Tribeca 2012 Daily Recap: April 26th

Today was a fairly solitary experience at Tribeca. No industry cocktails or drinks with filmmakers. Just 3 films, a few press lounge pitstops for free Magnum ice cream and a few moments of conversation with Jeremy Wein from ThisMyShow.net.

ANY DAY NOW may have a story that seems fitting for a Lifetime Movie of the Week but that doesn’t change the fact that it is a incredibly well crafted film full of surprisingly powerful performances. Despite being set in the late 70s, it shares an important message that is still relevant today. The film never feels too heavy-handed and has some funny comedic beats sprinkled throughout. While it didn’t get my tear ducts flowing, quite a few people left the theater with tissues in hand so it appears I was not the only one moved by it. With less than 5 minutes until my next screening, I went straight to the next film. I had originally planned to see JACK & DIANE but after hearing some less than stellar critiques, I opted for something a little more light-hearted.

LOLA VERSUS is the story of Lola (Greta Gerwig) who is dumped by her fiancé right before her wedding so she sleeps with a couple of guys and bitches about love while trying to find herself. I am oversimplifying it but this is a perfect example of the type of comedies I complained about yesterday. The film is entertaining but it just felt like everyone was trying way too hard. While some of the dialogue is genuinely witty, other moments felt completely forced. I am a huge fan of pop culture references in dialogue (as known by anyone who has seen any of my work) but it needs to fit naturally into the conversation or it runs into the danger of coming across as a desperate attempt to seem hip. Overall, the film had a general feeling that it was made by indie-minded creatives trying to appeal to both mainstream and arthouse audiences. In my opinion, some of it worked but more of it didn’t.

Regardless of the film, I would like to commend Daryl Wein on his passion for the project. He apparently showed up to the press screening for a Q & A which I’ve never heard of anyone actually doing for press. Unfortunately, it was not announced and nearly everyone was already gone so he just left. It is too bad because I would have been interested in hearing what he had to say and possibly chatting with him about the film. If it is any consolation Daryl, I once did a Q & A via Skype for my film STUCK LIKE CHUCK where only 3 people stayed after the film. Yeah, that probably doesn’t change anything. I still commend him for the effort. Following the screening and a super quick lunch at my new favorite TFF dining establishment, 2 Bros. Pizza, I rushed back to Chelsea Clearview Cinemas for my final film of the day.

DEADFALL is bound to get comparisons to FARGO. With a few minor script tweaks and slightly different accents, this could have been passed off as FARGO 2. It is not that there are any similar characters or storylines but more so in the look and feel of the film. This is not a criticism but merely an observation. In fact, if this were FARGO 2, I would call it a pretty worthy follow-up. It is fast-paced, witty, and beautifully twisted. Eric Bana gives a stunning performance as truly compelling villain. Some fellow press members told me that the film was not worth my time but it ended up being one of my favorites of the festival so far.

Lesson of the DAY: We press people don’t know shit sometimes… Also, when the hell did Bill Pullman get so old?

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com