We Are Movie Geeks

Review by Dane Marti

Missouri: I love the state I was born in / I hate the state I was born in. Like many environments around the world, even places that seem tranquil or picturesque on the exterior can hide places, people and situations far from pleasant and uplifting. If viewers are clamoring for a picture postcard view of Missouri, please look elsewhere. ‘Ghosts of the Empire Prairie’ doesn’t shy away from some of the nastier, more disturbing aspects of the state and its rural folks. The filmmaker, Blake Eckard has a formidable track record in creating stories shot on very small budgets. However, not having a plethora of money to play around with does not always make for a superb film, of course.

Director, Eckard knows how to bring forth essential elements within the story which effectively highlight what’s important.

The film’s main character, Lonnie Enright, returns to his childhood town of Empire Prairie after a number of years drifting. He tells people he was a rodeo rider. What he actually did while moving around the country looking for work is left open to the viewer’s imagination. Back in town: His brother, Ted (Frank Mosley becomes his character!), never as popular with woman as his charismatic, but slightly demented brother, definitely has his hands full taking care of their father, an intense, alcoholic and silent man slowly drifting into blindness.

Lonnie once again hooks up with the local barmaid, Dawn. Near the end of the movie, I was touched by the actress’s ability to convey a very natural, maternal realism to the story. This isn’t a Disney family filled with pastel love and boundless enthusiasm for kindness and hugging. Nope. This family always seems to be microseconds away from catastrophically exploding.

The film’s opening narration didn’t work for me and sounded forced and heavy-handed. I would have simply showed the well-composed images of farm equipment, landscapes and old buildings. As the movie moves on, Ryan Harper Gray’s portrayal of Lonnie improved in a big way. Once he began interacting within the story, dealing with conflicts and even agonizingly looking off into space, his acting improved by leaps and bounds. All the acting in this movie is impressive, given the low budget. Throughout the film, Lonnie seems like a time bomb, and of course, this makes many women find him irresistible.

The film’s sound quality was pretty weak, I must admit.

Potent elements of the movie are its stark compositions of old buildings, dimly lit interiors, dilapidated bars and expansive prairies. This is what impressed me the most.
The tale itself moves at a slow pace that would have annoyed the hell out of me in other films, but seems to fit the ennui, sadness and depression inherent in the quiet, often-tormented lives of these rural folks.

This reviewer was never completely enthralled with the main character (I guess I wasn’t supposed to think of him as a sterling paragon of virtue), but I must admit that through well-done acting and direction, I empathized with the problems, drinking, trials and tribulations inherent within his character–as well as the entire tale. And I could see the humanity within Lonnie as well. Watching his performance, the way the character sometimes blankly stared into existential space, I couldn’t help being reminded of Jack Nicholson in the early seventies film, ‘Five Easy Pieces.’ Ryan Harper Gray gives a well-modulated performance. I also found the old father to be quietly menacing. To a large extent, the film’s slow pacing and low budget help build a realistic atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t despise the main character, or the other co-dependent family members and friends. I know people like these. Attention must be given to the lives and trouble that many rural, poor folks face! It’s a universal subject, though. As with characters/people inhabiting a John Cassevetes film, people from all walks of life have had to wrestle with similar problems: confusion, half-buried horrible memories, moments of anger and lust. This is an interesting, thought-provoking film with good acting and poignant camera angles that haunt the viewer long after watching it.

GHOSTS OF THE EMPIRE PRAIRIE screens Sunday, Nov 24th at 1:15pm at The Tivoli Theater as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival

For ticket information, visit Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/ghosts-empire-prairie

Review by Dana Jung

Alexis Fish (a revelatory Gina Rodriguez) is a twenty-something widow who is slowly eroding away in Los Angeles; her husband left her in debt, she’s working menial jobs like dressing up as a giant panda for a restaurant, and she is taking medication to help her with feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, you name it. She misses her family in New York, especially her sister Kayla (the wonderful Ana Ortiz) and her father (Tibor Feldman). However, even the distance from East coast to West doesn’t seem to be enough to nullify the contentious relationship she has with her mother (Priscilla Lopez). The mother/daughter conflict is one of the main themes that propels the funny and moving new film SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES.

When a family funeral brings Alexis back to New York, things at first seem to go from bad to worse. As her freespirited sister explains, “Reality sucks for her right now. Once it starts getting better, she’ll live in it again.” Alexis is barely home an hour before round one with her mother begins. Her sister and father try to act as mediators and peacemakers, with limited results. “How long have I been here?” asks a dazed Alexis after the first of many arguments. “Long enough to remember why you left,” her sister wryly answers. Moments of genuine humour such as these are expertly interspersed with more serious drama by writer/director Nicole Gomez Fisher, who gives even the heavier scenes a light and melancholy quality that keeps the film from ever being heavyhanded or straying too far from its more comedic roots.

The cast is simply superb. Lopez imbues the mother with a real feeling of devotion and caring in a role that could easily have become the stereotypical domineering matriarch. As Alexis’ father, Feldman underplays to great effect, which only accentuates the depth of his love for his daughter. But the movie’s best performances are the two leads. Ortiz (mostly known for TVs UGLY BETTY and currently seen on DEVIOUS MAIDS) is irrepressibly lovable as Alexis’ older sister Kayla. Spilling over with a vivacious lunacy, Kayla is full of the advice she thinks an older sibling should give, but has not yet been dealt any serious blows in life to really give her counsel any weight. As Alexis, Rodriguez is by turns funny, distraught, awkward, vulnerable—all this and much more play across her face throughout the film. In nearly every scene, it is Rodriguez who makes us really become invested in hoping that the intelligent, witty, and attractive Alexis catches a break and gets a happy ending. SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES is also full of fresh and offbeat sequences, such as the meeting with the lesbian party animal booker (!), and the climactic bat mitzvah party. Throw in a handsome divorced dad (Steven Strait of TVs MAGIC CITY), and you have the recipe for an exceptional movie about picking up the pieces fate has dealt.

“Sleeping with the fishes” is more commonly known as an expression of death, such as “pushing up daisies.” Death does figure into the story of this family in important ways, but the irony is that Alexis’ story is about finding the strength and inspiration to make a fresh start. Would that we all could discover the love and support that Alexis finds when it comes our time to begin again.

SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES screens as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival Saturday, Nov 23rd at 7:00pm at The Tivoli Theater

For ticket information, visit Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/sleeping-fishes