, Harvey, and his family? Did the necessity of telling the story the way you did become more evident once you entered the editing room or were those decisions arrived at before you began cutting the film?
STEPHANIE: As I said in the beginning - I knew I wanted and needed to include Harvey's story even before we started shooting. What I didn't know was how much they'd show me. The good news was that from the very first or second shoot - they were on board. I never asked them for permission or negotiated anything. I and my cameraman would just show up with cameras and Harvey and his family lived their lives.
Once we hit the editing room then began the waltz to really hit the right mix. I felt it was really important to find that line where Debi's frustration was understandable, and where Harvey's transformation was complete. I've also done this long enough to know to edit almost to the end before we were done shooting - that way after I had screened it and gotten notes and knew where I needed to bring elements forward, I was able to have one last day of shooting to gather it all.
Too often I've seen filmmakers think that there were two discrete phases: shooting - then when that's done - cutting. It's much better for there to be a time of capturing but for that to overlap with cutting, input, more cutting - and then more shooting. Sometimes it's simply not possible, but more often then not it's entirely possible.
NICK: Congrats on bringing the film to completion. I think it’s a really solid piece.
You’ve taken Bible Storyland to a few festivals now. What’s the reception to the film been like so far? You’re currently selling the dvd on your website. Are you still looking to tour the film in various cities?
STEPHANIE: Thanks very much. I was very lucky to have a great producer who really gave me free rein with my artistic vision and really made himself available. It was a really wonderful experience which he and I have both really appreciated.
We've actually only premiered the film in July in San Antonio, and people were really engaged and really enjoyed it. The film just ran a couple of days ago at the Kingston Film Festival, but we weren't there. This upcoming week, it will be shown as part of DocUtah.
Yes we sell the DVD on the site - but it's really fun to watch in a crowded theater - lots of laughing and self recognition. And yes we are currently looking to tour the film in various cities. We'd love to bring it to Portland.
NICK: It’s kind of an uncertain time as far as distribution for independently produced films is concerned. What’s your experience of self-distributing a film in today’s crowded market been like so far?
STEPHANIE: We are not actually self distributing it YET. We are represented by Cargo Films Releasing and David Piperni. We have been making the rounds of festivals. We are currently actually (and frankly very surprising to me) in the process of pursuing a small theatrical release.
I really hope we are able to run in Portland and attend.
As far as standing out in today's crowded market: here is what I will say: I feel that Bible Storyland is the way I like documentaries to be: fun, and edgy and warm and unexpected. When I think of what has influenced my storytelling in this film, I keep coming back to "The Big Lebowski", fun and edgy and warm and unexpected - full of twists and turns - and ultimately: "The Dude Abides".
One by one - we find our viewers: people looking for documentaries that are fun, and edgy and warm and unexpected and who don't get scared by the title.
NICK: Looking to the future, do you have any projects in the works or any that you’re excited to begin developing?
STEPHANIE: Actually I have a few projects. I just completed a Kickstarter Campaign for my next film, for the time being, it's called, The Improv Movie - and it tracks a top level comedy improv team and the concept of "Group Mind" in a fun way of course.
I've also been working with my good friend Joanna Vassilatos on an album - I've written the words, she's the vocalist and doing the music and we are working together with Sasha Smith to producer it.
I have finished my second book (you can find out about my first at www.bluffislandrescueservice.com) and I'm partnering with an amazing producer on a documentary series that i can't talk about yet, but which is really cool.
In the meantime I'm story producing for folks making a documentary about BronyCon - and teaching my workshops - and writing my blog at www.thedocumentaryinsider.com. Also for the record, I have health insurance, and do not live in a rotting apartment (anymore).
Bible Storyland is available for sale on the film's website. More info available here.
The early word on the street about Spike Lee'sRed Hook Summer was that it would be a return to his early storytelling concerns. And, yes, there are plenty of signs that Lee was attempting to mine his back catalog with this new project. There's the return to a decaying and poor urban setting, the Crooklynesque device of a kid coming of age via an extended stay in an unfamiliar place, and then, there's the very brief return of Lee as Mookie, his character from his 1989 masterpiece Do the Right Thing. All these things do not, it turns out, add up into a Spike Lee film for the ages. Even though it's not among his best, Red Hook Summer still contains moments that remind viewers why they paid attention to Lee in the first place.
The film opens up on young Flik (Jules Brown) traveling to stay with his grandfather (Clarke Peters of "The Wire" and "Treme" fame), a pious bishop of a small, struggling church in the heart of "da Red Hook." Flik's never met his grandfather and the two immediately butt heads over technology (Flik's iPad), diet, and faith. Hanging around the church, Flik soon befriends Chazz (Toni Lysaith), a girl his age who attends services there. Chazz serves as a sort of tour guide to Red Hook, walking around with Flik to the neighborhood spots that his grandfather would probably rather he not visit, all while a playful antagonism/flirtation develops between the kids.
What's missing here is Lee's usually strong ability to commit to a
dominant story thread amidst all the texture building side arcs regularly peppered into the mix of his films. As a result, Red Hook Summer feels very uneven at times, sporting long passages searching for a larger theme to anchor them. During the first third of the film, there's a never ending stream of r&b pop balladry mucking up the sound mix. There's nothing wrong with the songs in and of themselves but their constant presence end up dampening the onscreen action; I kept wishing I could turn down the volume on just the music, feeling like the work would approach a more realistic and appropriate tone without it.
Eventually, the film does settle into something a bit more consistent. The omnipresent music shifts away from being dominated by pop music, replaced mostly by a score written for the film by Bruce Hornsby(?!). The strongest work here is done by Peters, most effectively in scenes when he's behind the pulpit, dramatically convulsing and raging against inequity and the ills of society. But then the film takes a sharp left turn with a third act reveal that's shockingly off-kilter with the tone that Lee's established for his movie. It's probably the best, most lucid part of the film, but it's so in conflict with the rest of the picture that it comes off like an excerpt from an entirely different, perhaps better, film.
For those in need of a scorecard, here's my final word on the picture: it falls somewhere in between the best and the not so great works in Lee's filmography. Those who find his films interesting even when they're flawed - and film is plenty flawed - will find some things to latch on to here. I found the movie soared unexpectedly in several moments, despite the long periods where it could barely get off the ground.
Red Hook Summer begins its run at the Hollywood Theatre on Friday, September 7th.More info available here.
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