SXSW Part 2 Movies
#15 – Yeast is the first film by Mary Bronstein and stars her, Greta Gerwig and Amy Judd. Yes, it is a mumblecore film but if you could imagine mumblecore being filtered through the Lifetime Network. A control freak deals with her emotionally stunted friends but the problem is that you never really care about any of the characters. You hate all of them. However, if Bronstein’s goal was to show the worst of girls, she definitely succeeded.
# 14 – The Temerity of Zim is a short film about a trouble maker that gets caught with another girl while babysitting the house of his girlfriend. A shotgun comes into play and with a few laughs, the story reveals what really matters to Zim. The film was cute but not the most memorable.
#13 – The Frontrunners is a documentary about the campaign and elections for student body president at Stuysevant High School in New York. As one of the most prestigious schools in the country, the campaign is fairly competitive. Caroline Suh, director, has done previous documentary work for PBS, the History Channel, Sundance and others. The story and people that we follow are fascinating but as a documentary we straddle between following too many characters and the election process. I wanted to know more about each of the people running but enjoyed the time I did get to spend with them.
#12 – The Matador is one of those difficult documentaries that are extremely well made but on a topic that angers me. David Fandila’s quest to become one of the top matadors in Spain is a heroic story but the brutal slaughter of bulls is difficult to view. However, Fandila touches upon the topic and makes a valid point that we allow the continuous slaughter of poultry and cattle to feed the masses.
#11 – Bama Girl is a delightful documentary about an African American taking on the “Machine” at University of Alabama by running for Homecoming Queen. Rachel Goslins directed for the first time with this and did a fairly good job of capturing the narrative structure to tell the story. This is a great movie to open dialogue in a southern college town and I hope that we can show this in Oxford.
#10 – 21. First, I love Jim Sturgess but even my devotion to him couldn’t make me like this film. Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton) directed this (what used to be factual) story about six MIT students that travel to Las Vegas for card counting and end up winning millions. The first problem with this story is that the real character is Jeff Ma, an Asian American played by Sturgess. Wow, if only there were any Asian actors in this world that might have been able to be this character..John Cho, maybe? The larger problem with the film is the lackluster performance from Kate Bosworth and the overall blandness of the story thanks to Luketic. It will be in theaters. People will see it. Maybe I just don’t like movies about card playing. I am not sure.
#9 – Mister Lonely is such a fascinating concept. An American living in Paris as a Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton) who invites him to live in a commune with look alike Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple, Queen Elizabeth, etc. This is a Harmony Korine film (Julien Donkey Boy) so it takes a bit of getting used to his style. There is a side story that I was never able to connect to the main plot but on its own is a fascinating tale of a priest (Werner Herzog, who is brilliant in this) and nuns (The Flying Nun anyone?). There are some beautiful and amusing scenes peppered throughout this film but still I was left shaking my head. However, that is the joy of arthouse cinema..It makes you keep thinking and digging deeper to understand the complexities of the characters and what exactly is the message of the film. This is a film to see and then see again after you have chewed on it and come back to it. My first response was somewhat negative but the movie has grown on me as I continue (a week after seeing it) to think about it.
#8 – We are Wizards is directed by Josh Koury and examines the pop culture fascination of Harry Potter. Yet, the film doesn’t look at all of the culture but rather the hybrid art form that has sprung up over the love of the characters, the new rock bands: Harry and the Potters, the Hungarian Horntails and more. This is a fun look at obsession and how fan culure can expand the original context of something and how fans build their own fan base. Thoroughly enjoyable little doc.
Check out a PSA with Harry and the Potters.
