SXSW/Film Reviews I
This week, I have been attending movies at SXSW /film. I’ve seen quite a few films and will see quite a few more before the week is up. So far:
Narrative Shorts: Included movies Family Tree, The Cutman, A Ninja Pays Half My Rent and My Blind Brother. The Cutman was so-so, it was difficult to get into the main character who’s profession is the title’s namesake. He stands in the boxer corner and between rounds stops the bleeding on any wounds the boxer sustained. Ninja was primarily why I saw this collection. It was the shortest of the films, the most random, and also as entertaining as the title sounds. Both Blind Brother and Family Tree were also entertaining. The latter had the highest production value and more of a story to tell than the others.
Assassination Tango: Robert Duvall (directorial debut/starring)was at the screening as it was the world premiere. I know a lot of actors pretty much do the same schtick in every movie (DeNiro, Pacino) but Duvall has the same laugh, the same mannerisms, EVERYthing is the same for him no matter what movie, what genre. With DeNiro or Pacino, that’s usualy ok because they’re fitting characteristics. With Duvall, it’s a joke. He has the same im-laughing-in-disbelief-unconvincingly and the “what- what do- what do you mean?” repetition of lines to show surprise, joy, anger, or whatever emotion is called for. The movie is about an assassin sent to Argentina for a job and discovers the wonders of tango dancing there. How can assassinations and tango dancing be weaved into one plot? Must be pretty clever. Unless your name is Duvall and your solution is “let’s just make two movies sharing the same character and have no ties between them whatsoever”. Easily the worst movie I’ve seen in the festival.
Sexless: Alex Holdridge (director) and most of the cast were at the screening. This Austin based and created film is about two young couples preparing to leave town and struggling with their relationships. Low production is quickly overshadowed by clever dialogue and a great cast. Perhaps it was the audience, but I found myself laughing really hard on numerous occassions. Plenty of exaggerated truths that have you both empathizing with the characters and laughing at them, too.
Phone Booth: Joel Schumacher (director) was at the screening. He was much more personable than Duvall and less full of himself. He seemed genuinely enthused about the screening and answering the questions. A particularly memorable comment, when asked about establishing the main character’s (played by Colin Farrell) personality, he said, “No, he’s a dick. There is no end to Stu’s dickery.” Phone Booth is a movie about a sniper who pins down a man inside a phone booth. Most of the movie takes place at the phone booth so it’s a considerable challenge to keep the suspense and interest of the audience. Kiefer Sutherland and Farrell’s performances do a good job of building this suspense but loosening the tension a little when it became unbearable. Overall, it easily kept me on the edge of my seat. The movie was originally slated to release last fall but was postponed due to the DC Sniper incidents. It will be releasing mainstream in April.
A Mighty Wind: Chris Guest (director, actor) was supposed to be at the screening but had to leave town beause of a distribution issue. They made it clear that this was not the completed version and should not be reviewed. Suffice it to say that it’s from the creator of This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show and is a mockumentary on Folk Singers. I don’t think it compares to those classics but it was definitely enjoyable.
Three and a Half: Boris Mojsovski (director) was there. The two aspects that drew me to this movie are the various artist mediums being explored and the fact that it’s a Canadian film. Three artists, a director, a painter and a writer, are riding the subway and imagine stories for the other passengers they see. I was intrigued by how they might portray these mediums and how the mediums would interpret stories differently. The three stories deliberately share a theme of solitude and longing so you can draw comparisons between them. The director described the movie as a 90 minute poem. If that’s true, the poem reads with a lot of white space. The cinematography is beautiful but a director knows they cannot keep a gorgeous shot just because it looks good if it doens’t drive the story. Worst still is keeping a gorgeous shot for 20-30 seconds. I’m fairly tolerant of artsy films, even ones that are artsy for the sake of it but aside from the visuals and a few explorations into human nature, I found this film to be excruciating to watch. Scenes were drawn out for no apparent reason. Not for mood, not for tempo … just there.
