SUNDANCE 2011: JESS + MOSS

JESS + MOSS is a really wonderful film about two kids (Jess is 18, Moss is 12) and their summer in Kentucky.  While the two seem an unlikely duo due to their age difference, they are actually the best of friends and know each other better than anyone.  Dealing with tragedy (Moss's parents passed away tragically) they find ways to relate.  But the story is not really why you should see this film.  It's really more of a concept film than an actual plot-driven film.  Because, nothing really happens.  Yep, there is no plot.  However, you do learn an awful lot about these characters throughout the course of the film.  In a way, it sort of reminds me Kristen Dunst's MARIE ANTOINETTE in that nothing happens, but then so much happened, too.  However, unlike MARIE ANTOINETTE, these characters have a real arc and history (no pun intended).

The film concentrates on the theme of memory.  A fascinating choice when you consider that memories are probably the most precious personal commodity we have, but the least tangible.  With dealing with the families and their lives we see these two connect in unusual and unexpected ways.  And the film holds true to using memory not just in the front-of-camera arena, but behind the camera, too.  Well, really its IN the camera.  You see, this film uses expired and degraded film stocks.  What does this mean?  Well, first off, in the new era of digital media, this film is actually shot on 16mm film.  Shocker for a low-budget indie shot on the director's parent's farm in Kentucky.  But the "expired and degraded" part means that this was film that was not supposed to be used.  The effect is magical.  With a film all about memory, the partially destroyed, weakened, and sometimes grainy film evokes the theme of memory.  It's as if we as an audience are remembering the story of JESS + MOSS and the details are fuzzy.  Its absolutely brilliant.

The actors, Jess (played by Sarah Hagen, best known for BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and FREAKS AND GEEKS) and Moss (newcomer Austin Vickers) are a vibrant pair.  With Hagen's street cred and unusual looks and voice, she lends a whimsical, vintage hispter vibe to the young Kentucky native, in a realistic and also moving way.  And then Vickers presents Moss sweetly and naively but we see him grow and develop over the film and his acting, though clearly he was a novice, is really not too bad.  But I must say without Hagen there to lend support, Vickers would have fallen short.  But there are some real moments when Vickers is honest and vulnerable, a difficult task for such a new actor.

Overall, this film is highly worth the watch.  Though it certainly would not be for everyone.  It's artsy, but not annoyingly so.  It's plotless, but has an arc.  And it is a fantastic study on memories and how we keep people and things alive after they've gone.

Rent/Buy/Go See JESS + MOSS if...
-you like Sarah Hagen (you will not be disappointed).
-you like "plot less" shows that are really just an exploration of character.
-you like good cinema without the flash and whirlygigs of tentpoles.

See the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ9PJ7zRLTU&feature=youtube_gdata

SUNDANCE SHORT: THIS IS NOT A SUIT

SUNDANCE 2011: SHORT FILMS: THIS IS NOT A SUIT.

THIS IS NOT A SUIT is a short film by A. Sauvage is part advertisement part art.  A. Sauvage is a tailor who presents fashion shows at the world's largest arenas, like London Fashion Week.  His clean cut style and classic lines transfers to not only his clothing lines (entitled THIS IS NOT A SUIT), but also to his short film.  

The film explores what it means to be an artist, a designer, and a tastemaker.  Best of all, the film itself is artistic with design aesthetics, and a tastemaker itself.  With it's white background, the suit stands forward as the main character - seconded only by the man who wears it.  The film not only is a character study into the designer himself, but into the idea of what an artist is.  With a smirk and a wink, the short not only manages to advertise his suits (which are classically gorgeous), but it makes a statement about arts and where artists are in our society.  With its dated (yes, dated, but with nostalgia, too) voiceover the film feels like it came out of the 1960s instead of the 21st century.  This gives the film some wit, some charm, and some real class.  With its MAD MEN feel, the film reminds us of the importance of art in our daily lives - including what we wear.  And like the big tent-pole movies, the combination of art and commerce is entangled in this short.  This short is a MUST-SEE.

See it if:

You like design and fashion.

You like quirky, smirking shorts.

You like Mad Men.  

You find the journey and charisma of the artist fascinating. 

BEST OF ALL: See it on You Tube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2HfNg3ScM0

SUNDANCE 2011: SUBMARINE IS A MUST-SEE.

SUNDANCE 2011: SUBMARINE

SUBMARINE (directed by Richard Ayoade, executive produced by Ben Stiller) is a must-see from the 2011 Sundance line up.  This brit comedy is about an adolescent boy who must deal with his mother's infidelities and his girlfriend's mother's illness.  In this quick-witted and quirky film, lead actor Craig Roberts plays the precocious Oliver Tate with style and effectiveness.  Opposite Roberts is young actress Yasmin Paige who plays a strong-willed teen with grace and serious acting chops.  These two shine in this world where sometimes keeping the outside at a distance is the only way to survive, until eventually you must deal with it.

However, the real star is the film's style.  With it's independent vibe, but commercial appeal, it may be 2011's version of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.  The editing is fantastic.  Using freeze-frames, eye-contact with the camera, and separate monologues with black backgrounds break the classic narrative flow, but are incredibly effective.  These moments allow the audience to focus on a small change in the scene, emphasizing a reaction or plot point.  All in all, this film's editing and execution is what drives it and sets it apart from other coming of age stories.

This film has charm.  That's probably the best way to describe it.  Charm.  And with it's Brit humor and confidence, I am sure it will be picked up for a (at the very least) a limited engagement in NY and LA theatres.  However, if it doesn't get to a city near you, keep it on your Netflix and DVD list, it's worth it.

GO SEE IT IF:
You like coming of age stories.
You like Brit humor.
You like a little quirk and charm.
You like self-reflexive films (ie films that know they are films, and are not edited classically).

Below is a humorous description of the film from the perspective of the lead character, Oliver Tate (the precocious 15 year old):

I have been waiting too long for the film of my life. My name is Oliver Tate. This film will capture my particular idiosyncrasies, for example, the way I seduce my classmate Jordana Bevan using only my mind.  Also, since my parents’ marriage is being threatened by a man who runs courses on Mental and Physical Wellbeing, the film will probably feature some elaborate set-pieces of me taking him down. There will be helicopter shots. There will be slow-mo, but also transcendent moments, like when I cure my father’s depression. Knowing me as I do, I will be surprised if this film runs to less than three hours. Note to the press: appropriate adjectives to describe this film include “breath-taking” and “irresistible” as well the phrase: “a monumental achievement”.




SEE TRAILER AND DIRECTOR INTERVIEW AT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L6p3ZU2EeU


STAY TUNED FOR MORE SUNDANCE 2011 REVIEWS!

SUNDANCE 2011: THE NINE MUSES Is UnInspired

  

Sundance 2011: Reviews: THE NINE MUSES

So, I watched John Akomfrah's THE NINE MUSES at the Yarrow Theatre in Park City, Utah during the ten day festival.  And I must say, "A" for the concept, "F" for the execution.  The film is based on Homer's THE ODYSSEY (a great start to a film) and uses text from the lyrical and poetic classic to discuss the life of an immigrant.  Since Homer's THE ODYSSEY is all about coming home, this suits the immigrant-tale since he is always searching for home or for a new home.  Great.

This is where it gets a little rocky.  Akomfrah starts to use quoted passages not from THE ODYSSEY, but from passages from such authors as: Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson.  Now, I have no problem quoting other works, especially as important as these and the others he quoted.  However, my problem results when there lacks focus.  When each section of the film (which corresponds to the nine muses) is diverse it can be difficult to hold them together.  Not to mention that he uses the most chiched passages from these authors.  Most of which I could quote myself from memory.  Now I understand that the familiarity can breed a connection to the work.  It can also breed a lot of unimagined cliches.

Now, add to the pile of stuff, some music.  Don't get me wrong its great soothing, mysterious original tones, but it was present the whole movie.  Which then becomes repetitive.  Now, add to this the static (and I mean static) images of a man in a yellow (sometimes blue, sometimes red) parka standing in the middle of a path looking at a mountain (sometimes a road, sometimes on a boat).  Now I understand isolated individuals looking out contemplatively can work to create a feeling of solidarity, but when it is the entire 90 minutes (and did I mention they were static) it becomes trite.  I literally thought they were photographs (not moving film) until I saw a bird fly by, which reminded me that Akomfrah did this static style on purpose.  For the entire film.

Now, some of the more interesting parts were when they intercut BBC archival footage of various things. However, it was so haphazard and difficult to follow along that I often did not know what was in the footage and how it related.  Perhaps intertitles with the situation and the date could have been useful to connect the dots for us.  Which is too bad, cause that could have saved the film.  

 Like I said, the idea was particularly interesting and if it took it upon itself to follow one man on his own odyssey (much like Homer did), using the music and Homer's words, with some explained inter-splicing of the BBC footage, the film could have been a knockout.  So concept was amazing (and the write up in the SUNDANCE book, too), but the film did not hold up in person, which is a real shame.

STAY TUNED: For more SUNDANCE 2011 Reviews!

SUNDANCE 2011

This is the first of many reviews of SUNDANCE 2011. I plan on reviewing the various feature length and short films that I saw over the four days I was at the festival, but first, I want to give a little background information for any SUNDANCE novices out there.

The SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL is a festival that occurs for 10 days in January. The festival is located in Park City, Utah, just 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. It is the largest and most well-known independent film festival in the United States. The festival was founded in 1978 by Sterling Van Wagenen under the name Utah/US Film Festival. However, with the involvement of Robert Redford (for all intensive purposes, the real founder) in 1981 it moved from September to January, hoping to attract Hollywood types with it's ski resort location and timing. Then, in 1991 Redford changed the name to SUNDANCE, named after his break out role opposite long-time cohort Paul Newman in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. In this film Redford played the Sundance Kid and thus the name of the festival was solidified.

Many directors and films have had their big break come from being a part of the coveted official selection of SUNDANCE. This list includes but is not limited to: Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky, SAW, GARDEN STATE, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, RESERVOIR DOGS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, CLERKS, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, PRECIOUS and NAPOLEON DYNOMITE (just to name a few).

The festival has a competition as each of the selections are divided into categories (dramatic, comedic, documentary etc...). The most coveted award is the Grand Jury Award, followed by the Audience Award (voted on by the audience at the festival). These awards help these small films find an audience and perhaps even a distribution company.

That brings me to: Why SUNDANCE? Well, the point of film festivals is for small films and green talent to gain some exposure. The best scenario for any film or filmmaker is to find a distributor for their film. A great example of this is LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, which played at SUNDANCE and then was distributed for a theatrical release. It then went on to win two Oscars. For the actors, its a way to rub elbows with Hollywood and gain some networking perks. For anyone, getting into SUNDANCE is a big deal and an important step for their career.

How does it work? Well there are numerous theaters where each film plays a few times (usually 4-5 times). You buy a ticket (or wait in the waitlist line) and see the film. After the film, the director (and often times the cast and crew) are there to lead a Q&A with the audience. Perhaps they will even stick around for photos and additional one-on-one time with audience members. Then SUNDANCE also hosts various panel discussions, further Q&A's, concerts and parties. SUNDANCE is a great way to network with film buffs, execs, and stars.

STAY TUNED: for reviews on the films I screened in the next postings.