Joplin native Chip Gubera’s documentary JOPLIN MISSOURI: A TORNADO STORY is a comprehensive, informative account of the devastation wrought on his hometown by a natural disaster and its subsequent recovery.
On May 21, 2011 the deadliest tornado ever recorded struck Joplin, an F5 in which wind gusts exceeded 200 mph. In fact, it was not a single tornado, but a multi-vortex tornado created by two converging storms. As local meteorologist Jeremiah Cook explained, this meant that the half mile wide tornado had several “fingers,” each an individual tornado, and the rains were so heavy one could not see them before they struck.
Narrator George Noory’s jovial voice and the monotone recollections of survivors belie the overwhelming scope of the devastation. Fortunately, director Gubera uses footage from weather satellite photos, security cameras, and police vehicle audio and video recordings to convey the immense power of the storm and the apocalyptic destruction it wrought.
Before the rain has stopped falling, the citizens of Joplin begin to come together to account for their neighbors and rebuild their town. Assimilating all the details of how this is accomplished, one begins to realize this disaster could easily be called the “Anti-Katrina”. Missouri state and federal programs contribute funds and facilitate applications for programs like SBA loans. National retailers set up temporary stores and assign some employees to help with cleaning up neighborhoods; local businesses keep their employees on their payrolls, despite lacking inventory or even a location. Church groups anonymously show up to help clean neighborhoods, asking nothing in return and refrain from proselytizing. Insurance agencies proactively file claims for their clients who may be too shell-shocked or depressed to meet deadlines. Donations from charities, celebrities, and countries as far away as, and as surprising as, the United Arab Emirates flow in.
Everything was not perfect; Joplin did attract looters and shady contractors. However, it becomes clear that the sense of community coalesced by the disaster was certainly the greater force. Bail bondsmen will not do business with arrested looters.
The question of why this disaster was so effectively handled compared to Katrina is overtly hinted at, even though it is beyond the scope of this film. However, it does linger in the background and highlights the lack of diversity in the community.
Fortunately, this movie creates a record of the disaster that cannot be had through news updates as it is unfolding. A complete picture is only possible with the passage of time that can allow for a full physical assessment of the devastation and the space survivors need to even begin to process their experience.
JOPLIN MISSOURI: A TORNADO STORY screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Tuesday , Nov 13th 5:00pmat the Tivoli Theatre
Read more of Barbara’s reviews at her blog Le Movie Snob HERE
Director Joe Wright brings to the screen the epic love story ANNA KARENINA, starring Keira Knightley and adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”). The story unfolds in its original late-19th-century Russia high-society setting and powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, from the passion between adulterers to the bond between a mother and her children. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness, change comes to her family, friends, and community.
ANNA KARENINA is in theatres November 16 (Limited).
Focus Features and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass to the advance screening of ANNA KARENINA on November 20 at 7PM in St. Louis.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.
3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: ANNA KARENINA is the third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes of which TWO other films?
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The film is RATED R.
The timeless story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, while illuminating the lavish society that was imperial Russia. The time is 1874. Vibrant and beautiful, Anna Karenina (Ms. Knightley) has what any of her contemporaries would aspire to; she is the wife of Karenin (Jude Law), a high-ranking government official to whom she has borne a son, and her social standing in St. Petersburg could scarcely be higher. She journeys to Moscow after a letter from her philandering brother Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen) arrives, asking for Anna to come and help save his marriage to Dolly (Kelly Macdonald). En route, Anna makes the acquaintance of Countess Vronsky (Olivia Williams), who is then met at the train station by her son, the dashing cavalry officer Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). When Anna is introduced to Vronsky, there is a mutual spark of instant attraction that cannot – and will not – be ignored.
The Moscow household is also visited by Oblonsky’s best friend Levin (Domhnall Gleeson), an overly sensitive and compassionate landowner. Levin is in love with Dolly’s younger sister Kitty (Alicia Vikander). Inopportunely, he proposes to Kitty but she is infatuated with Vronsky. Devastated, Levin returns to his Pokrovskoe estate and throws himself into farm work. Kitty herself is heartbroken when, at a grand ball, Vronsky only has eyes for Anna and the married woman reciprocates the younger man’s interest.
Anna struggles to regain her equilibrium by rushing home to St. Petersburg, where Vronsky follows her. She attempts to resume her familial routine, but is consumed by thoughts of Vronsky. A passionate affair ensues, which scandalizes St. Petersburg society. Karenin is placed in an untenable position and is forced to give his wife an ultimatum. In attempting to attain happiness, the decisions Anna makes pierce the veneer of an image-obsessed society, reverberating with romantic and tragic consequences that dramatically change her and the lives of all around her.
A Focus Features presentation of a Working Title production. A Joe Wright Film. Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. ANNA KARENINA. Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Alicia Vikander. With Olivia Williams and Emily Watson. Casting by Jina Jay, Dixie Chassay. Choreographer, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Music by Dario Marianelli. Hair and Make-up Designer, Ivana Primorac. Costume Designer, Jacqueline Durran. Editor, Melanie Ann Oliver. Production Designer, Sarah Greenwood. Director of Photography, Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC. Co-Producer, Alexandra Ferguson. Executive Producer, Liza Chasin. Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy. Screenplay by Tom Stoppard. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster. Directed by Joe Wright. A Focus Features Release.
High school is a tough place. We all know that. Its a struggle to survive at a time when hormones rule and pressure builds from every angle. Parents, teachers, friends, where to go to college, whether to even go to college? For Carson Phillips, everything is boiling to a point and all he wants is one simple thing… to get into his dream college.
Chris Colfer (GLEE) not only stars as the sharp-tongued Carson Phillips, he wrote this darkly comical satire on the high school experience. Directed by Brian Dannelly, the film is a good fit for someone whose resume includes TV shows like WEEDS, PUSHING DAISIES and THE UNITES STATES OF TARA. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING begins with the death of Carson Phillips. I know, its a risky way to start a film. After all, it goes to reason that Carson never makes it to college, but that’s not really what its all about, as we come to learn while Carson’s recently departed spirit narrates the film in retrospect.
Carson is the editor of his school’s newspaper. This would be a commendable accomplishment, except that he attends a small, rural country school, where everyone assumes they are destined to be stuck in the dreadful town of Clover for the remainder of their days and therefor aspire to do next to nothing with their lives. That is, all but one… Carson Phillips. Smarter than the average Clover resident — by his own measure — Carson dreams of becoming an accomplished journalist. The problem is, no one at his school cares.
Rebel Wilson (BRIDEMAIDS) plays Malerie, an odd character and Carson’s only friend. Allyson Janney plays Carson’s alcoholic mother, devastated when Carson’s father Neil (Dermot Mulroney) leaves them, she takes it out on Carson, day after day. Things for Carson are looking grim, until he comes up with not just a plan to get into his dream college, but a master plan for forcing the student body to contribute by way of blackmailing them with their dirty little secrets in exchange for their help.
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING features all the high school stereotypes, dialed up to be especially unlikeable. For that matter, even Carson is difficult to like, with his smart mouth and arrogant attitude, but we root for him as the lesser of all evils. Clover is not a town most people will find inviting, but it lends to an idea that small town teenagers often struggle with what to do with their lives and how to achieve such goals. On the other hand, Carson ultimately learns a valuable lesson about life, albeit a short one in his case.
Like so many high school comedies today, STRUCK BY LIGHTNING does fall into the same general melting pot of modern teen-life stories. This is no DONNIE DARKO, but the film does still have a personality of its own buried just beneath the many cliches. The supporting cast offers an added touch of talent, including Christina Hendricks as Carson’s dad’s new fiance, Sarah Hyland as Claire, the stuck-up lead cheerleader who “probably sh*ts cupcakes,” Ashley Rickards as Vicki, the apathetic Goth girl, Angela Kinsey as the absent-minded blond bimbo school counselor, and Brad William Henke as the jaded high school principal with anger management issues.
Overall, STRUCK BY LIGHTNING is an exaggerated and humorous take on a certain set of truths about high school. Chris Colfer interjects a dialogue clearly inspired by his experience with GLEE, but fails to deliver anything refreshingly original. Instead of a film that could grow into a cult classic of the genre, the film settles for being an entertaining movie worth seeing with a bucket of popcorn in one arm and a lovely companion in the other. The film is not likely to stick with you for long, but you certainly will have a good time and plenty of laughs.
THE DAY, from WWE Studios and Anchor Bay Films, comes to Blu-ray™ and DVD on November 27, 2012. A film which Variety called, “…one of the most effective horror movies made in years,” THE DAY stars Shawn Ashmore (X-Men 2&3, The Ruins, Frozen), Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism), Cory Hardrict (Battle Los Angeles, Gran Torino), Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, “Lost”), Shannyn Sossamon (One Missed Call, 40 Days and 40 Nights), and Michael Eklund (The Divide, Hunt to Kill). After a successful world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, the film was theatrically released by WWE Studios and Anchor Bay Films earlier this year. THE DAY is available as a Blu-ray™/DVD Combo for an SRP of $29.99 and on DVD for an SRP of $26.98.
A group of five survivors, armed with shotguns, axes and machetes, wander the back roads of a ravaged landscape looking for refuge in THE DAY, a terrifying look into a post-apocalyptic future. As war ravages humanity, destroying civilization and most of life on earth, the survivors realize they must do whatever it takes to stay alive. Lost, starving, and exhausted, they seek shelter in a seemingly safe abandoned farmhouse. However, while searching for food and resources, they unwittingly set off a trap signaling to their ruthless predators lying in wait to begin their deadly attack. With food and ammunition dwindling, the group must make a desperate final stand-over a 24 hour period-battling for their ultimate survival.
Bonus features on THE DAY Blu-ray™/DVD Combo and DVD include audio commentary with executive producer/director Doug Aarniokoski, producer Guy A. Danella and writer Luke Passmore.
One (1) winner will receive a copy of THE DAY.
OFFICIAL RULES:
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2. FILL OUT YOUR FULL NAME (first and last) AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.
3. Which 1959 post-apocalyptic film takes place in the aftermath of an atomic war, where much of humanity has been destroyed, but only Australia remains.
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.
Lurking behind Alfred Hitchcock, cinema’s “master of suspense” — the extraordinary film icon known for orchestrating some of the most intense experiences of menace and intrigue audiences have ever seen, was a hidden side: his creatively explosive romance with his steadfast wife and filmmaking collaborator, Alma Reville.
Now, for the first time, Sacha Gervasi’s HITCHCOCK lays bare their captivating and complex love story. It does so through the sly, shadowy lens of their most daring filmmaking adventure: the making of the spine-tingling 1960 thriller, PSYCHO, which would become the director’s most controversial and legendary film. When the tumultuous, against-the-odds production was over, nothing about movies would ever be the same – but few realized that it took two to pull it off.
Director Sacha Gervasi on the set of HITCHCOCK
Gervasi and a cast that includes Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren starring as Alfred and Alma spin a story rife with surprises, comic ironies and dark twists in the Hitchockian tradition. But at the heart of the film lies not only the obsessions and fears of two people but the distinctively tenacious love that drove Hitchcock’s art behind the curtain.
For HITCHCOCK director Sacha Gervasi, the answer lay in a woman. Not one of the notorious “Hitchcock Blondes” whose cool, aloof beauty and power graced and haunted his films, but a woman who has been largely unknown to the world: his talented wife, Alma, who from behind the scenes deeply influenced Hitchcock’s work, penetrated his defenses and became his silent modest co-creator.
“I always felt the core of HITCHCOCK had to be the love story between Alfred and Alma,” Gervasi comments. “They had this dynamic, complex, contradictory, beautiful, painful relationship that was not just a marriage but a real creative collaboration. I was really interested in how these two very strong-minded people lived with each other and created together and that brought a whole new perspective to the story of how PSYCHO was made. Without Alma at his side, Hitchcock would not have been as brilliant, or would not have pulled off PSYCHO.”
Catch a glimpse of Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Toni Collette, James D’Arcy and Scarlett Johansson in action in the latest images from Fox Searchlight’s upcoming film, HITCHCOCK.
The origins of HITCHCOCK go back to Stephen Rebello’s 1990 book Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho, which followed every twist and turn in the classic film’s roller-coaster creation: Hitchcock’s interest in real-life murderer, Ed Gein, the adaptation of Robert Bloch’s incendiary novel, the casting of Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, the infamous shower scene that gave birth to the graphic modern thriller, and the ensuing battle with Hollywood censors and its lasting legacy. Not surprisingly, it all came together not only through Alfred’s will, but because of Alma’s significant contributions.
Helen Mirren as “Alma Reville” on the set of HITCHCOCK. Photo By Suzanne Tenner
Jessica Biel as “Vera Miles,” Scarlett Johansson as “Janet Leigh” and James D’Arcy as “Anthony Perkins” on the set of HITCHCOCK
Michael Stuhlbarg as “Lew Wasserman,” Toni Collette as “Peggy Robertson” and Anthony Hopkins as “Alfred Hitchcock”
When Hitchcock set out to make PSYCHO, he had pretty much done it all in his 46 features that ran the gamut from light-hearted comedy to technical tour-de-forces to haunting, seductive psycho-dramas. He’d even had a top-rated television series with “Alfred Hitchcock Presents . . .” But he still insisted upon “recharging the batteries,” as he put it, and doing something completely different.
As Hitchcock put it, “style is self-plagiarism.” Hitchcock wanted to surprise and shock the audience in ways they didn’t see coming – and he wanted to shake up a film world that was now full of young up and coming directors. PSYCHO would take Hitchcock to the limit. It would push him to explore new depths of psychological terror, to self-finance, to fight the censors and to re-think the standard release patterns. And yet, with Alma’s help writing and editing, it would accomplish all that.
Says Gervasi of PSYCHO’s legacy: “The film deals with primal, preternatural things that exist in all human beings. We all have parent issues, we all struggle with good and bad, we all fear death. The film explores this darker side of human nature. Add into that Anthony Perkins stabbing people in a dress and you’ve got matinee idols, transvestitism, murder and mysterious hotels. All those things combined just make it a bloody entertaining film. 52 years later, it’s still electrifying people. “
Fox Searchlight Pictures presents, in association with Cold Spring Pictures, a Montecito Picture Company and Barnette/Thayer production, HITCHCOCK directed by Sacha Gervasi with a screenplay by John J. McLaughlin based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Toni Collette as Peggy Robertson, Danny Huston as Whitfield Cook, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, Michael Stuhlbarg as agent Lew Wasserman, James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins, Michael Wincott as Ed Gein, Kurtwood Smith as Geoffrey Shurlock and Richard Portnow as Barney Balaban. The film is produced by Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Joe Medjuck, Tom Thayer and Alan Barnette, with Ali Bell and Richard Middleton as executive producers.
The creative team includes two-time Academy Award-nominated director of photography Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO), Academy Award-nominated film editor Pamela Martin, A.C.E (THE FIGHTER), production designer Judy Becker (THE FIGHTER), two-time Academy Award-nominated costume designer Julie Weiss (FRIDA, TWELVE MONKEYS), music by four-time Academy Award-nominated Danny Elfman (GOOD WILL HUNTING, MILK), and special makeup effects by Academy Award winner Howard Berger (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) & Gregory Nicotero.
HITCHCOCK opens in select theaters beginning November 23rd.
A VARIETY OF MYSTERIES has a good spirit. It will charm anyone who possesses a pulse. That’s most film viewers, right? It’s a tapestry of funny conversations and interesting encounters.
Violet (Sunyatta McDermott) likes to stroll around – not drive. Sometimes, she enjoys taking photographs at interesting and different local spots around the stupendous city of St. Louis, Missouri. And she has a nice camera, not a bloody cell phone. She has a unique and cute way of dressing which shows her independence. She also enjoys posing and standing around. This isn’t a criticism. There’s a lot of nice posing in the film, partially because the actress and character look smashing simply posing! Because I bring this aspect up, some folks will think that the character isn’t very deep, but I think Violet has more going on underneath her exterior; McDermott’s subtle performance – and the overall film – connect together nicely. There’s no doubt: She’s a great actress.
Violet’s head is in the clouds – and this is a good thing. She likes to talk about the weather and places she’s never been. All the acting is handled in a very underplayed way – realistic.
Now, Violet works at a hip, antique clothing store with an old, sardonic hipster. The film’s Director, Devin Devon, plays this latter role in an entertaining way: Devin’s character, ordinarily slightly inebriated, is portrayed realistically in subtle and an under-the radar-type of way. Cool.
There is also is third woman, a younger girl working in the store: She is very natural and pleasant in front of the camera; her role is not – showy – but is integral to the glue that holds the film together. I also loved the store. You could almost smell it. And you could tell that it wasn’t just contrived for the movie, but a true and wild place.
Violet doesn’t have many friends. Well – at least this is what Violet wants the world to believe. The point is, she’s definitely a free spirit. She is romantic, lives in a dream world, and looks through dumpsters. She Rocks! She is looking for things– Special things in life that many people don’t notice since they’re busily trying to make a buck. Too bad for those people, I think.
Underneath the surface, though, Violet holds something in – something troubles her. Violet is a narcissistic. The walls of her house are a lovely blue/another room bright yellow. Mostly, the main character drinks and watches silent films (a sublime watercolor of frozen passion flowing across her face) and even occasionally goes to her job. Most of the dialogue is also clever and different. The film has a human element that is sincerely nice, as seen in some of the best foreign films through the cinematic ages.
The photography and pacing are outstanding: single, outstandingly composed shots are beautifully lit and framed – they reminded me of the painter, Edward Hopper’s work. The movie smoothly captures precious elements of life in which people appear to be doing very little: Shots through windows of people dancing, people just doing stuff. This is life and the director loves showing us the cool things they do! Life lived in small, cute moments! Classical music and Bachelor Pad music plays throughout the flick, but never drown out or distort what is going on in the story; used like seasoning, it enhances the work.
The film has nice attention to detail. Even St. Louis also looks cool: very stately, Middle Western, but also strangely hip. It presents a good image of the old city -a place where a diverse group of people work and play.
The movie is subtle and underrated and not like any movie I’ve seen before. It isn’t trying to be a Blockbuster. It isn’t a Genre film. It has a kinship with foreign film as well as a bit of the independent film world. The pacing and editing is very simple, but foreign and coooooooool as well. One of the films themes is a person trying to retain a childlike view of the world. It isn’t all good: people deal with loneliness and isolation, whether self inflicted or otherwise (as well as living in a fantasy playing movie world – people drink a lot in this movie. The characters almost seem to regard their unique mixed drinks as zany new party favors, colorful surprises pulled out of a toy chest.
The best thing about the film is Sunyatta, although the dialogue and direction by Devon is first rate – not to forget all the other actors who all work as a team – never overacting. I’m not sure if they have much background in acting, but the director knew exactly what to subtly pull from their performances, what was vital. He makes it click! Director Devon has a way with scenes that reminds me of the director Jim Jarmusch’s work. Of course, he has a style all his own. He is a major new talent in the independent filmmaking scene.
If there is any justice in the world (sometimes it doesn’t look like there is) both the lead actress and the filmmaker should have long and superb future careers. I hope so. I was taken aback.
It is a cool and different film (different in a good way), but don’t watch the film if you want zombies destroying humanity while Bruce Willis makes snarky comments. This cinematic poem is both humorous and charming! For me, it’s somewhat similar to ordering a pizza in Europe. You might think you’ll get the obligatory U.S. type of pizza, but you’ll be surprised and delighted. And this independent film delighted me. Although it focuses on women and their view of the world for the most part, I wouldn’t call it a chick flick. It’s a Human Flick. A viewer shouldn’t watch this film expecting a complex plot. This is a languid film full of small gestures and humorous, quirky moments. Dig it.
A VARIETY OF MYSTERIES screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Monday , Nov 12th at 9:30pm at the Tivoli Theater
I have a lot of respect for street performers. From music to magic and everything in between, street performer add a level of artistic vibrancy to areas otherwise typically bogged down in the dry, monotone corporate atmosphere. Have you ever been having a bad day, been walking along sulking in your grumpiness, then come upon a street performer who actually made you smile, even for a moment? If not, I hope you do, because it works… and, this is where THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN succeeds.
For a feature film debut, writer and director Lee Kirk does play it safe on some level. THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN certainly follows a fairly standard format of the romantic comedy genre. The humor is offbeat, quirky but never heavy-handed. The film may be playing itself safe structurally, but the content is what makes the film enjoyable. How many romantic comedies have we seen that are absurdly unrealistic or saturated in sappiness? It’s refreshing to see one like this come along that tosses those conventions to the wayside.
THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN stars hometown girl Jenna Fischer as Janice and Chris Messina as Tim. This is, of course, a story about boy meets girl, but there’s an underlying vein of existentialism that inks this map to our characters’ story ending “happily ever after.” Tim is an artist, at least he believes he is and can be, refusing to give up and supplements his journey as a street performer. Tim paints his face silver, hops onto stilts and throws on his silver suit and bowler hat, transforming into the giant mechanical man passersby see on the streets. Toss some change in his briefcase, and he does a little show mimicking a mechanical robot toy. Chris Messina sells these performances well.
Janice is a kindred spirit. With no true direction in her life, she works for a temp agency to make ends meet. Janice struggles with how everyone around her appears to happy, seems to have it all figured out while she really has no clue what she wants from life. However, its the constant pressure she gets from the world around her that makes her unhappy, not her lack of direction. Her younger sister Jill (Malin Akerman) and her husband are constantly on her case, pressuring her to figure things out, but all Janice really wants is to enjoy her life and find her own way.
THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN starts off at a relatively slow pace, but is hoisted up by the blunt, quirky humor that resides just below the threshold we’ve come to find familiar in TV shows like THE OFFICE, from which Fischer cut her chops. Not until Janice loses her temp job and begins looking for new work do things begin to fall into place. Meanwhile, Tim finds himself cut loose by his pretentiously hip girlfriend who deals a devastating blow to his ego, leading him also to find new work to make ends meet. Both parties find work at the zoo.
One thing leads to another, Janice and Tim meet, they fall in love, stuff happens… sadness… and so on. As I mentioned before, THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN follows a pretty standard romantic comedy formula. The difference is in how Lee Kirk fills in the blanks. There is a subtle sweetness to the film, just enough to pep you up rather than loading you so full that you slip into a diabetic coma. After all, isn’t that how life really is… filled with little moments of just the right amount of sweetness to make you remember everything will be alright?
Tim has an outsider-looking-in view of the world. He’s not depressed, nor is he a pessimist; he’s just a guy who sees others for who they really are and refuses to be someone other than exactly who he is, unlike so many he sees around him, always pretending to be whomever others will accept. Chris Messina puts a lot of stock in his eyes, giving his character a depth necessary to sell the performance. Jenna Fischer takes a few steps deeper into the emotional end of the pool and pulls it off swimmingly. Together, Messina and Fischer maintain on on screen chemistry that is honest and entertaining. For lack of better words, the two of them together are truly cute.
THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN is not real life, but it takes romance and the struggles inherent into territory not common to the genre. Tim and Janice are surrounded by self-absorbed, often nasty human beings, making them seem like the normal ones struggling to stay afloat in a world bent on keeping them under. Janice’s sister Jill spends most of the film trying way too hard to hook her up with a self-absorbed, nauseatingly fake and annoying self-help author named Doug (Topher Grace). He is primarily here for comic relief, and while Topher Grace succeeds at making us truly hate his character, it often becomes unbearable to watch.
Lee Kirk has crafted a commendable addition to the romantic comedy genre. THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN is a film I would happily watch again, especially since there’s a level of intelligence to the story and what the director appears to be saying about how meeting people and developing relationships in life is often a struggle for the more sensitive, outsider types that don’t fit into a common mold. THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN was shot in Detroit, played at the Tribeca Film Festival (also, being distributed by Tribeca Films) and is accompanied by an appealing soft indie rock soundtrack I look forward to hopefully being able to purchase someday down the road.
I normally do not subscribe to the hipness of using “OMG” but found the obnoxious acronym making numerous appearances in my mind while watching KLOWN. Based on the popular Danish television series by the same creative force, the film fine tunes its awkwardly direct and unbelievable content to fit perfectly within a feature film.
KLOWN follows the antics of Frank (Frank Hvam) and Casper (Casper Christensen) as they embark on the “Tour de Pussy,” an annual pilgrimage to the estate of a wealthy man who hosts the best prostitutes from around the world for just on day of unforgettable debauchery. But, this is the story of their journey, not of the event itself. After Frank makes an utter mess of his relationship with Mia (Mia Lyhne) following some major, unexpected news. He joins Casper for a canoe trip down the river to the big event, but not without making a complete disaster of that as well.
Co-written by real-life comics Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam, and directed by Mikkel Norgaard, KLOWN pulls few punches and shies from even fewer taboos, but approaches the material with a distinctly European style. The film is a hilarious riot, but garners its laughs with subtle, brilliant tastelessness. Structurally, the film resembles THE HANGOVER, but with an ironically higher level of maturity. In many ways, KLOWN combines the vulgarity of this style of comedy with the awkwardness of THE OFFICE and the intelligence of Louis CK’s TV series LOUIE.
The key ingredient to the underlying story of KLOWN, is the young boy named Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) whom Frank uses catastrophically as a tool to prove to Mia he is a responsible man. Despite the crude nature of the comedy, KLOWN is actually a movie with a message, nearly invisible but present, as Frank gradually learns how to be a better man. Frank and Casper are polar opposite personalities, but work well together, like Abbott and Costello or Lucy and Desi. Both characters are accidents waiting to happen, walking magnets for things to go horribly wrong.
KLOWN’s real appeal comes from Frank’s misguided actions aren’t without good intentions, albeit microscopic, but are masked by his selfish nature, a trait he is entirely oblivious too. Casper’s relentless pathology for sex only exasperates the many gut-wrenching scenes, dragging Frank and Bo along with him through the muck and filth. There is a very clear and well choreographed chain reaction at play here, allowing the absurdity to play out naturally on screen.
Fair warning goes out to those easily offended, as KLOWN raises the shock bar higher than we’ve seen in American cinema, yet does so with a much more candid, more easily digestible formula to swallow.
“In my humble, (sic), snobby opinion, this documentary is a perfect example of the treasures offered by film festivals: a movie you’ve never heard of, the privilege of witnessing the lives of strangers whose experience will enhance your own…..
OMA AND BELLA screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Monday , Nov 12th at 5:30pm at Plaza Frontenac Cinema
Read more of Barbara’s reviews at her blog Le Movie Snob HERE
If you can instantly recognize and name the man in this photo, we belong to the same tribe. Among his literal myriad accomplishments, his celebrity is a clear demarcation line of a generation gap…..
PAUL WILLIAMS: STILL ALIVE screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Sunday, November 11th at at 8:30pmat Webster U./Moore
Read more of Barbara’s reviews at her blog Le Movie Snob HERE
