Audience Member
Well, I decided to finally touch this thing again, and give my only about a month late review of the flicks I caught at Sundance. So fasten your seatbelts and any other belts you may have on your person, cause is going to be a long boring ride, like the one you took to your grandma's house when you were seven but you forgot your Gameboy so all you had to do was sit there and your parents were listening to NPR THE WHOLE TIME!
[u]The Emperor's Journey[/u]
The Emperor's Journey is a pseudo-documentary about penguin migration habits during the mating season. Whoa sit down now hoss it ain't in theatres yet, you'll just have to hold your excitement. It's a good little movie entertaining at times. It has an interesting concept in that through narration it tries to tell it's story from the first-person perspective of a family of penguins. Clutch? Not a flock, but smaller. What do you call a family of penguins? The method works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. There are more than a few times when it seems rather silly, but at least it manages to get us involved in it's characters (in this movie, characters seemed more appropriate nomenclature than subjects), which is quite an accomplishment for what is essentially a nature doc. It also features one of, no, the single most terrifying sea lion I've seen in my life. And I've been to France.
[u]Kung Fu Hustle[/u]
This was my first foray into the films of Stephen Chow. I still need to see Shaolin Soccer, but it's always checked out at my local Hollywood. But to the matter at hand. Kung Fu Hustle is very awesome. From the opening dance numbers to the crazy fights to the Looney Tunes inspired wackiness, it rarely slows down. It's a manic thrill ride, mocking and embracing the cliches of the martial arts genre as it goes. Chow himself is the main character, and he's very funny. He plays a sad sack loser who may or may not be the savior of the earth. There are a couple great supporting performances, most notably Yuen Qiu as the landlady for a building in Pig Sty Alley, where most of the action is focused. Whenever she's on screen, she's the center of attention, and she's almost always hillarious. The fight scenes don't disapoint, there always funny and often exciting. The movie as a whole is a thrill to watch, and it's gotten me excited about seeing the other films Chow has made.
[u]High School Record[/u]
Couldn't find a listing for this one on RT, which isn't surprising as it's a very small little film. I'd give it a 7 or an 8 for those of you keeping score, but my ratings change like the wind, so don't attach any sort of significance to that number. High School Record is a very basic movie. It's a "documentary" much like the work of Christopher Guest, though not as out-and-out funny and more down to earth. The film tracks the final year of high school for a group of students, nerdy Caleb (Dean Spunt), his girlfriend Sabrina (Jenna Thornhill), popular girl Erin (Jennifer Calvin) and "rebel" Eddie (Bobby Sandoval). They all share a drama class taught by the ditzy Ms. Farewell (Becky Stark.) The film can be very funny at times, and very real at times. The characters have a reality to them I haven't seen in a teen movie since Fast Times at Ridgmont High. There are a lot of stories going on, but the best of the bunch is the relationship between Caleb and Sabrina. They feel like real teenagers. They like each other quite a bit, but they can be very mean to each other too. They're attracted to other people, and feel guilty and angry about it at the same time. It feels like we're watching real people when they're the focus of the story. Sadly though, the film spends too much of it's time on Ms. Farewell. In a film who's greatest asset is it's reality, she stands out too much. She's a caricature, and not a very good one. She's the butt of many of the movie's jokes, and her relationship with the students is contrived. Other than that, the acting is very good, particularly from Spunt, Thorhill, and Sandoval, though at times you can tell they don't have a lot of experience in front of a camera. It's still a good movie, and I'd cautiously recomend it.
[u]Mirrormask[/u]
This was the highlight of the festival for me. I had to ditch tickets for The Upside of Anger to see it, but I'm glad I did. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean were at the screening to talk about the movie and to do a Q&A afterwards, which was very cool. On to the film itself. It's incredible. This'll probably be used a lot in advertising for the movie, but it's like nothing I've seen before. Even if you've seen a lot of McKean's artwork, the way it comes to life is truly wonderful. The world really feels like a dream, and the assortment of characters that occupy it are funny, scary, and beautiful to look at, often at the same time. The movie isn't just a pretty picture though, there are times when it's sad, when it's scary, and when it's very funny. Fans of the Red Dwarf TV show should catch it because of a brilliant cameo by Robert Llewellyn, playing a riddle-telling Gryphon. Gaiman's fans won't be disapointed. The story may at fist seem like a basic retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but it takes a different turn about half way through. Don't forget, in Gaiman's works, nothing is ever just a dream. One of the things that really surprised me about Mirrormask was the acting. Stephanie Leonidas does a fantastic job as Helena, wholly believable as a 14 year old, in between being a girl and becoming a young woman. The supporting cast is quite good, including the aforementioned Llewellyn. Also stealing screen time is Jason Barry as Valentine, Helena's guide/travelling companion/juggling partner. He's very funny, and has quite a few of the film's best lines. Gina McKee and Rob Brydon do a great job as Helena's parents, and as their other roles within the dreamworld. Everything in Mirrormask adds up to a great whole, and it is something everyone should see at least once.
[u]Lackawanna Blues[/u]
I had rated this one, but I deleted it to get room for Hustle & Flow, which I couldn't add anyway, so there you go. I'd give it a 6, or a 5 if I was in a bad mood. Lackawanna Blues is a mess. There's no sense of pacing, characters are dropped in and out of it seemingly at random, it's loaded with cliches, and most of the script is pretty cheesy. Why am I giving it a fresh rating then? S Epatha Merkerson. She is incredibly in this. Much like her character carries everyone around her, she carries this film. Without her, it would have no reason to exist. She is forceful, tender, and unlike everything around her, heartbreakingly real. She brings even the silliest of lines and the campiest of situations a firey reality, and when she is not on screen, the film suffers greatly. The only other thing worth mentioning is Jeffrey Wright's turn as a resident of Merkerson's building, but he is sorely underused, though his once good scene is interesting. Lackawanna Blues is on HBO now, but it's not up to their usual calibre for original programing, though I'd recomend watching it just for Merkerson.
[u]The Education of Shelby Knox[/u]
Also wasn't listed by RT, I'd give it a 9. This is a great documentary, and not what it may at first seem. Shelby Knox is a resident of Lubbock, Texas, and at the beginning of the movie, has joined a group who's goal is to remove abstinence only teaching from the schools and institute teaching birth control in its place. Though it may seem an issue film, very quickly it becomes something more. What it really is about is one person's capacity for growth. Shelby starts the film as a conservative Texas girl, who joins the group perhaps for popularity, perhaps for extracurriculars. We see her at church interacting with her family, and interacting with the other students in her project. In one of the early scenes, she joins an organization called "True Love Waits," "pledging" her virginity to her future husband. Very quickly though, she begins questioning her religion. Her faith in God and in Christ never wavers, but she doubts some of the things she is taught in church. She doesn't understand why the church should be opposed to teaching birth control, or why they seem to advocate hate against homosexuals. By the end of the film, Shelby is a different person then when it started, and it is a fascinating journey to take.
[u]The Squid and the Whale[/u]
This one was one of my most anticipated for the festival. After Baumbach's collabaration with Wes Anderson on The Life Aquatic (which I was disapointed with) I was curious to see what he'd do on his own. The result is equal to Anderson's best, while being wholy seperate from it. I was worried at first that S&W would try to emulate Anderson's style, but in fact it has a voice all it's own. There may be some similarities, such as the style of character interactions and dialogue, but it's all Baumbach, and little Anderson. Squid and the Whale is an autobiographical account of Baumbach's parents divorce. Though the name's have been changed, it's easy to see how personal this story is to Baumbach. He treats each of his characters with care and understanding, and though some come off as worse than others (notably Daniels') nobody alone is the villain, or the cause of all the problems. The acting is stellar. Jeff Daniels is at the top of his game, and he is matched step for step by Laura Linney. Jesse Eisenberg is all right, though at times he comes across as one note, and Owen Kline is very good as the younger brother. Even Billy Baldwin is alright, though his character doesn't have any real depth. Squid and the Whale is a great film, and one I expect most on RT would see without me telling them too.
[u]Hustle and Flow[/u]
The big movie this year at Sundance. I got tickets to the last showing, and the theater was packed. It had phenomenal hype going into it, and though it wasn't quite as good as I'd heard, it didn't disapoint. Hustle and Flow is the story of a pimp (Terrence Howard) who is tired of his life and decides to change it. With the help of some of his friends and some of his hos, he attempts to become a rapper. The story is fairly formulaic, but the acting and writing elevate above standard fare. Howard is fantastic. He inhabits his character perfectly, and never slips. The other standouts are Taryn Manning and Elise Neal, as Howard's prostitutes. Manning is very good in a complex role. She's sad and believable, and her relationship with Howard's DJay is equally so. Manning rises to the challenge. Neal's character is less interesting, but she does a very good job as well. Anthony Anderson isn't as annoying as he could of been. His character is much more laid back than Anderson's other work, and he doesn't try to go over the top. DJ Qualls seems tossed in just for laughs, but he has one very good scene where he talks about rap, that shows that he has potential if given the right role. Hustle and Flow is a very good movie, one which I suspect could catch on with the general public, and though it may not live up to the hype out of Sundance, it's still a very solid movie.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
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