philthephilmmaker Reviews

Whisky Romeo Zulu (2004)

a powerful and mesmerizing film that must be seen

[10/10 · 15 December 2004]

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Bahamas Film Festival and was truly amazed by this film. It is an autobiographical retelling of Enrique Pineyro's (Director/Writer/Lead Actor) real-life experience as a whistle blower against the corrupt corporate and government practices regarding airline safety and regulation in Argentina. It is a brave and extraordinarily powerful story. Pineyro beautifully depicts his love for flying. As a pilot, Pineyro faced unbelievable pressure to perform under duress with poorly functioning planes and an administration more concerned with the bottom line, then the safety of its human cargo. Both lyrical and troubling the film weaves in and out of Pineyro's experience which culminates in the sad aftermath of the famous LAPA plane crash of '99 in Buenos Aires, which Pineyro himself predicted, resulting in the deaths of 37 people. Pineyro's story is fascinating. The cinematography and score is simply captivating, and the performances by all are top notch. His ability as a director and an actor is incredible. I beseech you all to see this film. Bravo Enrique.

Overnight (2003)

glimpse into the dark side of Hollywood

[9/10 · 11 November 2004]

I saw this film at the San Diego Film Festival and consider myself extremely lucky to have seen it. The film chronicles the rise and crumble of Troy Duffy, temporary wunderkind. The film managed to capture the process of instant success and provide such a thorough window into one man's descent into his own ego. Duffy manages to ruin every single wonderful opportunity he is blessed with. He becomes a pariah in the film industry, a dirty word that even the munificent Harvey Weinstein won't touch. It is an incredibly intense, cringe-inducing film as you see Duffy unravel in front of the directors ever-present camera. Duffy uses the camera as confessional and it in turn captures his self-inflicted demise. It is a testament to the filmmakers ability that they managed to infuse the film with a palpable sense of pity for their subject. This film must be compulsory viewing for any filmmaker as a cautionary tale into the heart of hype, ego, and the fleeting love affair Hollywood has with the next big thing. Bravo gentlemen, you've made a great film.

Foolproof (2003)

just terrible

[20 June 2004]

Foolproof was the largest domestic opening for a Canadian film. Roughly 2 million in prints and advertising was wasted on what was a truly an abysmal caper film. I was hoping for it to do well, felt the need to cheer for the cinematic home team but after seeing it I tried to understand why so much money was sunk into a film without a chance. AT the heart of the story lies a trio of friends led by the talented Canadian export Ryan Reynolds. They stage "foolproof" capers as a fun thing to do as friends. This was the first script obstacle which was terribly wonky and hard to get over but we move on. Enter bad guy, played with the stereotypical menace by David Souchet, another good actor whose talents were wasted by the director. What ensues is a ridiculous story which is so poorly written that the film can't possibly survive it's own running time. It tries to be a high impact crime caper full of twists and turns. The problem is that like many great caper films, the script has to be airtight. This script was no where near production ready. Another problem is that Foolproof didn't have the budget that caper films require in order to be successful. They blew their load on one or two scenes and the rest of the film looks like a TV movie. It's sad that this film died such a public death. It makes it so much harder for other Canadian films to get out there. While I admire the risk taken on Foolproof's domestic release, I'm saddened that they blew a bunch of cash releasing a mediocre film, that never had a chance.

The Office (2001–2003)

absolutely hysterical

[17 June 2004]

Gervais and Merchant have crafted a hysterical, ridiculous, and absolutely poignant world in their show The Office. The show follows the embarrassingly pathetic David Brent, the regional manager of a paper company. The office itself is the picture of tediousness. The employees slave away mechanically, it is so painfully tedious that the office itself becomes a hysterical character within each episode. Brent is the pinnacle of horrid bosses; completely inappropriate, lacking in tact and backbone, who yearns to be the fun loving popular boss, and fails with a train-wreck like horridness. I'll give it to Ricky Gervais, the guy is a genius. His subtlety has hints of Peter Sellers. It seems that only the brits can pull off this kind of comedy. The cast that supports Gervais is fantastic, each subplot works so well and the characters are all so subtly developed that you're rivited by the mundane life these characters lead from 9 to 5. I'm not surprised that once The Office won awards, the Americans decided to jump on the bandwagon and started to make a US version. Happily it tanked completely. You must rent the DVD's of both seasons. For any fan of that wry Brit humor, The Office is a must have in your DVD collection.