"...and it SUCKED!"

Image via Wikipedia

OogieRah and I had been talking about making a movie together for years. Many a late night phone call would involve scenes with the intent of shocking/pissing off an audience, and how fun it would be to get away with it. Around mid September, word started to spread on Facebook and Twitter of a Super 8 film contest in New Orleans; one 3 minute reel of film, in camera edits, see the film for the 1st time with everybody else - very dangerous, very cool. Opportunity given, we signed up.

Now, the original idea for our short was a bit more our liking; a guy makes a sandwich, walks upstairs, opens a bedroom door to reveal a female's foot tied to the bed. The End. No explanation, no resolution. Not being able to cast a foot model in time, we went with a more lighthearted idea; me, setting up a movie screening at a college campus, alone. Not bad, as I had done this very task several times before. And so, without permission to shoot on SLU campus property, we went ahead with production on "Screen This!". It only took a few hours to shoot. Next door to a heavily occupied student government meeting, we risked getting kicked out, but it's not like we were doing anything REALLY wrong.

About a week or so later, we made our way to New Orleans. The film had already been dropped off, and supposedly developed without incident. Along with his girlfriend, we arrived on time, for what was called The Yeah Brah & Woah Dee Festival, The NOLA Underground Super 8 Film Festival, and The One Reel Super 8 Contest. Without a clear name, I turned to my friend and said, "I hate this already".

After a short assemblage of local shorts, we were treated to an obnoxiously long parade of DJ music, rap, and the stylings of MC Chris Lane. Not to say that the musicians were horrible - far from it. But excuse me for expecting FILMS at a FILM FESTIVAL (to be fair, the musical performances were announced in advance, but who knew they would last so long?). The three of us sat on our bench, uncomfortably, for several hours, waiting...

Finally, it was time for the screening we were waiting for. The super 8 shorts were shown on what I'm guessing was a DVD, and for the most part, were pretty clever. But one short in particular caught our attention; announced as Lori Tipton's. It was black. 3 minutes of black. A rough image here and there, but nothing distinguishable. Pure blackness. Part of what made the contest interesting was that if the filmmakers messed up, there was no going back; it would be shown, no matter what. Clearly, something didn't go right for this person. "Sorry, but that last film was not by Lori Tipton, but by Bill Arceneaux and Patrick Simmons. And IT SUCKED! IT SUCKED!"

We were shocked. Was that really our film? Sure we only spent a few hours making it, but it was ours. Nah. Maybe they made a mistake. We stayed until the last short of the screening to make sure - but it was, indeed, our film. Our mistake. We tried to figure out what happened; Did we load it in wrong? Did we remove the film incorrectly? Was it improperly developed? One of the festival promoters was just as surprised as we were. We left One Eyed Jacks not as entertained film enthusiasts or as trophy holders, but as self disappointed amateurs. I picked up a Mountain Dew Voltage, and they got some McDonalds afterwards. "We could always say we intended it to be all black. You know, to mess with people". That made us smile.

Note - please don't take this as a diss to the festival promoters TimeCode:NOLA. The comments made about the festival were just to describe how out of place we felt. When films were being shown, we had a blast (except for when ours was shown), and may show up again if another festival is planned for next year. Just leave Chris Lane at home.

MovieBoozer Redux: "In Time"

Sometimes, after completing a writing assignment, my thoughts on the subject continue. I recently posted a review for "In Time" on MovieBoozer , and while I'm happy with it, I feel like commenting a little more. Below is the original review, with some additions/changes:

Several weeks in, Occupy Wall Street is only getting stronger. The populist movement has taken hold of a country that has seen too much corruption, and not enough justice. Hollywood, always there to capitalize, has provided some escapist relief for the disenchanted. But does it matter if the relief provided has the subtlety of a hammer over the head?

“In Time” is set in either an alternate universe or a distant future, where science has found a way to shut off the aging gene once a person reaches 25. After that, a permanent clock on your arm is set, giving you one year left to live. If you want to live longer you must add more time - now the global currency - to your clock. Of course, with a free market in a world like that, not everyone can be immortal.

Our story follows Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), who, after an encounter with a suicidal man, is given over a century of time. This, coupled with the death of his mother, the hooking up with an attractive heiress (Amanda Seyfried), and a pursuit by a relentless TimeKeeper (a cop, Cillian Murphy), starts Will off on a mission to upset a corrupt system that favors the few and exploits the many.

A Toast

The creative allegory of a society where time is literally money, where the rich are immortal and the poor live literally day to day, is not only strong, but fairly easy to grasp. Any American living paycheck to paycheck can immediately relate to this, and will definitely root for the Will Salas' forced wealth redistribution. And any help in getting the message out about income inequality and a corrupt financial system is only a good thing. 

Beer Two

I was ecstatic when I read that Andrew Niccol was going to write and direct this. His previous films Gattaca (Special Edition) and Lord of War both dealt with major issues without being too on the nose about it. For example, in the beginning of "Lord of War", we see Nicolas Cage, in a suit, standing amongst millions of bullets, wondering how He can sell more guns. On the nose, yes. But the rest of the movie deals more with his character than with the issue of international gun running.

With “In Time”, however, Andrew Niccol seems to have lost his touch. In almost every scene, characters talk about how it sucks that too many are left without while too few have all the power. No internal character study/conflict in the midst of the corruption, just Bonnie & Clyde/robin Hood style action against said corruption. And puns. There are LOTS of time puns.

Beer Three

Will and his girlfriend are on the run from a TimeKeeper, whose mission is to arrest them and restore order to this unfair system. In a few scenes, He makes reference to knowing Will's father. An interesting development could come from this; is there a secret about Will's father that might give more insight into his own character/struggle? Something that might give the movie more substance? Nope. Will's father is only briefly mentioned, and never brought up again.

Beer Four

At one point, Will breaks into a time bank by crashing a truck into it. Afterwards, during an investigation of the event, a TimeKeeper quips “They must’ve thought it was a drive thru”. Hardy har har.

Verdict

The accuracy of the films message doesn’t make up for the poor way it's expressed. This is unfortunate, especially coming from Andrew Niccol. Maybe the studio wanted a dumbed down action flick and were hoping the public wouldn't care? In the end, we at least get to see a regular Joe take down fat cats with force. Maybe that's all the public needs right now? That and major political reform, of course.  

Bonus Drinking Game

Take a Drink: For every pun about time (recommended).

Take a Drink: Whenever you wish for more subtlety.  

Take a Swig: If you were as disappointed as I was.

Review: "The Last Lullaby"

The following entry is cross posted from InvadeNola:

Ever find yourself digging through the discount DVD bin at Wal Mart in the middle of the night? You’re not really looking to buy something, and you’re really not looking for anything in particular – you’re just trying to fill the time. For some, a wide eyed walk around the local store is all that’s needed to burn that last bit of energy. For others…

The Last Lullaby is a story lead by two such people; two restless souls, troubled by sleepless nights and haunted pasts. When their paths inevitably cross, they will have to work together, not only to resolve their more immediate problem, but to ultimately get a good night’s sleep.

We are first introduced to our male lead, a nameless ex hitman who goes by whatever alias He can think of. Played by Tom Sizemore, Jack (his primary alias) lives a fairly comfortable life, but does so uncomfortably. Weathered and restless, Jack visits a convenience store where, by chance, He overhears a kidnapping plot. Out of sheer boredom, He rescues a woman, only to demand a ransom for her safe return. While He handles this situation with the expertise you’d expect, He seems to be going through the motions; punching a thug in the face is just like going to the store or watching Nick at Nite for this guy.

Months later, He is contacted by the woman’s father to perform a job; to eliminate a witness. He hesitantly accepts, and proceeds to go about his former routine. This is where He meets (well, observes) his target Sarah, played by Sasha Alexander. Probably breaking a golden rule, Jack makes his presence known to her, only to end up striking an immediate relationship.

Just as restless as Jack, Sarah also has an equally troubled past. Having witnessed the murder of her mother at a young age (the incident that has now made her a target), Sarah has been unable to sleep, or live, easy for years. Travelling from town to town, and picking up calm nerving habits like swimming or gun shooting, She has been unable to forget, and unable to, well, move on. In this way, she is Jack’s kindred spirit. Both need to drop their past, but have been unable to do so alone. Together, they will try again. Jack will protect Sarah from and eliminate for her the men who seek her silence, and Sarah will try to fill the void Jack has lived with for so long.

I first saw this movie a few years ago at the Prytania Theatre during the New Orleans Film Festival. It impressed me then, and impresses me now. For starters, the film has a very nice mood to it. Despite the loud gunshots and occasional blood, I found things to be relatively calm (exactly what Jack and Sarah are wanting). From the musical score, to the lighting/color scheme, to the use of quiet environments like small towns, swimming pools and empty roads, the film just has an all around soothing tone.

The casting/acting of Tom Sizemore is equally noteworthy. Seen mostly in direct to dvd titles in the last decade (including a short stint in self made porn), as well as being in and out of trouble with the law, Tom’s performance is a sort of reflection of his real life. Similar to Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” and “Kill Shot”, the role of Jack – a weathered, lonely, tired yet sleepless assassin – was meant for an actor that not only looks like He’s lived a rough life, but has the experiences/memories to back it up. The way He walks, the way He talks, and the way He stares at you all tell a story on their own. Letting Tom play Jack is like giving a baseball to Nolan Ryan – Tom nailed it.

Filmed in Shreveport by hometown filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman, “The Last Lullaby” ought to be added to your Netflix queue as soon as possible. With a movie as surprisingly good as this, you have every reason to stay in bed. No need making that 2AM trip to Walgreens, as you can always buy an extra gallon of milk later. 

4/5 *'s